Audrey of Farmerton

by M. Gregg Roe

  “First of all, Gabriel. I knew that once he heard about it, that he would insist that I inform my parents because that would be the right thing to do in his view.”

  That made sense to her. Gabriel was a very honorable young man from what she could tell.

  He rolled his eyes. “And then there’s Siljan. She was there and she loves to gossip. My parents would have found out eventually.”

  “And it was better they found out from you first. Okay, that makes sense.” She grinned and said, “I’ll try to remember not to tell Siljan any secrets.”

  “Yes,” he laughed. “That would be best.”

  Audrey was still curious. “So what did happen?” She gestured with her cup. “When you told them,” she clarified.

  “My father said the same thing that Hankin had: Just forget it and never go back to Farmerton. My mother disagreed. She pointed out that Novox was planning to start running caravans to the Fog Lake region, and that you and your parents could just travel with one to Rohoville. She didn’t want the three of you to just show up one day at our front door.”

  Thinking clearly was becoming a real challenge. “So she asked Draymund to deal with it?”

  Saxloc smiled. “More like commanded. And she made it sound like a simple task. I was ordered to go too, of course. Celebern was already planning a trip to Alessandra’s temple to strike a deal to start importing her wine, so we just went along.”

  Audrey nodded, and that made her head swim. “Well, that didn’t work, did it? All three of us ended up here.” She noticed that her cup was empty. She reached for the jug, but her chair tipped and she somehow ended up on the floor.

  Saxloc laughed. “And you’re still here, Audrey. I think you’ve had enough.”

  She thought about it. “Yes. To both.”

  He helped her to her room, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders as she held onto his waist. When they arrived outside her door, he released her. She impulsively gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Thank you, Saxloc.”

  He was turning red as he replied, “Um … you’re welcome. Good night, Audrey.”

  “Good night.”

  Before she fell asleep that night, she asked Lasrina to care for the souls of all of the people who had died in her village, even the ones she didn’t really like. It wasn’t their fault they lived in a place where death was permanent. But it still wasn’t fair.

  13

  ‡ Students ‡

  As the last month of Summer wore on, Audrey began to have classes with other students. There really weren’t that many individual students, and they were at all different levels of ability. On odd-numbered days, there was an advanced class in the morning and a beginner class in the afternoon. On even-numbered days, it was the opposite. Audrey still had her tutoring with Hawina in the morning, so she attended the afternoon beginner class on odd-numbered days.

  There were only two instructors other than Grasapa: Bennet, a sandy-haired, tall, handsome half-elf who never raised his voice or looked angry; and his wife Zalina, a platinum-haired, lithesome half-elf with a high voice and a mischievous streak. They were both in their thirties, and they had no children as of yet. Audrey was already familiar with them from her self-defense course, and she liked them both.

  Grasapa never seemed to run out of women and teenage girls to take her self-defense course, although only about half ever actually completed it. She also trained members of the Witch’s City Guard in techniques to subdue and control without causing serious injury. She even provided training for Novox’s insurance collectors.

  Audrey’s very first regular class was taught by Bennet, and there were only three other students. One was Nissa, as loud and talkative as ever, but Audrey didn’t know the two young men. Bennet introduced Audrey and then led them through some stretches. That was followed by warm-up exercises, some of which she had to be taught, much to her embarrassment. Then he told them to pair off and spar, and Audrey was filled with dread. She had only sparred once before. It was with Grasapa, and it had been very discouraging. Grasapa anticipated her every move, and when Audrey finally landed a punch, she was certain that Grasapa had deliberately let down her guard.

  Nissa instantly paired off with one of the young men, and the other walked hesitantly over to her. He looked to be about twenty. He had a friendly face, a small nose, disheveled curly brown hair, and blue eyes. He introduced himself as “Erwin”. She tried to hide her own nervousness by smiling.

  Erwin began turning red and said, “I’m … uh … wearing a protector.” He gestured at his groin, and she found herself also blushing. Grasapa had mentioned it to her, but she had forgotten. Grasapa had versions for women too, and she decided that she had better buy one herself. And maybe a chest protector too.

  “Uh … I’m not,” she replied. “Sorry.”

  He nodded at her and then bowed. She returned his bow and then dropped into a defensive stance. They began to spar and she was surprised to find herself doing much better than him. She landed several blows—controlling them to avoid causing real injury—but he only managed to hit her once lightly on her left side. Then she noticed that he kept missing the openings that she, in her inexperience, kept leaving. He avoided anything even remotely close to her chest or groin.

  Audrey stepped back and frowned at him. He lowered his head in embarrassment as Bennet called for everyone to stop. Bennet took Erwin aside and spoke with him. Audrey felt bad for him, but from what she could overhear, he had done this before when fighting women.

  Bennet finished his lecture and directed Erwin to spar with the other young man. Nissa walked up and said, “Hi, Audrey. Let’s fight!” Audrey nodded at her, the two of them bowed, and then it began. She took one step toward Nissa and then went staggering backward as Nissa kicked her painfully right in the center of her chest. She hadn’t seen it coming at all. She recovered and tried to land a punch to Nissa’s left shoulder, but then she was suddenly slammed down onto the padded floor with Nissa twisting her left arm. She had no idea how she had ended up like that; Nissa was just too fast.

  Audrey waved her free arm and said, “I surrender.”

  Nissa started giggling and let go of her arm. “Sorry. I got carried away.” She quickly helped Audrey up.

  Audrey briefly sparred with the other young man while Nissa had her way with Erwin. (She winced every time she heard Erwin’s body hitting the floor.) The other man’s name was Falk, and he looked somewhat older than Erwin. He was good-looking, with short brown hair, a mustache, green eyes, and a confident attitude. He was also a novice, and the two of them were well-matched in their sparring skills.

  The remainder of the class was more individualized—Bennet worked with Erwin and Falk, while Nissa taught Audrey. Other than speaking too fast, Nissa turned out to be a good teacher. She showed Audrey exactly how she had left herself open to being kicked, and then taught her the throw that she had used against her. Nissa told her that she needed to buy chest and groin protectors, and Audrey did just that after she had cleaned up and changed. The school store was self-serve, so she just left money in the provided box.

  Lying in her tub late that afternoon with the hot water working its magic to relax her muscles, Audrey felt bruised and tired. But she was happy.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  There was a teenage girl named Cinda in her next class that Audrey took an instant dislike to. She was tall and pretty, with a slim build, long black hair, lovely blue eyes, and a cute dimple on her chin. She spoke in a very formal manner, but instead of sounding polite, it made her sound pretentious. She was haughty and arrogant—the epitome of a spoiled rich girl. Cinda didn’t really seem interested in what they were being taught, and Audrey couldn’t understand why Grasapa had ever allowed someone like her to become a student at the school.

  During class, Audrey was briefly paired with her to practice a block that Bennet had just taught them. She had to explain to Cinda what they were supposed to be doing, and then listen to her talk about her fami
ly’s wealth and the fabulous mansion where she lived. From her description, Audrey could tell that it wasn’t nearly as nice as Draymund and Almera’s place. She was tempted to say something, but she really didn’t want the other students to know her living situation. Nissa was the only one who knew, and she had agreed to keep silent.

  When she mentioned Cinda to Almera, she smiled knowingly and said, “I know exactly who you are talking about. Her father owns a construction company. They actually helped build this mansion. Draymund and I know them socially and I’ve met Cinda. I don’t care for her either, Audrey.”

  Two days later, she went to class and Cinda was there again. Erwin was too, and it was clear that the two of them knew each other. Once again, Cinda didn’t really pay attention in class. After class, Erwin explained to Audrey that it was their families that were acquainted. He didn’t like Cinda either, and he also didn’t understand why she had been accepted as a student.

  In the women’s changing room after class, Cinda casually mentioned her class schedule and it was identical to her own. Cinda was the last person that Audrey wanted to share her schedule. She was incensed and decided to go speak with Grasapa about it. She wanted to switch her schedule to even-numbered days to avoid Cinda.

  “That is not possible,” explained Grasapa after agreeing to speak with her privately. “That’s an advanced class. And you can’t come to the morning class due to your tutoring.”

  Audrey frowned and hesitated before finally asking, “Why did you accept Cinda as a student here? She’s not even interested.”

  Grasapa looked both serious and sad. “It is an unusual situation. It involves her family, and I cannot tell you the details. Cinda has a real need to learn to defend herself. Please try to be patient with her, Audrey.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  But during the next class, Cinda gave Audrey a significant injury while they were sparring and wouldn’t even apologize to a “mere commoner”, a term she clearly considered to be a deadly insult. Bennet took Cinda aside and lectured her, but that just made her angry. He announced that class was over and that he was taking Cinda to see Grasapa. She looked genuinely frightened as he led her out of the room.

  Audrey was worried as she limped her way to the changing room. She used a variety of indirect routes to travel to and from the school. That was to reduce the risk of Saxloc or his friends spotting her and giving away her secret. She wasn’t sure if she could make it back to the mansion by even the shortest route in her current condition.

  Zalina walked into the room where Audrey was alone changing into her regular clothes. “Bennet said that you had been injured,” she said with a look of concern. “Let me see.”

  Audrey showed her the large raised bump on her right shin that was already turning dark. Zalina looked directly at her. “This needs healing, Audrey. The Temple of Karth isn’t far from here. I’ll take you.”

  “Okay,” she replied while thinking that going to a temple of Karth the Destroyer didn’t sound like the best idea. But there was no other choice since the next closest temple was at least three times as far.

  Zalina helped her to the temple through the light rain that had begun to fall. An earnest and rather plump acolyte healed her injury and then graciously accepted her donation. Walking home, Audrey realized that she had already forgotten his name.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Cinda was absent from the next class. Erwin was there early, and he told her that he had heard that Grasapa had given Cinda a stern lecture and then suspended her. He had also heard about her injury and was concerned. Audrey was glad that Cinda had received punishment, and she assured Erwin that she was fine now. She really was starting to feel an attraction to him, and he certainly seemed to be interested in her.

  They sparred in class that day, and when she was paired with Erwin, she made it clear to him that she was wearing protectors. Audrey was actually happy when he began by punching her in the chest. But he was still too tentative, and she had no trouble besting him. She was definitely getting better, but she knew that she still had a long way to go.

  After class was over, Erwin came over to her and asked if she would like to go to dinner with him. Audrey was stunned and at a loss for words. She finally told him that she needed time to think and would get back to him. To her great surprise, that actually made him happy. He must have expected her to just turn him down flat.

  Audrey had hoped that things would improve after she and Saxloc had sat in the kitchen talking and drinking rice wine until they were both drunk, but nothing had changed. He had gone right back to avoiding and ignoring her. It had been very discouraging. She knew that she should just give up all hope of ever being with him, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. He had been very kind to her that night.

  She had considered the possibility of finding someone else, but there were many problems. She couldn’t possibly bring someone back to the mansion. She didn’t even want to admit to anyone that she lived in such luxury. Lying about something like that probably wasn’t the best way to start a relationship. And she was still officially Saxloc’s fiancé. How would she ever be able to explain that?

  As soon as she returned home, she sought out Almera. She found her in the greenhouse watering. Almera turned and asked, “What is it, Audrey? You look troubled.”

  “I am. One of the students asked me to dinner.”

  “That’s wonderful. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m Saxloc’s fiancé! That is the problem.”

  Almera waved a hand and said, “Nonsense. You know that’s not real. Besides, you would hardly be the first woman to cheat on her intended.”

  Audrey sighed. “I suppose not. But what am I supposed to tell him? I don’t want to lie. And how do I explain living here in the same house as Saxloc?”

  “Just lie, Audrey. It’s not hard. Then if a real relationship develops, you can tell him the truth and explain.”

  “I can’t do that.” Audrey was getting frustrated. That was not what she wanted to hear. Almera just didn’t understand.

  Almera looked at her with a serious expression. “If you do start dating, then be certain that you take precautions.”

  “Precautions?” Then she realized what Almera must mean. “Uh … doesn’t the man just wear one of those … things?” She could feel herself blushing.

  “A sheath? They aren’t reliable and they lessen the sensation. There is a much better option that you can control: AP powder.”

  The term sounded familiar, and she suddenly realized what the abbreviation must mean. “Anti-pregnancy powder?” she asked.

  Almera nodded. “Yes. All of the alchemists sell it. It’s widely used here—including by me. I’ll give you some and instruct you how to use it properly. You are free to date, Audrey, but I don’t want you turning up pregnant unless it’s truly your decision.”

  Audrey felt horribly embarrassed to be having such a conversation, but it was obviously necessary. “Okay. I don’t want that either. Thank you, Almera.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  When Audrey went to her class two days later, she wasn’t terribly surprised to see Erwin there, even though it wasn’t his usual schedule. He was probably eager to hear her answer, and that was certainly flattering. Unfortunately, Cinda had also returned. Audrey had been secretly hoping that she would just quit.

  Bennet began the class by requiring Cinda to apologize to her in front of everyone. Audrey was initially embarrassed, but she soon became angry because Cinda didn’t sound at all sincere. Bennet was also unhappy with her apology. At no point during the class did she find herself paired with Cinda, and that was obviously deliberate.

  But Cinda had changed. She listened attentively to Bennet and even asked for help when she had trouble with something. She finally seemed to be serious about wanting to learn, and Audrey couldn’t help but wonder just what Grasapa had said to her. Whatever it had been, it had certainly been effective.

  After their class was over, she told E
rwin that she was living in a very complicated situation, but that she was willing to speak with him about it. He suggested they have dinner together the following day and she happily agreed. He even asked her to choose the location and she selected The Watch.

  Audrey was both nervous and excited as she waited outside the restaurant the next day. She had dithered for quite a while that afternoon about what to wear before finally making a decision. The gold dress was too embarrassing, and her other dresses were too shabby. She settled for wearing her white shirt with the long blue skirt. She had even taken her first dose of AP powder just in case. Mixed with water, it had simply looked cloudy and tasted slightly sweet.

  Erwin soon arrived. He was well-dressed, but not to the extent that Draymund and Saxloc almost always were. He made her very happy by telling her she looked beautiful. He showed more confidence than he usually did in class, and she suspected that he must have dated other girls before. They went inside and were soon seated. Only then did it occur to Audrey that she was going to have to read the menu. To her relief, she found that she could now read well enough to easily look through it. She chose the fish stew, and he selected a steak with mixed vegetables. She decided to stick to water since she wanted to have a serious discussion, and he did the same.

  As they ate, she tried to explain her situation to him. He turned out to be the son of a wealthy rug merchant, and he knew exactly who Draymund and Almera were. “Audrey,” he said, “you live with the wealthiest family in the Witch’s City, and you say that you are engaged to their son, but not really. What does that mean? Do you have feelings for him or not?”

  Audrey put down her spoon and briefly chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not really sure myself,” she admitted. “Sometimes he’s nice to me, but often he’s not. I really need to explain everything to you properly. Can we take a walk after dinner and talk?”

  Erwin looked uncertain. “Uh … all right. That’s fine.”

  They continued eating in awkward silence. When they were both done, she looked at him intently and said, “I really do like you, Erwin, but I’m in a strange situation that’s partly my fault. I’ll tell you everything and let you decide if we should try to have a romantic relationship. Okay?”