The seer did not answer her immediately.
Silence stretched between them, thick and deliberate, pressing against Mabel's skin. His eyes remained locked on hers, unmoving, and unblinking… as he looked through her.
Mabel held his gaze.
She did not shift nor look away.
His eyes darkened, and it happened immediately, without warning. "One more lie…" he said quietly. "…and I'll have you rotting from your inside."
Mabel's breath caught. That involuntary hitch betrayed her before she could stop it.
The air in the room shifted. It thickened.
Fear coiled around her ribs, tightening slowly, and deliberately.
He paused. Then, almost casually, he added, "Do not forget…" his head tilted slightly, his gaze sharpening, "I am a witch."
Mabel's fingers twitched at her side.
She did not move her feet, but her body betrayed her in smaller ways. Her throat tightened. Her shoulders drew back just a fraction too stiffly.
