20 Chapter 20: Under the rain together (1/2)

ELINA: We didn't get very far before we had to stop.

At first it was just a drizzle. Then a few fat drops. Then it poured so heavily that it felt like I was breathing water. It was the heaviest rain I had experienced in years.

Salem didn't want to stop. Time is money, he said. But eventually the rain grew so heavy that he couldn't see the road anymore. So he gave in.

We found an abandoned hut by the side of the road. It must've been recently abandoned. Because the inside was still relatively clean. The roof didn't leak. There was a wooden table. A few chairs, a few shelves.

Salem said, ”This was probably a trading outpost.”

”Why?”

”Merchants used to trade at outposts like this to avoid the import tariffs of major cities like Merkelborough. But last year the Eisen King lowered import tariffs. Now merchants prefer to take their goods to the cities because it's more profitable. Cities are where you find people. People is where you find money.”

”Oh.”

He pointed at the shelves. ”If this was someone's residence, it would be located further in the forest. Like your hut. Only reason for a hut with this many storage shelves at a roadside is to act as a trading outpost.”

Hmmm, I never thought of it this way. Witches tend to just do whatever they wanted. Humans seem to be strongly motivated by money.

I sat down. It was a simple chair with only a backrest. I put my hands on my lab.

Outside the rain continued to pour. An endless rush from the sky, a symphony of nature. I breathed in. I breathed out. The scent of rain brought back many memories.

Memories I hadn't thought of in a long time.

Salem stood, leaning against the doorframe. He had one eye on me. I looked at him. I smiled slightly. This was a lot like then, many years ago.

I said, ”Why don't you sit down.”

”No, thanks.”

”Don't worry, I'm not going to run away. When I do, it will be on a sunny day.”

He looked at me, then outside. He stayed where he was.

I sighed.

We stayed like this for a while, listening to nature. Somehow this silence was pleasant. The soothing sound of the rain made me feel like we were the only ones in the whole world. As though this little hut was an island. Like the rest of the world was only a dream.

But I knew Salem wasn't feeling like this. Because I knew where his heart lay.

Yulia Udell. To think he was risking his life for a sibling. He said that they survived together. That they had no one else but each other.

I almost felt a little jealous. I never had anyone like this in my life.

I said, ”Salem.”

”What?”