Witches always burn when they're put up on a stake, that's how she knew she wasn't a witch, Yima didn't burn, she set herself alight and the flames never hurt her.
"I'm not a witch." Yima said for the thousandth time that day.
First before the corrupt court that would have loved to see her burn and now to a strange man who was meant to protect her after just being saved from the worst punishment a girl like her would never have survived, Osi, the inescapable penitentiary which was found in Aarunt.
The burning of a witch was an ancient craft that was practiced ages ago. Even in her small village, witch hunting equipment could be found in some houses, kept in or hung on walls like treasure.
Namonda, the village weirdo, owned a book all about witches and how best to get rid of them. It was no surprise when he was the first to suggest she be put on a stake and burnt alive.
"I believe you." The man in the high chair replied as he leaned back in his seat. She smiled, it felt good to finally hear someone uttering the words she had longed to hear from anyone other than herself.
Heat spread out in her chest.
Looking away from him, she busied herself by leaning further back into the rough brown couch that she was beginning to hate.
She hated the color brown. Despised it.
It reminded her of her mother, who only wore clothes of that color.
"It suits your eyes."
Yima frowned, he was right, her big brown eyes matched the color perfectly.
"How did you know that I was thinking about the couch?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Smiling widely, his lips managing to touch the tips of his small ears, he replied with a question, "How did I know what?"
Her face had a disgusted look that didn't seem to go away, one of the things Yima hated were creeps and this man was slowly proving to be just that. Maybe the pirate king was wrong about this man, any place with him around didn't feel safe.
She continued to watch him suspiciously, tracking his every move. With such strong energy radiating from him, he could be a king. The only things missing were an animal tail, two guards at each side and a blank expression.
He was neither smiling nor looking at her, his eyes were closed and his long fingers were drumming the tune of the western sirens on the table.
There was no logical explanation for what just happened, after all she was sure she didn't express her distaste for the couch outwardly.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" She blurted out just as he was about to reach the saddest part of the tune. The part where the sailors drown and the sirens are left feeling lonely, with no other boat in sight.
"I'll show you." The man said.
The sudden yinMn blue glow of the rytuid in the tank above him caused the entire room to feel crowded.
Yima sucked in a breath, she hated tight spaces, they made her dizzy and out of breath.
"The house leaders are on their way."
***
Yima twirled the ring on her finger, she would have thrown it away but it was far too pretty and gave her the power to instill fear in everyone who saw it.
The huge Lapis Lazuli matched her blue wrist caused by the tight rope that was once tied there.
Lisho, the prison's only ship had a rule, one hand of each prisoner was to be tied up to the ceiling to prevent them from murdering each other.
Yima chose her left hand when it came time to be tied up so she could defend herself with her right.
Wiping off the spit and mucus aimed at her was easy, but fighting off Manji, the man who lost a quarter of his face, was impossible and he managed to curve the letter M on her nape.
She couldn't even remember what he used, her hair has never been held up in a bun ever since. Knowing that he was left to die in the nook forest, which was famous for its rogue ghost makishi dancers was comforting.
Yima had requested this to be done when her father in-law, the pirate king, asked what she wanted most in life.
Akeende Junza, the pirate king, was feared by every breathing creature because of his thirst for bloodshed and violent crimes.
Clearly Yima had more to gain than he. Akeende knew what power he would have if his son married the youngest and most vicious witch.
He was untouchable then but now he was seen as a god.
***
The creepy man's eyes slowly found themselves on her ring finger and she couldn't stop the frown that took up half her face, she knew what was to come even before he said anything.
"Have you met his son?"
The pirate king's son, Kachana was currently working to capture the sea bringer, an ancient snake that created sea's whenever it moved. One of its scales was worth the entire world.
In short he was a dead man, and she a widow.
"I have, multiple times." She recited.
The pirate king viewed her as an innocent little girl who couldn't lie and did as she was told, so he told her what to say.
Of course he was wrong but she didn't correct him, after all, she had never seen his son before so she needed information about how he looked.
Even when she signed the contract his signature wasn't there.
"Is he as handsome in person as he is in the stories that everyone has grown to know and love?"
"They didn't do him justice," That part was her own, if she was going to keep up this lie she was going to overdo it. "Adonis can't hold a candle to him."
''Where did you meet Adonis?'' he asked nicely but his eyes were filled with mockery.
Yima gave him a long glare, trying to decide whether to snap at him or not.
"You wouldn't know the place even if I mentioned it." She said, settling for the safer answer.
He pulled his lips into his mouth and wiggled his eyebrows like they had just shared an inside joke.