Witch Bewitched (COMPLETE)

Chapter 60 (Pt. 1)

A golden layer of sunshine coated the late afternoon streets of Harthem in a thin film as Misa walked the usual path that led to Sha'ka's business. Torren trailed behind her, still stiff and rigid even without the uniform he always wore. Misa refrained from asking him to relax for the fifth time, knowing Torren would revert back to his posture even if he chose to listen to her.

Without Misa having to ask, Torren fell back and loitered at the front of the store, watching the entrance like a guard. Misa brushed past the soft trails of cloth displaying their vibrant colour and slipped through the small entrance that led to the dark room filled with ancient faces.

As Sha'ka had promised, Brin sat at the round table, resting her round chin on a hand and rapping her fingers against the clothed surface.

"Brin?"

The witch ceased her tapping and raised her chin to meet Misa. Her eyes were narrowed with distrust. "You. You're with Nisha, aren't you? Why did you want to see me? To gloat? To convince me to join your cause in exchange for getting out of this?"

Misa shielded herself with steel from Brin's accusations. She had to remain coolheaded. It was the only way she could take a step back and analyse the situation.

"I'm not with Nisha," Misa said, taking a seat in front of Brin. Her eyes flickered to a deep corner of the room, where she glimpsed Sha'ka watching them like a hawk. "And I'm only here because I want to hear the details of what happened that day in Giligha."

Brin shifted on her seat, dropping her hand from her chin to the table. The small bottle of colored water jittered and shook. "And why should I tell you anything? I'm not giving Nisha any more to twist around and pin the blame on me."

"Like I said," Misa clasped her hands together beneath the table, not allowing any of the tension to seep through her façade. "I'm not with Nisha. I want nothing to do with her."

"You expect me to believe you?" Brin snorted, her expression appearing fiercer with shadows contouring half her face. "I saw you with her that night. I saw how Nisha kept you close to her. Even if you don't accept that you're with her, she'll make sure you stay by her side. A new witch in Harthem is the perfect target to increase the numbers of her supporters."

Misa took in a breath. This was going to be harder than she'd thought. Brin was fierce, closed off. Perhaps it was a result of her small stature. Misa imagined Brin would have had to work twice as hard to appear as intimidating as any other witch.

"I will never support Nisha." Misa didn't know how else to convince Brin. "I seek to...bring her down. I have heard that she is planning something. A war between witches and the commonfolk."

Brin shot a quick, discreet glance at Sha'ka, but Misa saw their exchange. "And how do I know you're not just lying to test if we would go against Nisha? It's not a coincidence that Nisha is trying to strip my position from the ordain after I convinced more than a few witches to keep away from her."

"Look," Misa said, with a slight sigh. "I am here for personal reasons. There is nothing I would tell Nisha. All I want to know is why you caused that accident, and what you did with the...witch you tried to save."

"Why?" Brin's hand curled into a small tight fist. "What would you do with the information?"

"Giligha is my city," Misa pressed, a hint of anger seeping through. "I think I deserve to know why you decided to wreak such havoc in my city."

Brin huffed. "Giligha is your city? Who do you think you are, girl? Giligha is Tika's city, and it's been that way for decades."

Misa slammed her hands against the table and leaned forward. She caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye, but Sha'ka didn't come any closer.

"Tika is dead," Misa hissed. She released Tika's magic from its chest, inhaling sharply when its unstable force thumped against her mind. She needed to figure out how to uncloak without the magic overwhelming her so much. At least it had the desired effect, and Misa allowed the magic within her to wrap around Brin.

"Do you feel her?" Misa asked, opening her eyes and seeing reality warp and bend. Her head spun for a good few seconds before she found her balance again. "Do you see what she has done?"

Brin stiffened, her nose scrunching and brows knitting in concentration. Misa felt another presence at the edge of Tika's magic, tentatively touching, testing the energy.

"You're not pure," Brin murmured, cloaking her magic once she assessed Misa's. "You were gifted power from another, not born of it."

"Tika gave me her magic on her deathbed." Misa paused to gather the magic back into the box.

"Tika wasn't that weak."

Misa gritted her teeth. "I'm still learning to control it. I won't be able to hold all her magic in me at once. Every day, I'm forced to release the magic I cannot control back into the earth."

Brin didn't reply. Misa could see the witch processing everything Misa had told her, churning the new information, pondering the validity.

"Do you understand now?" Misa struck while the fire was hot. "Do you see now why I need to know? You have flipped the city upside down because your trap killed two men. Two officers. The least you can do is explain yourself."

Brin began to shake. Her next words came in a softened voice wracked with guilt. "They weren't supposed to die." She covered her mouth as if to hold back the urge to hurl. "I knew it was possible they would be hurt, but they were never supposed to die."

Colvin's dead eyes flashed at Misa. The cold hard truth still remained. Her lips thinned. "But they did."

"And I'll never forgive myself for that. I-I've never killed anyone before. It's so...horrible."

Misa squashed her sympathy. "And the witch you took?"

"That wasn't my job." Brin's eyes met Misa's, a flash of pain flickering within them like a dying fire. "I was the one who came up with the plan and observed from afar to make sure everything was properly set up. My sister was the one who took her."

"Nisha said your sister was in Warlog."

Brin snarled at the name. "Nisha is a filthy liar. She told Kaila about the witch in the purgehouse. That there was a witch working for the purgehouse. She knew Kaila would go see for herself and bring her to the coven because Kaila is like that. She..." Brin took in a breath to calm herself. "She has a good heart, but too many times, people like Nisha take advantage of that."

"So where is she?" Misa resisted the urge to shout, to let even a pinch of her fear slip through. Nisha had suspected there was a witch working in the purgehouse? Misa felt cold. "Where is the witch you saved?"

Brin shrugged. "Kaila took her away a day before I even left Giligha. I'm sure she intended to bring the traitor to the gathering for judgement, but something's wrong. She should have been there that night. Nisha. Nisha must have done something to her."

Cold fingers squeezed Misa's heart. A rush of blood screamed into her ears. If Nisha had something to do with Kaila's disappearance, then Leira...

What would Nisha have done to Leira? If Nisha found out Leira wasn't a witch, what had become of Leira?

Oh, Leira, Misa thought, her heart aching. What have I gotten you into?

No. Maybe it's all wrong. Maybe Brin was just lying. Misa's fingers dug into the cloth, wrinkles pooling at the base of her fingertips. If Brin was lying and Kaila had nothing to do with it, Leira couldn't be with Nisha.

"How do I know you're not just pinning it on Kaila?" Misa asked. "How do I know you're not hiding her somewhere?"

Brin glared at Misa, a scowl curving her lips. "Believe whatever you want. I know the truth, and I don't need a secondhand witch telling me I'm wrong." She stood, her chair screeching against the floor. "I think we're done here."

Misa knew she wouldn't be able to get anything more out of Brin, so she rose from her own seat and left without another word. She didn't miss the hardened disapproval etched in Sha'ka's face as she left a thin blue fabric fluttering behind her.

Kaila returned by the end of the week, claiming she'd been in Warlog during the time of the accident, and Brin was scheduled to have her magic stripped by Nisha herself.

Misa was no closer to finding Leira.