by M. Gregg Roe
Mianna looked around suspiciously and then whispered, “I bring my own underclothes in and soak them too, but don’t tell Almera.”
Audrey couldn’t tell if Mianna was joking or not, but it still made her laugh. She tried to look serious as she said, “I bought some new underclothes this morning. If you soak them too, then I promise I’ll keep your secret.”
“Sorry,” replied Mianna, now looking serious. “We’re through with laundry for today, but you can do it yourself if you don’t want to wait.” She described where to find the mysterious softening liquid. It was stored in a closet full of cleaning supplies that Audrey hadn’t even been aware of, even though it was in her part of the house.
Audrey thanked Mianna and then went to the kitchen because she was already getting hungry. She found Elina there cleaning the stovetop. Elina glanced over and said, “Good afternoon. How was your walk?”
“Good. I really like this city.”
Elina nodded. “Me too, but this is where I grew up.”
“I’m curious. How did you get this job?”
Elina suddenly looked glum. “It was after the big earthquake. I was out shopping at the time, but my apartment building was completely destroyed along with all of my possessions. And my job was cleaning that building, so I lost that too.”
Audrey was shocked. She had assumed that the earthquake was just another story that Draymund had made up to scare her parents. “That’s terrible. What did you do?”
“I ended up in a run-down building with a lot of other homeless people. I didn’t have any family to turn to, and all of my friends had troubles of their own. Then Almera showed up. She said that she was unhappy with her current staff and was looking for people to work as maids and gardeners. She interviewed a bunch of us, and I was one of the ones that made the cut. Now we all make good money and work fewer days than we used to. I’ve never been happier.”
“That’s wonderful!” exclaimed Audrey. “I had no idea.”
“It is wonderful,” agreed Elina with a wicked smile. “It’s also how I met my husband.”
After snacking on some bread and cheese, Audrey went back to her room and put away her new underclothes. Unable to resist the temptation, she stripped off all her clothes and put on a set of her newly-softened old underclothes. They were even more comfortable than she had imagined, and just wearing them made her feel sexy. She went into the bathroom to admire herself in the mirror, but that just reminded her of how fat she was, and she went back out and laid down on the bed.
She thought about her encounter with the insurance collectors and what had happened to her parents on their very first day in the city. Novox had to have some system in place to deal with visitors. It would be a disaster for the city if every visitor was immediately robbed. Her parents might be ignorant, but they could certainly recognize the Novox logo by the time they had arrived. They couldn’t possibly have missed seeing it on the two men that robbed them. The only possible explanation, she realized, was that something unusual had been going on. Draymund and Almera hadn’t just sent her parents out without insurance to be robbed, it had all been arranged. The men that had robbed them probably had been Novox employees, but they hadn’t been displaying Novox patches. That was actually quite clever, and it also meant that Audrey’s parents had never been in any real danger.
♦ ♦ ♦
The cleaning crew had all finished and departed by late afternoon, and Audrey found herself completely alone in the huge house for the first time. It was somewhat frightening, so she began to look through the pantry to try to plan dinner. She put together a simple beef and vegetable stew, along with some small loaves of bread.
Draymund was the first to arrive home. He strode into the kitchen saying, “That smells good. Isn’t Almera home?”
Audrey stopped stirring the stew and replied, “No, and neither is Saxloc as far as I know.”
Draymund chuckled. “Yes, Saxloc may well have snuck back in and just gone to his rooms. Or he might be downstairs. He knows where the food is, and he should be able to smell the bread baking. I’m going upstairs to clean up.”
“Okay. We can eat any time now.”
She still wasn’t familiar with their ovens, and two of her loaves of bread came out somewhat singed. She was cutting the burnt crusts off them when Almera walked in and said, “That oven gets a lot hotter in the back, as I see you have now found out. Thank you for making dinner, Audrey. I hadn’t expected to be gone so long.”
Almera smiled smugly. “I found you a tutor. She will be here tomorrow morning and I think you will like her.”
Audrey was thrilled by the news. “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!”
“You are welcome. How was your day?”
“I met all of the cleaning people and they’re all really nice. I went for a walk and encountered two Novox insurance collectors. They were nice too.” She gave Almera a big smile. “But the best part is that I’m now wearing soft underclothes like the ones you have.”
Almera smiled knowingly. “I had forgotten about that. I’m glad they took the time to treat your undergarments for you. They are nice, aren’t they?”
“Yes!” Then something occurred to her and she asked, “Will that softening liquid work on regular clothes too, like my shirt?”
“Yes and no. I believe it only works on cotton, and even then, there is a major issue. Sunlight has an unfortunate effect on items treated with it.”
“What kind of effect?” Audrey asked, now curious.
“It causes the cloth to fall apart. So don’t leave your undergarments in the sun. And don’t go walking around outside in only your underclothes,” Almera advised, smiling.
“I wasn’t planning on it. But I’ll keep it in mind.”
“I have seen women wearing softened cotton dresses,” added Almera, “but only after dark.”
Saxloc had indeed been home, and the four of them ate dinner together at the kitchen table. He feigned indifference when they discussed Audrey’s tutor. When they finished eating, he said, “That was very good stew, Mother. It tasted different from what you usually make.”
Draymund crossed his arms and smirked. Almera pointed and said, “Audrey made the stew and the bread.”
Saxloc frowned as Audrey looked at him expectantly. He sighed and said, “It was very good, Audrey. Thank you.” He got up and began to leave the kitchen.
“You’re welcome, Saxloc,” she called out as he reached the doorway.
Almera and Draymund were both amused, and Audrey couldn’t help smiling herself as she began to clear the table. It had been an interesting day. And tomorrow she would start her real education.
10
‡ Money ‡
Over the next month, Audrey settled into a routine. She spent most mornings in her room working on her reading and writing skills under the supervision of her tutor. Hawina was a kindly, plump, gray-haired woman, and she loved to talk about her children and grandchildren. She was also quite strict, and Audrey quickly learned to not shirk her assignments. Hawina soon had her reading children’s books, and Audrey desperately wanted to keep that fact hidden from Saxloc. Fortunately, he really didn’t seem interested in what she was being tutored in.
Audrey generally spent the afternoons assisting Almera, either outside in the gardens or in the greenhouse. She found that her improving ability to read was a real asset. Before, she often confused similar-looking plants, but now she could read the labels that Almera had placed on many of them. Audrey was soon able to write out labels herself, although she thought her handwriting looked childish compared to Almera’s.
In the evenings, Audrey either went for a walk or read in her room, depending on the weather. She was gradually exploring the Witch’s City and had begun to draw her own map, making use of her new skills to label it. She sometimes spotted Novox insurance collectors, but they never bothered her again. Apparently, the word about her had spread.
Audrey never saw either Gabriel or Hankin during a
ny of her walks, but she often encountered Daragrim on one of his evening strolls. He was always friendly and asked her many questions about her education. She occasionally ran across Erik and Ilia, the two guards that had given her directions. They always gave her a friendly greeting and asked how she was faring. She spotted Saxloc sometimes, but she never tried to approach him. If he also saw her, then he would immediately change direction and walk away from her while scowling. It was depressing.
The cleaning and maintenance crew continued to show up every ten days, but she had been unwilling to wait for them to treat her new underclothes. Audrey located the softening solution and performed the treatment herself following Mianna’s instructions. She also treated her cotton nightgown and was delighted by the result.
Elina turned out to be interested in sewing, and she encouraged Audrey to use her skills to make herself some new clothing. Audrey had found two shops in the city that sold a wide variety of fabrics, and she often browsed their wares. Many of the fabrics they sold were expensive, but she was still seriously considering it. She was going to need warmer clothing eventually, and it might be cheaper for her to make them herself.
Zoran was the handyman among the crew. He seemed to spend most of his time working on the plumbing system, which always seemed to be springing new leaks. He was very serious about his work, and at first, she was reluctant to speak with him. He was also over twice her age and rather homely. When she mentioned Quentin to him—the man who had been the village handyman before giving his life to save her—he became quite interested, and they often chatted after that.
But it was Mianna that Audrey felt might truly become her friend. Mianna loved to joke around with her. In fact, Mianna had taken to playing practical jokes on her. Audrey had learned to carefully enter her room after the crew had departed, never knowing what she might find. Most recently, she found all of the towels laid out on her bed to form a giant ‘A’, and all of her underclothes neatly arranged in the bottom of the tub.
Mianna was single, and every visit she talked excitedly about dating a different man. Audrey wasn’t sure if the woman was really that fickle, or if it was just another one of her jokes. One time, Mianna confessed her interest in a handsome young man she had encountered. She was very disappointed when he spurned her advances. She then described him in detail, and Audrey suddenly realized that Mianna was talking about Gabriel! She decided to just keep quiet about her knowing him, and about him being Saxloc’s friend.
Almera continued to ask if she wanted to go shopping for clothing, and Audrey kept refusing, saying that she had all she needed. Every time she looked at the gold dress in her wardrobe, she was reminded of just how much Almera had spent on her that first day. Audrey was determined to eventually repay her, but that would have to wait until she had time to take a job.
Draymund was somewhat of a puzzle to her. He went out nearly every day. He rarely announced where he was going, and she was reluctant to ask him. He also spent a fair amount of time training on the lower level. He didn’t object to her watching him, and she was impressed by his swordsmanship and the intensity of his workouts. One time she tried to watch one of Saxloc’s training sessions with his father, but Saxloc yelled at her to get out, and she fled back to her room crying. She stayed well away from Saxloc’s sessions after that.
Audrey was very amused to learn that Draymund cleaned his trophy room himself—the cleaning staff weren’t even allowed in. Every few days, he spent hours there, dusting and polishing and waxing. She could now read his list of kills, and it was impressive. Dragons came in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes, and Draymund had slain a great many of them. She also discovered that he never hunted dragons for sport. He only took jobs involving dragons that had killed people or were a major threat to do so.
Not long after she began her tutoring sessions, Draymund accepted a dragon-slaying job and was gone for eight days. Saxloc made a nuisance of himself during that time, constantly whining and complaining about his father refusing to take him along. Audrey found it incredibly annoying. Almera did too, and she finally ordered him to just shut up about it.
Almera later told her that Draymund wouldn’t take Saxloc along because it was simply too dangerous. Draymund was an experienced dragon-slayer, and his magical sword and shield were specifically designed for that purpose. Saxloc would have none of those advantages if he went along. Audrey could also tell that Almera was very worried about Draymund the entire time he was gone, even though she pretended not to be.
Saxloc’s behavior toward her had only improved slightly. He never repeated his insult of just walking out, as he did that one time. Instead, he often went out to eat rather than have to eat meals with her. When she greeted him, he would respond tersely, but at least he would respond. She had hoped that Saxloc would invite Gabriel or Hankin over, but he never did. Almera told her that Saxloc used to invite them over fairly often, and she wasn’t happy about the change either. She and her husband were very unhappy with their son’s behavior.
♦ ♦ ♦
Neither Saxloc nor his father turned up for dinner one evening, and Almera was not at all happy about it. “I don’t mind them eating out,” she explained, “but I’ve told them both repeatedly to let me know when they’re not going to be here for a meal, especially dinner. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”
“No. I agree. I would have been in big trouble if I hadn’t told my mother I was eating at someone else’s house.”
Audrey decided that this was a good opportunity to ask Almera something that she had been wondering about. “When I came here, you said you hoped to use me to break Saxloc of some of his bad habits. Is that one of the habits you meant?”
Almera sighed deeply. “No. That is really Draymund’s bad habit that Saxloc has now acquired as well. I may complain about it, but I’ve given up hope of ever really changing that particular behavior. I’m also not referring to his latest behavioral issue, which is the way that he has been treating you. Or how he won’t listen to me, his father, or even his grandfather, when we try to speak with him about it. What I was referring to was Saxloc’s obsession with wealth.”
Audrey was confused, so she asked, “But you’re really wealthy, so isn’t that natural?”
“No, and that is actually a little insulting, although I know you didn’t mean it that way. We are wealthy now, but we were not when we first came here to the Witch’s City. But from Saxloc’s perspective, we have always been wealthy. He has always been given a generous allowance and has lacked for nothing. In hindsight, that was a mistake.”
Audrey still found herself puzzled. She felt envious of Saxloc’s upbringing and didn’t understand the problem.
“It was fine at first,” continued Almera. “Saxloc used his money to buy sweets and toys and games, just like you would expect. But then he began asking us to buy him those things. He said he wanted to start saving up some money for when he grew up. Draymund and I were both pleased by what we regarded as very mature behavior on the part of our young son.
“Soon he became reluctant to spend any of his money. At the same time, he began begging us to increase his monthly allowance. We refused and he threw an absolute fit. We finally realized that he had become obsessed with money. He kept all of his coins in a small wood chest. He would spend hours counting and polishing them all. He used his arithmetic skills to keep a detailed record of everything he spent or received.
“Audrey, we spoke to Saxloc about it. We had Daragrim speak to him. We reduced his allowance. We hoped that he might just eventually grow out of it, but he hasn’t. He still has that chest and ledger. He still spends time polishing his coins. He still hoards his allowance and expects us to buy everything. I know that he and his friends have found treasure or earned money on their adventures, but he just adds that to his stash. And he never gives even one copper piece to the temples or any charity. It is very disappointing.”
Hearing Almera say those things about Saxloc was shocking. Audrey h
ad never expected anything like that.
Almera gestured and said, “You actually have had some positive impact on this, Audrey. Saxloc has been eating out a great deal lately in his efforts to avoid you. That is costing him so much money that he has asked again for an increase in his allowance. Draymund and I discussed it; we are cutting him off starting next month. You should expect to hear a lot of screaming and whining and generally juvenile behavior from him.”
Audrey nodded. “I see. I’ll watch out for that.”
“Good, because he may blame you, for which I am sorry. I will do my best to make it clear to him that it is his own behavior that led to this.”
Almera frowned before continuing. “There is one more thing. I really am sorry to be putting you through all this. I never thought that he would go to such lengths to avoid and ignore you. Or that it would continue for so long.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it now.” Actually, she hated it.
Almera didn’t look like she believed her. “You may be used to it, but I can see that it bothers you. It bothers us as well. Draymund and I have both tried to talk with him, but we’ve had no success. Saxloc is very unhappy about the whole situation and there’s no reasoning with him.”
“Honest, it’s okay. And it’s all my fault.” She still wasn’t being completely truthful.
Almera rolled her eyes. “No, Audrey, it is not. I am the one who decided to continue the engagement. Draymund was against it, and now we are all stuck with this situation until Saxloc comes to his senses.”
“I’m sorry. What if I tell Saxloc the engagement is over and move out?”
“No, Audrey, that’s not happening. And stop apologizing. Saxloc is the one who needs to be apologizing.”
They exchanged sad looks before Almera sighed and said, “Audrey, I don’t know if you and Saxloc will ever end up together as a couple. But if it’s not you, then I hope it’s someone like you. My biggest fear is that he will bring a girl home who seems nice, but is actually—”