How about a bargain?

Aurora walked around the tavern thinking about the boy under the counter. She had warned the witch about her misdoings. There were quite the vampires on the outlook outside; they couldn't risk causing problems in the middle of their stay. However, she was interested in the boy and how he knew about Soprana's most wanted goal. Was he a mind-reader? A diviner? A man who foresaw things?

She was confident about the answer and her actual goal was to bring it out of him by peace or by blood. She looked out of the window for the last time before moving her hand to the back of her boot where a dagger was hidden there. Her hand tightened around the grip. A shiny scabbard wrapped the blade hiding it; it was covered in strange symbols and signs. She drew the blade confidently and it lit up with a dim shine that was reflected from the rays of the moonlight.

Stephan was motionless, his eyes closed for a moment then opened. His breathing accelerated understanding that the woman went along with him with a goal in her mind. He wondered why she did it and he was risking himself for it. If he believed what Soprana said about her, she had to be a crazy woman. However, she was his supposed-to-be master. A part of him was curious about her and how she was. What kind of powers did she have? What were her real goals? What kind of façade she was putting on?

He turned his head abruptly. In the silence, her footsteps were picked up easily. She was in front of the counter. With the tankard in his mouth, he downed the whole beverage and coughed. It was surprisingly bitter and not exactly palatable.

"It makes you wonder how you stayed there all this time waiting for the beer to taste good," she jumped the counter to the other side. Her voice was familiar to him. No matter what he tried to say, he missed it. It was the first thing that he heard when he got to Masmoenia and it symbolized something for him.

She pointed the dagger at him and then turned it so that the edge would be on his neck. She invaded the area under the counter and was on top of him with a hand firmly holding the dagger. It was made of silver. Stephan raised his hand letting the tankard roll on the ground to the empty bottles thrown in the corner.

"I didn't see you," he acted all silly. "I thought I was alone. I was so focused on my first time drinking beer that it totally slipped out of my mind you were still there. I didn't mean to spy on you at all. I didn't hear a single word."

"There wasn't much to be said from the beginning," she smirked. "Do you think I will swallow your lies and act as nothing happened? You are wrong, little boy," the dagger pressed further against his neck causing a slight scratch. "I am one of the biggest liars in this world. I know it when people lie to me; you gotta do better than that, boy."

Her eyes penetrated the deepest parts of his soul. He couldn't believe it was the same person that pulled him into the new world. Her aura was causing his shivers and a fear he didn't know he had. He had always believed that he would get away from everything. The reason for his excessive confidence relied on it. He didn't have to take a blow on his pride or suffer humiliation as long as he took everything as a joke. There were some moments of fear but not the ones Aurora inspired him.

"Wait, wait, wait…" he yelled. "I don't know what you have against me but there isn't even once that I said I was your disciple. It's not my problem if they assumed that in the first place. I didn't… ask them for it… I didn't validate it… Can you take your dagger away?"

"This is something that I didn't expect… Then can you tell me mister apprentice mage how in the world they assumed that there must be a reason for everything or at least, that's how I believe things to be."

"I really don't know," he lied. "How would I know something I don't know? You cannot expect me to lie about something I don't know. Just try to reason with me a little. I know you are not what you show yourself to be. Aren't you tired of faking a façade? What happens when the closest people to your heart doubt you because of it? Because no one will really believe a woman who keeps changing her facades often."

Aurora backed away; an involuntary grimace of displeasure contorted her lips. It has been a while since she has been asking herself the same thing. However, it wasn't the time for that. Her eyes didn't leave the boy for one second; she wanted to challenge him more. He said a little bit of truth immersed in an ocean of lies and discretion. He was hiding things and she wanted to know what it was.

"As long as I have someone who believes in me, I don't care about the rest, did my answer disappoint you, boy? I believe it will be hard for you to reach my deepest fears and desires; you won't be able to manipulate me. Say hello to the world on the other side for me… Maybe I will follow you soon as well."

"Wait," he said in the last attempt. He truly felt she would murder him there. He swallowed imagining how his body would handle the blow. Everything would be lost if he died. Where was the system in all this? At the moment, he had two choices; whether to die or die, it was one actually. He had to find another choice; he had to think outside the box. "How about a bargain? I know you are a woman of trade. What you give you shall take, right? I can give you something that would help you in your quest."

"Do you think I need help? There would be nothing that might help me and I don't have a quest. What can you offer me? I am a crazy woman and I kill whenever I feel like it."

"What if I tell you I am from the future, a distant future and I came to change an event in the past?"