Page 59 of The Noldrin Witch

Had this occurrence taken place in another setting, such as a market or the streets, Elise would have slapped the man on the spot. But seeing this was a coveted employment, she chose to overlook the offense.

“I assure you it was Susanne, sire,” Elise continued with a controlled countenance. She even managed a small smile. She was surprised Susanne hadn’t mentioned anything to Fabian, but the old woman had been in a rush to take to the road after all.

Naturally, the murmurs around the workshop began to grow, but Elise paid them no heed.

There was little more to be said after that, and Fabian guided everyone outdoors after gathering a few ingredients and a couple of cauldrons for the famed Healing Potion they needed to prepare.

There was a great deal of interest in Elise, but the other fairies kept most of their curiosity to themselves. One murmured that it had taken her six years of working there before she was assigned a chamber in the castle. Elise figured the fairy had been unlucky.

Dawn had almost given way to morning by the time they began the potions. Fabian urged them to mix the ingredients quickly and set the fires for the preparation. There were no magic flames or chants among them. It was indeed as Morgaine had said; the fairies lacked some of the gifts possessed by their counterparts.

Elise was relieved by the situation, for in this arrangement she was at barely any disadvantage. Everything went smoothly and she helped without any difficulty.

When they brought everything back to the workshop, however, a real problem had made its entrance.

Standing at the threshold of the door leading to the stairs was Adelle, waiting for Fabian as though she carried the gossip of the century.

Elise had a bad feeling about the visit, but she simply nodded and followed the rest of the fairies inside.

She watched from afar as Adelle and Fabian spoke in hushed tones. Their eyes drifted to Elise now and then, and she could tell the two of them appeared increasingly outraged. Fabian, as if satisfied to corroborate his wicked theories, ordered Elise to come to them. The whole workshop, now filled with around fifty fairies, halted in silence, waiting to see what was about to be said.

“So it was the duke who asked for the chamber on your behalf,” Fabian said with the conviction of a man ready to carve the statement in stone.

“Kurt?” Elise gasped.

“Ha!” Adelle laughed. “Of course he’s Kurt.”

“No, no,” Elise quickly interjected. “It was Susanne who had the idea. She left the key for me in the herbarium, and then a guard helped me find the place when I came back.”

She took Susanne’s note from her pocket and extended the small piece of paper to Fabian, who took it and lazily read it.

“You could have written this. It doesn’t have any seal,” the fairy muttered.

“I saw you two yesterday at the gardens,” Adelle said plainly, locking her gaze on Elise’s with contempt. “I saw everything.”

Elise’s eyes widened, remembering the heated moment. A small measure of embarrassment filled her, but she tried to contain it.

“I...I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Fabian was clearly enjoying the gossip, and before he surrendered the opportunity, he added, “The duke has been interested in you working here from the start. What favors you may have done for him are your concern, but it is plain enough why you would want a chamber here, darling.”

Elise, whose mind remained considerably purer than Fabian’s, took a few gasps before understanding the full implication.

“No!” was all she said.

She thought of sending for Kurt or trying to reach Susanne, but it was no time to dwell on any of that.

The whole workshop became little more than a nest of harpies in Elise’s terrified eyes. Fabian and Adelle began spinning their theories about her attempts to seduce Kurt and how disgraced she must already be. There was no shortage of unpleasant talk of witches in their slander. Thankfully, the hateful recitation was halted by the loud cawing of Bruno, who by now seemed the only one on Elise’s side.

“Caw! Cawww!”

Fabian ducked as the black bird swooped around the workshop while several fairies took cover.

“Devil take you!” Fabian exclaimed.

And with that, an idea sparked in Elise’s clouded mind, making the reality of her situation as clear as the blue sky.

“Indeed. Devil take you,” she said.