The Witch's City

by M. Gregg Roe

  “Aliva, do you ever … pleasure yourself?”

  “Yes. That helps some, but it’s just not the same. Because of what I am I need more.”

  “That makes sense.” Siljan frowned. “You’ve only had sex twice and the second time you intended to kill. You probably just need to practice. We need to find you a supply of men who have been sentenced to death.”

  “Gabriel suggested something like that. He said I needed to find other villains like Morton who deserved to die.”

  “That’s it then,” said Siljan. “Go back to the Witch’s City. Talk with Hagen and see if he has anyone for you. Ermizad’s big on sentencing people to death. Check with Celebern too. His enemies have a way of disappearing permanently.”

  “All right, I will. I’ll go talk with Alessandra and tell her I’m leaving.”

  Aliva climbed out and began to towel herself dry as Siljan watched her from the tub. Siljan climbed out the opposite side and walked up to her. “One more thing.”

  “Yes?” Aliva was puzzled.

  “I really do want to feel your breasts.” Siljan held up her hands and flexed them. “Can I?”

  Aliva laughed. “Yes, but only if you keep yourself under control.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Aliva was in the process of rolling up one of her dresses when a loud knock on her door startled her. She quickly finished her task before opening the door to reveal Alessandra standing in the hallway frowning deeply. “You told Siljan that you were going to come and speak with me,” she said accusingly.

  “I was. Just as soon as I’m done packing.” Aliva gestured to the bed closest to the door where she had put her backpack, scabbarded saber, and some of the clothing from her wardrobe.

  Alessandra strode in and closed the door behind her. “Would you consider waiting until the morning of the day after tomorrow?” she asked.

  Aliva shook her head. “I don’t think I can. I don’t trust myself anymore. I need to leave as soon as possible.”

  “I disagree. Siljan was not seriously harmed. She was in no danger after she sought aid from Kyran. Isadora and I both felt it, and we would have interceded had it proved necessary.”

  Hearing that was somewhat of a relief to Aliva. “I didn’t know that. It was pretty stupid to attack a Priestess of Kyran inside her own temple.”

  Alessandra half-smiled. “Yes, but your succubus side acts more on instinct. In your right mind, you would never have done something so foolish.

  “Aliva, this is really my fault. It was my decision to permit you to stay here. In my opinion, you have done a remarkable job of suppressing your natural urges. I imagine that has been painful for you.”

  Aliva was surprised by Alessandra’s insight. “Yes, it has been at times.”

  “Did your brief encounter with Siljan earlier help?”

  “Yes.” She felt in control, but the question sparked a pang of guilt.

  “Then your going-away present should be a huge help,” Alessandra told her as she broke into a smile.

  “Going-away present?”

  “Yes, you have been of great assistance to us. The attack on Morton may not have gone exactly to plan, but it succeeded, and you were the one that finished him off. Twice.”

  Aliva smiled and laughed. “Yes.”

  “Tomorrow, we will be having a dinner in your honor. Afterward, we will give you your present.”

  Aliva had a sudden suspicion. “Does my present have a name?” she asked.

  “He does,” replied Alessandra. “He is a murderer and needs to be put down.”

  “I will do my best to wear him out without killing him,” Aliva told her.

  “Good, but then you really do need to kill him.”

  “That is not a problem.” There was always a dagger or her magic.

  After Alessandra left, Aliva set aside clothing for the remainder of her stay at the temple and then resumed packing. The anticipation was already arousing her, but she felt firmly in control. This time, she would do things right.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  They were barely a hundred yards from the temple when Ariel asked, “What happened? Did he live?” She sounded very interested.

  “No,” Aliva replied sadly. “He didn’t.” She had lost control again.

  “Oh. Was it at least fun?”

  “Yes.”

  That was true enough. The man had done everything she asked and they had certainly enjoyed each other’s bodies for a time. But once she lowered herself onto him, her succubus half had completely taken over. She had simply ridden him until he was dead, absorbing every last bit of his life-force. The pleasure had been immense and she was still filled with energy, but it wasn’t what she had wanted to happen.

  “That’s good then,” said Ariel with an innocent expression.

  “I am certain that you will learn to control it eventually,” stated Isadora. “Your mother obviously did.”

  “Yes.” Her mother had been married to two different human men, bearing them both half-demon children. “Unfortunately, I never asked her about it. Now it’s too late.”

  “I hesitate to suggest it, but have you considered trying to contact another succubus for help?”

  “No, that would be very dangerous. Most demons despise half-breeds like me.” That made Aliva feel even more depressed.

  “I did not know that. I am sorry.”

  “How far are we going today?” asked Aliva, hoping to change the subject. “It’s a nice day and it’s not muddy, so we should be able to make good time.”

  Isadora nodded her agreement. “I would like to travel all the way to Merryton, but we need to make a stop in Farmerton and I am not certain how long that will take. We may end up staying there.”

  “I like Farmerton,” announced Ariel. “They’re really friendly there. And the food’s good.”

  “Why are we stopping?” asked Aliva. She had been there once before, but it had been cold and snowy.

  “I need to check on a young woman named Violet. She is due to give birth soon. Violet is Audrey’s best friend.”

  “I had forgotten that Audrey was from there. I’ve never met Violet.”

  “I have,” said Ariel brightly. “She’s nice. Her husband is very handsome.”

  Aliva smiled at Ariel and she noticed Isadora doing the same. “Then I am looking forward to meeting them both. I like Audrey, so I’m sure that I will like Violet and her husband too.”

  “Why not scout ahead of us, Ariel?” suggested Isadora.

  “Okay!” She smiled happily and raced forward.

  “She’s skipping,” commented Aliva. “She’s becoming more childlike all of the time.”

  “Yes. Alessandra thinks that it is actually a positive sign. Ariel’s childhood seems to have been quite pleasant. We think she may finally be repressing her memories of her time with Larna.”

  “I still feel guilty about that,” admitted Aliva. “That my own half-sister did such things to her.”

  “Aliva, from what I can tell the only thing that you and Larna had in common was the same mother. And I believe that your mother changed a great deal before she bore you.”

  “I think you’re right. And thank you for saying so. Larna certainly didn’t care anything for me either.” Larna had described her plans for Aliva’s slow and painful demise in great detail.

  “Could Larna control her power? Could she have sex without killing?”

  “I don’t know. Even if she could, I doubt that she did. She was evil.”

  “And a Priestess of Fiya.” Isadora held up a finger. “That is far enough, Ariel!” she called out. Ariel stopped abruptly and waved back at them, still smiling.

  “Yes. Each month Larna sacrificed someone to her goddess, destroying their soul in the process. I hate to think how many people she killed on Kaldir. She killed some in the Witch’s City too.”

  “I am just grateful that your father and his friends were able to defeat her.”

  “I am too, and believe me, they made certa
in that Larna will stay dead. They’re experienced with that kind of thing.”

  Isadora nodded seriously. “I would like to meet Albert. The stories that you and Siljan have told about him have been quite entertaining.”

  “He promised to come to the Witch’s City and visit me this Summer. If there’s time, I’ll bring him to the temple.”

  “If you do, then I will apologize to him for how I welcomed his daughter to our temple. I still feel guilty about that.”

  Aliva shook her head. “Don’t. Clerics rarely welcome demons unless they’ve actually summoned one. And even then they’re cautious.”

  “Well, I would like to think that Kyran had something to do with bringing you to our temple at such a propitious time. You were the perfect trap for Morton, even if things did not go as expected.”

  Aliva laughed. “That’s an understatement. If I had known he was going to come back to life, I would have just waited.”

  “And sexed him to death again?” asked Isadora with a playful smile.

  “Yes, while you were all outside wondering just what was going on. By the way, Siljan is ruining your fancy vocabulary.”

  “I know, but surprisingly she is developing into a competent cleric of Kyran.”

  Aliva saw Ariel turn and look back, so she smiled and waved in response. “I’m glad you allowed me to stay these last few months. It’s been interesting.”

  “It has,” agreed Isadora. “It really has.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Aliva looked around with interest as they approached Farmerton from the north. The houses were tightly clustered in the center of the village, surrounded by fields and fenced-in areas containing livestock, many adjoined by barns. All of the buildings were made of wood and looked old. She didn’t see anyone out in the fields, but it was raining. That had slowed their progress significantly. It was already late afternoon and Aliva suspected that they would be spending the night.

  “Ariel,” said Isadora suddenly. “Do you know where we should go? I’ve never been here before.”

  “I know where the meeting hall is,” she answered. “That’s where we stayed. That’s where I met Audrey.” Ariel frowned. “She was fatter then.”

  “That was before your mother began to train her,” Isadora reminded her.

  “That’s right. I forgot.” Ariel was smiling again.

  A narrow path between fields led them toward the center of the village. As they neared a fenced-in pigsty, a woman wearing a dark gray cloak with the hood up exited the barn through a door that opened onto the path. She spotted them and looked fearful for a moment, but then she relaxed and waited for them to approach. Aliva could see that she was middle-aged with blond hair and a somewhat pretty face.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in a hesitant voice. She narrowed her eyes and looked directly at Ariel. “I’ve seen you before. You were with Gabriel and those others one time.”

  Ariel’s face lit up. “Yes! I’m Ariel. And you’re … Audrey’s mother!”

  The woman laughed. “I am,” she said proudly. “My name is Marilee.”

  Isadora stepped forward. “It is a pleasure to meet you. We all know your daughter. My name is Isadora and this is Aliva. I am a Priestess of Kyran from Alessandra’s temple. Can you direct us to Violet’s house? I would like to check on her pregnancy.”

  “It’s too late for that; she delivered early. A healthy baby boy.” Marilee frowned. “But Violet’s still not feeling right. She was abed a long time.”

  “Then I will see what I can do for her,” Isadora told her. “And I would like to examine the baby as well.”

  “That’s good of you. Will you be wanting to stay the night?”

  “I believe so. The weather seems to be getting worse.”

  “It is, and it’s a long way to Merryton. I’ll tell the mayor and he and his wife will get you fixed up to stay in the meeting hall. We’ll feed you dinner too. Follow me.”

  Marilee set off with the three of them following. There was a large building at the north end of the massed houses. “That’s the meeting hall,” Ariel told them.

  “One moment, Marilee,” said Isadora and everyone stopped. “There is no need for the two of you to accompany me. Go on inside and I will join you later.”

  “Okay,” replied Ariel.

  “That’s fine,” agreed Marilee.

  Aliva followed Ariel inside, finding that the building was one large room with a long wooden table flanked by benches in the middle, and a large stone fireplace at the far end. There was no fire, but it wasn’t that cold at the moment.

  “I remember this,” Aliva said. “We stayed here but the village was covered in snow, so I really didn’t see anything else.”

  Ariel removed her cloak and hung it on a peg by the door before removing her backpack and sword belt and placing them on the floor. Aliva did the same. Her backpack was absolutely stuffed with clothing and it was a relief to finally take it off. She rubbed her shoulders and then stretched her arms. The soreness in her shoulders was already starting to fade; there were advantages to being part demon.

  Ariel curled up in a corner near the fireplace and promptly dozed off. Aliva sat down on one of the benches and rested her arms on the table. It felt good to sit down. She hadn’t done that much walking in quite a while and there was much more ahead before they reached Rohoville.

  Aliva was starting to worry about where she was going to stay when she reached the Witch’s City. She could stay with people she knew for a few days, but ultimately she needed to find something more permanent. That was a problem because she hardly had any money. She had given away almost everything to help others. She didn’t regret that, but it had created a real problem. After some thought, she decided that she would stay in Rohoville for a while first. There were people there she wanted to see, and her father probably wouldn’t arrive in the Witch’s City for at least a month.

  It suddenly became quiet and Aliva realized that it had stopped raining. After a minute, she got up and went outside. The air smelled of damp soil and she could see blue sky to the west.

  “Are you Aliva?”

  Aliva looked to her left and saw a young woman walking toward her. She was tall, with long blond hair, lively green eyes, and a friendly face. Her baggy gray dress couldn’t disguise how plump she was.

  “Yes,” replied Aliva. “I am.”

  The woman stopped about a yard away and gestured with both her arms. “You’re beautiful!” She grinned, displaying crooked teeth. “I’m Violet. Isadora pumped me full of healing magic and I feel great now!” She leaned forward and stared. “I’ve never seen anyone with eyes that color.”

  “They’re the same color as your name.”

  “That’s true,” Violet laughed. “Isadora said that you’re a friend of Audrey’s.”

  “Yes. I am.”

  Violet grinned. “Would you like me to show you some things around here? I’ve been in bed for months and I feel like walking around.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t feel that she could refuse.

  Violet began to walk east and Aliva followed her. It was soon clear that they were headed for the lakeshore. She could see a simple wooden pier protruding out into the lake with three small boats tied up to it.

  “I wrote up a note for Audrey,” said Violet. “Can you give it to her when you get to the Witch’s City?”

  Aliva sighed. “It would probably be better if you gave it to Isadora or Ariel. They will get there earlier and I can’t go to where Audrey lives.”

  Violet stopped abruptly and gave her a puzzled look. “Why not?”

  “The house where she lives has magical protections to keep out demons, and I’m part demon.”

  “So you’re saying you’re a demon?” asked Violet with a disbelieving look. “Aren’t you supposed to have horns and claws and wings and stuff?”

  “That’s true of most half-demons, but not me. A succubus is basically a sex demon and they look human.”

  “You’re a sex de
mon?”

  “Yes.”

  Violet folded her arms in front of her, looking almost comically skeptical. “Prove it.”

  Aliva smiled lasciviously and raised her glamour slightly. Violet’s eyes went wide as her mouth dropped open and her face began to flush. Aliva dropped her glamour as Violet gulped and took a step backward.

  “Okay. I believe you.” Violet’s eyes were still wide with surprise. “That was really something. Since you’re a sex demon, I’ll include the spot where Audrey lost her virginity in our tour. She doesn’t know, but several of us were hiding nearby and watching. We wanted to see what a half-elf looked like naked.”

  Aliva burst out laughing. “And how did Saxloc look?” she asked.

  Violet grinned. “Short, muscular, and big enough where it counts.”

  Aliva shook her head. “You are very funny, Violet. Now I see where Audrey got her sense of humor.”

  “That’s right. I’m to blame. Now on with the tour!”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Aliva’s only warning was Ariel’s sudden rapid movement as she narrowly evaded an arrow aimed at her. She winced as an arrow embedded itself deeply in her own left shoulder. The arrows were coming from a stand of trees ahead and to their left. As Aliva watched in shock, an arrow deflected off of Ariel’s armored leather breastplate. Seconds later, Ariel took an arrow to her left leg and fell.

  “Protection From Missiles!” cried Isadora as she ran forward in front of where Ariel now lay bleeding and grimacing in pain. Two arrows splintered themselves against an invisible barrier yards away, but Isadora ignored them and squatted down next to Ariel.

  Anger consumed Aliva as she gathered her will and pointed her left hand at the stand of trees. “Fireball!” The glowing red sphere shot forward, exploding into a huge ball of orange flame just as it reached the trees. Two arrows went wild as Aliva repeated her casting twice more, targeting different areas. She smiled as a humanoid figure staggered out of the trees with its clothes ablaze and then collapsed. The entire stand of trees and was now aflame.