Yamina lowered her head in a small nod at Scarlett’s statement. “I was aware, yes.”

“When we spoke before—before we dealt with Fate—you mentioned that you had read about otherworlders before,” Scarlett said.

“No, not quite,” Yamina replied. “I believe what I said was that I had read one account suggesting that the Anomalous One might be of such a nature.”

The wizard lifted her spellbook again, brushing her fingers over the cover as the pages began to turn on their own before settling on a passage that she angled for Scarlett to see.

Scarlett leaned forward, eyes narrowing at the thin, neatly arranged text, then frowned. “I cannot read this.”

Yamina blinked, then let out a soft chuckle. “Apologies. Lorchen was born in the Kingdom of Avarn, which would roughly correspond to where Bridgespell and its surrounding territories are today. Most of her writings were made in Rellaric—what you might call Old Imperial—but certain passages were written in Leravan, which was once the most widely used language among wizarding circles, before the Rising Isle and the empire helped spread the later Rellaric tongues. I haven’t bothered to translate all of them.”

She turned the spellbook back to herself. “To summarise, this is an account Lorchen recorded as though it were true, though she never names the source. My assumption is that it came from Meneth.” Her fingers rested lightly on the page. “In any case, it describes an encounter in which the being you would know as the Anomalous One took on a form very close to that of the Zuver as they were before The Severance. Supposedly, it was the only instance in which proper communication with that existence was possible. The details of the exchange weren’t preserved, but Lorchen reflected on the Anomalous One’s reality and its implications for existences beyond the known realms.”

“Then is that all you know?” Scarlett asked.

Yamina turned back to her. “For certain, yes. But the idea of an otherworlder is an interesting one, and I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about its implications myself.”

“And what conclusions have you arrived at?”

“I wouldn’t be so bold as to call them conclusions, but…” The wizard considered her. “Baroness, if I might ask, how old are you?”

Scarlett held back a faint frown. “Why are you asking?”

“Curiosity?” Yamina offered with a slight tilt of her head. “You have always struck me as someone older than your years would suggest. The old-fashioned formality in your speech is rare even among the older imperial nobility, at least in my experience. As an otherworlder, I wouldn’t be surprised if you truly were my elder.”

Scarlett went quiet.

Right now, she was very glad that Rosa hadn’t joined them.

“But don’t worry,” Yamina added. “Even if you were twice my age, I wouldn’t think any less of you for it. The vast majority of my acquaintances have been older than me. I had to grow up rather quickly myself, and I suspect part of why I have always felt a certain kinship with you is because there is a similar gap between your age and the way others seem inclined to regard you.”

“…I’ve never asked, but how old are you?” Scarlett said.

“Thirty-three.”

“And if you were to guess my real age…what would you say?”

Yamina touched a finger to her cheek. “Now that is a difficult one to answer. Going only by the way you speak, and by some of the rather antiquated turns of phrase I’ve heard from you, would it be rude of me if I said I’ve had thoughts that you could be over seventy?”

The corner of Scarlett’s mouth twitched.

“But a more reasonable guess would probably be somewhere around forty-five,” Yamina said.

Scarlett held the woman’s gaze for several long seconds. “I am twenty-seven.”

It wasn’t her fault the original Scarlett had been so absurdly obsessed with formality and etiquette that she made almost everyone short of actual royalty seem casual by comparison. Though Scarlett had heard even Regina speak far more casually outside official settings.

Frankly, she still wasn’t entirely sure why the original had been like that, beyond the obvious fact that the woman’s mother had clearly passed a whole nest of bizarre fixations on to her daughter.

Yamina’s brows rose slightly. “Oh. Then you can disregard my theories.”

“I do not speak as I do by choice,” Scarlett said.

“You don’t?”

“No.”

“Then why do you speak like that?”

Scarlett kept watching the woman, considering her for a few moments before she spoke. “If I am to answer that, then I first need to ask you something else.”

“Go ahead.” Yamina gestured at her. “I intended to be as honest as I could today, given that you’ve already removed the last obstacles that kept me from speaking freely.”

“What is your goal now that Fate is no longer present? Now that it has been released?”

“My goal?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The wizard was quiet for a while. The lightness that had been sitting on her face faded a little, and something more distant settled in its place.

“I am not entirely sure,” she finally said. “I only ever truly had one purpose in life. One I was practically born to carry out. Now that it’s been fulfilled, I feel…”

She trailed off, as if she couldn’t quite find the word.

“Empty?” Scarlett offered.

How would it feel if you had spent your whole life knowing pieces of the future that no one else did, while also knowing there was very little for you to do but to make sure that future happened? If that was all you’d ever lived, Scarlett imagined she’d probably feel unmoored once that track was suddenly gone.

A small smile touched Yamina’s lips. “There’s that difference in perspective between us again.” She let out a soft laugh. “No, I don’t think empty is the right word. If anything, what I’m feeling is closer to contentment. Or a novel variation of it, at least. Before this, I never really had to sit with the uncertainty of not knowing where to go next, and I am still in the process of deciding.”

Scarlett studied that smile.

“Then have you considered working with me?” she asked.

“Working with you?” Yamina repeated. “Is that not already what I’m doing?”

“I mean properly. Not merely as temporary collaborators whose goals happen to align for the moment.”

The wizard considered her, then leaned forward in her seat, bracing an elbow on her leg and resting her chin on her palm. “Is this an invitation to join your little cohort of unique talents, Baroness?”

“You may take it as such, if you wish,” Scarlett said. “You would not necessarily need to stay with us physically, but we could certainly make use of your skills and expertise.”

“I imagine you could.”

“So, would you be willing?”

Yamina kept her eyes on Scarlett, her expression sharpening slightly. “First, I would have to ask what your goal is. I don’t think I have ever truly heard it from you until now.”

Scarlett didn’t shy away from that gaze. “My goal is survival.”

“That’s a very broad answer.”

“My ambitions are very broad.”

“I had always thought they were rather grand.”

“In my case, survival is a grand ambition.”

“And why is that?” Yamina leaned in just a touch closer.

“Because this world may very well come to an end within a year,” Scarlett said. “You already know this.”

Stolen novel; please report.

The wizard inclined her head slightly. “It was always one of the ends Fate was drawing things towards. Now that Fate is gone, the roads leading there are less predictable. But the roads away from it are no longer being hemmed in either.”

“I assume you never intended to remain on the sidelines simply because your role had been fulfilled.”

“It would be irresponsible of me not to involve myself somehow.”

“I feel much the same. I intend to prevent the world’s end and, in doing so, ensure my own survival.”

“An admirable goal, even if it springs from somewhat self-interested motives,” Yamina said. “But if that alone were reason enough to join you, there are several factions besides yours that claim similar aims. How you mean to achieve it matters just as much, and I don’t believe we have ever properly discussed your thinking on that front.”

“I do not know the precise ‘how’ yet,” Scarlett replied. “It may be that I simply need to eradicate the Hallowed Cabal and the Undead Council. Perhaps I need to kill the Anomalous One. Or bring down all the gods.” She gave a slight lift of one hand. “All of them pose a threat in one way or another. Part of working with me is helping determine how to deal with each.”

Yamina scrutinised her in silence, as if turning over exactly how her claims might be carried out. “I suppose blasphemy is not much of a concern for the woman who personally ended a primordial deity.”

“It is not.” Scarlett shook her head. “And even if it were, you already know what sort of person I am. You know that I am not above compromising on certain principles if I judge it necessary.”

Yamina looked her in the eyes for a few moments longer. “I am not quite as confident in your character as you probably imagine, Baroness. But at the very least, you never struck me as someone who would cast morality aside altogether for the sake of your ambitions.”

“Perhaps not. But I will bend it. Before I recruit you, that is something I would need to make clear.” Scarlett nodded towards the exit, towards the corridor beyond and the others waiting in the other chamber. “I once put the entire empire at risk of a Vile’s incursion because I was unwilling to sacrifice Rosa.”

“Mm. I did hear about that.”

“I will not pretend it was anything less than a grave risk. But it allowed me to bring the partial power of a Vile to my side, and it removed the threat Anguish posed to the realms. It is exactly that sort of choice I can make that other groups cannot, and it is why I stand a far better chance of preventing this world’s end than any other group I know of.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“So would you be willing to join me?” Scarlett asked.

Yamina’s expression turned thoughtful, one finger tapping lightly against the spellbook. “To be clear, are you saying that you believe it necessary to be both ruthless and reckless to succeed?”

“I do not know whether it is necessary, but it is how I will approach things. As I did with Anguish, in the Hall of Echoes, and in Beld Thylelion.”

“And before I join you, you’re simply trying to warn me that this is something I would have to accept? Such as the occasional questionable dalliance with Vile-adjacent entities?”

“Yes.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

“I am not trying to be kind. There simply needs to be a common understanding between us.”

“I know. I still think it’s rather kind. But I do see what you are saying. You want my help, but you are concerned that some of the things you involve yourself in may drive me away.” Yamina let out a quiet, amused breath at Scarlett’s slight frown. “As blandishments go, I will say that I have heard better.”

“If you wish to be compensated as well, that is no issue.”

That made the wizard pause, a trace of interest colouring her face. “What sort of compensation do you have in mind?”

“If you want solars, I can offer you millions,” Scarlett said. “If it is Zuverian artifacts or knowledge, you already know I possess both. There is very little I cannot at least help you obtain, so merely tell me what you want.”

“I suppose I could use some help managing the ire that will no doubt be aimed my way once I return to the Rising Isle and they learn of all the reagents I borrowed. Would you say it’s within your ability to help with that?”

Scarlett was silent for a few seconds. “If that is what you wish, I will see what I can do.”

Yamina chuckled. “No, I was merely joking. But thank you, nonetheless.”

Scarlett eyed her. “…Does this mean you are not willing to consider my offer?”

“No, I’m still considering it.”

“Then what would it take for me to receive a proper answer?”

It was Yamina’s turn to stay quiet for a beat. “Would it be too much to ask for a promise?”

“A promise?”

“Yes. In return, I would offer one of my own.”

Scarlett studied her more carefully. “What sort of promises?”

Yamina held her gaze, then leaned back. She removed her glasses, setting them across the open pages of her spellbook.

“Would it be terribly presumptuous of me if I called you a friend?” she suddenly asked.

Scarlett blinked. “A friend…?”

“I realise you may not be especially fond of that sort of label, and despite everything, we’ve had very few interactions that weren’t shaped by circumstance or by some temporary overlap in interests.” Something about that seemed to amuse Yamina. “Still, I like to think we suit each other rather well. Do you disagree?”

“…No, I do not. If you wish to say that we are friends, then you may do so. You can also stop calling me Baroness.”

It wasn’t as if Scarlett objected to the idea. She had friends in this world.

“Then, as a friend, Scarlett,” Yamina said, “I would not terribly mind joining your efforts, even if they are not guaranteed to be as upright as the world might prefer.”

“Truly?”

Scarlett hadn’t quite expected to get that response already.

“And what is the promise you mentioned?” she asked.

The wizard seemed to consider her words for a while before speaking. “Perhaps it’s not so much a promise as a request, but if you are ever faced with a moral dilemma where you believe the only possible choice is to bear the cost alone for the sake of others, I would like to ask that you stop for a moment and look at the people around you before you decide. Consider whether they might be willing to carry part of that burden with you. If you would agree to this, I could promise to be one of those people in return.”

Scarlett went still, her gaze sharpening on the woman. “…Do you know something?”

Had Yamina somehow seen something in Fate before it broke? Something involving her?

Yamina simply shook her head. “I don’t. But you seemed very intent on making it clear that you were prepared to perhaps do ugly things for the sake of your goals, and I thought that, now that I am allowed to have more of a choice in matters, I could at least try to spare a friend a few needless mistakes before they happen.”

Scarlett kept her eyes on her for another moment.

“Very well,” she eventually said. “I promise.”

“Marvellous. Now, returning to our earlier topic, would you mind explaining why it is that you speak like that?”

Scarlett paused. Then, after a brief silence where she debated whether she ought to grill the woman any further before truly determining whether to go along with this, she let out a quiet breath. “Because that’s how The Other forced me to be when he first brought me here.”

A trace of annoyance rose to the surface.

“You might have heard rumours that the original Scarlett Hartford was something of a villainess. I’m the replacement he brought in for her.” She made a slight face. “Unfortunately, that included her obsessive way of speaking.”

Surprise flashed across Yamina’s expression, and she gave Scarlett a long, examining look.

“I had wondered whether you had been in this world for a very long time or whether you were a more recent arrival. Fate alone made it difficult to gauge, but I had noticed that Freybrook in particular only began to grow more inscrutable within the last year. I take it that was when you arrived?”

“Yes.”

“And…that just now is more like your usual form of speech?”

“It is.” Scarlett nodded as she allowed the Amy part of her that she had briefly channelled to fade back into the background.

“Do you know why The Other brought you here?”

“I do and I do not. His exact motives and stakes remain unclear, but I do know that my arrival was, in some fashion, a response to the Anomalous One being introduced into this world.”

“Ah.” That seemed to slot something into place for Yamina. “So Time’s interference played a part.”

Scarlett’s eyebrows rose. “Yes. Were you already aware of his connection to the Anomalous One?”

“I can’t claim to know every detail,” Yamina said, “but I am aware that the Anomalous One was an aberration introduced by Time, and that it moved against Fate. That your presence arose as some consequence of that isn’t especially surprising, even if it is interesting that The Other would have been responsible for it.”

“Hmm. Is that so… And regarding The Other, do you trust him?”

Yamina scoffed. “Obviously not.”

“Good.”

Scarlett was silent for a moment, but then a thought occurred to her, and a trace of suspicion entered her gaze as she watched the wizard. “Do you trust Rosa?”

Yamina blinked. “Where exactly did that come from?”

“I merely had a thought. Did you speak with her at all while I was gone?”

“I certainly did not make a point of avoiding her.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“No?” Yamina’s brows lifted slightly, before her expression arranged itself into something altogether too innocent. “Then I am not quite sure what you’re implying.”

That only made Scarlett more skeptical.

“…I do not like it when those around me conspire behind my back,” she said.

Yamina said nothing at first, before smiling faintly. “If your companions are to be believed, I think that is what people call irony.”

“And I believe I need to have a talk with Rosa after this.”

“I’m sure she’ll be delighted to hear you say that.”

“I am sure she will.”

“Do come back and tell me how that conversation goes.” Yamina’s smile lingered for another second before turning more vague. “On an entirely unrelated note, I heard that you will soon be travelling to Elystead. Is that true?”

Scarlett looked at her, eyes continuing to narrow. “It is.”

“Would that happen to be related to that barrier the empire has been so busy establishing?”

“It would.”

“I was actually invited by Dean Godwin to attend as well, if you can believe it.”

“Do you intend to?”

“Perhaps, if I find sufficient reason.”

Scarlett kept watching her closely.

It was almost certainly not a coincidence that Yamina had brought this up now, because this was exactly the point Scarlett had ultimately wanted to reach by trying to recruit the wizard in the first place.

After all, Elystead was where Mistress’s ‘gala’ was going to be held, and Scarlett was becoming more and more inclined to take the woman up on that offer. What she didn’t like was the idea of walking blindly into Mistress’s hands when the woman’s command of the arcane so thoroughly outstripped her own, even with all the legacy knowledge Scarlett had access to. Having Yamina there to weigh against that advantage was exactly the sort of support she needed.

It just would have felt better if she’d managed to rope Yamina in on her own, without relying on whatever Rosa had so obviously said to the woman while Scarlett had been out of commission.

Yamina must have noticed her irritation, because she raised a hand to her mouth, only half-hiding the fully amused smile this time. “That woman really does know you rather well.”

Scarlett frowned. “Rosa?”

“Yes. She thought you might be upset.”

“Then she should not have given me reason to be.”

That only seemed to amuse Yamina further. “She also said that you would misunderstand and feel as though she had ‘stolen your thunder’, to repeat her words. I believe I am meant to assure you that she has not.”

Scarlett paused. “She said that?”

“She did.” Yamina nodded. “Though she also seemed to think that telling you so would not spare her from punishment, and so she was rather insistent that I not let you read too much from me if it could be helped. Unfortunately, if I have failed on that front—and I believe I have—she did say she was perfectly willing to beg for clemency in whatever manner you demand.”

The wizard’s eyes lingered on her. “Can I ask what manner that usually takes?”

Scarlett’s frown deepened. “…I will have words with her.”

“Then do let her know that I wish her the best of luck.”