Elina

There was nothing magical about traveling with Elina. Which was ironic.

I've somehow managed to survive my first encounter with her. The gransia handcuffs are keeping her in check. But nothing kept her mouth shut. I could've gagged her, but the thought of getting physically close to a witch when she was awake irked me. What if she bit me? Maybe she could inject magic into my body? Would I blow up?

After I captured her, we didn't make much progress. I caught her in the late afternoon, so there wasn't any time for covering significant distance before sundown. And going after her in the forest was in the opposite direction of where Merkelborough was, so the rest of the day was spent backtracking my steps. But I had to make sure to make a wide berth around the village, lest I walk into one of the villagers and Elina calls for help.

In the end, I made a lot of detours and we ended up on a small path in the middle of the forest.

I said, "We're far away from Altheim, so don't even think about calling for help."

"Yes, yes...."

"If you do, I'll gag you."

Elina scowled. "I'm a lady, not a dog."

"You're a witch."

"Exactly."

"Same thing."

"NO."

"..."

She huffed and puffed and wouldn't shut up. Eventually I mumbled something along the lines of an apology and that satisfied her.

By sundown I stopped the cart and made camp at the side of the road. With some leaves and branches I started a quick fire. I warmed my hands. Ten days on the road. Just ten days. Then I can go home.

A voice behind me: "I'm cold."

"What?"

I turned around. Elina sat on her pile of corn, shivering, her hands and feet tied. She wore only a grey dress and sandals. Her breath was visible. She had her knees against her chest.

"I'm cold."

"I thought witches couldn't feel cold. Your bodies are resistant against the elements."

"My body is only resistant if I have my magic." She raised her handcuffed wrists.

I said, "So you are just like a normal human."

Heh, witches hated being compared to human beings. It felt like an insult to them. In all the witches I've killed, I've often used this line to anger them, have them lose their cool and eventually they'll make a mistake. And then I chopped their heads off.

Elina looked at me, her silver eyes glowing in the night. Then the corners of her eyes crinkled. A smile.

She said, "Exactly. So why don't you move me from the cart to that fire."

I said nothing.

I sighed. I got up and walked over to the cart.

She said, "Good. Now lift me up."

Her eyes were glowing but her hands were tied. There was no way she could cast magic, right? Gransia handcuffs always worked. So they should work on Elina. Should.

As if reading my thoughts, Elina said, "Don't worry, I can't feel any magic in my hands. You won't die if you touch me."

I let out a breath. Let's do this quickly.

I grabbed her, lifted her up, and moved her to the fire. I put her down and stepped away.

She said, "I'm not a disease, you know?"

I sat down across the fire, as far away from her as possible.

I said, "For a witch, you seem awfully at ease in this situation. Haven't you met witch hunters before?"

"Hmmm..." she stared into the fire, a swirl of red and white in her eyes. "I've met two before."

"And what happened?"

"I killed them."

"How?"

"Boooom."

"Oh."

I grabbed some corn off the cart, stuck them to a few sticks and began roasting them.

I said, "Those two witch hunters...you killed them, but why didn't you kill me?"

"Because they came with the intention to kill."

Which made sense, I guess. Maybe they weren't as smart as me. Maybe they thought the only way to capture her was to fight. Disguising myself as a merchant was a good idea. But she did call me a witch hunter right before I struck her head. What if I acted just a second later? Would I be dead now?

Elina moved closer to the fire. The gransia handcuffs clinked. Like tiny bells.