Witch Bewitched (COMPLETE)

Chapter 14

It was early morning when Misa was abruptly woken up to go to Harthem. She didn't have time for any food and was rushed to a carriage as soon as she was ready to leave.

The captain already sat inside, fiddling with the loose button on his sleeve. When he saw Misa climb through, he crossed his arms.

"I thought I told you to get an early night," he said.

Misa wasn't in the mood for his nagging. She tossed her baggage next to her and sat as far away from the captain as she could. "I would have had an early night if the other cadets weren't so immature."

She sighed, recalling how the cadets had tried their best to interrupt Misa's sleep. At one point, Gaveth had tried to sneak a worm into her pillow, but Raki was quick to snatch it from his hand and toss it in his hair. The boy had squealed like a pig, and through his humiliation, Gaveth had steeled his resolve to keep Misa from getting her rest. It was only after he fell asleep that she could finally doze off. Only, she had been roughly woken up soon after.

"Odd coming from you."

Misa shot the captain a glare. She really didn't want his opinion on how childish she was, especially when the day had barely started.

"That's enough about that," Misa snapped. She jerked forward as the carriage began to move. Already, she was beginning to get sick of travelling with the captain. She had no idea how she would survive for the next few weeks.

The carriage ride was mostly unpleasant, except for the one moment Min-Min had joined them after Misa spotted the cat basking outside the purgehouse. Without the smooth brick streets of the city, they rocked over every bump in the dirt road. Misa managed to doze off until lunch. The captain had brought some food from the mess hall for the day's meal.

Misa took it with disappointment. She had been eager to get away from the bland food at the purgehouse and had hoped they would stop at a restaurant. Even Min-Min had refused to take what Misa offered, instead settling for the dried meat the coachman had stashed for the journey.

Though Misa's stomach had been left unsatisfied for lunch, dinner was much more promising. The journey had come to a brief halt as they stopped in a small village for the night. While Misa and the captain looked to an inn for shelter, Min-Min had decided to stray in the streets for the duration of their stay.

It was obvious the innkeeper did not want officers in his business, but the captain had provided a document that warranted his cooperation. The coachman slept outside to make sure the carriage would not be ransacked overnight. Misa felt sorry for the man, but he assured her that it was all part of his pay.

The stay at the inn was not pleasant, but it was much preferred over the purgehouse. Misa and the captain were subjected to cold shoulders from the customers, and the innkeeper kept his service quick so he would have minimum contact with them. However, at her room, Misa relished in having a place to herself. She opened the window to let the fresh night air in. A glimmer of a lantern caught her eye.

It moved towards the carriage, and at first, Misa thought someone intended to ransack it. Then, she heard the voices carry up to her window.

"Belmon, are you asleep?" the captain said.

A grunt replied. Misa saw the shadow of the coachman leave the carriage. "Captain? What're you doing out here?"

"Have a bite. I'm sure your stomach isn't filled by the dry food they gave you."

Belmon didn't move. "Eh-ey, Cap. That's not necessary."

"Of course, it is. I'm not going to have my coachman weakened by starvation on this trip. Take it. Give it to the cats if you will, but it's yours now."

The captain shoved his arm through the carriage and when he retreated, he was empty-handed.

"Have a good night, Belmon."

"Thank you," Belmon said, resigning himself to the food the captain brought. "Have you a good night, Cap."

The lantern disappeared back into the inn. Misa rested her face on her palm. She hadn't thought the captain to be so considerate. Or perhaps, he was only trying to ensure his travels would be safe at the hands of a man who was well fed, as he had said. Considering her circumstance, Misa decided the latter was true. The captain was only being considerate because it was to his advantage. Nothing more.

A knock brought Misa out of her thoughts. She turned her head to glare at the door and didn't answer, hoping the captain thought she had already gone to bed.

"I know you're awake, Miss Carpenter. If you want to pretend you are asleep, why don't you try turning off the lights and closing the blinds next time?"

Cursing at herself, Misa shut the windows and sat on her bed. "You can come in. The door isn't locked."

The door opened, and the captain entered with a slight frown. "I suggest you lock your doors at all times, especially when you're at a place like this."

"If you're here to nag, get out. I plan to sleep soon."

The captain shut the door. Misa's head snapped towards him when she heard the turn of a key. "What are you doing?"

"As I've said," he waved as if he was answering a trivial question, "It's safer to keep doors locked when you can."

"I can't imagine it being safe when there's a threat inside with you."

His eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you think I'll do to you, but I assure you I am not a threat. I'm simply here to discuss what we will do once we reach Harthem."

"Again?" Misa rubbed her temples. Her eyes craved for sleep. Dozing off on the trip did nothing to mitigate the exhaustion poured by a restless night. Gaveth had succeeded in making her trip as miserable as possible. "We still have a day until we get there. Can't we go over it tomorrow?"

"We'll go over it tomorrow and today. It's essential that you understand every part of this mission so well that you can recite it in your sleep."

"I want sleep. Right now. I need to catch up on the hours I lost yesterday."

"Miss Carpenter—"

"Oh, save it!" Misa snapped. She sighed. "I'm sorry. Fine. We can go over it, but can you please make it quick?"

The captain clenched his jaw. Misa, sensing his annoyance, smiled sweetly. "Or perhaps, you can just stand there and watch me undress because I don't plan to stay up past midnight."

A tingle spread from her gut, wrapping around her, reaching out. It was an awfully familiar sensation—

Oh dear.

It was her spell! She tried, and failed, to stop. The magic spread throughout her whole body until she was aware of exactly what the captain was seeing. Her hair was loose, falling to her shoulders in waves. Her dark, deep-set eyes held a subtle mystery that enticed the subject of her charm, and pink dusted her cheeks, giving her a sort of cherubic innocence. She couldn't help but bite her lip. Her only consolation was that her boyish attire would dampen the effects of the spell.

Misa didn't know what had triggered it, and she hoped that the captain wouldn't notice that she was using the spell on him.

"We should just turn in for the night," Misa said. She heard how her voice had gone into a soft lull, seductive with a hint of mischief. It turned her stomach.

The captain's eyes bore into her. Misa's heart skipped a beat when she saw a glint of desire. She couldn't believe he was falling for her spell. She silently pleaded for him to wake up, wishing she could interrupt the magic somehow. He took a step forward, then blinked. And just like that, Misa's spell had been broken. The captain shook his head and rubbed his temple.

"What," he said, gritting his teeth, "were you trying to do?"

Misa swallowed. Relief coursed through her when she felt the magic fading away. "I don't know. I don't know why it happened."

He caught his bearings and returned to the controlled calm he always carried. "Your subconscious is getting out of hand. If you keep using magic on a whim, you'll attract unwarranted attention."

"How do I stop it from happening?" Misa caught panic in her voice. "There must be a way to stop it! I almost...I almost bewitched you! You! Of all people!"

"No." The captain bristled. "No, you did not come close to bewitching me. I know how to break out of an enchantment. I don't fall victim to a witch's spell."

Misa didn't insist. She didn't acknowledge what she had seen in him when he took that one step towards her. She didn't want to.

"We should have consulted Tika before we departed on this trip," he said. He paced the room, running his fingers through his hair. "She might have taught you how to control it. But, it's too late now. You will have to try your best to stop the spell before it starts. Recognise the signs. If you can catch it quick enough, you may be able to prevent it."

"Recognise the signs?" Misa grabbed her hair. Her voice wavered. "Okay. Okay. Recognise the signs."

The spell began again in her emotional spiral. "It's happening again. How do I stop it?"

Misa's head spun, her heart hammered, and all the while, the magic pulsed through her, stronger than ever before. She stood from the bed, though she didn't know why. She simply couldn't stay seated and do nothing as the magic went out of her control.

"I can't do it! I can't stop it!" Her breathing accelerated. "Oh, heavens. Stop! Stop!"

"Miss Carpenter." The captain stopped pacing and shook his head. Misa could tell he was struggling to keep in control. Every time he broke her spell, it would immediately start over again, clamping around him, pulling him, fighting him. "Miss Carpenter, stop this!"

"I can't!" Misa pressed her temples and fell to her knees. "Make it stop!" A loud buzz rang in her ears. Her stomach flipped. She barely managed to swallow the bile stinging up her throat.

"Miss Carpent—Misa! Stop!" The captain advanced to her in long, quick strides. He bent down in front of her and pressed his hands over hers. "Breathe."

Tears streaked down her cheeks. Misa took a deep breath and the pulse weakened.

"That's it. Breathe."

She continued her breathing exercise until her head began to clear up. The buzzing faded away. She could feel the warmth of the captain's hands pressed against her skin. She opened her eyes, and for the first time, she noticed a softness in the captain's expression that she hadn't seen before.

"Calm, Misa," he said, softly. "The more you panic, the worse it gets."

"Captain?" Misa matched his volume. She didn't know why she had called him. Maybe it was a result of the spell. She slipped her hands from her head, but he kept his hold on her.

Misa swallowed and focused on calming her rapid heartbeat. Her magic had reduced to the familiar tingle. She felt herself slowly gaining back control. When Misa met the captain's eyes, she caught her breath. He was so close to her, she could feel the heat coming from him.

"C-Captain?" Misa uttered.

His breath hitched. It was then that Misa realised he had given into her spell. It was obvious from the way he reacted to her, the way he looked at her with a want so deep it made her stomach turn. She could feel her magic tangled around him, the way it pushed him towards her as it dwindled. He seemed to lean in closer. Misa couldn't stop staring at his deep, brown eyes. Dark, like the night sky. She almost expected to see stars in them. Her own flickered to his lips. She found herself leaning forward, eyes half-closing in anticipation.

Then, she snapped back to reality. What was she doing? The last of her magic trickled back to its source, placing the reins of her body back into her clear mind. Misa gently grabbed the captain's wrists and pulled his hands from her head.

"Captain," she said, keeping a firm tone. "We can't."

He blinked; clarity dawned on him, and the broken spell wisped into the air. Misa wasn't sure why she felt offended when he jerked his hands as if she'd burned them. He stood, backing away from her and turned as if he couldn't even look at her. "I...I think going over the plan can wait until tomorrow. Good night, Miss Carpenter."

Misa watched him leave the room, shutting the door behind him gently. She couldn't shake the softness she'd seen from her mind. Had she been imagining things? Was it a result of her spell? Yes, it had to be. Her enchantment had to be what brought about the tenderness in the captain's eyes. That's why it was a spell. It had given Misa what she needed the most in her turmoil.

Chalking all that happened to her magic distorting her reality, Misa began to unbutton her uniform. The door cracked open, and she pulled the jacket close around her.

"I forgot to remind you to lock the door," the captain said. Misa saw his gaze flicker to the overlaid material of her uniform. He coughed, cheeks tinting pink. "My apologies. Good night."

"Out!" Misa burst out. The door shut almost immediately. She was relieved to be back to herself. She couldn't believe she almost kissed that man. Fuming, Misa stormed to the door and locked it. With a sigh, she loosened the linen binding her chest. She dug out a simple shirt and baggy trousers the purgehouse considered nightclothes, changed, and finally settled onto the old, hard mattress that awaited her.

All she could hope as she drifted off to sleep was that she would wake up in the morning thinking all that happened was just a nightmare.