They were two small silhouettes in the distance across the dry plain — but once they were close enough, the appearance of those two women could finally be made out against the blazing midday sun.
The one riding at the front was a slightly broad-shouldered woman in her early thirties or beyond, with long black hair and sapphire-blue eyes. The faint weight of age showed beneath her eyes in small lines on her lightly tanned skin. She wore a white shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to expose her forearms — on her right forearm was a large burn scar. Over it she had on a black vest, a simple black hat, dark blue trousers, and brown boots with spurs. Tied at her waist was a black revolver strikingly similar to Evelyn's.
Her horse was brown with white patches and a golden mane. It looked strong and well-kept as it carried the two large saddlebags strapped to either side.
The one riding behind her was a younger girl — possibly younger than Evelyn. She was very pretty, but also very pale and slender, like a dry twig. Her short hair was a very deep shade of blue and her eyes were jet black, framed by a pair of rectangular magnifying glasses. She wore a black beret, a neatly pressed blue long-sleeved shirt, trousers that were an even darker shade of blue, and a pair of black boots. Strapped across her back hung a hunting rifle, and around her waist was a belt loaded with ammunition for it.
She didn't look like an outlaw at all — she looked more like a well-cared-for girl from some large city. But the rifle that was nearly as tall as she was made a sharp contrast with her fragile appearance.
Her horse was similar to the one riding ahead of her.
Bonnie watched them in silence, her expectations running high. Victoria — the older of the two — had a somewhat stern expression, which contrasted a little with everything Evelyn had told her. Lady, on the other hand, seemed to match the description she'd heard fairly well.
Lady raised her hand in greeting toward Evelyn with an adorable smile. Thieving Cat smiled back and waved her good hand with enthusiasm.
Finally, both women brought their horses to a stop in front of them.
Victoria dismounted and walked toward Evelyn in silence. Bonnie stayed back shyly, watching Lady, who seemed to be looking at her with genuine interest.
'She's staring at me…'
Well of course she was — neither Lady nor Victoria knew her. Unless both of them were witches, there was no way they could have guessed that Evelyn would show up with a sheltered girl from Warlock County.
Nervous, she took a few steps back until she was standing behind Thieving Cat.
Victoria stopped in front of Evelyn.
"So. You're alive," the woman said.
Evelyn let out a short laugh.
"Of course I'm alive. What did you expect? That some washed-up old man was going to beat me? Please. Anyone who wants to take me down would have to be born twice more before they could lay a finger on me."
Victoria raised her hand. For a moment Bonnie thought the woman was going to hit Evelyn — but Victoria simply took off her hat and ran her hand through her hair.
"I'm glad you're alright," the woman said.
Evelyn dropped her head. Her eyelids trembled for an instant before she closed her eyes. Then, quietly, she said:
"I really thought I was going to die… I…"
"But you didn't," Victoria interrupted. "You look terrible, but you're still breathing. Good work."
Thieving Cat sighed, took her hat back, and put it on. Then she smiled, her energy restored.
"Yeah. You're right. I'm alive."
Lady moved up to the group and gave Evelyn a small punch on the shoulder.
"I'm honestly surprised you didn't get lost on the way back," the girl said. "You're going to have to tell us how you survived."
"I'll get to that later. We still have time before we cross the border."
Meanwhile, Victoria looked at Bonnie. The woman's deep, analytical gaze made her feel immediately intimidated — all she could do was shrink where she stood, like a frightened animal trying to hide from a predator.
"Who is this girl you have with you, Evelyn?"
"Right — let me introduce her," said Thieving Cat, dropping her arm over Bonnie's shoulders. "This is Bonnie Jones, daughter of a mining magnate from Warlock County. She just became an outlaw after killing a man who tried to hurt her. Right now she's looking to learn how to control the power she gained when she crossed that line."
Bonnie raised her hand timidly and said:
"Hello… Sorry for the trouble."
Victoria stayed quiet, studying her carefully, but Lady stepped forward in a friendly way.
"Hello, Bonnie Jones. I've heard a lot about you!"
"Really?"
Lady nodded enthusiastically, as though she had some kind of hyperactivity that she simply couldn't contain.
"Yes, well — since you're Bonnie Jones, I've heard quite a lot about your father, Nicolás Jones — the man who took control of a large number of mines in the growing county of Warlock. He's an extremely wealthy person with significant influence across other counties in the State of New Providence. He's been featured many times in the most prominent papers in the State. That makes you a very fortunate person… and an unfortunate one at the same time."
'She didn't have to give me a lecture on something I already know…' Bonnie thought — but in a way it was convenient, since she now didn't have to go through a lengthy introduction.
Lady caught her breath, having spoken too fast, and extended her hand to greet Bonnie — despite already having talked to her in a very casual way.
Bonnie accepted it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," the girl said. "They call me Lady. You can call me that too."
"Pleasure's mine, Lady."
Then Victoria cut in.
"Nicolás Jones's daughter, turned outlaw… May I ask the circumstances under which you broke the law, girl?"
Bonnie lowered her gaze. She hesitated a little — but before telling her story, she wanted to confirm something first. The whole reason she was here.
"Before that — Evelyn told me you might be able to teach me to use the supernatural powers."
The woman looked at Evelyn with a judging expression.
"I've told you many times to stop making promises on my behalf, Evelyn. How many more times do I have to say it?"
"Don't be annoyed with me, woman. This time I have a good reason. Bonnie helped me with some things I'll tell you about later, and in the short time we've spent together she showed herself to be nothing more than a girl who needs help. I couldn't just leave her to fend for herself. Do you have any idea how heavily it would weigh on my conscience thinking that a girl might have died simply because I didn't help her when I had the chance?"
Victoria pressed her fingers to her forehead, thinking it over for a long moment. Then she sighed, tired, and looked at Bonnie.
"Get on your horse, girl. We're crossing the border in the next few days. We need to deliver the haul. You can tell me your circumstances on the way."
Bonnie felt a wave of relief wash over her.
"I'm very grateful. If I can find a way to repay you, I'll gladly do it."
The woman smiled with a short laugh.
"No need. You'll understand why later."
Bonnie didn't quite follow that last part — but she filed the words away for later.
'I suppose that was all. She didn't even introduce herself — but that must be because she assumes Evelyn already told me about her, and she'd be right. Anyway. It's finally starting. It happened faster than I expected, and that's fine.'
After so much chaos, she was finally beginning to see the road ahead of her taking shape. This was the real beginning — one where power was going to be her greatest weapon.
A few seconds later, Victoria and Lady returned to their horses and waited while Bonnie and Evelyn gathered their things. Though in practice it was mostly Bonnie who did the work, organizing the saddlebags and loading them onto the horses. She even helped Thieving Cat up into the saddle.
Once everything was in order, Bonnie mounted her horse and rode alongside the group.
She spent the next stretch in silence, waiting for Victoria to ask her something — but there was nothing but quiet. Every now and then Lady pulled out a notebook, jotted something down, looked out across the plain on either side, and gave a small nod, as though she had just noted information relevant to something that didn't quite add up.
Victoria, for her part, kept her eyes on the road the entire time. She was far too calm for anyone to expect her to speak up anytime soon — but Evelyn was different. She rode up close to Bonnie.
"So, what do you think? This is my gang," she said.
"It's not what I was expecting."
"What were you expecting? That we'd all be dirty and look like bad people? Sure, we are bad people — but we're not monsters. We're women, you know? We like to look after ourselves. Though Lady takes that part a little more seriously than the rest of us."
Bonnie wondered if that was really true.
'Maybe she's right. Lady is very pretty. How old must she be? Twenty? She looks a little younger than that, though she comes across older than me.'
"Tell us, girl," Victoria said suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"Before thinking about teaching you anything — or trusting even minimally that you won't do something stupid — tell us your circumstances. What made you an outlaw? What did you do before it happened? What did you think of your life?"
Lady glanced over at Bonnie.
"Answer her honestly. It'll be very helpful for Vicky."
"Honestly…"
That wasn't exactly easy — but she was going to try. And so she began to tell everything she knew. Though she left out the part about the Devil's Cult, since she figured Victoria would reprimand her for it if she brought it up so casually. These three women had faced one of the cult's members head-on — it was better not to drop that into the conversation as though it were nothing.
She finished telling her story. Victoria seemed satisfied, and Lady had a slightly distant expression — but she quickly showed some warmth and said:
"I'm really sorry about everything that happened to you. I can't say I understand it, because I've never been through anything like it — but it must have been incredibly hard."
"It was," Bonnie answered.
"So those are the circumstances…" Victoria added. "You killed two men or more, you felt trapped… you ran… I see…"
"For someone who has stepped into the supernatural, circumstances are extremely important," said Lady.
"Those circumstances are what make you different," Evelyn added.
Then, finally, Victoria arrived at a conclusion — one that, once again, shifted the way Bonnie understood the world.
"You felt imprisoned in what you called a life of luxury, yet all you ever found in it was loneliness and pressure. Forced into a marriage with a man you didn't love, you feared the total absence of freedom you had. Then, when you were given the chance to defend that freedom, you didn't hesitate to pull the trigger."
Bonnie felt a chill run through her. Victoria finished:
"You killed people and broke the laws of men. You ran, and you broke away from society. What you did, girl, is a Ritual — the ritual that gave you the power to seek freedom. You have entered the First Stigma of the Outlaw's Ballad. You are a Wanted."
The world opens up with an endless sea of possibilities.