Due to the nocturnal habits of the majority of my neighbors, the streets at that time of day were largely empty, save for the Teamsters making their deliveries to the various restaurants and other businesses. That was why it took me only five minutes to find and buy the ingredients I needed at Dumo’s.
As I stepped out of the store, I happened to glance across the street where I saw a chestnut centaur hitched to a delivery wagon and recognized the burly upper torso of Kidron’s brother, Rowdy. Judging from the furniture on the back of the wagon, he was either moving someone in or out of one of the row houses lining Horsecart Street.
I was about to call out a greeting to the centaur when I spotted yet another familiar face. It belonged to Greer Bartholomew, aka Bartho, the photographer I’d met at my art opening. He was talking to Sylvester, the ipotane, directing him as to the order in which he wanted his belongings removed from the wagon. From the look on Syl’s face, Bartho was going to be damned lucky if, by the end of the day, he could sit down on anything without it collapsing. I turned and hurried back in the direction of home. I didn’t want Hexe to wake up and find me gone.
Upon returning, I set about preparing a fresh batch of Mexican clay-pot coffee and tried not to dwell on what the arrival of another artist—and fellow human—in my immediate neighborhood signified. On the upside, the leprechauns would have someone else to throw beer bottles at. But what was the downside? Maybe Uncle Esau was right, after all. Perhaps I was the harbinger of destruction.
“There you are! I thought I heard someone rattling those pots and pans.”
Hexe, his hair still tousled from the bed, was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, dressed in a silk dressing gown the color of wine and embroidered with dragons.
“I wanted to make us coffee,” I explained, pouring the fragrant mixture through the strainer. “I was going to serve it to you in bed, but since you’re already up . . .”
“I can think of better things to do in bed than drink coffee.” He gave me a languid smile. “I could use a little pick-me-up after last night, though.” He stepped behind me, nuzzling the nape of my neck. I leaned back, relishing the feel of his strong arms encircling my waist. “Is something wrong? I saw you frowning when I walked in.”
I shrugged my shoulders as I poured out two steaming cups of the delicious brew. “It’s nothing. There’s a storm coming, that’s all.”
“Really?” Hexe glanced out the kitchen window at the clear autumn sky. “I don’t see any clouds. ...”
“It’s still in the distance, but it’s on its way. I can feel it.”
“I love lying in bed on a lazy, rainy day.” He smiled. “Besides, as long as we’re together, it doesn’t really matter what’s going on outside my door. I don’t care if the world comes to an end, as long I’m with you.”
Had that speech come from anyone else’s mouth, I would have snorted and said something snarky. Instead, I wrapped my arms about him, resting my head against his chest. I could feel his heart beating, just for me, as mine now beat only for him. Whatever the future held for us, I knew that as long as it involved my loving him, and being loved by him, there was nothing to fear.
“You’re right,” I said as we headed back to bed with our coffee. “There’s no point in worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet. Who knows which way the winds will blow? Perhaps the storm will pass us by altogether.”
Golgotham Glossary
Abdabs: The frights/terrors; any number of creatures known for harassing/frightening humans. Used in Kymeran slang to connote annoyance, as in “Bloody abdabs!”
Ambi: Someone who practices both Right and Left Hand disciplines.
Bastet: A shape-shifting race taking the form of different big cats, such as tiger, lion, and panther. Also known as the Children of Bast.
Berskir: A race of shape-shifters taking the form of various species of bear, such as grizzly, black bear, and polar bear.
Centauride: A female centaur; also known as a centauress.
Charmer: A wizard who creates charms for a living.
Chuff/Chuffing/Chuffed: Euphemism for sexual intercourse.
Come-hither: A spell that calls a man or woman against his or her will, often during sleep or in an altered state of consciousness. Because of this, the subjects of come-hithers rarely have any memory of what happened to them once the spell is lifted. This spell is a favorite of date rapists and stalkers.
Client: Humans who pay to consult Kymeran witches and warlocks for any number of reasons.
Croggy: A subordinate or acolyte.
Crossed: Also known as cursed, afflicted, hexed, jinxed.
Dexter/Dexie: Someone who practices Right Hand magic, such as lifting curses and curing ailments. Right Hand magic is protective/defensive, as opposed to Left Hand magic, which is malicious/offensive.
Dowser: A psychic who specializes in finding lost things or locating fresh water.
Dunderwhelp: A stupid or unwanted child.
Dysmorphophilia: An inflicted preference for ugly sexual partners. A favorite curse among ex-wives whose former husbands have dumped them for a younger woman. Considered a nuisance curse.
Fecker: A contemptible person.
Glad Eye: The opposite of the Evil Eye. A charm that casts good fortune and success, especially in love and business.
Hamadryad: A shy, seldom-seen nature-spirit who lives inside one particular tree, such as an oak, birch, ash, or sycamore. Because of the urban nature of New York City, only a handful of hamadryads live in Golgotham.
Hamble: To cripple an animal, supernatural or not, by cutting out the balls of its feet for the purpose of fighting. This mutilation guarantees that the animal cannot physically back down from a fight because it lacks the ability to move backwards without falling.
Hambler: One who specializes in crippling animals for the fighting pit.
Heavy Lifter: A well-regarded banisher; one who can lift malignant curses.
Hedger: Short for “hedgewitch” or “hedge doctor”; a wizard specializing in herbal treatments of various illnesses.
Huldra: Female member of the huldrefolk, one of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. They resemble beautiful young women, except for the cow tails growing from the base of their spines. The males of their kind, known as huldu, appear as handsome men, except for the tails of bulls growing from the base of their spines.
Imbulbitation: A spell that makes the afflicted defecate whenever they are wearing pants.
Inflicted: The state of having an illness or spate of misfortune that’s supernatural in origin.
Inflictions: A number of spiteful/socially embarrassing medical illnesses and physical conditions that are the result of supernatural agents. These curses mimic genuine physical and mental illnesses, such as cancer or schizophrenia, and require a diagnosis by a Kymeran healer. If the illness is natural in origin, the client is referred to a doctor. Also referred to as afflictions.
Ipotane: One of the supernatural races found in Golgotham. Humans from the waist up, they are horses from the waist down. Unlike centaurs, they have only two legs. They are often mistaken for satyrs, much to their disgust.
Juggler: Someone who is known as a competent practitioner of both Right and Left Hand magic.
Lifter: A witch or warlock who specializes in lifting curses.
Ligature: Magical binding using knotted cords that prevents someone from physically doing something.
Lubbard: An idle person who can work but does not.
Maenads: One of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. Maenads are female followers of Dionysius, the Greek god of wine. They go into ecstatic frenzies during which they lose all self-control and engage in sexual orgies, ritualistically hunt down wild animals (and occasionally men and children), tear them to pieces, and devour the raw flesh.
Micturition: Infliction of excessively frequent urination.
Misanthrope: An antihuman bigot.
Nimgimmer: A healer who treats venereal diseases.<
br />
Nitwitch: An incompetent wizard.
Nump: A fool. A derogatory racial slur directed at humans.
Numpies: Slang for human yuppies.
Numpsters: Slang for human hipsters.
Peddler: Short for “charm peddler”; a wizard who specializes in selling charmed objects for commercial gain.
Pikey: An itinerant wizard who sells magic on the streets.
Pissing Contest: A magic battle between drunken wizards.
Power Lifter: A well-respected banisher.
PTU: Short for Paranormal Threat Unit, a separate branch of the NYPD in charge of policing Golgotham and responding to paranormal/supernatural events throughout the triborough area.
Pusher: Short for “potion pusher”; a wizard who specializes in selling love potions, untraceable poisons, etc., for commercial gain.
Satyr: One of the supernatural races living in Golgotham. Satyrs are humans from the waist up, goats from the waist down. They also sport horns on their heads. They are notorious for being prone to gambling, drinking, and kidnapping beautiful women. Female satyrs are called fauns.
Talent: A natural magic ability, applying both to humans and Kymerans.
Twunt: Slang for a paying customer who visits Golgotham’s red-light district.
Widdershins: The direction in which a curse must be turned in order to undo it.
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Right Hand Magic Page 25