Witch Bewitched (New)

Chapter 31

Royle didn't make an effort to hide his displeasure. He hadn't expected that when he came to check on Misa he'd find that she was missing and wait for almost an hour for her to return. He'd suspected she was hiding something from him and now that he'd caught her red-handed, there was no excuse she could hide behind.

Unsurprisingly, Misa's first instinct was to get defensive. She crossed her arms and returned his glare with the same vigour.

"What are you doing in my room? How did you even get in?"

Royle rose from his seat. Oh no, she wasn't going to get away that easy. "Don't turn this on me, Misa. Where have you been?"

Misa was always reckless, but sneaking out at night to do heavens knows what crossed the line. Any mistake she made, any danger she might have come across could undo everything he'd worked for. And what's more, he'd found himself worrying over her. His bargain was to protect her and he couldn't do so when he had no idea where she went by herself.

"I don't have to answer that." Misa pushed past him, heading towards the washroom. Royle wasn't about to let it go. Not this time.

"Misa." He grabbed her arm. It snapped her temper, and Misa whirled around, connecting her palm with his cheek. Royle winced more from the shock of her slap than from the sting of it.

"Don't touch me." She panted. Her arm trembled beneath his grip, and she tried to turn away to hide the terror written all over her face.

Royle didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her closer so his eyes could burn into hers. His cheek throbbed with the heat of her slap, but he was able to rationalise her reactions. Thinking back to the morning at the shed, he easily connected the dots. "You went to see her again, didn't you?" His gaze flickered to her lips, following the soft pink line until a scab confirmed his suspicions. "You did."

"Get out," was all Misa managed through gritted teeth. "Get out before I do something I'll regret."

She pulled away from his grip, and Royle didn't resist this time. Seeing her so frightened, so ready to lash out like a wounded animal, so hurt stirred another kind of fury in him. He tried not to take her words personally, but it was difficult not to care after coming to understand her better.

Rithian was it? Royle filed the name away for later. He'd make sure to deal with her once his business with Nisha was over. But first, he needed Misa to stop hiding things from him.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what dealings you've been having with that witch." He took on a hard, authoritative voice that he often used in the purgehouse. "I have to know what dangers you've put yourself in so I can come up with a way to work around it. Don't forget the reason you have to put up with her, Misa. She's our key to finding Nisha."

Misa halted, keeping her back towards him. Her hands closed into fists, trembling from her distress.

And finally, dropping her shoulders in defeat, she gave him a proper answer, "She's teaching me how to control my spell. That's all. That's the only reason I've been seeing her."

Royle had figured as much, though he wasn't happy that she kept it from him. "And you didn't think this was important enough to tell me?"

Misa shook her head and shrugged. "No."

Her answer sent a spike of anger through him, but Royle held his composure. He let out a breath, cooling his temper. Blowing up would only make the situation worse, and he was angrier at the witch Rithian than he was at Misa. No need to take it out on the already frightened girl.

"Are you meeting her tomorrow?" he asked, though he already suspected the answer.

Misa stared at her feet, still refusing to look at him. "I am," she whispered, so low that Royle could barely hear her.

"Very well." There was nothing Royle could do about it, so he'd have to accept it and work around it. "Just promise you'll be careful."

"I will." Misa's voice was hoarse enough that Royle knew she was trying not to cry. A pang of sympathy hit him, but he knew she didn't want him to see her so vulnerable. He wasn't even sure if he could comfort her anyway.

Opening the door, he hesitated at the threshold. "And Misa?" She didn't answer. "Don't let her hit you again."

He left her alone, churning the information he'd gathered over in his head. Pieces of new plans began to form. Should he go with her and watch from afar? No, no. That was an awful idea. As much as he didn't like it, Misa meeting up with Rithian to learn to control her spell was the best outcome in their current situation. It allowed her to keep her connection to the witch market and to learn how to control her magic.

Besides, Misa was stronger than he'd initially thought. She only needed to push through it for one night before they were headed back to Giligha. They had already achieved their goal in Harthem.

So, he decided as he made his way back to his own room, he would trust her to be fine for just one more night with that awful witch.

* * * *

"Min-Min!" Misa grinned at the cat bounding towards her. It pounced on her with a friendly mewl. "Where have you been all this time? I missed you."

Misa stood with Min-Min in her arms. She had spent all morning avoiding the captain as best as she could, feeling guilty about the night before, and when lunch came around, she had decided to take a walk down the streets of Harthem one last time. Min-Min had been digging through scraps behind an eatery when Misa found her. But, even the smell of rotting food didn't keep her from cuddling her best friend.

Misa hadn't bothered to change into a dress, instead taking the liberty to walk around in her uniform. At the very least, it would keep Rithian from recognising her should they cross paths.

She took in the scenery before her. Men, women, and children were bustling the street, busy enjoying their time during their day off. It was Dailib, the free day of the week, and Harthem had busied itself with walks and picnics to relax. Misa was the only purgehouse officer she could see, and she began to wonder if it was a mistake to wear her uniform on such a leisurely day.

She gazed through glass storefronts, ingraining every detail in her memory. Pastries, toys, and dresses lined the side of the street she was on, filling her vision with colour and a certain mundane beauty she had never noticed before. Her attention was on a dollhouse when her shoulder crashed into a small-framed woman. Min-Min dropped from the shock of the impact.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Misa said.

"Ow." The woman pushed her brown fringe up her forehead, revealing startling green eyes.

"Are you all right? I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm sorry about that."

The mousy woman smiled, but when her eyes trailed down to Misa's uniform, her expression darkened. "I'm fine, thank you. I'll be on my way."

Misa forced her embarrassment down. "Okay, Miss. Have a good day."

The woman gave Misa a once over, her lips tugging into a pensive frown when she caught sight of Min-Min rubbing against Misa's legs. Then, she bolted off without another word.

Shrugging off the odd woman's clear dislike for her—or her uniform—Misa crouched down to pat Min-Min's head. "I guess wearing the uniform today was a mistake. Let's go, Min-Min. I think it's time I return to the manor."

The sun beat down on Misa as she strolled back the way she'd come. The sky was a clear blue, with not a cloud dotting it. An exceptionally bright day even though the rainy season was coming closer. Misa rubbed sweat from the back of her neck. The uniform itched with her transpiration, and suddenly, Misa wanted a nice, cold bath.

She supposed a little bit of relaxation was essential for her to prepare herself for the final lesson. She turned a corner, where the Old Oak sat, and halted. Was that...?

Misa peeked in through the window. She gasped when she saw the captain sitting at the corner, deep in conversation. But, it wasn't him that sent a pulse of panic into her heart. It was the person sitting across from him with a slight smile on her face and her chin resting delicately over her palm.

Rithian.

What were they doing together? The thought of what Rithian could possibly do to Royle was enough to send her inside the bar without a second thought.

"Captain!" Misa ignored how every single person in the bar turned to her. She rushed towards him but stopped dead in her tracks when she caught Rithian staring at her with narrowed eyes. She ducked her head, hoping her face was hidden enough under her cap.

"Mikim?" The captain didn't hide his surprise, but Misa was glad he still remembered to call her by her purgehouse name. "What's wrong?"

Misa easily made up a lie. "The purgehouse needs you. It's urgent."

Rithian's smooth, slithery voice sent a shiver down Misa's spine. "Captain? Who would have guessed you had such a high position? You're remarkably young to be a captain. Isn't that a pleasant surprise. Why didn't you say so?"

"My position in the purgehouse was irrelevant to our discussion," Royle said with ease. "Regardless, I suppose it's time I get going."

Rithian smiled, appearing so innocent that if Misa didn't know the witch's true colours, she would have believed Rithian was nothing but pure. "Of course. I would tell you to remember the details, but you're a smart man. I'm sure you don't need reminders."

"No," Royle agreed. "I don't. If you'll excuse me then, Miss. Have a good rest of your day."

He got up from the table and nodded at Misa. "Go on, Mikim. I'll be right behind you."

"Hurry, Captain." Misa marched to the door with big steps, hoping to take Royle as far from the vile witch as possible. She didn't stop when they were outside the bar, leading him straight towards the shed that kept their secret with Min-Min by her side. As soon as they were behind the hessian curtain, Misa faced the captain.

"Are you okay?" Misa asked, stepping closer to him. She was only a hand's breadth away, and she looked for any sign that Rithian had put him under a spell. She looked for glazed eyes, a stupid smile, a slight sway that could be mistaken for being tipsy. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw none.

"I'm assuming from the way you panicked that the witch sitting with me was Rithian." Something about Royle was off. Where had the caring friend gone? Why was the steely, cold captain that saw Misa as a naïve child back? Had Rithian somehow reverted him back to seeing Misa as nothing but a tool? Or was he still angry about what had happened the night before? Misa still felt awful that she'd hit him, that she had inflicted the same pain Rithian had given her to her only friend in Harthem.

"She could have bewitched you," Misa said. "I thought—"

"I know," he cut in. "I've dealt with witches before. I know when they're trying to cast a spell on me, especially if it's bewitchment."

He was cold. So, so cold. But was it really that out of place? Misa thought back to the night before, how she had closed herself off because she was too afraid to let him see her shattered pride, the ripped identity caused by dehumanisation.

"Then..." Confusion swirled in Misa's mind. "What were you doing with her?"

"She sent a message to the purgehouse." Royle met her eyes with an intense stare. "She said she was going to turn you in."

"What?"

"She asked me to meet her at the Bell fountain tonight to exchange you for the reward listed in the papers."

Misa swallowed, a sudden fear gripping her. It simply didn't make any sense. "Why?"

"Did you do anything that could have clued her in on your position in the purgehouse?"

"No." Misa thought over the nightmarish lessons. She was too focused on trying to master her magic to have spoken about anything else. And she wasn't stupid or comfortable enough to share her life stories with Rithian of all people.

So why would she want to turn Misa into the purgehouse? Unless...

"Don't go." Misa's heart raced. There was only one reason Rithian would have called Royle to the fountain: To test Misa's spell. They were supposed to work on controlling the spell, but Rithian was going to test Misa again, and this time, she was going to be there to coach her. To make sure Misa got exactly what the witch wanted from Royle. "It's a trap. It has to be. There's no way she would ever turn in a witch to the purgehouse, especially not me."

She held up her wrist to show Royle the black bracelet bonding her to the witch. Rithian had Tika's magic in Misa. There was no way she would give that up to the purgehouse.

Royle shook his head. "If I don't go, she might find another officer. I can't risk anyone else meeting her, not when it involves you."

"Royle." Misa was practically begging. "Please. Whatever she's going to make me do, it's not going to be pleasant. I don't want it to be you. And I don't want you to see what she does to me. You'll...She...I can't. I won't be able to learn how to stop my spell if you—"

He cut her off by placing a finger on her lips. His cold melted away from the fire igniting in his eyes. "And if I'm there, she won't hit you." His finger traced Misa's lips until it reached the scabbed cut. Misa winced, and he lightened the pressure. "I won't allow it."

"But..." Tears began to well up. Damn. How many times was she going to cry in front of him? Misa blinked them back and forced down the urge to sob.

"I'll be fine." He caressed her cheek, sending an electric shock through Misa's body. Her heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting like she'd been bewitched?

Misa closed her eyes and grabbed his wrist. She leaned into his touch for a second before pulling it away. The moment cool air replaced Royle's hand Misa craved his warmth. She wanted him to keep touching her, to feel his hands on her face, but it was a want that would lead her into dangerous territory. To a place that she could never return from. So, Misa took a step back, keeping a safe distance between her and the captain.

"Have it your way," she said, though there was no bite in her challenge. "It's our last night here anyway. Might as well get it over with."

Min-Min tangled herself around Misa's ankles, mewling for attention. Misa, glad to have a distraction, squatted. "Be a good girl, Min-Min. We leave tomorrow."

Min-Min meowed as if she understood. No. She did understand. Misa let out a breath. Min-Min had as much magic running through her as Misa did. The cat knew what was going on, and its intelligence had saved Misa on more than one occasion.

"Return early," Royle said. "Vortham wants to have a feast tonight to celebrate before we leave tomorrow."

"I'll be there," Misa replied, still keeping her attention on Min-Min. She didn't look up until the captain left. And it was only in his absence that she dropped her act. "I know you understand me, Min-Min." Misa smiled through tears. "I hate magic. I hate witches. By default, does that mean I hate myself?"

Min-Min purred, leaning against Misa's fingers, flicking her tail in pleasure.

"I love you, too." Misa sighed. "Thank you, Min-Min. I needed that. Now." Misa stood, dusting herself off. She put her hands on her hips. "I'm going to prepare myself for what's coming. I'll be strong, and whatever happens, I'm not going to let Rithian hurt me or Royle."