Shade did not question Miss Chloe, so as to spare the witch who had turned into a cat from embarrassment. With some time still left, he asked the other two about their circumstances. Of course, throughout this, Shade had to restrain his instinct to pet the cat. Half a year of raising Mia had already turned it into a bodily habit.
Mrs. Marcus had decided to head for the mountaintop because she wanted to take the missing witch's boot up there and leave its print on the summit. Thus, Shade inspected the boot. Though it was finely made, and its size was unexpectedly the same as Miss Chloe's tiny feet, it was only an ordinary item and required no special attention.
As for the man huddled off to one side, he remained silent because he feared witches. But when Shade approached and questioned him, he was still willing to reveal a few things. The man lowered his voice, as though afraid the witches would overhear him.
He did not wish to reveal his name, but he admitted that he had been exiled here for stealing something.
When Miss Chloe found him, he had nearly frozen to death in the snow. Miss Chloe was a relatively open-minded witch, so she kept him around. Whenever they needed a living person to scout ahead or serve as a sacrifice, she made him do it.
But when Shade asked exactly what he had stolen, the man became too frightened to speak.
The witch drinking soup gave a soft snort:
"It probably wasn't anything too valuable, or he would have been executed outright. But it probably wasn't anything too ordinary either, or exile wouldn't have been worth using."
The witch's words made the man curl up again:
"I stole a... card. The witch who ruled