Elina

I waited. Felt my dagger. He hadn't made a move yet. Should I wait until then? Or should I kill him now?

He said, "I suspect Elina knows she is being hunted. Witches like her always know. One way or another. Maybe this is her disguise."

I raised an eyebrow. This Giorgio had some pretty interesting ideas. I decided to hold back.

I said, "Why do you think she is disguising herself?"

"A witch of her calibre wouldn't bother mingling with human men. She would kill them before letting them get close. But I trust the accuracy of my sources. Elina must be traveling with a human man. No one would ever suspect a witch to travel with a human. It's the perfect way to hide in plain sight."

His idea had merit. I didn't know either why Elina hadn't killed me. She said she wanted to meet Yulia. She said she wanted my trust. She made her desires very clear. But she never told me why she wanted all those things.

I said, "That's an interesting idea. Maybe it is true. But one part doesn't make sense."

"Which is?"

"Why would a witch like Elina need to hide in the first place? She has silver eyes and silver hair after all. Her magic should be unmatched."

Giorgio folded his arms. He closed his eyes and thought for a while. Which showed me that he trusted me. He didn't suspect that I might be the man traveling with Elina. Otherwise he wouldn't close his eyes.

He said, "That is true...which means there is only one other possibility. And it's the one I hope to be true. Because that would make capturing her far easier."

I waited.

He said, "Elina has taken on a human lover."

I almost dropped my drink. Chocked on the wine. I pounded my chest and coughed.

I said, "A human lover?"

He said, "Most witches find themselves human lovers eventually. Sooner or later. They can't reproduce otherwise. Because there's been no known case of a male witch. Which is why the existence of witches is dead end. We humans can live without witches, but witches can't live without us."

He gazed into the fire, the dancing flames reflected in his eyes.

"As powerful as she is, there is always a chance that she might find a human lover. And when she does, she will finally have a fatal weakness."

He smiled. Took a swig from his bag of wine.

I said, "So your plan is to exploit the mortality of her human lover?"

"Yes."

"It won't be easy."

"But it is possible."

I breathed in. Breathed out. Kept my thoughts and feelings off my face. I knew he was right. The honeytrap village proved it. In the case of an attack, I was the weakest part.

He said, "It's all about the right leverage, you see. Taking her head on would be a mistake. You have to wait until they are separated. Even if it's for just a moment."

Who were his sources? Julia Abernathy and her husband? Those two should be the only ones who knew.

I looked at him.

He said he couldn't reveal his sources. But if I try to beat it out of him, then he'd know I was Elina's companion. Or lover, as he likes to imagine it.

He said, "You have to wait until it's night. Wait for the right moment. Then capture her lover."

A smile on his lips.

Behind me I heard footsteps. Steady and light. A woman's steps.

I turned around.

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ELINA: I summoned a little magic to my ears to listen to their conversation. His name was Giorgio and he knew I wasn't traveling alone. His sources saw me with a man. He thinks I have taken on a lover. He plans to use that to his advantage.

Hmmm...maybe I should've killed Julia Abernathy. Father always told me to kill whenever I felt uncertain. Maybe I was becoming soft. Maybe I was growing careless. I blame Salem for that. It's too much fun to toy with him.