The Witch's City

by M. Gregg Roe

  Preston glanced at Isadora and nodded. He picked up the LifeStaff, touched one end of it to the skull, and closed his eyes. He had a look of intense concentration as the LifeStaff began to glow softly with white light. Audrey saw movement under the blanket and realized that the bones were moving to their proper places. The light from the LifeStaff grew in intensity, forcing her to look away. When the light suddenly went out, she looked back and could now see a human form under the blanket. The skull had transformed into a head with long blond hair.

  Preston backed away in the direction of Isadora. Suddenly, the figure hurled the blanket aside, leaped to its feet, and yelled, “We’re under attack! It’s Morton!” Audrey briefly thought that it was a man because of the stocky, muscular build and deep voice, but the lack of clothing left no doubt that the figure was female.

  “Bianca!” yelled Isadora, looking very relieved. “Calm down. You’re safe.”

  Bianca looked around suspiciously at everyone. “What happened? Where am I?” She frowned in concentration briefly. “Kyran! Did I die?”

  Isadora continued speaking as she approached the woman. “Yes, Bianca, I am afraid that you did. Julien and I were away and Alessandra managed to hide, but Morton killed everyone else. I am sorry.” Isadora picked up the blanket and wrapped it around Bianca’s shoulders.

  Audrey felt very relieved and she could see that Preston was too. Saxloc, Gabriel, and Ariel had all sheathed their weapons, so Audrey put her throwing knife back in its wrist sheath.

  “You weren’t sure who you were bringing back, were you?” asked Bianca suddenly.

  “No,” replied Isadora. “But we hoped that it was you.”

  Bianca shook her head. “How long was I dead? And what about the others?”

  “It has been almost a year,” said Isadora sadly, and the shock was evident on Bianca’s face. “We only recovered your remains recently when we finally tracked down and slew Morton. We never found the remains of the others. I am fairly certain that Morton reanimated them as undead.”

  “That’s horrible. Why didn’t Morton do the same to me?”

  “We do not know. For some reason, he kept your skeleton.”

  Isadora gestured at Preston and he smiled. “Bianca, this is Preston. He is the High Priest of Arwon in the Witch’s City, which is where we are.” Isadora began pointing to the others. “This is Ariel. She works as a guard at the temple. The other three are Audrey, Saxloc, and Gabriel. Saxloc, Gabriel, and two of their companions were the ones who rescued Alessandra after you were killed. One of their companions is now studying at the temple.”

  Bianca nodded at them. “It’s nice to meet you all. Isadora, I want to go home.”

  “I understand. It is morning outside. We should be able to get a ship this afternoon. That will give us time to get you some clothes.”

  “And a sword,” added Bianca, looking intent.

  “We have clothes here that have been donated,” Preston told them. “You are welcome to look through them.”

  Gabriel stepped forward. “There are many old but serviceable weapons in the castle armory. I can help you find something there.”

  Bianca nodded and smiled at Gabriel. “That should be fine. Thank you.”

  Isadora turned and said, “Ariel! Go to the docks and make reservations for four on the first available ship to Rohoville this afternoon. Audrey is coming with us.”

  “Okay,” replied Ariel, already heading for the door.

  Isadora turned to address the three of them. “Audrey, please be at the docks by noon. Gabriel, please wait outside the temple and we will join you as soon as we have found some clothing for Bianca. Thank you all for your assistance.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Cinda pretended to listen as Ariel rattled on mindlessly about her fiancé Dayne and their impending marriage. Isadora seemed to be ignoring it all, but Bianca was interested, asking Ariel about Dayne and herself. Cinda was simply biding her time until Audrey arrived. She was looking forward to her friend’s reaction.

  Yesterday, Audrey had stopped by Desires, told her the good news about Violet, and then mentioned the resurrection. When Audrey said that she was going to Farmerton afterward, Cinda made up her mind. After being granted time off, she went out and outfitted herself in the same manner that Audrey did when she traveled: waterproof hooded cloak, gray shirt, brown pants, and sturdy leather boots. Her belt had both a large attached pouch and a sheathed dagger. A canvas backpack completed her outfit and held the other items that Cinda had purchased after questioning Carlinda.

  It was a marvel to Cinda that Bianca had been deceased for an entire year. The woman was alive now and quite energetic. Dressed in men’s clothing and armed with both a large sword and a dagger, she also looked formidable. Other than her long and curly blond hair, Cinda thought that Bianca looked most unfeminine.

  Audrey’s expression went from startled to frowning as she approached the four of them. It was raining lightly now and they had all pulled up the hoods of their cloaks. Audrey stopped next to her and narrowed her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cinda beat her to it.

  “Hi, Audrey! I decided to go with you. It’ll be fun!”

  Cinda noticed Isadora’s amused look as Audrey’s jaw dropped. The ship’s boarding was announced and the other three promptly headed for the gangplank. Cinda made to follow, but Audrey grabbed her by the arm.

  “Something wrong?” asked Cinda with an innocent expression.

  Audrey shook her head. “When did you learn to speak like that?” she asked. “And how did you know to be here?”

  “I shall never tell,” said Cinda formally. “I believe that we should board now.”

  “Fine,” said Audrey after shaking her head again.

  Cinda looked all around as they boarded. She had never traveled by ship before, or even been in a boat. Ariel and Bianca had secured three benches underneath a canvas awning and Ariel was already stretched out on one of them, apparently asleep. Isadora and Bianca were speaking quietly on one bench, so she and Audrey sat on the other.

  It was nearly two hours until the rain finally stopped. Audrey hadn’t said a word, but Cinda had listened with interest as Isadora told Bianca about what had occurred at the temple during the last year. Even though it was still completely overcast and looked threatening, Cinda got up and went to the front of the ship. From the railing on the left, she gazed with amazement at the thick woods to the south that appeared to go on forever. She had never seen anything like it.

  Noticing that her friend had followed her, Cinda said, “This is most wonderful, Audrey. I have never before ventured so far. Or upon such a fine nautical vessel.”

  “Good for you, Cinda,” commented Audrey dryly. “How did you know to even be here? Who told you?”

  “I shall not tell.” Cinda was secretly enjoying her friend’s annoyance.

  “Oh no! You are going to answer me. And then you are going to tell me when you learned to speak like one of us commoners.”

  Cinda sighed. “If I must. Mistress Ariel spoke to me of your departure plans.”

  “When?”

  “It was following Mistress Bianca’s resurrection this very morning. You spoke to me of it yourself. I observed the five of you enter into the Temple of Arwon. I had not met Ariel, but she had been described to me and resembles her mother somewhat. When she emerged, I contrived to meet her and told her that I was both your friend and her mother’s student. She told me of your plans and I gave her money to purchase my passage as well.”

  “And then you went back home to pack and came here before noon.”

  “That is so. I had already purchased that which I would require for our journey.” Cinda spun completely around. “I truly resemble a peasant, do I not?”

  Audrey laughed. “Yes, but not when you speak that way.”

  “Well,” said Cinda informally. “I’ve been practicing. It’s for my job. Most clients like my formal speech, but some don’t. So with them, I just speak like this.
And if anyone asks about what I do during our trip, I’m going to tell them I’m studying to be an actress and entertainer. What do you think?”

  Audrey laughed again. “Methinks I am quite impressed, Mistress Cinda.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  A steady drizzle was falling as they arrived at Rohoville late that afternoon. They went straight to a nearby inn known as The Two Rivers, but Audrey was puzzled when Isadora only rented two rooms, each with two small beds. Audrey and Cinda were rooming together, which meant the other three were short a bed. Ariel and Bianca each dropped off their backpacks and left. Isadora noticed Audrey’s puzzled look and explained. “Bianca will end up in some man’s bed tonight; she always does. So we do not need a bed for her. She knows to be back here for breakfast tomorrow.”

  Audrey was amazed. Bianca looked more masculine than feminine, but maybe some men liked women like that. Cinda was simply smiling, showing no sign of surprise.

  “Cinda and I are going out,” said Audrey. “Would you like to join us, Isadora?”

  “No thank you, Audrey. I am tired. I will eat dinner here. Ariel will probably be back late. She is likely running around telling everyone she knows about her engagement.”

  “And even people she doesn’t know,” added Audrey with a smile.

  “Where shall we go?” asked Cinda.

  Where Audrey wanted to go—really needed to go—was to see Erwin, but now she was obligated to look after Cinda. “I have a friend who’s a dressmaker and runs a shop here. Let’s go see if she wants to have dinner.”

  Cinda nodded. “I am agreeable. I am in need of new dresses.”

  “That’s because you keep letting men cut them off you,” Audrey complained.

  “You let them do that?” asked Isadora, clearly shocked.

  “But of course,” replied Cinda. “Provided that the client has requested the service and agreed to reimburse my employer for the value of the dress.”

  “Men pay to do that?”

  “Yes,” replied Audrey, “and far more disgusting things.”

  “It is most exciting,” stated Cinda with a happy smile. “I am bound hand and foot. He produces a well-honed blade. I plead for salvation as my garment is slowly rent asunder.”

  “That sounds really dangerous,” said Audrey as Isadora began to blush.

  “It is not,” Cinda replied testily. “The bonds may be easily slipped. My client is most careful. I have never suffered the slightest injury.” She smiled happily. “And then, we copulate!”

  Isadora’s face was now bright red, and she looked very uncomfortable. “That is … interesting. And so are you, Cinda. We will have to speak during our trip.” Isadora fled to her room and closed the door.

  Audrey turned to Cinda and pointed. “Do not say anything like that in front of the others. And maybe you shouldn’t even talk when we get to Farmerton.”

  Cinda lowered her head. “I am sorry, Audrey. I shall try to do better. But it truly is exciting.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, Cinda. I like my dresses just the way they are.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  To Cinda, Rohoville didn’t seem a proper city. There was a large amount of free space and much of it was covered with what she assumed was the original vegetation. Most buildings were widely separated from one another, but where they were now there were six adjacent businesses. The one they were in front of had a large sign that read “A-Dora-ble Dresses”, but the door was locked. The windows on the floor above, where Cinda assumed Dora lived, were all shuttered. Everything was dark.

  “I do not think that your friend is home,” she said to her friend.

  “No, it looks like she’s out. Sorry.”

  “Perhaps we might visit her on our return journey?”

  “Maybe.” Audrey scratched her head.

  “I would like to view the royal castle before it becomes too dark. May we?”

  Audrey glanced around and hesitated briefly. “Okay, let’s go see the Royal Stone Thing.”

  “Is that truly what it is known as?” Cinda asked as the two of them headed east. “I was certain that it was a jest.”

  “No. That’s the official name. You would understand if you had met Good King Danj the Good Who is Spoken of by the Gods.”

  “Now you are making fun of me,” pouted Cinda. It was clearly a joke.

  Audrey laughed. “I swear that I’m not. That really is his title.”

  Cinda simply frowned in response, still not believing her friend. By the time they arrived at the top of the hill the castle stood upon, the sky was looking rather threatening. As they approached the castle, Cinda felt a drop of rain on her left hand and another on her face. Suddenly it began to pour, and she quickly pulled up the hood of her cloak. Audrey pointed at the entrance and yelled, “Come on! Run!”

  Their cloaks were dripping wet by the time the two of them arrived at the entryway but had kept them reasonably dry. Four guards were present, having retreated inside to get out of the rain. They were wearing red-and-blue checkered surcoats over chainmail and were armed with spears.

  “Haven’t you stayed here before?” one of the guards asked Audrey. He was an older man with a blond beard and a lined face.

  “Yes,” replied Audrey. “Twice. I’m a friend of Siljan’s.”

  The guard nodded. “And Gabriel and the others. You were here in early Spring. Shall I send word to the Queen that you’re here?”

  Cinda suddenly felt hopeful. Audrey gave her an amused look and then addressed the guard. “Yes. Please tell Queen Sabrina that Audrey is here with one of her friends.”

  The guard promptly opened the inside door and went through it.

  “This is most unexpected and a great honor,” Cinda said to her friend. “But I fear that we are not dressed properly.” She didn’t want to cause offense.

  Audrey waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. It will be fine. But whatever you do, don’t ask King Danj to tell you any of his stories.”

  The other three guards burst out laughing. Cinda didn’t understand at the time, but later that evening she found herself dearly wishing that she had heeded her friend’s warning.

  27

  ‡ Village ‡

  When they stopped well short of Merryton and selected a spot to camp, Cinda was certainly tired. She considered herself to be in good physical condition, but walking some twenty miles over uneven ground was simply not something that she was accustomed to. But she hadn’t complained, not even when she relieved herself outdoors for the first time in her life. What she hadn’t been prepared for were Isadora’s penetrating questions as they walked along in the center of a triangular formation with Ariel and Bianca to the front and Audrey to the rear. The woman relentlessly inquired about Cinda’s family, and particularly her sister. She had no choice but to answer truthfully, telling Isadora what she knew of Elsebeth’s travails.

  Cinda had nearly decided to remain behind when they reached the ferry landing that morning. She found the huge lizards used to operate the ferry frightening, but it was the ferry itself that truly concerned her. It was simply a large raft that rode low in the water—much too low in her opinion. The ship had seemed quite safe, but it seemed to her that a single large wave would wash overboard anyone on the ferry, and perhaps even cause it to sink. As always, Audrey made the difference, not complaining as Cinda clung tightly to her during the crossing, and then not making light of her confession that she didn’t know how to swim.

  It was Cinda’s first experience traveling through the wilderness, and it was fascinating. Everywhere were beautiful wildflowers, unusual insects, and colorful birds. She thought it quite lovely, even if some of the insects were a nuisance. But she also worried that they might be attacked, particularly after Audrey pointed out the area where she and her companions had once been assailed by wolves. At one point, Bianca spotted what she said were orc scouts, but nothing untoward resulted. The good news was that she and Audrey would be returning to Rohoville with a caravan, which would
certainly be safer.

  Cinda was fascinated as the others made camp and built a fire. Ariel and Bianca did most of the work while Isadora took charge of dinner, heating up some of the food that she had purchased in Rohoville. After dinner, Cinda bedded down between Ariel and Isadora. She felt guilty, knowing that the two of them would eventually be awakened to spell Audrey and Bianca, who were guarding the three of them.

  The following day, with continued good traveling conditions, they were able to reach Merryton before noon. The villagers greeted them warmly even before Isadora utilized her healing magic on three of the inhabitants. Cinda walked around the village with Audrey, but it was the lake that really held her interest. Fog Lake was over ten miles across, making it impossible to see the far shore. It was a marvel to her.

  After a bland but filling lunch, the five of them set off for Farmerton. Cinda was cheered by the news that they would reach her friend’s home village before dinner. They might not have real beds, but they would be sleeping under a roof tonight. That was welcome, because it had become rather cloudy and rain was a distinct possibility.

  As they neared Farmerton, Audrey moved out in front and Cinda joined her. She could see the anticipation and impatience on her friend’s face. Cinda considered Audrey to be her best friend, but she knew that Violet was Audrey’s best friend. Cinda hoped that Violet would be her friend as well.

  “There it is,” said Audrey, gesturing with her left arm as the two of them topped a shallow hill. “My home.”

  Cinda wasn’t surprised at the happy look now filling her friend’s face. For Audrey, Farmerton would always be home, and the Witch’s City would simply be where she lived at present. At heart, Audrey was still a peasant girl, and that was something that Cinda had come to treasure.