33 Chapter 33: Of Men and Witches

SALEM: Anja's father offered me and Elina a hut close to the center of the village. It was build using only wood. There were several heavy rocks on the roof to prevent the occasional storm from blowing it away.

Inside the hut were some thick furs to keep us warm for the night. Anja's father said that these were some of the best furs the village had. Skinned from a bear who prowled the forests some years ago.

Elina and I settled in.

It had been a long day. Neither of us said much. The silence between us felt tense. Well, it was always tense. But now more so than before. It started since I danced with Anja. It's hard to understand why she'd act this way.

Once inside the hut, Elina shrugged off her cape. She plopped down on the furs. But she didn't go to sleep. Her eyes and hair changed back to silver. But something was different.

Her eyes didn't just glow in the dark.

They pulsed. Like a heartbeat. Like her magic was breathing.

I've seen something like this before. Once during a witch hunt, I cornered a red eyed witch in a cave. She knew she couldn't escape. So she decided to cast one last spell.

Her eyes and hair pulsed. Like her magic was bursting out of her. At that time she launched a suicide attack by letting out all of her magic. It destroyed her body. I barely managed to escape.

Elina looked like that right now.

She said, "Tell me, what would you do if I wasn't here?"

"What do you mean?"

She nodded at the door. "With that girl. Anja."

I said nothing.

"What did she whisper into your ear? When you two were dancing."

Under any other circumstances, I would have interpreted this kind of question as a sign of jealousy. But not with Elina. Everything about her had more than one meaning.

I said, "She said that she wanted to travel. To Merkelborough. See the world beyond this village, beyond this forest."

"Not that."

"What do you mean?"

"That is what she said to you while you two were dancing." Elina looked at me. Into my eyes. "She kissed you on the cheek."

"Uh...yes..."

"Then she whispered something into your ear."

I said nothing.

"What did she say?"

I was surprised that Elina could hear what Anja said to me. That she knew that Anja kissed me on the cheek. That she whispered something. Which meant Elina had kept a very close eye on me.

But why?

"What did she say?" Elina repeated. Insistence in her voice. Something in her pulsing eyes hardened.

I breathed in. I breathed out. I was stuck in this hut with her and then another eight days on the cart. Better tell her.

I said, "She told me that she wanted to see me later tonight. That I should come to her hut."

"Oh-ho!"

Something in her eyes changed. They softened. They smiled. With mockery. Some kind of smugness.

Then she said, "You really like her kind, don't you?"

When you don't know what to say, it's better to say nothing.

Elina's hair turned blonde, her eyes turned blue. "Do you really prefer this kind? If you told me sooner, I could've just maintained this form."

I said nothing.

"No reaction? How cold of you. Then I suppose it's not just her looks that you like so much?"

I wondered what she was getting at. Anything I said now would just give her more material to work with. I decided to stay quiet. Just watch her have her fun.

She said, "Hmm…I don't really understand a human's sense of beauty, but I know I'm prettier than her. So it must be something else."

She didn't sound confident. She spoke as though it were fact. Like water was wet and fire was hot.

Her eyes pierced me, peering into my very being. I wanted to get away, but there was nowhere to go.

She said, "I suppose what you like about her is her innocence. She makes you feel manly. A sweet girl who needs your protection."

A pause.

"She is someone you can imagine spending your life with, no?"

I swallowed. Somehow she had managed to accurately guess my own delusional fantasies.

"And now you are wondering how I managed to see into your head."

"…"

She breathed. Breathed out. "In the end, we all want the same thing. That's all."

"That's a bold claim. How do you know you are right?"

"Because witches and humans aren't so different after all."

Then she added, "Also, she's the dainty kind. All men like that kind. Which is what makes her dangerous."

Dangerous? Anja? That was a lie.

"What do you mean?"

Elina patted the fur she sat down. "This isn't bear fur. Anja's father lied to you."

"So what?"

Elina didn't answer. She raised her hands. The chains clinked. She pointed at the door.

"What?" I asked.

"One, two...three."

A knock on the door. I turned around.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Mr Udell, I was just wondering if I could offer you some wine."

The voice belonged to Anja's father. I got up and opened the door. He handed me a clay mug and two wooden cups. I thanked him and wished him a good night.

I closed the door. Put the mug down. Offered Elina a cup. Poured myself a drink. Elina put her hand on my cup.

"Don't drink it, not yet."

"Why?"

"Listen to me first."

"??"

"You asked me what happened to my mother. I'll tell you now."

I put down the cup.

She said, "Just like any other witch, I was born to a witch mother and a human father. But they didn't raise me."

"What happened?"

"My father left right after I was born. Because he disagreed with my mother. And that caused them to go their separate ways."

She paused. Her blue eyes looked at me, past me, into a memory from ages ago.

"What did they disagree on?" I asked.

"Whether or not they should kill me."

I said nothing.

Elina continued. "From the moment I was conscious, when I came out of her womb, I remember everything. My mother was terrified when she saw me. When she saw my eyes. Like you witch hunters, witches know how the strength of our magic affects our natural eye color. The lighter the color, the purer the magic. And I was the first witch with silver eyes. Although I think at the time of my birth, my eyes might've been white."

"Why would your mother be terrified? Shouldn't she be proud of having such a powerful daughter?"

She smiled wryly. "No... You see my eyes, my magic was beyond the imagination of any witch. In a way, my magic wasn't even magic anymore. My power surpasses the definition of a witch. And like humans, when witches are frightened of something, they tend to kill it.

"But my father wanted to keep me. Even though he was only human. He disagreed with my mother and was banished. My mother wanted me to die, but was too afraid to kill me. So she left me in the woods, hoping that a bear or pack of wolves will eat me."

She grew quiet.

For a while I said nothing. I had to process everything she told me. The story of her birth. Why she had no mother.

But there was one thing that didn't make sense to me.

In all things, there were three major questions. The what. The when. And the why.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

Elina smiled slightly. Her eyes stayed blue, her hair stayed blonde.

"Because you might die tonight."

Elina nodded at the door. A moment of silence. Then a knock.

I looked at her. She looked at me.

Anja's voice sounded from outside. Hesitant. Endearing. "S-Salem? Are you awake? I want to see you."

Elina snickered. "Go on...hmm?"