Page 60 of The Noldrin Witch

They all fell silent, and Elise felt a small resolve guiding her.

She remembered Morgaine telling her to invoke the names of the Devil and Hell if she ever found herself in trouble. Well, she could not imagine a better moment to follow that advice.

“Believe me when I tell you I did not seek any favors from the Duke of Dornheim, or the Devil himself may see justice done.”

She swallowed hard. It was a gamble, but she sensed she had little left to lose after all the outrageous accusations thrown her way.

No one dared say a word. Elise stood there, glancing at Fabian and Adelle without flinching.

Finally, Fabian decided to be the one to speak. “This matter is not finished. Elise, stay where you are.”

A fresh round of whispers swept through the workshop.

Fabian and Adelle left the chamber, looking over their shoulders should Bruno decide to lecture them again. But the opinionated crow remained on Elise’s shoulder.

She felt a measure of calm knowing she had a sort of warden to protect her from the wickedness around, but she remained watchful nonetheless.

*****

Elise felt as though she were the original carrier of the plague for the rest of the day. She was granted the treasured gift of solitude, whether she wanted it or not. Fabian had not had the kindness to resolve the misunderstanding, and in the fearful eyes of the rest of the staff, Elise seemed to be an inconvenience best avoided.

It turned out Kurt, much like Susanne, was far from Metz. Elise didn’t know much more. There was no one to come forward and solve the wicked misunderstanding. It remained a mystery what Fabian had discovered during his inquiries, but at least she was still there. That alone felt like a victory.

She had to remind herself that the real reason for her presence in the castle was to find the Stone of Raj and that her position on the magical staff was secondary drivel.

Deep in thought and with barely any appetite for the stew served at the midday meal, Elise noticed one fairy who seemed to be enjoying a quantity of solitude nearly equal to her own. She figured she could make her wait for nightfall more interesting by entertaining conversation with the wretched fairy.

As Elise would soon discover, in every blessed place where there was power, one could also find opposition. The fairy enjoying his meal in such abundance of privacy was Emery, a man who had worked in the workshop longer than Fabian himself. Sadly, having the unfortunate habit of speaking his mind, he had remained in the same post since the day he joined the magical staff.

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked the languid fellow.

He lifted his eyes with a half-smile. “Of course.”

The other fairies around the hall watched them as Elise sat across from him.

“My name is Emery,” he whispered, glancing about. “Don’t pay them any heed. They are probably wondering if you are about to summon demons.”

Elise nodded with a smile. “I’m Elise,” she said, though she suspected Fabian’s introduction had been more than enough for everyone to know her by name already.

“Are you not afraid I might call the Devil on you?” she asked carefully.

He shook his head. “You look too kind for that. I doubt even Fabian was fully convinced.”

Elise let out a soft laugh. For a moment she felt as if she could trust the fairy.

“Is Fabian always like this?” she dared to ask, suspecting he had something to do with Emery’s own situation.

“He’s like that with every new recruit. That’s why the position remained vacant for so long.”

Elise sighed. Her good luck was beginning to fade. Thankfully, she was stubborn when it came to keeping her spirits up.

As she talked with Emery, her mind began to drift away from her own troubles, and instead she grew curious about the reason for Emery’s own isolation. But not wishing to spoil her new friendship, she kept her questions within the bounds of politeness, limiting their conversation to weather and architecture until those topics proved too dull even for someone used to the quiet of solitude.

“So you are a witch?” Emery said after Elise had once again commented on the thickness of the walls.

She gave a slow nod. “I’m on my way to becoming one.”

“And I’m assuming Susanne was the one who approved your hiring,” he continued, as though he had already reached his own conclusions.