»Who are you?« Asked Tivon, looking up at the witch.
»You don't know me.« She squatted down to him and Tivon moved the knife closer to her. »You could only recognize me.« She gently put her hand on Tivon's. »You won't need that.«
Tivon slowly lowered the blade. »You are that woman who was standing in front of The Emerald Palace.«
She slowly nodded.
»You were saying weird stuff. For some reason, I could hear you.« Tivon's voice was starting to shake, as did his body. »A stab to the heart.« He looked her in the eyes. »You were cursing me!?«
The woman looked offended. »I was not cursing you, I was trying to warn you.«
Tivon's breathing was rapidly becoming more hysteric. »How could you know? H-how could you know I was going to d-die?«
Die... But he was alive. Tivon put his hand on his heart. It was pounding.
»Am I dead?«
The woman laughed. »You are not dead.« She put her hand on his shoulder. »You need to calm down-«
»I can't be alive. I-I remember dying. I remember t-the blade.«
»You did die, but I brought you back.«
Tivon nodded off. »N-no that can't be. It's not possible.«
The woman suddenly put her hand over his chest and Tivon's heart stopped beating. She leaned forward looking into his panicked eyes.
»I brought you back.« She twisted her hand and Tivon could feel his heart twisting. »And I can easily snap that string.«
She put her hand down and Tivon's heart started beating again. The woman stood up. »But I'm not going to do that.«
»Y-you're a w-witch.«
She walked to one of her shelves and took a jar of dried leaves. »Took you long enough.«
»No, that can't be. Witches don't exist.« His hand was still on his chest, feeling his heart racing.
The woman put the leaves into the pot. She looked at him. »I could stop your heart again if that will make you believe.«
»Then why did you bring me back to life? Just kill me now.«
»I won't kill you.« She stirred the liquid in the pot. »I need you. And you need to save Rea.«
»And Elias.« Added Tivon without even thinking about it.
»Why save him? It was his knife that killed you.«
»But it wasn't him that killed me.« Said Tivon angrily.
She looked at him. »Are you sure about that?«
»Yes.«
She sighed. »Everything you had to go through was because of him.«
Tivon stood up. »No. He helped me go through everything that I had to go through.«
»The curse says otherwise.« She said as she poured the liquid into a cup.
»What?!«
She pushed the cup into his hand. »Drink it.«
»No.«
She looked at him, her golden eyes glowing. »I said drink it. It's not poisoned.«
Tivon took the cup but still hesitated. »What is it?«
»It's for calming you down.« She sat down. »And for the heart to heal.«
Tivon still didn't drink it.
»I won't poison you.« She said roughly. »I didn't use almost all of my powers to bring you back.«
Tivon sat down and drank the liquid. He almost spat it out because of its bitter taste. »That's disgusting.«
»I never said it was good.«
Tivon put down the cup. He was surprised that he already felt more relaxed just after one sip. He put the hand on his heart. He still couldn't believe he was alive.
»It wasn't easy.« Tivon looked at her. »And it wasn't cheap.«
»You bargained for my life?«
She peered at him. »How do you think magic works?«
»Just like you did before? With hands?« Tivon made a little gesture with his hand.
She laughed. »Little things, yes. But bringing someone back to life. You need to make some deals.«
»With who?«
»Ghosts, other witches,« She stood up and looked at him. »And the other side.«
Tivon looked down at his cup. That didn't settle okay with him. The woman turned to her jars. She grabbed a bag and started putting it in. To be alive because of one witch making deals with the other side. It felt weird to Tivon.
»Take your stuff we are leaving.«
»Why?«
She looked at him. »Don't you want to save them?« Tivon nodded. »Then pack your things.« She smiled. »We're sailing towards Bradfordshire.«
He should be back by now. Rea was sitting by the table, her head resting on it. She was looking through the window. The sky was getting darker, and Elias was still out there somewhere. Rea could only hope that he was still alive. I should go look for him.
The trapdoor suddenly opened, and Rea was on her feet in a second. Elias rushed in.
»Did you-«
Elias put down his mask. Rea thought she would see satisfaction on his face, but there was only fear.
»She's still alive isn't she?« Asked Rea and Elias nodded. »What happened?«
»She knows that you're with me.« He leaned on the wall and looked out of the window. »And if we kill her, she will have all the boys killed.«
That didn't sound good. Rea wanted revenge, but if that meant that millions of boys would die, then she didn't want it.
She sat down and sighed. »What should we do now? If we don't do anything or run away, she will find us.«
»I'll surrender. She said if I do that she'll leave you alone.« Rea looked at him. »I'll become one of her jade boys.«
»What does that mean?«
Elias took a shaky breath. »I'll be part of her pleasure house.«
Rea could see the cold sweat running down his face, his uneven breathing. He looked like he was about to pass out. He was afraid.
»It happened before didn't it?« Asked Rea.
Elias nodded, avoiding her look, his body shaking uncontrollably.
»What did she do to you?«
Elias shook his head, his breathing shaky.
»Elias.« Rea stood up.
Elias looked at her, his look full of fear and pain. »Damage!«
Rea just barely caught him before he would fall.
»Elias you can't go.« She sat him down.
»There's no other way.«
»We'll find another way. I don't know what she did to you, but I can't let her do it again.« Elias buried his face in his hands, nodding off. »Elias, something like that wouldn't break a person like you, so it must've been inhuman. I'm not letting you go there.«
Elias took a big breath. »O-okay. I won't go.«
Rea sat down and sighed. »We'll find a way in the morning.«
»Yeah, in the morning.« Said Elias quietly. He looked at Rea. »You should rest.«
She smiled. »You too.«
Elias waited for Rea to fall asleep. He had no purpose for sleeping.
He had a plan. It wasn't the best plan, but it was something. When Rea dozed off, he took a piece of paper, hoping that he would remember how to write words that Tivon taught him.
He quickly scribbled something on and left it on the table. He also left all his knives, swords, his pistol and the mask. He looked at Rea, who was peacefully sleeping.
»I'm sorry.« He whispered and disappeared through the trapdoor out of the apartment.
He rushed to The Jade Paradise. To his surprise, Luana was already standing in the ashes of her previous office. She turned around and smiled.
»Oh, I thought you wouldn't come.« Three masked men entered the room. »I already had my army prepared to go find her.«
»You won't hurt her if you have me, right?«
»I promise marily.«
The three men grabbed him and tied his hands behind his back. Elias didn't resist.
»Glad to have you for myself again.«
Another person with an eye patch over his eye entered the room. Elias' pupils narrowed when he saw Pit, standing beside Luana.
»What is he doing here?«
»He is my new personal guard. You know, because you killed the other ones.« She stroked Pit's face. »He can have as many jade boys as he wants for himself.«
Elias tried to lunge at Pit, but the masked men stopped him. »How can you bring such a low-minded and vile piece of human being into this place.«
Elias wasn't looking at Luana, his furious eyes were fixed on Pit.
Luana only laughed. She leaned to Elias' ear and said.
»I like to bring chaos to their peaceful life.«
Elias tried to free himself from the grip. He wouldn't let Pit be here. He must not be here. Luana waved her hand. »Take him down to the room.«
They quickly took him out of the room. Luana turned to Pit. »He really doesn't like you. Why is that?«
»He wasn't a guy who would share.«
Luana smiled. »Understandable.« She lit up a cigarette. »Go to the harbour and prepare my ship. After I have some little time with Elias we set sail.«
»To Ascot?«
»No.« She inhaled the cigarette. »Elias needs to think we're going there.«
»Then where to?«
Luana smiled. »To The Kingdom of Naydawin. I got a new plan. We could still get some money from the king.«
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