Jean Genie
Copyright© 2026 by Rachael Jane
Chapter 5: Attracting Caballero Alonso
I leave the house and step into the morning air. The sunlight stings my eyes at first. It’s the first time I’ve walked beneath an open sky since my parents and I were arrested. Fortunately, my body remembers how to move and blend into the world of the living. The bracelet’s magic has cloaked me in the appearance of an ordinary young woman. To any passer‑by, I am simply another servant running errands in the city. But beneath my borrowed calm, my heart races.
The city of Granada is 24 leguas from my former home in Baños de la Encina; two days travel on horseback. Granada has changed since I last visited it as a young child. The narrow streets are the same, but the expressions on the faces of the people are different, and their clothing more severe. The Inquisition’s shadow lies heavy over everything. Even the air feels cautious.
I keep my head down and walk toward the marketplace, where gossip flows more freely than wine. If someone betrayed Don Carlos, then their tongue will have wagged somewhere, and the marketplace is the most likely place for spreading gossip.
Even though I’m apart from the bracelet, I can feel its presence. I am still bound to the bracelet’s magic, and periodically images come unbidden into my mind. Not to command me, but to guide me and remind me of my mission. To observe and listen, and follow the clues. The bracelet’s magic is subtle, not forceful. It nudges rather than controls me.
I follow the bracelet’s subtle nudges towards a small square where merchants sell fruit, cloth, and trinkets. A group of women stand near a fountain, whispering behind their fans. Their voices drift toward me like smoke. Normally I wouldn’t be able to hear them at this distance, but the bracelet’s magic amplifies their voices to my ears.
“ ... Don Carlos ... such a shame ... always so generous to the Church...”
“ ... generous, yes, but generosity does not erase suspicion...”
“ ... and who benefits most from his absence? Ask that, and you will know the truth.”
I pause, pretending to examine a basket of figs.
“Who indeed?” another woman murmurs. “His steward, perhaps? Or that nephew of his ... what’s his name? Don Mateo! The one who always envied Don Carlos’s position.”
A spark of interest flares in my mind. There. A thread. I drift closer, careful not to draw attention.
“Don Mateo,” the first woman repeats. “He visits the Inquisition’s offices far too often for my liking. And always with that smug look, as though he carries secrets in his pockets.”
The women laugh nervously. It’s the kind of laughter people use when they fear they’ve said too much. I slip away before they notice me. I have learned a name to remember. Don Mateo.
More images flood my mind, guiding me down a side street. I follow the sensation until I reach a quiet alley behind the magistrate’s hall. A man stands there, speaking in hushed tones to a hooded figure. I cannot see his face, but I recognize the ring on his hand. It’s the same as the one I saw in my initial visions; a heavy gold signet engraved with the Fuentes crest. Don Carlos’s family crest.
My breath catches. The man is passing a sealed parchment to the hooded figure. The gesture is furtive as though the two are guilty of a crime. The bracelet’s magic prickles along my skin, urging caution. I step behind a stack of crates and listen.
“ ... another letter,” the man mutters. “This one should be enough to keep him imprisoned. The Inquisitor is unlikely to question its authenticity.”
The hooded figure nods. “And the daughter? Will she yield to Caballero Alonso’s offer?”
“She will have no choice,” the man replies. “Once her father is condemned, she will need protection. And Alonso is ... persistent.”
My stomach twists. So this is the source of Don Carlos’s suffering. Not holy suspicion, nor divine judgement. But a man with ambition and a quill pen.
The bracelet’s magic pulses in my mind. Not with guidance this time, but with anger. Maristela had infused her own magic into the bracelet when she enchanted it, and Maristela did not tolerate injustice.
I step back into the sunlight, my mind racing. I have seen enough to know the truth: Don Mateo is the betrayer. And he is working with someone inside the Inquisition.
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