The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

CHAPTER 31 BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

You’ve been walking long enough! Come on, let’s move!” Kat hollered from the middle of the training space that had been set up for the young women who had committed themselves to learning self defense under her tutelage.

A series of groans echoed as everyone, once again, forced their throbbing, weary legs to resume a halfhearted jog.

Surprisingly, every noblewoman that had originally signed up had returned.

Everyone except for Selene Icarus, whose father happened to be getting tortured and shunned in front of the castle doors that very moment.

Kat’s stomach lurched unpleasantly at the reminder, and she struggled to push her thoughts free of the fact … A new, urgent desire to return home to Daxaria where everything was overall much happier, kinder, and more comfortable reared its head.

A gentle nudge under her right hand drew Kat’s gaze downward to see Boots, one of Dana’s dogs, panting contentedly at her side as his mistress continued to run laps around the yard.

The redhead smiled at Boots’s warm, beautiful brown eyes. “Ah, you’re a good pup, aren’t you?” she cooed while giving the beastie an affectionate scratch behind the ears, sending his nubbed tail into a furious wag.

The pleasant distraction from her troubles didn’t last long, however, as one of the young women under Kat’s tutelage halted in her tracks, doubled over, and vomited on the courtyard stones.

“Aah … that’s probably not a good thing …” Kat made her way over to her pupil.

Dana had already reached the girl’s side and was speaking quietly to her, her hand on her back as she waved to a steward who stood nearby on the steps, ready and waiting with flagons of water for Kat’s students.

Kat stood back while the man handed off the beverage to the young woman. She waited for her to take a mouthful of water before speaking.

“You’re welcome to take the rest of the training time off. I’m sorry if I’ve been pushing you too hard today,” Kat apologized while reaching out and patting the young woman on the shoulder.

The girl couldn’t have been older than fifteen years old. She had lovely long, wavy black hair, clear skin, a soft jaw, and big round eyes. Her innocent appearance made it all the more surprising that she had chosen to join Kat’s more difficult class.

“It’s my fault for eating such a big breakfast … I want to keep training.”

“Resting is part of training”—Kat grinned— “but I like your enthusiasm. Go sit on the stairs, and when we start learning stances, I’ll let you join in again, alright?”

The young woman nodded with a relieved smile and stepped around her splatter of sick that her fellow young women had already redirected themselves around.

Kat turned to Dana, still smiling. “By the way … you wouldn’t have happened to mention that you’re taking my lessons to your father, hm?”

Dana flinched, cleared her throat, and then rejoined the rest of the women running without bothering to even try to lie her way out of the question.

Kat sighed and looked down again at Boots. “I tell you, that girl is far bolder than anyone in her family realizes …”

The redhead made her way back up the stairs to where Sir Cas was speaking to his group of adoring female protégés, however, when he saw her approaching, he excused himself and slid over to her.

“Everything alright with Lady Gwyn?”

Kat nodded idly. “Poor girl is just pushing herself too hard today.”

Sir Cas’s expression was uncharacteristically grave. “She’s probably worried and not thinking clearly. Lady Selene Icarus is the noblewoman she waits on … She might be cast into shame from mere association, given the duke’s scandal.”

Kat’s brow crashed down.

She really didn’t want to have to think about more depressing news …

“Excuse me!”

The Daxarian duo turned toward a knight who had approached them both. Kat instantly recognized the man as one of the knights she had sparred with during her official duel.

“Sir Marin! Great to see you!”

The Troivackian bowed in greeting. “I’m afraid Leader Faucher has asked that you conclude your training with the young ladies today. He wishes to train our distance archers, and we require the full use of the courtyard once he returns from his … meeting with Duke Icarus …”

Kat bobbed her head in understanding. She recalled Faucher mentioning that after facing the stone golem, he wanted their men to improve their accuracy in the hopes that they could maybe strike the golem’s eyes.

Once she and Sir Cas had successfully sent their pupils back indoors and helped to clear away the partitions in the courtyard, the redhead was surprised to see Lady Dana sitting and waiting for them on the steps to the castle.

Kat thought she would’ve tried to avoid being caught by her father.

Then again … Kat glanced at Sir Cas, who was in a rare state of disrobement, as he had removed his formal vest and rolled up his sleeves as he worked despite the cold. The blond knight even had a streak of dark grime across his forehead from where he’d absentmindedly wiped his sweaty brow.

A slow grin climbed Kat’s face as she stared at Dana’s starry eyes and slackened jaw. And she kept staring until the young woman realized she was being observed and blushed scarlet as a result.

Luckily, Sir Cas was oblivious as he fell into a conversation with one of the Troivackian knights.

Making her way over to Dana, Kat’s mischievous smile broadened.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you becoming quite audacious,” Kat teased in a singsong voice.

Dana buried her face in her hands while Kat lowered herself down to sit beside the youngest Faucher family member.

“So … are you hanging around here to … watch the knights train, Lady Dana?”

“I-I might be interested in archery …” Dana managed to respond, though she couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend.

“Mm-hmm …” Kat drawled while she looked at Boots, who, while seated beside his mistress, still shared a look with Kat as though he, too, knew what was afoot.

Dana sighed and dropped her chin to her chest, then risked looking up at the group of knights where Sir Cas had situated himself.

“I keep wanting to believe it’s just a crush, but I can’t get over him …” she lamented wearily. “I’ve never liked any man as much as I’ve liked him … He’s considerate and sweet … He listens to what I say, and I just feel better when he’s around.”

Kat listened seriously. It was rare for Dana to confide so openly, and it was breaking the redhead’s heart to know that the knight responsible for the kindhearted young woman’s feelings did not share them.

“Give it time,” Kat responded while stretching her legs out and crossing them at the ankles. “One day, you might find yourself feeling a little less toward him, or perhaps someone else will catch your eye. Or better yet … a new puppy!”

Dana gave a faint laugh at Kat’s words. “I guess he told you he doesn’t think of me in the same way I think of him.”

Kat pressed her lips together and filled her cheeks with breath as she struggled to find any comforting words for her mouth to form in that moment.

“It’s alright. Maybe one day it’ll be different. Either for him or for me …” Dana pulled her knees closer to her chest and rested her chin on top of them as she stared at the knights more passively than before.

“Dana, why are you participating in my class?” Kat questioned, hoping her younger friend’s bout of honesty would continue into this new topic.

Dana smiled. “Because I’ve always felt like I didn’t fit in with my family … And … getting to learn how to train and handle a sword? It makes me feel closer to my father and brothers … even if they don’t know about it yet.”

Kat reached an arm out, and after wrapping it around Dana’s shoulders, tugged the young woman closer to herself. “They … are going to kill you when they find out. I mean, they’ll start by killing me as a warm-up, but you’ll be next. They might even lob off Sir Cas’s head next time he sleeps for good measure.”

Shockingly, Dana didn’t become fearful over the reminder. “I know, but … I’m a Faucher, and you’ve already started proving that women aren’t just property to protect. Even if you are a witch.”

Kat gripped Dana tighter and stared out over the courtyard.

Oddly enough, Boots perked up energetically in their quiet and began to wander over to the men as though curious about something …

The two women watched, both puzzled by his behavior, and so they rose and decided to follow Boots to see what was happening.

As they proceeded into the courtyard, there were several Troivackian knights who did a double take as they registered that Lady Dana was at Kat’s side, but the two women pretended not to notice as they tried to find where Boots had disappeared to.

At last, they found that the loyal mutt had sought out none other than Sir Cleophus Miller, who had Pina on his shoulders.

The kitten had her back arched, and a weak, adorable hiss came out as she stared down at the dog who whined hopefully up at her.

Cleophus grunted threateningly down at Boots.

Kat started to laugh. “Jeez, I guess Pina’s cuteness translates across all species.”

However, just then, when Boots inched closer to Cleophus, his stubby tail wagging curiously, the knight gripped the handle of his sheathed sword at his side and started to pull it from his belt. Kat opened her mouth to stop him—regardless of the fact that he had kept the weapon sheathed—but didn’t get the chance.

“What do you think you are doing?” Dana stepped forward and glared up at the knight as Pina continued inching back behind Cleophus’s head to put even more distance between her and the dog. “Boots, come!”

Boots rounded back to his mistress, his ears drooping as he was forced to give up on a formal introduction to Kat’s familiar.

“Dana—” Kat was about to try ushering the young woman away and apologize on the knight’s behalf, but Dana was deaf to her.

“Who do you think you are? Pulling a sword on a dog?! You didn’t even try to tell him to sit or stay!” Dana hollered up at the terror that called himself a man.

The knights all shrank away from the scene. They were either mortified of or nervous for Cleophus’s reaction.

The knight let out a growl toward Dana that had several knights flinching.

“What? Are you no better than a mutt yourself? Speak!” Dana roared up at Cleophus while moving closer, her hands clenched at her sides.

She was easily a third of the knight’s size, and yet the shout from her filled the courtyard.

Cleophus released his weapon and instead folded his arms over his chest to scowl down at Dana.

“You know, Cleophus, given that Pina is my familiar, I do have to agree with Lady Dana here. I appreciate you want to protect Pina, but you don’t always have to go for the violent solution. Besides, if you were going to use violence on anyone, why the hell is Lord Ball still alive?!”

Cleophus’s eyes darted to Kat, who had moved to stand behind Dana.

“His wife wouldn’t let me in the room.”

“Godsdamnit, Elyse, you should’ve just stepped out for tea …” Kat lamented under her breath.

“Hey! You!” Dana shouted again, making Cleophus’s attention shift back to her. “Stay away from my dogs and don’t ever threaten them again!”

The knight towered over the slip of a woman, his expression blood curdling.

No one could think of how best to intervene … Even Kat was grimacing behind Dana.

“Keep your mutts away from Ms. Pina Colada,” he warned ominously in return, black foreboding filling his tone.

Amazingly, Dana leaned even closer, her round face every bit as fierce. “Threaten or hurt my dogs, and I’ll see to it that you’re the one helping me walk them every day! You’ll have to leave Pina alone all morning.”

Sir Cleophus was starting to bare his teeth in such a way that everyone could tell would lead to a roar, when lo and behold … a new interruption graced them all.

“Oyy! Why in the world does it sound like Dana is here … ?”

The unmistakable voice of Piers echoed over the many knights’ heads.

“Don’t be preposterous,” came the incensed retort from Dante.

Sir Cleophus cast a cold smile down at Dana. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Unwilling to be chased out and not have the last word, Dana looked down at her dog.

“Boots. Relieve.”

“Dana, what are you doi—” Kat’s incredulous, breathy question was cut short as the ever obedient Boots stood, turned, and proceeded to piss all over Sir Cleophus Miller’s shoes.

The only sound in the courtyard was the steady stream from the canine landing on its mark.

During which time, Dante and Piers broke through the crowd to the scene, and upon laying eyes on their very own sister scowling up fearlessly at Sir Cleophus Miller while her dog issued a special kind of insult, both found themselves at a complete and utter loss for words.

That affliction, unfortunately, did not last long.