章節 4: Chapter 4
Time was of the essence. Serena would be gone forever if she didn't reach her any sooner. Elvira had to give them the name of her destination town. As for her spirit friend, she could only pray that the wizards would never find her.
Elvira gripped the horse's reins. The wizards gave her a fresh one. She was now traveling with the wizard, Wivior, through the forest on horseback. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined a horseback ride with a wizard.
That wizard didn't make it any easier for her. He would glance at her from time to time with a closed mouth smile. Something about his gaze made her uncomfortable. There was friendliness in his eyes, and she didn't understand why, but he seemed eagerly interested in her. Elvira was sweating profusely in usually dry areas. In what direction was she supposed to look? Should she smile back? Was she acting human enough? Was he sneaking a peek at her somewhat exposed cleavage?
"So, what would you like as compensation for the inconvenience we caused you back in the forest? We're wizards, and it's your lucky day, so ask away! I am guessing you might want gold like the rest of the humans. Isn't wealth what you people desire the most?" Wivior asked.
Elvira shuddered at his sudden question. It was like her mind and body were expecting a dagger each time the wizards opened their mouths.
She was not a human, but she knew that gold held prime importance in a human's life. Wealth gave them power, and to all beings, power mattered the most. It would seem unnatural to reject such an offer while posing as a human woman.
"When can I have it?" asked Elvira.
Wivior laughed at her response, and she realized her mistake. "I don't have it on me right now, but I can deliver it later if you give me your home address. I reckon you live in this town, Berkton?"
Elvira gave him a look of uncertainty.
"Why can't he use a spell to create more gold for me now?" Wivior asked, looking amused. "I know that's the question spinning in your mind. So, let me educate you on one limitation of magic. You can't create natural substances out of thin air. I, however, can conjure a spell to bring you existing gold from wherever I want, but that would be stealing. So, I would have to get you some treasure we own, or I could create coins for you from an existing gold mine."
Elvira smiled at having a lecture on how magic works, but it was interesting to learn that wizards had some of the same limitations as her kind. However, she could never see him again. She needed to come up with a good excuse fast for not wanting it later.
Elvira cleared her throat. "Then I don't want it because I won't be here long. I need to leave soon, and I shall be traveling far."
Wivior smirked, "Wizards can travel vast distances in a short amount of time with magic. I would have used my power to take you to Berkton, but I feared it might frighten you and the townspeople."
It shocked Elvira. Teleportation magic almost drained her, and she needed some time to recover. Then how come it was a piece of cake for the wizards? Were wizards stronger than witches? Perhaps younger witches gained their power at a slower pace compared to wizards. Or maybe he was only saying that to impress her.
It wasn't the right time to weigh the strengths and weaknesses of a witch and a wizard. She still needed a better excuse to turn down his offer altogether.
"My whereabouts can't be trusted with you or anyone else, as I am a runaway woman," Elvira began after finally doing some quick thinking. "My father is a powerful man and has strong connections all over the world. I can't trust anyone right now."
Wivior's eyes widened, and he snapped his fingers, which slowed the pace of both their horses. "You don't say! So, you are some runaway princess? What made you want to quit royal life?"
"Not a princess. I am a lord's daughter," answered Elvira. It would have been risky to pretend to be a princess. He might know all the kings of nearby kingdoms. However, it was impossible to be familiar with all the lords.
"He was forcing me to marry some old cruel king. I refused, and he made me a prisoner in his castle. I was lucky to escape somehow. Today was my wedding day, so his army must be searching for me everywhere."
Wivior listened to her with so much interest that he didn't even blink once. He shook his head. "That's awful!" he exclaimed. "A partner for someone as gorgeous as you must possess the qualities of youth, wealth, power, and pleasing aesthetics from both inside and out." His mouth stretched into a coy grin. "It would have been a nightmare for you to bed an old, obese, wrinkled creature, probably dead from important parts."
Elvira recoiled mentally in disgust. Her mortal enemy commenting on her physical beauty and sex life was unpleasant. She was indeed a stunning beauty, and most men found her utterly attractive, but the last thing she wanted was to catch the eye of a wizard.
Elvira lowered her head in embarrassment. "What a strange way to feel sorry for me," she said.
He ran his fingers through his curly locks. "My apologies. It came out all wrong. I haven't had a long conversation with a woman for years. It wouldn't have offended a man, except for the part where I complimented your beauty, which could have been misconstrued as me being gay, which I am not."
It was odd he wanted to let her know about his sexual preferences. Elvira narrowed her eyes at him. It was best to reject his advances to kill all hope of ever getting close to her.
"It was a joke. Forgive me if it offended you," said Wivior.
"Today is a tough day for me. Can we please stay quiet for the rest of the way to the town?" Elvira requested and looked straight ahead.
"Sure, why not," Wivior said and shrugged.
The wizard kept his promise and rode silently for the rest of the way.
"I can go from here," said Elvira when the town was visible from afar.
Wivior pulled on his horse's reins and brought it to a halt. "Okay, I will remain here to watch you enter the town safely, so go ahead," said the wizard.
Elvira stopped her horse and narrowed her eyes at him. "But why? Do you think I will head in another direction?"
Wivior let out a chuckle. "No, I just want to watch you reach it safely."
"What could happen at such a small distance?" she asked.
Wivior shrugged. "I don't know. We have agitated hundreds of spirits in the forest. What if one of them took you as a hostage to get out of here?"
If only he knew Elvira was on the spirits' side and praying for them, especially Charlotte! Her surprise was that he was so concerned about the safety of a runaway human lord's daughter he had just met.
"Go ahead before more questions spill from my mouth," Wivior said and pointed at the road. "Although I have one particular question in mind. I think I deserve it because I kept quiet the entire way."
"Like what?" asked Elvira.
"Would you be still here tonight?" he asked.
"Uh, I don't think so. I am only here to visit an old trusted friend, that's it," Elvira answered.
Wivior spun his hand and bowed her way. "Now you're officially free to go wherever you want. No more wizards bugging you with questions. Farewell, Elvira Smith." He waved goodbye with a smile.
"Farewell," said Elvira and raced toward the town on her horse. Elvira didn't look behind until she reached it. When she looked back at the road, he was still there, like he said he would be. Elvira dismounted her horse and waved her arm at him. He waved back eagerly in response. She saw him steering his horse around and watched him disappear into the forest trees.
He was indeed a good person, but there was no place for goodness in a witch's life, especially from their mortal enemies! As quoted by her mother and uncle.
Elvira turned around and began walking down the crowded street. A merry crowd was dancing and singing gleefully, and the entire town was beautifully decorated. There seemed to be some ongoing festival or celebration.
Elvira rolled her eyes. Finding Serena in a town on a regular day was difficult enough, let alone on a day of the festival. She could easily camouflage in the crowd.
She walked down the street feeling hopeless. Serena was selfish for abandoning her without a word, whereas Elvira had traveled far to find her.
Her anger grew with time. The thought of giving up had just entered her mind when she noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was not Serena but her younger sister, Leona. She was dancing with the crowd and seemed fully immersed in merriment.
Her body erupted in rage. She couldn't believe Leona had followed her there! Leaving unnoticed by the wizards was impossible now! The outcome for Leona would be bleak if they caught her.
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