Origins - II

The witch's voice grew cautioned and measured, as though she was dealing with a cornered animal. Not life-threatening perhaps, but definitely dangerous. Even then, I could not afford to grow complacent, her watch was intelligible, mentally composed and analytical; and from my limited experience interacting with her, she definitely had a contingency ready.

"What caution would you need against me? I have shown no hostility to you?"

"Yet. I need to know more about you, origins, what it would've been like past what we consider the edge of the civilized world. I'd hoped to get you to sleep and dream walk within your mind, try and pull a few hidden memories from under there."

She wasn't lying, or so I guessed. Or maybe she was, but I wouldn't have any way to easily disprove her. The tell-tale signs were absent, breathing, body language and demeanour did not shift in any way to betray her intentions. This was an impasse, and yet one he had to navigate with delicacy.

The witch sat down, her form seated on edge but composed still. Watching her in this mixed state of caution and contemplation was eating away at my nerves. My fingers found themselves interlaced, my eyes squinting to keep attention on her, avoiding blinking at times. One could say there was an inkling of paranoia, and they wouldn't be wrong.

"How about this..." My voice trailed, picking up fragments of the knowledge I knew from reading to frame enough falsification for the moment. I removed my fingers from each other, keeping them animate to keep her vision focused on them, rather than any tells for the lie I was about to speak.

"Where I come from, is a mire of incomprehensibility that I would rather not recall, neither would navigating my memories offer you any knowledge that you might be able to use, neither have I been able to. I will sit down and let you try it, but you will be far too gone by that point."

Her eyes and mine matched, and the disappointment was evident, I could only conclude that she needed the knowledge desperately, and not for some beneficiary purpose, but rather an intently selfish one. There was something she desired past the edge, or was it someone? From looking around the house, I'd noticed books, steelware, a hearth. This was not just for a singular person, and a village like this would not just keep a house like this in good condition, idle and only for guests. Realisation hit me like a truck; which I was still disappointed about not being the one to isekai me.

"This was your house, wasn't it? You had a family, once, people you cared about. You lost them to the other side. Betrayed at the hands of the village chief, who may have done something to them. Is that why you're doing this?"

My question clearly hit a landmine, and the effects were visible almost immediately. Her cold and composed self came crashing down. Her eyes grew puffy and distant, and I could feel the shift in her tone. In a way, I felt a pinch of guilt of my former brashness. 

"We were a family." Her voice cracked. "My little boy and I, all that I ever wanted to do was show him the love that his birth parents denied him. Igor, the chieftain, he took my boy from me. Commanded him on some ritual while I was away. I left my boy at home, and returned to an urn. I spent years... YEARS!" 

She slammed her fist on the table. Her visage reddened with emotion, and this time I dared not utter a word. 

"Worming my way up this filthy outcrop of a village, smiling, aiding and healing these backwards people who lack the basic humanity towards each other. Blinded by the heralds of a faith that couldn't care less whether they lived or died. There's no camaraderie here, only a cult. And I've been bearing with all of it, so that one day, I find the opportunity to send them back some of the misery and cruelty they've inflicted."

Her gaze was sharp enough to make me falter, even through the courage that Sekhmet's aspect fuelled me with. An uncomfortable silence prevailed over the room. For once, I felt a choking pressure in my neck, words failed me, as they very rarely ever did. I could see the idle tear flowing down her cheek, and it paralysed me. I was afraid, I realised, not knowing how to react, offer comfort or do in this situation. One of the few aspects of life where all the mechanical advice and knowledge fell flat in application, I could tell that the woman before me was in pain, but couldn't conjure up a single string of words that would be anything short of sounding like pity or indifference. 

I took the seat opposite to hers, extending my hand towards, but not taking, hers and tried to speak through a softened tone.

"I am sorry for what the village did to you and your son. Words fail me, but I promise that he will be avenged. I will help-"

My thoughts were interrupted by a piercing shush from her, a few pats on my shoulder followed as she arose from the chair and wiped away the solitary tear that stained her cheek. Her smile returned, composed, at least partially, and dignified.

"Your consolation could use some work, but I appreciate the sentiment anyway. You let your guard down a little too easily, just enough for me to place a truth charm on you. You must have your own reasons not to reveal your origins, and I won't pry, as long as you're aware that we'll be slaughtering half the village, and leaving shortly thereafter."

The little curve in her smile told me all I needed to know, she'd got me from the start, and now I was part of this plot with no real agency to choose otherwise. After all, staying would put me in the crosshairs of the other villagers, who would see me as the more likely perpetrator. I did, however, have one idea to salvage things, based on what I'd learnt and surmised in my time here.

"Agreed." I began, extending a hand forward again, which was taken quite immediately this time around. "However, we are travel companions now, and our first order of business after the village will be discovering the fate of the doomed expedition. Are we in agreement?"

Calida didn't say anything, she didn't need to, that one smirk from under her hood told me about enough. She left shortly thereafter, not without reminding me to be awake at the designated time, and to be ready to pack up and leave immediately. I took her words to heart over the stew she made for me. This promised to be another long night...