Chapter 25: Steam City
Lady and Evelyn had fallen asleep after singing and playing the harmonica with such passion. They were curled up in their spots, wrapped in blankets against the cold.
'That was fun,' Bonnie thought, watching the campfire.
Just then, Victoria — who was still awake — pulled a metal flask of whiskey from her vest. She drank slowly, watching the flame in silence, and then, out of nowhere, spoke:
"Are you certain that investigating the Devil's Cult is what you want?"
Bonnie felt caught off guard, but answered calmly.
"I can't live without knowing. Why did they kidnap me? Why did they want me dead? What were they hoping to gain from it? Why kidnap so many innocent girls?"
Some of those thoughts truly belonged to the real Bonnie. She was an exceptionally kind girl — so much so that Samuel sometimes had to force his own emotions to the surface to keep from getting swept away in hers. Maybe that was why she sometimes had such abrupt shifts in attitude, like when she decided to fire at Wild Dog. That wasn't something Bonnie would have done on her own — but it was something Samuel had wanted to.
Her mind functioned like a labyrinth of emotions. She moved through it hoping to find the right feeling to act on. Sometimes she had to force her way through. Other times she simply had to go with whatever she found.
"I see. I have no right to tell you anything. Evelyn has already tried. The only thing I can recommend now is to avoid drawing attention to yourself. Keep a low profile, stay out of trouble, and you'll survive a little longer than expected."
Bonnie thought about it, but then remembered that Thieving Cat had mentioned fighting someone from the Devil's Cult.
"You… fought someone from the Devil's Cult, didn't you? Evelyn told me. If you could tell me something about that — I'd be very grateful. At least that way I'd have some idea of what I'm actually up against."
Victoria drank from her flask. With a tired, resigned sigh, she said:
"A monster. That's what that bastard was. There's no other word I could use to describe it — that's simply all it is… Committing that many abominations is what turns people into monsters, and the members of the Devil's Cult are exactly that."
Frowning, Victoria looked at the burn scar on her right forearm.
"Firing seas of flames… Turning their own bodies into shapeless masses of flesh that can take any form… Speaking with the voices of your loved ones if they find a way into your mind… We barely made it out alive. But if you want to die that way, I can't stop you. As an outlaw, you have every right to do whatever you please."
That was unsettling. Far beyond a simple lunatic killing people on an altar — this sounded like a dark sorcerer wielding black magic against people who had mastered the First Stigma.
'Things like that… For some reason, I can already picture what it would look like if I ran into someone like that…'
Running into someone like that was one thing. Actually facing them? You'd have to be truly out of your mind to even consider it — but Bonnie was already being hunted by the cult. She had no choice but to know her enemy before the second encounter.
So, returning to a thought she'd had before, she asked:
"Are the people of the Devil's Cult using the supernatural powers of some kind of Ballad?"
"We believe the Devil's Ballad exists, and that all the horrifying things the members of the Devil's Cult do are connected to the rituals of its Stigmas — but beyond that, everything is a mystery."
"I see… Then I'll follow your advice and stay cautious. Thank you so much for the information. I'll repay you with—"
"Don't, girl. You're going to need that money for what you're planning to do. I'm only a passing help. We may never cross paths again once we go our separate ways, so it's not even worth thinking about payment. Besides, we have a haul to sell that will bring me plenty of Crowns."
"I'm sorry…"
"No apologies, girl. If you want to survive, you'll have to be more selfish."
"I understand… I'll keep that advice too."
"Life will teach you the rest."
Finishing the last of her flask, Victoria pulled a small blanket over herself and leaned back against the rock.
"Now sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow. Steam City is our next destination."
Bonnie nodded and settled into a sleeping position — but Victoria's last words kept her thinking a little longer.
'Steam City… If I remember correctly, it's the city that's developed so rapidly since the arrival of steam-powered machinery. Walking into that place should feel like being transported into the future. It'll be the first time I've ever visited a city like that without my father by my side… or my mother…'
She looked up at the starlit sky. She still felt uneasy. Maybe the anxiety of imagining everything that could go wrong was slowly rotting her brain.
The best thing she could do right now was rest.
Tomorrow would be another day.
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That night brought a dream brighter than usual. Bonnie was walking hand in hand with an adult woman with red hair and brown eyes. The two of them were boarding a gigantic steam-powered train built entirely from metal. The thing was imposing — strikingly modern for its time.
Bonnie, around eight years old, was frightened. But the elegant woman in her yellow dress smiled down at her with warmth.
"Let's get on the train, Bonnie. Don't you want to see the waterfalls?"
Little Bonnie shook her head.
"I don't want to anymore, Mama. I'm scared."
The woman crouched down and cupped Bonnie's cheeks in her hands, gentle and calm.
"Listen to me, my love. If you're frightened of every new thing you encounter, you'll live your whole life in fear. You won't be able to love, because you'll be afraid of having your heart broken. You won't be able to have fun, because you'll be afraid of getting hurt. You won't be able to try new food, because you'll be afraid of the taste. Do you want to spend your whole life being afraid?"
Bonnie shook her head. Eleanor smiled.
"Then be brave, and face what you don't know. I'll always be with you — so don't worry," she said, offering Bonnie her hand.
Bonnie took it, and together with her mother, they boarded the train. The steam whistle released its pressure with a sharp, resonant blast that made Bonnie flinch — but when she felt the warm hand of her mother beside hers, she felt stronger. She had the courage to keep going…
Then came a gentle shake that brought her eyes open. She found a fairly dark blue sky — dawn had barely started — and Evelyn, sitting right next to her, very close.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," said Thieving Cat with a smile. "I wanted to show you something before Lady wakes up."
Bonnie blinked a couple of times. She looked at the ground as though she were missing something — then shook her head.
"Evelyn… Why are you waking me up? Where's Ms. Victoria?"
"She always wakes up early to use the bathroom and stretch. She'll be back. Now get up. You need this more than I do," she said, taking Bonnie's hand and pulling her to her feet.
Bonnie groaned. She stood and stretched. She saw that Lady was still sleeping like a curled-up kitten in the corner, then followed Evelyn, who was already leaving her behind.
'I was having a good dream after such a long time. Why did Evelyn have to wake me up? Life is cruel…'
She rubbed her eyelids with her knuckle and let out a small yawn.
They didn't go far from the campfire — just around the large rocks that made up the area until Bonnie was standing in front of a wall.
"Stay right there and don't move," said Thieving Cat from a few yards away, crouching to pick up a stone.
At first Bonnie didn't understand what was happening. She tilted her head slightly, trying to figure out why she'd been woken up and what exactly Evelyn was doing. It all became clear when Thieving Cat raised her arm in the gesture of someone about to throw something.
Evelyn threw the rock suddenly. On instinct, Bonnie threw her hands over her head and curled her body in, bracing for the impact. The stone struck the wall right beside her and shattered into small pieces and dry dust.
"What — what the hell?!" Bonnie shouted.
Evelyn picked up another stone.
"Since the body is slow and sluggish in the morning, I'm going to wake you up and at the same time you're going to start learning to use the Stigma."
Before she could object, Bonnie watched Evelyn hurl another rock. Once again, it struck the wall beside her.
"Wait! Hold on! This is really dangerous!"
Evelyn laughed.
"The next one goes for the face."
"No!"
Thieving Cat wound up and threw. Bonnie had been hoping that crazy woman was bluffing — but when she caught the trajectory of the rock in a fraction of a second, she knew it wasn't a joke.
And yet, keeping her eyes open, her pupils dilated. As the sun crept over the horizon and cast that strange shadow behind Bonnie, she was able to see the rock as though it were moving in slow motion. A soft, barely perceptible green flash appeared in her irises for just an instant.
Her instinct told her to move to the side — and that's exactly what she did. The rock struck the wall, exploding into small fragments that pelted the side of Bonnie's neck. She winced at the sensation, like a series of small sharp pinches against her skin.
"Looks like you can already do it consciously. You learn fast — congratulations. You're one step closer to mastering the Stigma."
"Did you have to do this without any warning?"
"Of course. Because if I had warned you, you wouldn't have dodged like your life depended on it. Now let's see if you can do it again."
"No! Wait!"
The stone-throwing session lasted until they had to get back on the road.
It was barely morning, and Bonnie already felt like she had burned through an entire day's worth of energy. Keeping hold of her horse's reins was a challenge, because her hips and waist ached from all the movement of dodging.
Though she noticed she could move just as fast as Evelyn, she ran out of steam far sooner, and the pain in her muscles and bones was almost unbearable. Thieving Cat found this hilarious, while Lady watched Bonnie with a sympathetic look, fully understanding her suffering.
Victoria, on the other hand, seemed strangely satisfied this morning. Bonnie snuck glances at her, forming her own theories.
'It was probably her idea… And what a great idea it was.'
That woman had been ruthless — but fair. Exactly the right amount of cruel to make Bonnie learn fast what she needed to know before reaching Steam City. And they weren't far off now.
After that, nothing particularly noteworthy happened — just casual conversation, a few dry comments from Evelyn delivered in that smooth, expressive voice of hers, Lady acting genuinely surprised that Bonnie could read maps, and Victoria eating a piece of bread so hard it could have been used as a weapon.
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That same afternoon, the group finally caught sight of the great city in the distance. Buildings far taller than anything seen in Ironwood rose like imposing shadows on the horizon, with steam curling up into the sky until it dissolved into the clouds.
If she could already feel that sense of "the future" from this far out — the one Bonnie had been imagining — she was eager to see the heart of the city up close.
The horses slowed as they reached the grand entrance of the city: a metal arch with the words "STEAM CITY" in raised lettering.
Buildings of all kinds lined the streets, but most were the kind you'd find on the other side of the world — a Victorian style, one might say. Well-dressed people came and went in their elegant carriages, though there were also plenty of more common cowboys mixed in among them.
'Wow… It's so different from the few photographs I've ever seen. They've come so far. It makes Ironwood look like a poor little town.'
"Go take a walk and explore," said Victoria. "I'll handle the sale of the haul."
"Perfect. There are some things I want to buy, so I'll go my own way," said Lady.
"I'm going to find some decent food. I'm sure Bonnie wants something too."
Those words landed like a gift from the heavens.
'God, yes. I'm dying for something that isn't sweet canned beans. And I'll actually get to see a new city for the first time in years…'
With that in mind, she said:
"Yes. I'll go with Evelyn."
"You all know what you're doing, so let's meet back in two hours at the saloon in the center of town," Victoria concluded before disappearing down the street.
Lady waved goodbye with a soft gesture and headed off in the same direction.
"Well, that's how it goes. Come on, Bonnie. I know a good spot in this city where we can eat something worth eating."
"I guess that makes you my guide in all this."
"I like the sound of that," Evelyn answered.
Bonnie arrived in a new city she had only ever seen in old photographs — but out on the streets, among all the people crowding between the grand buildings and the steam-powered machines, someone was watching her in silence.
That person seemed to hesitate over something — then smiled, and faded into the darkness of an alleyway.