In the Open Cage

Chapter 41

A sharp, high-pitched laughter sliced through the silence. All eyes turned to Nisha, the witch who was laughing as if she'd heard the funniest thing in the world.

Misa's stomach flipped, but she managed to remain calm. This was not at all what she expected the witch's reaction would be. At the very least, she had thought Nisha would defend herself with her usual persuasive words.

"Are you serious?" Nisha said when she finally caught her breath, wiping a tear from her eye. "You think you can kill me? What a foolish child you are. Wilda would be so disappointed."

Royle's jaw clenched. Misa could see his whole body stiffen, but there was nothing more he could do when he was incapacitated.

"Is this true?" Anaya asked, pointing at Nisha. "Does he speak the truth, Nisha, witch of protection?"

A smug smile settled on Nisha's lips. "I was merely punishing Wilda for abandoning the ordain. She resisted, so I killed her."

"You slaughtered an entire village," Royle barked. "There were children, and you killed them all for a ritual. To extend your lifespan."

Nisha chuckled. "You must be remembering wrong. You were a mere child. How could we trust your memory? It was lightning that set fire to your village." To the rest of the witches, she said, "Are you really going to consider his bargain? It's true I killed his mother, but she was a traitor. Don't you remember how she abandoned the ordain like it was nothing? The ordain that we so faithfully live by today. When she betrayed Fariki, turned her in to save her own skin. How could any of you forget?"

Misa's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. What was Nisha talking about? She looked to Royle, whose face had paled at the news. He hadn't been aware of this information. They hadn't prepared for Nisha to turn it around like this.

"So, it was her," a witch blurted out. "The witch who betrayed Fariki."

"How are you so sure, Nisha?" Anaya asked.

Nisha replied, shrugging as if it was nothing. "I was there. Why do you think I took it upon myself to punish her?"

"Lies," Royle said. Even Misa could hear the hopelessness in his voice. "She would never have done such a thing. She valued her honour as a witch. She vowed to never use magic because she started a family. Isn't that one of your rules? That a witch must never use her magic if she marries?"

But the witches were filled with doubt. Royle was an outsider, someone they didn't know. It didn't help that he was a purgehouse captain, and if they trusted Nisha's claim, he was in a worse place than before. The son of the witch who betrayed the ordain. And Misa knew this ordain took their rules very seriously.

"Why would you keep it a secret?" Brin asked. She was one of the few witches who was well aware of how easily Nisha could lie through her teeth. A drop of hope. "Why did you decide to punish her without even consulting the rest of us?"

Still, Nisha was calm, maintaining her elegance through the hearing. Misa realised this must have been why so many witches were inclined to follow her. The witch carried an air of confidence about her that compelled even the most hard-headed witch to listen to what she had to say.

"You must all be aware that Wilda was my cousin." Nisha smiled sadly. Royle staggered back, bumping into Sha'ka, shaking his head in disbelief. "I didn't know what to do. I was with her since she was conceived and watched her grow up into the cunning witch she became. She was like a daughter to me. So, when I had the time, I found Tika and visited Wilda to try to convince her to confess her crimes to the ordain. She resisted and attacked Tika. I had no choice but to kill her before she could do any more harm."