Nasty Little Witchling

I had to stop myself from reaching and toying with the necklace I’d just been given. There were too many reasons why I couldn’t. It was supposed to be a secret, it would get drained like the transmission crystals if I touched it and I didn’t want to get a taste of the older man’s emotions again.

They hadn’t been overly complicated or distressing but I was confused about what I’d done to make him feel sorry for me.

“Why are we going back up?” I asked the woman with the tight bun of grey hair. She, Yanla, was greeted by almost everyone and stopped by people with questions that sounded important.

“The guest wing and ducal wing are on the same floor but are separated by the foyer we just crossed through,” she said and effortlessly stepped up to the next staircase. My legs wobbled a bit before continuing after her.

We walked down another hallway similar to the one outside the duke’s bedroom with the same colourful carpets, portraits of landscapes and people, and carved tables. The only difference was that the vases on those tables were not filled with flowers.

“There are five suites here but we only keep one ready in case of unexpected guests,” Yanla said and took a key out to open one of the carved wooden doors. It opened to a sitting area like the one I’d been in with Bowfore. Leather sofas covered in patterned stitching surrounded a glass table that looked to encase flower arrangements.

“I would not usually ask this of guests but since you are the only one up here do you mind infusing the table’s enchantment for us?”

I didn’t want to be the reason someone had to climb up all those stairs so I agreed. Back at the tower in Tamil I’d somehow filled the crystal so I was sure I’d be able to figure it out again. Maybe I would even learn how to not drain the necklace without meaning to.

She showed me to a rectangular window that was taller than me, hidden behind a set of thin white curtains. I would need to stand onto the sill if I wanted to reach the latch but I could easily get to the little thing I had to twist to stop the windows from moving with the wind.

Yanla was explaining the type of wood, where the glass was made and the artisans behind each piece of decor. I didn’t want to sound dumb by asking what each of the descriptive words she used meant so I nodded my head and commented on the colour or design.

Next was a set of double doors to another room that looked like everything was in the exact place it was supposed to be. The covers of the bed that took up just as much space as the carpeted floor were tucked under so tightly there wasn’t a single wrinkle.

“Door on the left is the lavatory and the dressing room is on the right. Through here is the balcony.”

There were darker curtains blocking the square panelled glass door and stone railings preventing us from falling very far down to the bushes below. It looked out over the garden hidden behind the palace where a pond surrounded by stone slabs sat amongst trees. Thatched roofs covered sets of tables and chairs while pathways meandered through beds of different plants.

“This is bigger than the duke’s room. Can I really stay here?”

“Oh, that was just a more private room with more security, his normal chambers are much larger.”

I nodded, looking over the neat gardens. “How long can I stay here?”

“Apologies, I only managed to hear that you are a guest. I would ask the duke for more information.”

“I’d be able to talk to him again? Isn’t he very busy?”

Yanla huffed. “He likes to pretend to be but I am sure he would make time for you if he has given you a guest room. Do you need anything else?”

“I don’t think so…do you have a library here?”

“We do, mostly first additions and old tomes unfit for public use. The first Duke Riker gave away most to the city library a few generations ago for mass printing so it would be better to go there. I will see about getting you a card so you may bring some back here to read.”

“Ah, yes please.”

“If there is nothing else I need to go organise a staff meeting, any member you meet from then onwards should know we have a guest so you can ask anything of them and they shall try to assist.”

“Thank you for helping me,” I said. I had tried to find better words to express that I was grateful for someone important taking their time to help me, but couldn’t come up with anything better.

“Of course, have a good day.”

She left me out on the balcony and closed the double door. I waited to hear the click of a lock but either didn’t hear it over the wind or she hadn’t locked me in.

I closed off the balcony doors and started looking around what might be my room for a little while. It seemed nicer than the one I had stayed in with Trissa but it was less…cosy.

The lavatory was what I’d come to expect but had a bathtub that could fit three of me, comfortably. I opened the door to the dressing room but it looked a bit sad with all the empty hangers and cupboards.

One of the drawers near the bed had a key in the lock.

My pockets were getting a bit full with the addition of whatever it was that I had taken from the duke’s room. I’d liked the gold name on it and would have put it back if he hadn’t let me take it. My cheeks warmed at the embarrassing moment. I knew I shouldn’t have tried and wasn’t sure why I had.

I started placing all my little possessions into the drawer and hesitated at the coin. Was I in the same kind of position I’d been in with Trissa, would I eat with them or did I need to find something myself?

They hadn’t wanted me to come eat with the Mayor so I didn’t think there was a chance it would happen with the Duke.

I kept the coin and wandered up to the exit where the key was sitting in the lock. I felt I had to lock the door behind me as that’s how it was before and put a second key into my pockets.

Going downstairs was, thankfully, easier than going up. The foyer had fewer staff members moving around so the meeting must have started already.

The gravel paths hurt my still bare feet so I turned back to try to find the door with my boots. Normally I would have preferred to avoid them but I wanted to see how far I could get away from the palace and the doll. Which meant going into a city full of things that I couldn’t sense how spiky they were.

My footsteps echoed inside the first tunnel to the outside area. I asked the guards if I could come back in if I left, they recognised me from when I entered with Annalise and said it would be fine. They would also pass it along to their replacements.

The children weren’t out playing anymore but a few were tending to the animals or picking fruit off of the trees. It seemed like a great task since I saw more than a few take a bite into their pickings. A dog that was more fur than body roamed around them with their tongue hanging out. They felt it was their job to make sure nothing got to the children or animals and even gave me a stern look.

The second gate with the bridge to the city said the same as the first. They also directed me to their favourite lunchtime spot when I gave my reasoning for leaving. One asked if I could get him lunch since they always ended their shift well into the ‘lunch rush.’

I agreed but ended up having the three others pile bronze coins in my hands, as well as a note with the name and list of what they wanted.

The streets did seem fuller than when we’d crossed through earlier with more types of people and clothing in one glance than I’d ever seen before. I flipped my silvery gold coin over in my fingers, trying to convince myself I wasn’t attached to the thing. I’d spent roe before and I trusted Annalise to get me what she said she would.

So, why did it feel so wrong to part ways with it?

A spell forming behind me had me turning around to see what was going on. A figure dashed forward and grabbed my arm and the spell, which felt like a smaller version of Barick’s shocking grasp, startled me. The coin was plucked from my loosened grip and the back of the figure's cloak fluttered in the air as they ran.

My body took a moment to respond but I was running after them a second later. People moved out of the way for them and I tried to follow before the gap closed.

I was starting to panic as more and more people were getting in the way of us. They ran much faster than I did and didn’t feel apprehensive about bashing into people.

They disappeared from my sight as I stepped around a burly man shouting at them to stop running. I spun around but everyone was taller than me. The crowd threatened to push me away when I saw the cloak through a gap. It was moving down a narrow street to my side.

I slipped through and pushed past the crowd until I was rushing through the same street. There were fewer people here so I was at least able to run as fast as I could while sucking down air. I had the cobble in front of him lift up but misjudged the distance as it jutted out behind him. Another attempt had him crashing to the ground for a moment.

A few passersby stared at them and then at me as I chased after their stumbling form. As soon as people were out of the way I threw as much air as I could at him. Paper, dust, bits of food and fabric tumbled about as the blast flattened the cloak against their back.

They were on the ground again. Twisting to face me, he raised his palm and threw a spell that turned into a see-through spike of mana surrounded by the haze I was familiar with.

It was coming directly at my chest. I tried to move to the side but it angled to keep the same path.

I thought about pulling a cobblestone to block it but had to fall to the ground to avoid it. The spike hit the ground behind me as it tried to curve into me. The boy had the beginnings of a patchy beard on his chin and upper lip. I stared past the blonde strands peeking out of his hooded cloak and into his hazel eyes. He looked shocked, maybe mortified.

“C’mon, this really worth it to ya?” he said and flashed the coin. “I bet mummy and daddy can get you plenty more. I don’t think they’d want their precious petunia skewered by an arrow over their loose change.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have much to say and I was breathing too hard to say it. We both scrambled up at the same time, running again.

The street beyond was crowded enough that we could keep running but had to swerve past people and small children who liked to pull at the arms of their parents and move in our way.

A group of watch officers yelled at him to stop from the other side of the street as the boy tried to dash across. He reeled as a carriage almost ran him over and returned to my side of the street.

My lungs were struggling along with my legs but something else made me stagger to a stop. I was getting to the start of the doll’s restriction.

I watched the cloaked boy look back at me before dipping into another side street. A hand clamped down on my shoulder while I was trying to catch my breath and trying to ignore the crushing feeling in my chest.

“What are you up to? He steal something from you?” the officer asked me and pointed a small club towards where the boy was.

I nodded. “He…did. Can you…get him?”

“No can do I’m afraid,” another said.

“Why not?” I asked with my breathing slowly returning to normal.

“Gotta take that up with the Duke. We’re not allowed to chase people through busy streets.”

“Hey, Gram. Someone says she was throwing around offensive spells in the alley back there,” a third officer said as she joined.

“Is that so?” Gram said with his hand still latched onto my shoulder. “What kind of spell was it?”

The woman shrugged. “Just some basic wind spell from what they said.”

“You used an offensive spell?” Gram asked me.

“Yes? He stole my coin.”

The other pedestrians were giving our small crowd a lot of space with a few stopping to listen in for a bit before being pushed along.

Gram sighed. “Who’s been teaching you combat spells? Are they registered?”

“No one taught me,” I said, not adding that I wasn’t able to use spells since that seemed to confuse people more.

“Come on girl, don't make this difficult. You look well dressed, we just need to know your teacher to check.”

“Ummm…Annalise and Faraya?” The first was true since Annalise had tried to teach me and I hoped the commander wouldn’t mind me trying to get out of trouble. I was confused why they seemed to care more about some wind than someone who took my coin.

“Annalise Riker and Knight Commander Faraya?” Gram asked. He shared a look with his other officers.

“We could stick her in a holding cell and get one of them to come down here. We either figure out she’s lying or get back at the nits for Dobler Street.”

“Let’s not poke at her over this, we take the girl to the castle gate and get them to owe us a favour for not making an issue out of this. If they don’t know what she’s on about then we throw her in the cell.”

“I’ll take her back,” Gram said and started to steer me towards the castle walls in the distance. “Come along, girly.”

I needed to get back within the doll’s restrictions anyway but I tried to shake my shoulder so he’d stop guiding me, his grip stayed. The other two started to walk off together in the other direction.

“What’s your name?”

“Valeria,” I said with what I hoped was a grumpy enough attitude to display my displeasure.

“Want me to write you a report for the stolen item? What did he take anyway?”

“My coin, it was an electrum one.”

“Ah, a coin like that isn’t worth your life. These thieves can pull out a weapon if you do catch them. Mage’s can still get stabbed.”

“He tried to throw a mana arrow at me. Shouldn’t you want to get him for throwing spells around?”

“The witnesses probably aren’t mages and only saw yours because you made it obvious. We can’t arrest people for what someone else senses since that would be and has been abused.”

“You had to have used spells first for him to throw something like that at you. No chance he’s risking attempted murder over an electrum coin unless he knew you could use a shielding spell.”

“I…might have but I don’t know the shield spell. I had to dodge it.”

He stopped and I had to as well once his grip pulled my shoulder back. “What the fuck are they doing not teaching you the first spell every mage learns?”

“Ah…I’m not good with spells?” I tried. He looked at me in almost the same way Annalise and the others had.

“How did you dodge it? It should have tracked your mana. There’s no chance you have a decoy spell but not a shield.”

“I ducked?” I said as we continued to walk.

He scoffed at my answer. “I guess you're lucky that your mana reserves are small, usually that spell is really good at tracking.”

I glanced down to the necklace still hidden inside my overalls that had apparently almost gotten me killed. He let go of my shoulder after we got a little closer but he kept close by.

We walked past the place the guards had recommended. There was a lot of seating under an awning with someone behind a counter folding paper wrapping around a roll that was stuffed to the limit.

I pulled out the piece of paper they’d given me to double-check and showed Gram. “Can we stop here for a moment, I told the guards I would get them their lunch as well.”

“You’re serious? I’m going to let you go with a stern warning so you don’t need to do all this to distract me and make a run for it.”

“Uh, no. That’s why I’m out here.”

He sighed. “Fine, I’ll have an early lunch.”

I was somewhat glad he was here because I wouldn’t have known to go stand at the back of the ten person line off to the side. We slowly stepped forward each time someone in front of us left until Gram was next. He ordered quickly like he said the same phrase every day.

He slid over a few bronze coins and I stepped into his place. I put the note and the coins I’d been given on the counter in a few handfuls. As the man behind it read the note I felt my mouth water and my stomach prepare to growl loud enough for the person in the back frying ingredients to hear.

He slid back a few of the coins. “This is enough for five rolls, I have four here, are you ordering one for yourself?”

“I…” I wondered if they’d expected change back. Or maybe they’d meant to pay for mine. “Can I get one without meat?”

“Sure,” he said and started to point at the options and I selected what looked or sounded good since I didn’t know some.

He slid all the coins off the counter and started to prepare the orders. I waited over by Gram until the six paper-wrapped rolls were placed onto the counter and then into a bag.

I was feeling glad for that since I’d been trying to figure out how I was going to carry all of the food. We walked the rest of the way with Gram asking a few more questions on the description of the thief.

“Why were you going around flashing roe like that? You were just begging to get robbed.”

My cheeks heated. I was getting more and more upset with myself rather than the thief.

“I’d guess he was a part of one of the younger gangs. The older ones are known and don’t hang around this area which lets the up and comers roam free without needing their permission.”

“Why would they need permission to steal?”

“Territory is quite important to them and even teens don’t get an exception to that.”

We eventually got to the gate and Gram talked with the hungry guards. The knights supported my story of knowing Annalise and expressed some disappointment in the theft. I was disappointed they didn’t seem to care more about the coin but I appreciated them asking me if I was alright.

Gram hadn’t told them about my spell usage but I wasn’t going to remind him.

I tried to apologise for spending the extra money and that I would pay them back but it turns out the extra was meant for me. I was frustrated that my coin was stolen when I hadn’t needed to take it out or argue with myself over using it in the first place.

Gram was shooed away from the gate after getting half-hearted thanks for bringing me back. He was an okay person so I waved at him when he looked back from the edge of the drawbridge.

I’d gotten something to eat and seen how far I could go in the city which helped settle my awful mood. I didn’t think it was far enough to get to the inn with the animals I had wanted to find out more about though, but it was something.

Barick, Daral and Alisa were all standing around near the inner gate, probably on guard duty. I started to smile as they noticed me but it stilled when I saw the look on Barick’s face when he turned my way. He started to march up to me.

I wanted to run as he got closer but I was tired of running and being out of breath. I expected him to stop and talk but he came right up to me and grabbed my ear through my hair.

He yanked me closer. “Where do you get off acting like a victim to the Commander?”

Having just got in trouble for using magic I tried something else and swung my free hand at his face. It connected with a satisfying smack but my wrist was grabbed so I couldn’t do it again. He shook my head about before Daral and Alisa pulled him off.

“Relax, it wasn't even her,” Daral said as Barick shook him off. “My thing was only referred to as ‘a time her eyes got hurt’ which isn’t how Valeria would have explained it.”

“We’re not even in trouble, don’t make this a big deal in front of others,” Alisa said as the two full knights on duty with them came to see what the apprentices were up to.

“Did this girl just hit you?” one asked.

“Yes.” “No.” “Nope.”

Alisa and Daral glared at Barick.

“Assaulting a knight is an arrestable offence,” the other said while holding onto where his bindings hung.

Neither of them were the same pair I’d seen on my way out. They’d seemed a lot nicer than these two.

“She’s fine,” Barick said after pushing away Daral again, who was furiously whispering into his ear.

In my mind the ground opened up to swallow everyone here except Alisa and maybe Daral. How was I in more trouble for being messed around by Barick than the one who stole my coin?

I stopped myself from doing more than visualising it and marched past them.

After getting through the tunnel I was somewhat confident it was Alisa chasing after me so I slowed.

“I’m sorry about that, Commander Faraya just had a word with us about your detainment in the forest and something about Daral and thieves came out so she was extra pissed.”

“Okay,” I said, stopping myself from yelling at her to leave me alone. “I didn’t say anything about any of that to anyone.”

“I know that and Barick probably does too, he was just…”

“Looking for someone to throw around?” I said and stalked off again. I almost threw my lunch against the gravel. I wanted to hit something, scream and eat my roll in peace in whatever order I managed it.

The back of the palace seemed like a quieter spot so I went back to where I’d seen the pond from the balcony. I tore my boots and socks off so I could sit on the stone and dangle my sore feet in the water. Then unwrapped my roll and chomped into it.

At least it tasted good.