The Witch's City

by M. Gregg Roe

  “Let’s go back and unpack all the things we don’t need to take. We’ll just leave them for whoever gets the house next.”

  “Okay.” Audrey took Orian’s arm. “But you get to be the one to tell Violet she was wrong.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Come on, girl, give me a kiss. I hear you think you’re tough. What you need is a real man.” He leered at her and pointed at his groin.

  Audrey narrowed her eyes and frowned at the man who could best be described as a bully. Nicolas had recently moved to Farmerton, and he clearly relied more on his brawn than his brain. She had been waiting her turn to get water from the well when he approached her.

  Audrey set her bucket down and walked up to Nicolas showing just a trace of a smile. “I don’t think I’m tough,” she said casually. “I know I’m tough.” Nicolas was tall and well-muscled, but he both looked and acted like an idiot in her opinion.

  He practically growled at her as he raised his right arm and tried to punch her. To Audrey, it seemed like he was moving in slow motion because his intention was so obvious. He was aiming for her left shoulder, presumably to avoid hitting her in the face or chest. Audrey had no such qualms. She stepped just far enough to the right to evade his punch and he nearly fell when it missed. As he turned angrily to face her, she brought her right elbow around into the side of his head, hard enough to hurt, but not to knock him out. She followed with an upward left punch just below his sternum that drove the air out of his lungs. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air and whimpering.

  Audrey looked around and noticed that the number of onlookers had increased substantially. Most of them were smiling and several were laughing. “Nicolas, if I were you I would move somewhere else and soon, because if you cause any more trouble or are simply here the next time I visit, I won’t hold back. I will break every bone in your body.”

  The next day, she heard that Nicolas had disappeared. Many of the villagers seemed to think that she had killed him and disposed of the body. Audrey hadn’t done a thing, but she wisely kept silent.

  28

  ‡ Dating ‡

  It was only after Saxloc was helping his mother clean up the kitchen after lunch that he wondered why Cinda hadn’t been there. “She went with Audrey but didn’t tell her in advance,” she explained after he asked her about it.

  “Cinda is going to Farmerton?” It was hard to imagine.

  “Apparently. That should be interesting. I don’t think that that girl’s been anywhere before.”

  That ruined part of his plan, but it wasn’t a disaster. “Mother, while Audrey is away, I would like to learn more about her. From you.”

  “And what do I get out of it?”

  “My eternal gratitude.”

  “That will do. Did you offer to go with Audrey?” she asked seriously.

  “Twice. She refused.”

  “That’s fine. The important thing is that you offered. This is simply a visit now, not her worrying about Violet’s safety. After we finish up here, we can go to the parlor and talk.”

  Saxloc spent over an hour speaking with his mother. Her knowledge of Audrey was impressive and he learned a number of interesting things. She also knew more about Farmerton than he had expected. Afterward, he went to his room and wrote out notes about what he had learned.

  He then turned his attention to his latest assignment from his grandfather. His hopes of immediately learning new spells had been dashed. Daragrim was reviewing every single spell that Saxloc knew, requiring him to consider all of the different ways that each could be employed. He had learned a few things in the process, but overall he found it both time-consuming and boring.

  Saxloc eventually found he needed to look up something in their library. He went downstairs and found someone there that he hadn’t expected, a young woman that he had only met once before. Kora was sitting at a table looking through a huge book he recognized—a history of Andoran that he had once been required to read.

  “Good afternoon, Saxloc,” said Kora in a soft voice as she looked up.

  “Good afternoon, Kora.”

  “Audrey mentioned some things to me recently that confused me. Your mother recommended I read this book, but she said I would have to read it here.”

  He wasn’t really surprised; there were few known copies of that book. Audrey had read it, but she had been living in the mansion. “You’re going to be spending a lot of time here if you read it all.”

  “I know.” She looked at him intently. “Is Grasapa really from outside Andoran’s Realm?”

  “Yes. So are both my parents.”

  Kora shook her head. “I feel like I don’t know anything about the world. I studied the history of the Witch’s City and of Zardis, but I didn’t really even believe there was something outside of Andoran’s Realm.”

  “Most people don’t,” explained Saxloc. “And that’s fine. The average person will never leave Andoran’s Realm.” Most spent their entire lives in one small area.

  “Have you?” she asked.

  “Yes. It requires powerful magic.”

  Kora sighed and closed the book with an audible thump. “I don’t know anything about magic and I can’t afford the time to read this book. Have you read it?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you will tell me about it, then I will teach you something.”

  “Such as?” Her offer was intriguing, given that she had been trained as a courtesan.

  Kora thought for a long while before listing several possibilities. Many of them were surprising, so he took his time pondering them before making his selection. He could see her approval from her expression. What he had selected was not a service offered by courtesans. And it was something that he hoped would benefit him in many aspects of his life.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Mianna smiled at Gabriel from across the small booth they were seated at inside the Blue Hammer Tavern. He was relieved that she had shown up dressed simply, as opposed to wearing a dress. He had worn nice clothing, but nothing fancy. The tavern was crowded that evening, but the high walls separating the booths helped to filter out some of the noise of the dozens of conversations taking place around them.

  “Don’t feel bad, Gabriel,” she said as she rested her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. “You were bound to slip up eventually. This is just dinner. I promise not to lure you back to my apartment and use my feminine wiles on you.”

  Gabriel returned Mianna’s smile, still feeling somewhat nervous. “I will still escort you home after our dinner,” he told her. He had discovered that the area in which Mianna dwelled was not the best.

  “Of course you will. I would expect nothing less from the son of Councilor Mardan. But we will also be taking a walk after our dinner. Maybe to one of the lakes. And I am expecting a good night kiss. That’s required or you’re not off the hook.”

  “Then I will, of course, comply.” She might be joking, but a single kiss wasn’t too much to ask for in his opinion.

  Mianna laughed and sat back. “I am looking forward to it. Tonight, I just want to talk. I’ll tell you about me, and I want to hear more about you and your family. Oh, and one more thing. I won’t go around telling people that you’re available. I’ll tell them we just went out as friends. Okay?”

  Gabriel noted the silly smile that Mianna was now displaying. He remembered Audrey telling him about Mianna’s sense of humor and the practical jokes that she used to play on her. He wasn’t interested in romancing Mianna, but he couldn’t help but like her. “Yes. That is fine. I would like to be your friend.”

  “Good. Then let’s order. I’m hungry.”

  The food was good, the conversation pleasant, and the weather comfortable for their walk. But the kiss … it was far from casual. He felt helpless in her arms as she worked her lips against his, their tongues dancing. Her breasts were pressing into his chest causing his body to respond seemingly of its own accord. When she finally released him and stepped back after what f
elt like hours, he found himself wanting her, and not just as a friend.

  Mianna slowly licked her lips before smiling smugly. “That,” she announced proudly, “is a sample of what I can offer you. Are you sure you’re not ready to start dating?”

  “I am certain,” he stated, ashamed that he was lying to her. “But that was quite pleasant.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I’ll see you around.”

  Gabriel watched as she entered the front door of her apartment building, using a key to unlock it. He really wanted to follow her inside, to embrace her, to undress her, and more. But instead, he turned and made his way home.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “What’s the matter, Saxloc?” asked Kora in a sultry voice. “Does my courtesan persona bother you?” She reached out and stroked his right hand while smiling in a sultry manner.

  Saxloc could hardly believe that the woman seated opposite him was the same one he had spoken to the day before. Other than her hair and eye color, she looked completely different. Her brown hair was elaborately braided and held in place with gold hair clips. And Kora was clearly an expert when it came to using makeup. Her lips were bright red and glistening, her cheeks displayed a rosy blush, and her green eyes were amazing—highlighted with black liner and a pale blue that matched the beautiful shirt she was wearing. He was certain that she had padded her chest, but the legs displayed by her short black skirt were very shapely. She was also wearing shoes with heels that made her three inches taller—matching his own height.

  “It surprises me,” Saxloc finally replied. “You sound different and you look beautiful.”

  She smiled sweetly. “My thanks, Master Saxloc. Would you prefer that we conversed in this fashion?”

  Kora had switched to speaking in a formal manner, but her voice was still deeper than her normal one. “Whatever makes you comfortable, Kora.”

  “Then it shall be formal. You know little of me. Your goal is to discover information through casual conversation, and more importantly to retain it. I shall question you as well. This is not truly a date, but you may treat it as such.”

  “I understand. And after dinner, I will start telling you about Andoran.” He had looked through the book earlier to refresh his memory.

  “That is well. I know that you have no siblings, but have you ever wished that you had?”

  That was the start of their conversation. He answered truthfully and then used it as an opportunity to ask Kora about her family, discovering that she had a younger brother that served in the Guard. More surprising was discovering that her father was a half-elf and her real name was Koralena. He suspected that even Audrey didn’t know that.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Medea seldom managed to eat dinner alone with her husband, and hardly ever at a nice restaurant like Lucien’s. They had both dressed up for the occasion, and she thought he looked handsome in his maroon shirt and black pants. His short black hair showed only a trace of gray at the temples and sideburns. His deep blue eyes were still mesmerizing, at least in her opinion.

  She was beginning to feel her years at times—especially when dealing with her daughter—but she was still in good physical condition. They both worked out regularly to maintain their fitness and combat skills. Medea was proud of how she looked and had worn a light blue dress that showed off her figure.

  Mardan nodded to his right. “Saxloc is here, but I do not recognize the young woman that he is with. It is certainly not Audrey.”

  Medea took a drink from her goblet of rice wine, casually glancing in the direction her husband had indicated. It was definitely Saxloc—finely attired as usual—and the young woman he was with looked somewhat familiar. “Audrey is actually away right now,” she told her husband. And that certainly wasn’t Rosalind that Saxloc was with. She continued to surreptitiously glance Saxloc’s way from time to time. His back was nearly facing her, so it was unlikely he would notice.

  She suddenly recognized the woman. “That’s Kora. She’s a friend of Audrey’s and one of Grasapa’s students.” She decided not to mention Kora’s occupation. Her husband greatly disproved of prostitution.

  “It appears that she has taken advantage of Audrey’s absence,” said Mardan with an amused look.

  “Yes.”

  But Medea was puzzled. Gabriel had told her that Saxloc was now exclusively dating Rosalind. She noticed Saxloc and Kora standing. They had finished with their meal and they were walking over! It was the last thing she had expected.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Kora,” said Medea quickly. “This is my husband, Mardan.”

  Kora bowed deeply. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Mardan.”

  “And you, Mistress Kora,” he replied, smiling pleasantly and sounding equally formal.

  “Both of you exhibit the same speech patterns as Lady Grasapa,” observed Kora.

  Medea was finding Kora’s own speech patterns disconcerting. She sounded nothing like the last time they had spoken. “That’s because we are all from the same place,” she explained.

  “They are all from the continent of Kaldir,” explained Saxloc, “but from different regions. Kora is interested in learning more about the outside world and about Andoran.”

  That was surprising to Medea. She wondered how Kora would react when she learned that Andoran was actually dead. “That’s commendable,” she told them. “It’s always good to learn new things.”

  Kora nodded. “That is so. It was a pleasure to see you again, Lady Medea, and to meet you, Lord Mardan.”

  “It was nice seeing you as well,” Medea responded.

  As soon as the two of them were out of earshot, Mardan asked, “What is going on?”

  “I have no idea. Tomorrow, I am going over to speak with Almera.” She had a suspicion that the woman was somehow involved.

  “What does Kora do for a living?”

  She wasn’t going to lie to her husband. “She teaches for Grasapa, but she’s also a freelance courtesan.” Mardan scowled, so she continued, “It’s legal and it’s not like she’s some cheap whore. She probably earns more than you do.”

  “I understand, but I simply do not approve.”

  As much as she loved her husband, he was both conservative and stubborn. The Witch’s City was far more liberal than the other places they had lived and he simply refused to accept it. She didn’t want to start an argument, so she simply sipped her wine and frowned. He frowned back, and their meal ended up being consumed in uncomfortable silence.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “It’s not what you think,” said Almera to Medea as the two of them had tea in the parlor. “I had nothing to do with it. I barely know her. Audrey was the one who mentioned things to Kora that confused her. Then Kora came to me for more information.”

  Medea didn’t look convinced as she took a sip of her tea. “Then why is she now dating Saxloc? What happened to Rosalind?”

  “Saxloc and Kora aren’t really dating,” explained Almera. “Saxloc is teaching her about Andoran and she is teaching him some things in return.”

  “What kind of things?” asked Medea, her cheeks slightly coloring.

  “It’s not what I am certain you are now thinking. She is teaching him social skills. Have you ever been introduced to someone at a gathering and then realized a few minutes later that you have already forgotten their name?”

  “Yes. That happens to everyone.”

  Almera nodded her agreement. “It does, but it’s a problem for Kora in her line of work. If she accompanies someone to a dinner party, she needs to remember names and other details. She has techniques for doing that, some of which were taught to her as part of her courtesan training. That is what she is teaching Saxloc.”

  Medea frowned and took a long drink of tea before answering. “That does sound useful,” she admitted. “Especially for someone like Saxloc who isn’t very observant. But why was she dressed like that? I didn’t even recognize her at first.”

  Almera had been wonder
ing that herself. Medea’s description of Kora had surprised her, and she wanted to see if for herself at some point. “Maybe because they went to a nice place. Or maybe she always dresses like that when dining out. Like I said, I don’t really know her.”

  “I doubt she dresses that way frequently because that makeup looked like a lot of work.” Medea shook her head. “But maybe that was part of her plan. She wanted it to seem like a real date to Saxloc.”

  “You may be right.”

  She wondered just what Saxloc had told Rosalind about it, and whether he was planning to tell Audrey. He needed to make certain that Audrey heard about it from him and not from Kora. She would sound him out on the subject and then give him a gentle reminder if necessary.

  “So what are your plans today?” asked Medea. “I’m avoiding my husband and daughter. Don’t ask.”

  Almera didn’t need to ask because she knew that Medea would eventually tell her. “I’m going to do some clothes shopping and eat lunch out. Would you care to join me?”

  Medea finished her tea and carefully placed her cup on the table to the right of her chair. “Yes. Let’s go. I’m going to ruin our budget by buying myself a new dress.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Valwyn watched as Petra emerged from the back of the shop wearing what she had actually starting referring to as her “Gabriel date dress”. As far as Valwyn knew, Petra was only going to be visiting Gabriel, not going off on some romantic adventure with him. He had only taken her out before as part of a failed attempt to rein in Petra’s disruptive behavior.

  “How do I look?” asked the happily-smiling Petra as she twirled all the way around.