Elina

I stood still. Breathed evenly. Didn't let the shock show on my face.

I asked, "They are checking for witches?"

The guy shrugged. "Don't know why. Maybe the mayor of Larose is having one of his fits again."

I looked around. Nothing to my left, nothing to my right. Just fields of grass. I could still turn around. Go a different route. But it'd look suspicious. Maybe the guy in front would remember me. The guards could ask him and he'd tell about a guy with a woman who turned away when he heard about witches.

I asked, "How are they checking for witches?"

The guy shrugged again. A look on his face that said, "Don't know, don't care."

Fair enough.

I continued to breathe. Kept thinking. Evaluate my options.

The guards wouldn't just go up to a cart and ask, "You have a witch with you?" That'd be stupid. A waste of time. They'd have some way of testing for magic.

But why?

Five days ago I passed through Larose. No one bothered to check for witches then. No one ever checks for witches. Why check now? What changed?

I went back and sat down. Keep calm. Just think clearly.

I glanced at Elina. Julia Abernathy told her something.

Something she heard in Merkelborough. And probably in Larose.

I said, "Elina...do you — "

I stopped. Because she squeezed my hand.

She gave me a reassuring smile.

She said, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

I blinked. Maybe it was the way the moonlight fell on her. Maybe it was the wind. But something about that smile struck me. Like she was the girl from Altheim again. A kind girl. A loving girl. Someone you want to spend a lifetime with.

Then her smile widened, her teeth showed and her eyes shimmered with magic.

She said, "This is going to be fun~ Just say I am your wife and I will handle the rest."

"What do you have planned?"

"You'll find out."

The line moved forward. We were at the city gates. The guy in front of us moved through quickly. Because he was traveling alone. The carts carrying at least one woman were taken out for questioning.

A guard took us out of the line. Told Elina to come down.

I said, "Sir, my wife is tired from a long journey. Could you please tell us what is going on here?"

The knight sighed. "The mayor of Larose wants to check for witches. Rumor has it that King's Pride is collecting witches, and the Larose mayor wants to capture a few witches to gain favor with the Eisen King."

"Found any witches?" I asked.

He shrugged. Like the guy who was in front of us. A look that said, "Don't know, don't care."

I looked at Elina. She looked at me. A smile dancing in her eyes.

Reached into my pocket and took out a small bundle. Opened it. Took out a honey candy treat and popped it into my mouth.

"Would you like one, Sir?" I asked. "It must've been a long day for both of us."

I felt Elina staring at me. Staring at what was in my hands. I ignored her.

The guard nodded. Took a candy and popped it into his mouth.

I offered my hand. "My name is Salem, I specialize in trading crops and ale."

"Simon Withstone, pleased to meet you."

We shook hands.

I said, "Would you like the whole bundle? I have plenty more. It must be tiresome to guard this city from vermin like thieves and witches."

Another long hard stare from Elina. I ignored her.

Simon Withstone shook his head.

He said, "Sir, I must complete the check before you can continue."

In other words: bribery attempt rejected.

I said, "How will you check if someone is a witch or not?"

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

He said, "The mayor passed out these gransia handcuffs a few days ago. Said that they'd react to magic by glowing blue or green or something like that."

He nodded at Elina. "M'am, could you step over here please."

Elina said nothing and stepped over.

Simon put the handcuffs on her.

Nothing happened. Maybe the handcuffs didn't work. Maybe Elina did something.

I breathed out with relief.

But stopped halfway.

Because something changed.

Elina's expression changed. She looked at me. A mischievous smile. She licked her lips.