Witch Bewitched (New)

Chapter 16

The mountains were more beautiful than Misa could ever have dreamed. She had thought she knew them by seeing paintings done by other artists, but compared to the real thing, the representations were muted at best. Bright green trees coated the summits, gradually turning into a mix of vibrant violets and blues towards the peak. They were dipped in snow at the tips that glistened in the setting sun, and a few peaks disappeared beyond low clouds. Misa glimpsed a thin line of dark blue beneath the trees, and her heart fluttered when she imagined how much more beautiful it would be if she got close enough to see the deep lake blanketing the path to the summit.

Then, they dipped down a path between groves of trees, and the colors were lost to browns and darker greens. Misa sat back with her chin resting on her palm, disappointed that she couldn't get more seconds to burn the scenery into her mind.

"We're almost at Harthem," the captain stated. "Remember when we arrive to not speak unless spoken to."

Misa didn't hold back the sigh his command brought. "Yes, sir, whatever you say."

Captain Bentham straightened his shoulders. "And it would do you good not to answer in that sarcastic tone of yours. A disrespectful cadet reflects poor disciplining on the captain's, and in turn the purgehouse's, part."

Misa didn't reply. She stroked Min-Min's ears. Maybe her silence would annoy him more than her fiery retorts.

"Get a good night's sleep tonight. We won't have time to rest starting from tomorrow."

Misa's heart clenched. Would she not have time to paint at all? Somehow, the notion of visiting landmarks but being unable to record them with her paints hurt more than not seeing them at all.

"Will we have time to ourselves?" Misa inquired softly. She was almost afraid to hear the answer. "When we're not in meets or looking for the witch market..." She dared to meet the captain's eyes. Her spell began, spurred by her deep desire to visit the mountains. "Will we have any free time?"

If the captain caught the pleading tone in Misa's questions, he showed no sympathy. His brows knitted, and he broke the spell with ease. "We may need to find a witch to teach you to suppress your enchantments when we arrive. As for extra time...Not likely. We're pressed enough as it is. If we take time off to dillydally instead of looking for Nisha—or her witch conglomerate—we'll be giving her more time to convince more witches to join her cause. And more time to increase her strength."

His refusal was like a stab to Misa's heart. He hadn't even hesitated to reject the idea. Disappointment weighed down her shoulders.

"Not even a few hours?" she tried.

Captain Bentham considered her question. "I suppose there will be a particularly unproductive day, but I wouldn't count on it."

Suppressing another sigh, Misa watched the dull trees pass by with little interest. She supposed it was expected. She had no paints or even a canvas. There wouldn't have been a chance for her hobby even if they had time.

They reached Harthem not long after the sun had completely set. Violet rays streaked the sky as if a giant was running a brush along a massive canvas. Misa envied the giant, but she pushed her wants to the back of her mind. Instead, she brought thoughts of destruction and burning villages to lock her focus on the mission.

They were welcomed with less hostility, especially at the Central Harthem Purgehouse, where a thin tall commander greeted them—well, Captain Bentham—in great eagerness and familiarity.

"Captain Royle Bentham," he said with a hint of pride in his tone. "How great it is to see you again. Congratulations on finally catching the witch killer. News of your heroism has spread all over the city. Keep this up and you'll get your own fountain one day."

Misa held back the sudden urge to scoff. Heroism? It had been Min-Min who initially caught the witch killer.

"Commander Vortham. It's been a while. How has the city fared since my last visit?"

Misa's scrutiny intensified. She hadn't thought he would completely ignore the compliment. Torren and any other officer would have basked in the commander's praises.

Commander Vortham swept his arm towards the purgehouse, urging the captain to join him on a walk. Misa trailed behind in silence, unsure if she was to follow them at all. Min-Min had once again escaped to explore the city, and the cat's absence left Misa feeling emptier than usual.

Misa surveyed the purgehouse in an attempt to busy her thoughts. The Central Harthem Purgehouse differed greatly from the Urthan one, structured with stone instead of wood. Bricks layered the walls, and cylindrical pillars bore the weight of the roof. Footsteps would echo on the smooth, stone floor, but a thin layer of carpeting muffled their boots when they reached the main office where officers kept busy at their desks.

When the captain and commander disappeared into a private office beyond the room, Misa loitered like a lost child. She regretted her choice to follow them, and she turned to go back the way they'd come when her alias halted her.

"Mikim?"

Misa swiveled around and stiffened her form. She was aware of the many pairs of eyes drawing towards her. Her face warmed, and she had to remind herself that all they saw was a boy training to be an officer. "Yes, sir!"

The captain wagged his fingers, gesturing for her to come to him. Misa nodded and marched towards him, keeping her arms steady and her spine straight.

"Vortham is kind enough to personally accommodate us. Tell Belmon to take you to the residence." He handed her a small golden medallion with a swan engraved on it. Leather string bound to a small hole at the top. "Show this to the servants, and they'll provide you with a room."

"What about you?" Misa asked. The captain tilted his head and raised a brow as if expecting more, and she added through gritted teeth, "Sir?"

"I will join you at the residence with the commander. You asked if you would have time for yourself. It seems the opportunity has come much sooner than expected. Enjoy your leisure because it might not present itself to you again for the rest of your stay."

Free time after sundown in a town Misa had never been to did not excite her. Instead, she felt needles of bitterness pelting her emotions. What use was having time for herself when she couldn't even do what she wanted?

"Yes, sir," she grumbled. The medallion dug into her palm as she walked back to the entrance. Belmon waited where she had left him, and after receiving directions, he took the reins and transported Misa to Commander Vortham's residence.

A show of the medallion had the servants showing her to the room like the captain said. They offered to do her biddings, but she waved them away with an exhaustion clouding her mind. A nap on a nice bed would do fine for her free time, she supposed.

Pulling off her boots, Misa collapsed on the soft mattress and found herself blacking out before her head hit the pillow.

* * * *

The next day, Misa woke up more refreshed than she ever had in the early morning. She had woken up for dinner and had taken a brief bath before falling deep into the arms of the soft bed. She hadn't slept that much since she left her home, and she was in a particularly good mood without the heaviness that had weighed on her eyelids for the past few weeks.

The meet was supposed to happen late morning all the way to the early afternoon with a quick break in between for lunch. Misa did not look forward to it, suspecting it would be incredibly boring at best and laboured with errands at the worst. She loathed the thought of doing the captain's bidding like she was his personal servant and didn't have high hopes that he would take much pity on her when he ordered her around. He had said it was expected of a captain, after all.

Misa bound her hair up into a bun and squashed it beneath her cap. She slipped on her fresh uniform—the one she wore for the trip having been taken away for laundering—and shoved her feet into her boots. It would be safer to always be in uniform when servants could accidentally spy her true identity even with her room locked.

Unsure of what else to do, Misa slipped out of her room and found servants already buzzing throughout the household, preparing the dining room for breakfast and starting out their morning routine with other chores. A maid approached Misa and led her to the breakfast table, where Misa was surprised to see Captain Bentham already seated with a thick book in hand.

"I never pegged you for a reader," she blurted out before she could stop herself. She grimaced when the captain raised his head, expecting to see that cold disapproval he always directed towards her.

Instead, he simply sipped a cup of coffee and clapped the book closed. "Good morning to you, too. I'm surprised you're up so early."

Misa relaxed. She eyed the eggs and bread on her plate. Hollandaise, garlic cream, and butter filled small tin dipping bowls, guarding her meal like sentries. A servant asked her for her selection of drink, and she requested for some juice.

"Where's the commander?" Misa asked, noticing that only two sets of plates had been placed on the table.

"He rose early to prepare for today's meet." Captain Bentham finished his coffee and stood up. "As I will right now. Stay out of trouble for the next hour. We'll attend the meet once I have finished organising my documents."

Misa was mindful that the servants were too busy to pay much attention to their conversation. She decided to risk a snide remark, "Whatever you say, oh great captain. I wonder what trouble I could possibly cause in a place filled with eyes."

The captain shot her a glare. "Trouble that could expose everything, Mikim. It would be wise for you to remember that there are also ears everywhere."

Misa bit back a retort. It wouldn't do her any good to push her luck. "Of course. I'll see you in an hour, then."

When the captain left, Misa dug into her breakfast, filling her starving stomach with flavors of Harthem. She found she particularly enjoyed dipping her bread into the garlic cream. Plate empty, Misa stood and roamed the house, not wishing to return to the confines of her room.

The commander's residence was much finer than her own home, built with stone—like most buildings in Harthem—and a high roof. The checkered floors were kept pristine and so sleek that Misa was sure she would have slipped had her boots not been cleated to prevent such accidents.

Servants stuck to the walls, dusting furniture, mopping the floor, or transporting materials such as food and cloth. Misa noticed a few that stood out. Some had deep brown skin and head bound in tight thin braids or no hair at all, characteristics of people from a southern continent Misa had only heard vague stories of, with countries that had been plagued by famine and droughts. Others had pale hair, pale skin, pale eyes, likely from Plathea's neighbouring countries from the northeast, where war had left poverty. Most who fled to Plathea were refugees or families in search of better lives.

Curiosity stirred deep within Misa at the sight of people not from her country. They were proof of how big the world was, how mysterious it was, and how much Misa didn't know. She longed to see what beautiful landscapes they left behind and the colours of their culture. A thrill shot through her spine at the thought of capturing beauties never seen before with her art. She felt her magic stir with her excitement, but with no one to enchant, it did nothing.

Then, it dawned on her that they were possibly victims of something terrible. There was no beauty in death and destruction. Misa's heart sank. Perhaps she could learn a little more by engaging with them.

Misa approached the next foreign servant she saw. She smiled and nodded. The servant was a young woman, with her hair hanging in tufts on one side and shaved to the skin on the other. She gave Misa a wary glance as she wiped down a cabinet.

"Excuse me," Misa said. "Would it be all right if we had a chat?"

The servant replied in a thick accent that shortened vowels. "We can't talk when we work."

Misa pursed her lips. She pondered on how she could pry without coming off as too nosy. Then the servant scurried away, and she had missed her chance. Scowling, Misa walked towards the exit. She had seen a garden on the way in the previous day, and she was quite keen to take a closer look. Perhaps, she would get another chance with a servant who was more willing to speak of his or her culture.

The garden, as Misa had glimpsed, was beautiful. Carpeted by glistening green grass and bordered with manicured hedges and bushes of exotic flowers, and sprinkled with thin trees, it was something straight out of a storybook if a bit small. Misa followed the plates of stone embedded in the pathway, admiring the vegetation.

More servants trimmed and maintained the garden. Misa didn't want to disturb their work, so she sat under the shade of a tree and admired the garden without scouring through its entirety despite the temptations. She enjoyed how the breeze cooled her cheeks. She ran her fingers through the blades of grass. It was reminiscent to the excitement she had when she felt the grass under bare feet.

And just like that, her hour was spent. Under a tree surrounded by the beauty nature held. The captain found Misa outside, and he was not pleased to find her uniform streaked by the damp grass.

Misa didn't have time to change, however, and he had no choice but to let her attend the meeting with a marred uniform. Misa didn't mind at all.

Taking their carriage to the purgehouse, Misa and Captain Bentham were then led into a large room with a large round table and chairs lining its border. To Misa's dismay, she was required to stand behind the captain for the duration of the meet, ready to do his bidding whenever he asked.

The meet, as Misa anticipated, was boring. It was made of captains, lieutenants, and commanders from all the major cities in Plathea, filled with information about infamous criminals, scandalous trials, and the updated protocols for law enforcement. Misa had tuned out their discussion within the first ten minutes, and by the time lunch came around, her only thoughts lay in her aching legs.

The afternoon meet was practically identical, with the only difference being the captain's request for a glass of water. Misa was gritting her teeth by the time it finished.

She followed the captain to the carriage. He squinted his eyes at the bright sun. "We have a few hours until dinner," he said, sitting back on his seat. "Sufficient time to start our search. And this time, you will need to disguise yourself as a woman."

Misa held in a sigh. She hoped to go back to the commander's house and relax, but, it seemed, her day had barely started.