Elina

All I could do was hope that she'd keep her end of the deal.

I took a blanket and wrapped Elina in it. The gransia handcuffs were covered up. She sat at the front of the cart. Next to me. Her shoulders against mine. I could feel her warmth. She glanced sideways at me. Her right eye changed back to silver.

She said, "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. So long as you satisfy my conditions."

I said nothing.

She giggled. I could see the magic whirling in her single silver eye. To think that the gransia handcuffs couldn't literally suppress all of her magic was frightening. She is a monster. Her eye changed back to brown.

The sound of the incoming travelers grew louder. They came into view. Just like I expected: four wheels, a horse and two men.

But it wasn't a regular combination of two.

Usually it'd be a merchant and an apprentice. An older man and a younger man. But this was different.

It was a merchant and a mercenary.

It wasn't hard to spot a mercenary. Because we both worked in the arms-for-hire industry. They always had the same look: rough, muscles, a little madness in their eyes. Hair cut short for stealth and close combat advantage.

Although witch hunters had regular haircuts. Sometimes it was advantageous to blend in as a regular human being. Gather information. Then kill.

Why would a merchant hire a mercenary? Spend money to have someone guard the goods? That just drove up the overhead costs. Which never made sense to a merchant.

Unless the goods he transported were extremely valuable and prone to theft. Something expensive and light. Something with ungodly profit margins.

The merchant raised his hand and waved. I did the same.

We passed by each other. We came to a stop.

I said, "How do you do?"

Immediately I felt the mercenary's eyes on me. Assessing me. Threat or not? I stayed relaxed. I wasn't a threat. Couldn't say the same for the person next to me though.

The merchant said, "Beautiful morning, ey?"

"Yes, a fine morning for traveling."

"Is that your wife?"

Elina snickered under her breath.

I said, "Yes...my wife..."

The merchant sighed. "How fortunate to have a wife traveling with you. It makes the long days and nights on the road more bearable."

I glanced at his cart. A thick cotton blanket hid everything underneath it. Elina tugged at my sleeve. She nodded.

Whatever was underneath that blanket, she wanted it.

We got through the usual meaningless smalltalk and right before he was about to bid us farewell, I asked, "What are you transporting?"

The mercenary put a hand on his sword. The merchant seemed tense.

I said, "It looks like you are transporting something valuable. A mercenary to protect you and an expensive cotton blanket on top of it."

The merchant shifted in his seat. His eyes were calculating.

I said, "I am no thief, but I can't help but be curious..."

The mercenary glared at me. His body tensed. I sensed combat.

Elina stepped on my foot. Hard. She smiled at the merchant and said, "I apologize for my husband's rudeness. He is a curious man but he is hopeless with words."

Something in her smile. Something in her voice. The merchant calmed down. He put a hand on the mercenary's shoulder. He too relaxed.

The merchant reached back and pulled away the blanket, revealing his goods.

Elina's eyes sparkled.

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

The merchant went on his way.

He was happy. Elina was happy.

I was not.

Turns out he was transporting high quality winter clothing for the upper class. Leather boots and wool coats with wolf fur lining. Thick skirts with inner layers of leather.

The deal I had with Elina was this: she'd keep quiet if I bought whatever she wanted from the incoming traveler.

Her reason was that witches never had much money because they were self-sufficient. But now that she was essentially stuck with a human body, there are some human made goods that she might want. Like warm clothing.

In Altheim she traded medicine for corn. The villagers didn't have much money either.

In the end I bought her a winter cape with sable fur lining, a long winter skirt with silver wolf fur lining and a pair of sturdy leather boots.

Total price: ten gold coins.

An astronomical sum.

An insane sum.

A huge bite out of my paycheck.

But she kept her promise.

"Although I didn't expect for him to think that I'd be your wife," Elina said.

She sat next to me, wrapped up in her new clothing.

I said, "It's the natural conclusion. It'd be strange for an unmarried girl to travel alone with a man."

Elina said, "Although seeing us as a married couple wouldn't be completely off the mark."

"How so?"

"We'll be at each other's throat sooner or later. Just like a husband and wife."

She smiled slightly. Her hair changed back to a cascade of silver. Her eyes swirled and went back to silver.

I swallowed. Only the handcuffs kept her from killing me.

"Why don't you sit down in the back of the cart," I said.

Elina didn't move. She said nothing. Her blank eyes studied me. Her face betraying no thoughts.

"What?" I asked.