Elina

I grabbed his shoulder, turned him around, put a finger under his nose. Still breathing. Which was good. He was covered in sweat and dirt, but he was alive.

I pried the sword from his hands and laid it down next to him. Maybe it was the smoke. Or the preparation to fight. Or the tension from freeing me. Or maybe all of it. Either way, it had pushed him to the limit. His body decided to forcefully rest. Probably for his own good.

"Salem...Salem...."

I poked his cheek. I wonder what he was thinking when he freed me. His logic. His intention.

Towards the end, I saw something in his eyes. The same glint you saw in mercenaries. A little madness. Like he wanted to see what I could do. Make a leap of faith.

Did he trust me to keep my word? Or did he decide that nothing mattered anymore?

But there was a way to survive. Why didn't he leave me behind? Even without me, he could've found a way to save his sister, Yulia. If he died here, then Yulia wouldn't last long either. Leaving me behind would've been the logical thing to do.

Only one explanation: he didn't want to leave me behind.

But why?

I kept prodding his cheek. When he slept, he tended to scowl. But like this, his looks like he's at peace. Like there isn't a single worry in the world.

I'll have to savor his peaceful expression. I probably won't be able to see it for a while.

Heh-heh~

Why didn't he leave me behind?

When he wakes up, I'll ask him some difficult questions. See what he says. What tortured expression he makes.

Eight more days until Merkelborough.

Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Now he was my prisoner. In a way.

But then again, it's been like that since the beginning.

---------------------

SALEM: I woke up. A roof above my head. A straw mattress under me.

How much time has passed? I don't know. But I was alive. Or at least I think I was. If this was heaven and all I got was a straw mattress, I'd hunt down the angels and sell their heads to the devil.

Looked to my left. Looked to my right. I was in a regular village hut. Still in the honeytrap village.

A chest with belongings, a table, a chair. But no Elina.

I guess she did keep her word. She killed all the villagers, kept me alive.

She was nowhere to be seen. She didn't stay. I suppose no witch in her right mind would stay once the cuffs came off. But no witch in her right mind would keep a promise to a witch hunter either.

She had no reason no stay anyway. It was a miracle that she didn't kill me.

I got up. My sword was put up against the bed. A quick inspection didn't reveal any damage. Which was good. A witch hunter's sword was his primary tool. Without it he was as good as naked.

Something caught eye.

A strand of hair. Long and glittering and silver.

…

Did Elina lie down for a nap? Or it fell when she pulled me into the hut?

…

Come to think of it, how did she drag me all the way into this hut? She was smaller than me and witches usually never had much physical strength. Because their magic did all the heavy lifting.

I got off the bed. Checked my arms, legs and ribs. Nothing was broken. Nothing hurt. Just a bit of a stiff neck.

Sheaved my sword and opened the door. The smell of the air: mid-morning, a light touch of rain, no odor of human activity.

But there were sounds. The neighing of a horse. The sound of someone. Caring for it. Speaking to it.

"Quiet now...quiet now..."

Those words came from behind the hut.

I made my way to the source. And then I saw her.

Elina was brushing the horse's mane. A bucket of water at her foot. A carrot in her hand.

She turned to me.

"You are awake," she said.

I said nothing.

"You slept for a long time," she said.

I breathed in. Breathed out. Better ask the most obvious question first.

"Why are you still here?" I asked.

Elina tilted her head. Kept her hand behind her back. Then she said, "Come on, get on the cart. We still have eight full days of travels left."

"You took care of the horse and cart?" I asked.

"Mh-hmm~"

The horse looked well fed. The cart was loaded with all sorts of things gathered from the honeytrap village.

"Why are you still here?" I asked again.

Elina closed the distance between us. She looked up at me, her silver eyes curious.

Then something else.

She smiled. Her eyes turned blue and her hair turned blonde.

I said nothing.

Elina made a face. "No reaction."

"I'm not that simple."

"You were when we met Anja."

…

I said, "Why are you still here?"

Elina turned her back to me. She looked up at the sky.

She said, "There are some things I want to ask you."

"Ask away."

She turned around.

She said, "The sun is already at its peak. We better get moving."

I obeyed her. Because it seemed obvious that she wasn't going to answer my question. At least not now.

But I was here and I was alive. Which was good enough for me.

Elina got onto the cart and offered me a hand. I decided to take it. Because if she wanted to kill me, she would've done so already.

She pulled me up into the seat. She had unexpected strength in her arms.