Gisors slipped past the shadows and walked into the dark alley. The moonlight shone brightly and it was the only thing guiding his way.

When he reached the dead end, he saw someone waiting for him.

"M'lad, Gisors, you've finally arrived," the woman cackled.

"Madame Favela," Gisors said stiffly.

"Don't call me that!" The witch waved her hands. "That makes me sound old. Call me by my first name. Didn't you once coo my name by my bedside?"

"Stop mentioning the past, Helena." He scowled. "Have you done what I requested of you?"

"Yes." Helena Favela cackled. "But there's a price to pay for it."

Gisors nodded and took out a brown leather pouch. He handed it to her and she opened it hungrily.

"Naw, this isn't enough," she grumbled, taking out the silver coins with a displeasing frown. "'Tis too small a price for what I've to reveal."

"Don't be too greedy, Helena," Gisors warned.

"I ain't greedy, I'm telling you. Give me what the information's worth or leave it."

Gisors took out any pouch and gave it to her. Gold coins slipped into the witch's hands as she opened it. She looked up with a satisfactory grin. "My, my, I didn't know your master was so gracious."

"Helena," Gisors said warningly.

"Alright," she drawled. "I called on some of my sister witches and it appears that Juliet's parents have been involved in some shady business," she said slyly.

"Shady?" Gisors frowned.

Helena Favela smirked. She was indeed a queer sight with her purple gypsy outfit and huge bangles. "You won't believe this but Lilian and Henry Rosewood were in the Ouroboros clan."

"What?" He took a step back. "'Tis impossible. Is this one of your dirty tricks again?"

"Gisors," she snorted. "Why would I lie to you? I'm a businesswoman. If you give me money, I give you trustworthy information. Besides, if I cheated all my customers, there would be hell for me to pay."

"Impossible," Gisors repeated. "They were such honorable, respectable people."

"Everyone hides their dark sides," she replied. "Though I must say, they weren't all bad through and through. Don't forget, I owed them before and they are loyal people."

"But what could have transformed them into traitors?" Gisors repeated under his breath.

"Mercy's sake, Gisors," Helena said in a disgusted voice. "Would you let me continue instead of repeating everything I've said?"

"Carry on."

"It appears that they were just a little too greedy and joined the clan without knowing the consequences," she said darkly. "They didn't realize that the clan consisted of French traitors and they tried to back out when the clan's leaders told them to sneak some assassins into the queen's court."

"An assassin's attempt?" Gisors widened his eyes. "'Tis a crime punishable by execution."

"Indeed." She nodded gravely. "'Tis why they tried to escape. They were on their way to get some tickets so that their entire family can sneak abroad in one of those merchant ships but the Ouroboros clan found out."

"So they killed them?" Gisors twirled his moutache. "The price of betrayal is death....But why would they want to kill Lady Juliet?"

"The Ouroboros clan never forgets," the witch said darkly. "Why do you think I tried to escape even though I'm a sister of the darkness? The clan has their own witches which are far more powerful than me. They are everywhere, waiting to ambush us."

Gisors frowned. "But what I don't get it is, why are they targeting Lady Juliet and not Lady Titania? Doesn't it make sense to kill off the entire family?"

"Gisors, are you getting blinder as you grow old?" She snorted. "There are only two reasons. One of them is that the spoiled girl is in the clan which I highly doubt so since she's utterly useless."

"What's the other reason?"

Helena gave him a sly look. "The second reason is that Juliet and Titania aren't real sisters."

"Have you finally gone bonkers?" Gisors frowned. "What you say doesn't make any sense."'

"What I'm saying is, that spoiled Titania might be Henry's child. But..."

"But what?"

"But that Juliet girl might be Captain Jack's daughter." The witch smiled. "Captain Jack is a renowned enemy of the French and he has an undying loyalty to the Queen. It's no surprise that the Ouroboros clan would want to kill Juliet for revenge."

Gisors was silent. Finally, he looks up. "How do you know all these?"

"My sisters have their own network of spies," she said coolly. "And I also know your master's secret."

"My master?" Gisors paused.

"Your master, Edmund Aughust, isn't the true heir to his father's estate," the witch said smilingly. "He isn't the biological son of the late Duke."

"You..." Gisors glared at her. "If you dare say a word to anyone, I will kill you."

"That's not all, my darling friend," Helena continued. "Your loyalty to Edmund Aughust is unwavering and that is slightly suspicious. If I might be bold enough to guess, he's related to you."

His face went pale. How had that witch guessed his deepest, darkest secret?

"That young lad, Edmund Aughust is your son, isn't it?" she said with a smile.

"No," Gisors said automatically. "I've no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie, my dearest friend. Do you truly want me to force a truth potion down your throat for you to admit it?" Helena took a step forward, her unblinking eyes focused on him.

"Before you opened your own apothecary shop, you were working at the late duke's estate as a manservant, weren't you? You had a dalliance with Lady Irina and she bore a son. A boy whose name you might recognize. Edmund Aughust."

"Stop, stop," he growled.

"You even lied to him about it," she snorted. "You told him that his real father died of tuberculosis a few years back."

"I had to, I had to," Gisors whispered. "He has suffered enough as a child. I didn't want him to suffer more."

"I never knew you were the fatherly sort, my friend."

"You are doing this for a reason, aren't you?" Gisors' face hardened. "You want money, is that it? You retrieved the truth and spilled out my secret because you wanted something, am I right? Everything you do is for a reason. Just like how you betrayed me twenty years ago."

"I did not betray you." For the first time, the smile was wiped off her face. Helena glared back at him as she tugged at the purple scarf wound up around her neck.

"I told you to stop training witchcraft and leave with me to go set up an apothecary but you refused," Gisors growled. "It was then I realized that you never fancied me and all my affections for you were all for naught."

"No, that's not true."

"You would rather your life be tainted by witchcraft then leave as a honorable person," Gisors continued. "And you've the guts to confront me in the face now?"

"You don't understand, Gisors." The witch lowered her voice. "How can I deny the power as a witch? I was always attracted to the dark arts. You knew that."

"And I belong to the light." Gisors straightened his back. "This is why we can never be together. Not in the past, not now and never in the future."

"I liked you, believe me."

"But you liked the dark arts more," Gisors said coldly. "You can't have both ways, Helena. It's one or the other. Since you've chosen the dark path, I shan't bother you but I will remind you now that if you dare breathe a word of Edmund's past to anyone, I will personally hunt you down and kill you."

For the first time, there was a real emotion on his face- anger.

"You've my word," she said in a low voice. "I will take it as repaying my debt to you."

They were silent for a moment as the beam of moonlight illuminated their faces.

Her witch-green eyes peered up at him. "You haven't changed much, despite all these years." She shrugged. "I thought you would become more carefree but you are still as uptight as ever."

"Time changes no man," he replied stiffly. "I'm still the same man forty years before though I can't say the same for you though."

"I haven't changed," the witch said a little wistfully. "Isn't it funny? We're old now but we can never erase our past or go back in time."

"I doubt you would choose a different path had you gone back in time."

"Maybe. I shall never know."

They remained silent for a moment and Gisors nodded. "I have to go now," he said.

As he turned to go, the witch's voice made him stop.

"Stay safe, Gisors and tell that to your boy," she said softly.

"What?" He stared at her.

"Not everyone is who they appear to be."

And with a swish of a cape, she disappeared, leaving him standing there alone.