by M. Gregg Roe
Audrey nodded her agreement. They stood silently for a while, and then Almera gently inquired, “So what about that larger room?”
“Thank you, but no. I’m content where I am. I like my room and I don’t need any extra space.”
♦ ♦ ♦
After breakfast the following morning, Almera took Audrey into the library. Three books had been laid out on one of the tables. Almera picked up the first one and handed it to her. It was old and falling apart, and the title was very hard to make out. Audrey began trying to read it aloud, “The … fan … tastic … ales … no, tales … of … Saxloc! … Dragonslayer?”
Almera nodded slightly. “That’s right. Now you know where Saxloc’s name originated. Open it to to the bookmark.”
Audrey carefully opened the book and saw that the page showed an illustration of a heavily-armored man with a sword and shield. “These look just like Draymund’s. Is that where they came from?”
“Yes. Draymund possesses the magical DragonSword and DragonShield that once belonged to Saxloc Dragonslayer. I just wanted to show this to you. The book is awful, and it is written in an archaic style.”
“That’s okay. I still want to look through it. Can I borrow it for a while?”
“Keep it as long as you like. Draymund has four more copies.”
Audrey laughed and said, “And the only reason he has just five total copies is that he hasn’t found a sixth yet.”
Almera burst out laughing. “Exactly. You understand Draymund now. It’s dragons, dragons, dragons, and more dragons.”
After they had both caught their breath, Almera pointed to the second book. It was bound in green-dyed leather and was fairly thin. The title, written using pressed gold leaf, was A History of the Witch’s City. Almera tapped the cover and said, “There are many books describing the history of the Witch’s City, but this is believed to be the most accurate. This is your first assignment. Start reading it and then we will talk as you progress.”
“Okay! I really want to learn more about the city.”
Almera pointed to the third book. Its black cover was blank, and it was both larger and much thicker. “That’s the bad news. That history may be short, but it uses many difficult and unusual words. The large book is a dictionary. You know what that is, don’t you?”
“Yes. Hawina gave me one. But it’s a lot smaller than that one.”
“Well, I am afraid that you are going to need the large one for this.”
“Okay. I still don’t know that many words.” Audrey stacked the other two books on top of the dictionary. “I’ll take these to my room and get started.”
“Very good, Audrey.”
When Audrey arrived at her room, she sat down at her desk and immediately began to read the history book. It was horribly frustrating; Almera hadn’t been kidding about the difficult words. The anonymous author seemed to delight in using overlong and obscure words. She was constantly referring to the large dictionary. And sometimes its definitions used words she didn’t know, so she also had to use her other dictionary. By noon, she had only made it through a page and a half and was feeling discouraged.
Saxloc wasn’t there for lunch, which was no surprise. For a change, Draymund was, and she felt guilty when she saw that he was helping Almera serve the food. She knew that she really should have come down earlier and helped.
The three of them sat down at the table and Almera promptly asked, “How is the book going, Audrey? You look glum.”
Audrey sighed. “It is interesting so far, but it’s going to take me forever to finish it. If it weren’t for the dictionary, I would swear that most of those words were just made up.”
Draymund grinned. “Ah,” he said. “Methinks I recollect perusing said svelte tome.”
Almera smiled at her husband’s joke. Audrey scrunched up one side of her face in a silly fashion and said, “Audrey sorry. Poor farm girl not understand.” That caused both of them to burst out laughing.
“Actually,” said Almera, “I would wager that you were one of the smarter girls in Farmerton. You learned to read and write quite rapidly. Hawina and I were both impressed.”
Audrey was pleased by the compliment. “Thank you for saying that, but I’m sure some of the others are smarter than me. I did some pretty stupid things when I lived there, like mistake a crocodile for a floating log.”
“That’s what you were supposed to think,” explained Draymund. “That’s what crocodiles do to lure in their prey. Even giant ones like the ones that attacked your village.”
“Those weren’t normal ones?” she asked in surprise.
“No, not from what Saxloc described. They were much larger. And nastier. Normal crocodiles aren’t that much of a threat. A farmer armed with a pitchfork or hoe could probably deal with one.”
“I never knew that. No wonder they gave Saxloc and his friends so much trouble.”
He nodded. “When he first told us about healing you, Saxloc marveled that you had managed to escape without far worse injuries. Now we know the reason: Grasapa says that you have extremely fast reflexes.”
“I … I guess so.” That had never occurred to her before.
“Enough, you two,” interrupted Almera. “Eat before everything gets cold.”
“Yes, dear,” replied Draymund.
♦ ♦ ♦
Audrey spent the afternoon helping Almera to pick and prepare some spices and herbs. Later, Draymund and Almera went out for dinner. There was no sign of Saxloc, so she had a simple dinner and then went to her room. She tried to read the book about Saxloc Dragonslayer, but Almera had been right about it being badly written. She flipped through it and looked at the illustrations before setting it aside. Then, since it was a nice evening, she decided to go for a walk.
On her way out she was surprised to find Saxloc sitting in the parlor. He was eating some cold food that he had obviously scrounged from the pantry. She looked his way and said, “I didn’t know you were here, Saxloc. Otherwise, I would have made dinner for you too.”
“Where are my parents?” he asked, frowning.
“They went out to dinner. They didn’t say where. I’m going out for a walk.”
“Good. And don’t come back.”
Audrey took a rapid step forward and slapped Saxloc’s face hard with her right hand. “How dare you say that to me!” she yelled. Ignoring her was one thing, but he had crossed the line.
Saxloc’s cheek was already turning red as he sprang to his feet with a look of rage. He raised his right hand and made a fist. Audrey moved her right leg backward and transferred most of her weight to it while raising her left hand and bringing her right hand near her waist in a guard position. Realizing that she was in a stance that Saxloc might recognize, she quickly made fists of both her hands and raised them.
“You’ll regret it if you try to hit me,” she stated firmly, looking him directly in the eye. “I got in a lot of fistfights when I was growing up and I’m pretty good.” Audrey said a silent prayer to Lasrina, hoping that would be enough to discourage him. She really didn’t want to reveal her Shorinken training to him just yet.
Saxloc scowled at her and lowered his hand. She lowered her hands and stepped back.
“You’re crazy if you think you could beat me in a fight,” he sneered. “I’m much stronger and more skilled than you are. But my parents would kill me if I hit you. They won’t be happy with you when I tell them about this.”
Audrey folded her arms in front of her and stared at him. “Really? You’re going to tell them? Are you going to tell them what you said to me?”
He folded his arms and returned her stare. “No. I’ll tell them that you slapped me for no good reason. Who do you think they are going to believe?”
“Me,” she replied simply. She couldn’t believe how childish he was acting.
Saxloc looked smug as he said, “We will see about that. I think that they will believe their own son over some ignorant peasant.”
“Don’t be
so sure,” she told him, smiling confidently.
Audrey heard the front door opening. Saxloc quickly sat down and resumed eating. She lowered her arms and smiled as she turned to face the entryway. “How was your dinner?” she asked as Draymund and Almera entered the parlor.
“Excellent,” replied Draymund. Almera was looking at Saxloc with suspicion. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
“It’s fine,” replied Audrey. “I was just heading out for a walk. I’ll see you later.” She walked into the entryway, donned her cloak, and then departed. She prayed that Saxloc would be smart enough to just keep his mouth shut.
She spent about an hour walking around the area. There was no one in the parlor when she returned. When she opened the door of her room, she saw a small piece of paper on the floor. On it was written: “I’m sorry. Thank you.” She went to bed happy, pleased that he had figured it out and apologized.
But the following morning when she went down to help fix breakfast, Almera looked directly at her and asked, “Did you slap Saxloc last night?”
Audrey realized that Almera must have noticed Saxloc’s red cheek. “Yes,” she replied simply.
“Did he deserve it?”
“Yes.” It was the truth.
“Do you think you will be slapping him again?” Now Almera was smiling.
“No. The next time I will make use of my training and hurt him severely.”
“Fair enough. That’s all I need to know. Now let’s get breakfast fixed.”
“Okay.”
Audrey felt very relieved, but she had been serious. If Saxloc ever laid a hand on her without her permission, he was going to regret it. And there were simply limits to the kinds of insults she would tolerate from him. Hopefully, he had learned his lesson.
15
‡ Plan ‡
Audrey managed to get through nearly three pages of the history book before deciding to take a break. It was getting easier because the author liked to reuse the same obscure words. And the book really was interesting to her.
Over eight hundred years ago, the Warlock Lucien constructed a large stone castle in a marshy area near a river. A town soon began to grow up around it. That was obviously what was now known as the Witch’s Castle. From what Audrey could tell, a warlock seemed to be something like a combination of wizard, warrior, and leader.
It was only mid-morning, so she decided to go for a walk around the grounds. She first went to the kitchen to get a piece of stale bread. Then she went out and walked to the fish pond. She stood on the bridge and tossed small pieces of the bread into the water. The colorful fish swam around frantically and consumed every last bit. Audrey had been doing that frequently of late, and she hoped that the fish wouldn’t start to get fat.
“Good morning, Audrey.”
Audrey looked to her left and saw Medea walking toward her clad in a dark green cloak and cradling a large paper sack. “Good morning, Medea. What brings you here?”
Medea walked up onto the bridge and stood next to her. “I thought I would come by and eat some of your food. It’s only fair. Saxloc keeps eating ours.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault, Audrey, it’s Almera’s. She could end this whole charade any time, but she refuses. It’s driving me crazy. And she’s got poor Gabriel agreeing with all the nasty things that Saxloc says about you.”
“I do feel sorry for Gabriel. He seems like such a nice young man.”
“He is. Almera has convinced him that this is all for Saxloc’s benefit. That’s why he’s going along with it. But I’m worried about how it’s affecting all three of you.”
Medea turned and smiled at her. “You could at least give Saxloc some new material; he keeps repeating himself. Can’t you occasionally parade around in a fancy dress wearing lots of jewelry or something? And be sure you complain about how Draymund and Almera aren’t giving you enough money.”
Audrey shrugged. “Sorry, but I only have one nice dress. I don’t have any jewelry.”
Medea laughed. “Of course you don’t. You would think that by now Saxloc would have figured out that he’s wrong about you. Maybe you should try the opposite approach. You could dress in rags and start begging Saxloc for food.”
Audrey smirked. “Very funny. I am not doing that.”
“I was just kidding. Let’s go inside and speak with Almera. I really am going to stay for lunch, and I brought sweet rolls.” Medea held up the sack and grinned.
“Ooh. That sounds yummy!”
♦ ♦ ♦
The sweet rolls had indeed been yummy, but Audrey was disappointed that Almera was clearly waiting for her to leave before having a serious conversation with Medea. She really wanted to listen in, and maybe find out more of what Saxloc did when he went to visit Gabriel at the Witch’s Castle. But she wasn’t about to be late for her class.
Shorinken classes without Cinda were a definite improvement as far as Audrey was concerned. She also felt that she had benefited from the relaxation and breathing exercises that Grasapa had taught her, and which she felt certain that Cinda would also be required to learn.
Audrey had apologized to Erwin after their disastrous second date, assuring him that she wasn’t an alcoholic—she just couldn’t hold her liquor. He hadn’t asked her out since, and the one time she asked him he told her he was busy. She hoped that he really was busy and not just making excuses.
She arrived at the classroom, finding that Nissa was their instructor for the day and that Erwin was absent. She worked to teach them how to disarm someone armed with a small weapon like a dagger or a broken bottle. Nissa was quite expert at it, and Audrey suspected that she had probably used her skills many times in her job as a barmaid. Audrey found it challenging, and she was “stabbed” numerous times by the fake weapons they practiced with.
On the way back home, she spotted Siljan walking down the street in front of her just past the Novox building. Audrey slowed down and veered into a side street. She didn’t want for Siljan to see her because it was too large a risk. Siljan was smart, and she might notice how much Audrey had changed. And Siljan knew Grasapa well.
Audrey went home using small streets and alleys. Saxloc left immediately after dinner, and Audrey promptly asked Almera what she and Medea had discussed. Almera just smiled secretively and refused to answer. After a walk around the grounds (including another fish-feeding), she went to her room and slogged through three more pages of the history.
The strange-looking, perfectly circular wall around the city was created by a powerful mage named Triver about six hundred years ago. The book said that the wall had no breaks and that the city guard possessed a magical means to allow people to pass directly through. She realized that the magic must have worn off after the book had been written because the wall now had three evenly-spaced gates.
Audrey went downstairs to get a snack and found Draymund in the kitchen eating one of the leftover sweet rolls. “These are quite tasty,” he said. “Did Almera say where she bought them?”
“Medea made them.”
His disappointment showed as he said, “Well, then I hope that Almera got the recipe from her.”
“Draymund,” she said earnestly. “I was just reading about the wall that surrounds the Witch’s City. When did the magic that allowed people to pass through it wear out?”
“It didn’t wear out,” he told her. “It just stopped working after the big earthquake. No one knows why. It was a real problem, and we had to quickly make holes in the wall and then build gates. Daragrim actually used his magic to blast through the walls, and it wasn’t easy.”
“That’s amazing. And here I just thought that all of the city gates had been recently replaced,” she said with a smile.
Draymund laughed. “I’m glad you’re actually learning things from that book.”
Audrey tried to look haughty. “Methinks it quite a riveting tome, Lord Draymund.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Audrey went do
wn for breakfast and was surprised to find Saxloc there eating alone. He was wearing his chainmail, and his sword belt and canvas backpack were lying on the floor next to the table. She couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Sallying forth, Saxloc?” she asked while smiling slyly. He was startled, and she quickly added, “I’m reading a book full of obscure words.”
“That history of the Witch’s City?” he asked, and she nodded in reply. “I remember that; it took me months to read it. Why are you reading it? I thought you were through with your tutoring.”
“I am, but I’m not through with my education. Your mother is having me read it and I’m glad. I’m learning a lot. So anyway, where are you sallying forth to?”
He smiled before replying, “Zardis. We’re after a map that supposedly leads to Andoran’s citadel or palace or something. The last time we followed one it ended up being a trap. We’re going to be more careful this time.”
She was thrilled that he was actually speaking with her. “I see. Well, then I wish you, Gabriel, Hankin, and Siljan good fortune on your bold endeavor.”
Saxloc looked at her oddly. “How did you know that Siljan was going?” he asked. “She doesn’t exactly live close to here anymore.”
Audrey felt a brief moment of panic. “Uh … I happened to spot her when I was out yesterday.”
“Oh? She didn’t mention it last night.”
“I didn’t actually talk with her,” Audrey explained. “She looked like she was in a hurry.”
“All right.” He seemed satisfied by her less-than-truthful explanation,
Almera walked in and Saxloc asked her, “Do we have any more of these sweet rolls? I want to take some with me.”
“Sorry,” she replied. “That was the last one. Medea made them, so maybe Gabriel will have some with him.”
“Really? I’ve never had them when I’ve over there. It must be a new recipe.”
“It is. I asked Medea for it, but she’s keeping it secret for now.”
