36 Chapter 36: Test of the Hear

SALEM: "Take them off and I will save you."

I said nothing. Because it finally dawned on me. Elina's plan.

A down payment for your trust.

So this was her endgame. The final result she was aiming for. She had me standing exactly where she wanted me, in the kind of situation she wanted me in. A time and place where I'd have no choice but to trust her. Or die.

She raised her hands. Shook the handcuffs. Waited for my answer.

"Did you know about this?" I asked.

"About what?"

"That Anja was bait. Luring me into a honeytrap village."

"Hmmm..." She tilted her head. "I wasn't really sure what kind trap she had prepared, but I did get the feeling that she wasn't normal."

She snickered. Pointed at Anja. "Girls like her only exist in dreams. But sooner or later we have to wake up."

I let out a sharp breath. I felt ashamed of how easily I was fooled. Then I looked at Elina. "And you let this happen."

"Mh-hmm."

"This situation is what you were aiming for."

"Heh-heh~"

The circle of murderers closed in. Their weapons gleamed in the torch fire, their eyes shone with childish giddiness. As far as they were concerned, I was a cornered chicken. Ready to be slaughtered.

I said, "You still haven't told me. Why do you want my trust?"

"Remove the handcuffs and maybe I'll tell you."

"And what guarantee do I have that you won't kill me?"

"You'll have to trust me."

"If I free you, I can't deliver you. If I can't deliver you, then I won't get the money to save Yulia." I looked at her. "And Yulia is the only thing that matters."

I drew my sword. Surrounded by enemies. Women and children and men. All of them armed. None of them armored. Their formation was non-existent. These weren't professional killers. My guess was that most of their victims would've died inside the burning hut. Crushed by flaming rocks. It usually wouldn't come to this.

There was hope.

The children walked out in front, clutching daggers in their pudgy hands. They jumped up and down. Some of them couldn't even walk straight.

That might be the way out.

I never hurt children. It was my policy. But I might have to break that rule.

It shouldn't be too hard to push the children out of the way. Create a tiny opening, then burst through. Then run into the forest. Hope that they won't be able to catch up.

But there was one problem.

Elina.

Any momentary gap I could create would only be large enough for one person to slip through. Which meant I'd have to leave Elina behind. And with her magic sealed, she'd be slaughtered by the villagers.

Which wasn't an option for me.

Why not?

I don't know.

I looked at her. She looked at me. In the end, she was in control. Even though her magic was sealed away. Maybe it had always been like that. From the moment I met her, I was inside her game.

I looked around. No way to win this.

If I fought, I'd die. If I freed Elina, I would probably die.

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ELINA: It's always interesting to watch a man in his darkest hour. What goes through his head, the depths of his heart revealed.

Usually the things he holds dear will fall away. Until only what is true remains. And the truth is usually ugly.

I've seen many men fall apart. What remains is a petty smallness at the core of their being. And it was always the same thing: survival.

Instinct in its rawest form.

Salem's eyes landed on the children in the front. A plan formed. It was easy. Push the children out of the way with a kick, create a gap, burst through. Leave me behind. Live another day.

Cutting your losses and prioritizing survival should be the natural conclusion. After all, if he died here, then any chance of helping Yulia would vanish.

I sighed. Maybe this was all there is to him. I'll watch him make his desperate escape.

But.

He looked at me. Something in his eyes changed. Some kind of frustration. A sort of self-mockery.

He said, "Elina."

"Hmmm?"

He reached into his pocket and took out a key.