(Synn)<br/><br/>Kateri clenched her fists every time he had mentioned the old woman and how he had disposed of her. She was grateful that Bea had attempted to keep her where-bout’s a secret, but she didn’t need to die. Nonetheless, perhaps it was for the best for there were worst fates for a witch than the one Anton dealt her. She still quietly mourned her kindred spirit, but was not about to let him become aware of how close knit they all were. Furthermore, she knew she could not outrun am arrow, deflect it maybe, but not at close range. She was also sure he was a damned good shot so testing the theory of whether she could escape was not a wise choice.<br/><br/><br/>Kateri did examine his other tools of the trade once he opened his coat. Daggers and knives did not concern her as much as the bola. Though bolas are difficult to use once they entered the denser portions of this vast forest between the village and the lower valley. A bola could easily be dodged when you had trees to weave through. Still, that crossbow was a problem and of course, brute strength. Anton was in excellent condition and would be difficult if not near impossible to overpower on her own. Still, she had magic, and yet he was clearly leery of such powers which would lead to knee jerk reactions that were difficult to predict.<br/><br/><br/>She sat down on a fallen log across from Anton, her boots firmly placed a few feet apart as she spoke, “Yes you do very well to frighten and manipulate those present against me Anton. Having the entire town in an uproar over a witch is a common ploy with your types” she sneered as she ran her fingertips over the rough bark of the tree, gazing at the caterpillar that was making his way to a small leaf protruding from the log.<br/><br/><br/>She caught the piece of dried meat and chuckled as he noted that she was not about to find her own food out here in the woods. Again, a wise man not to be trifled with. But then again, certain things never stopped her from trying anyway. A bit of a fatalist one might say. “Thank you” she said before she bit into the gnarled dried piece of flesh. The salt was almost overwhelming and she grimaced for a moment before she contained the distaste enough to continue eating. She was certainly hungry and it didn’t take her long to finish the large piece.<br/><br/><br/>Kateri scowled at Anton’s last comment about the Prince as she leaned back, bracing herself with her hands firmly placed on the log. “I was once the Prince’s lover…” she said as she looked away from Anton and off into the forest, taking herself back, to the day the Prince and her met in the royal gardens. “I was a courtesan visiting the royal gardens when we met. He took a particular liking to me and afforded me all the luxuries that were generally offered to men only such as the King’s library. I studied philosophy, theology, foreign religions, magick, alchemy, and history. I reveled in poetry and fiction novellas” she smiled, remembering those times quite fondly. “On the night of a full moon he went hunting for me as he was particularly puckish, he found me performing a full moon ritual out by the large old oak that was the pillar of the royal graveyard…” she explained as turned her head back towards Anton, their eyes meeting. “He was not frightened but more intrigued. He wished me to tip the scales for the upcoming war from the mountain folk. It was not something I was willing to perform as it called for a sacrifice of a human…a virgin. He didn’t care and was willing to offer up his own daughter if it meant a guaranteed victory” she sighed for a moment, “Not all witches are evil Anton and I had grown close to his daughter Chloe. I refused and for that he had locked me in the dungeons. I was tortured, beaten, and raped until I would concede. Out of the fear for my life, I agreed and started making preparations once I was healed enough to perform the task” she placed her hands in her lap and shifted her body weight, closing her feet together before continuing, “I said I needed to be alone for the ritual which was not true and I used that opening to escape. I have been running ever since. And here you are, eager to return me to that tyrant for which I will surely die a slow and horrible death.”