The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

CHAPTER 34 MUM’S THE WORD

Iwant to start with the worst news.”

“Why the worst news?”

“Because we tried going from the least of the bad news to the worst with my da, and that was a wreck. So start big, and then the rest won’t seem so bad.”

“Which of everything that has happened will be the worst news to your mother?”

Kat tapped Eric’s nose with a fleeting grin.

“Ah. Still me?”

“Still you.”

Eric took in a deep breath while dropping his head back. “Alright. Should I go in with you?”

“I mean … you can … I don’t know that it’ll help at all.”

“What about moral support?”

“That would be lovely if I weren’t soon to be a dead woman.”

Eric tilted his head as he stared down at Kat, his hand finding his pocket.

The couple stood a short way from the solar door where they had received word the duke and duchess awaited their daughter’s presence.

“Come on. We’ve survived lots of things so far. The devil, assassins, your father—”

“My cat getting arrested.”

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Eric’s encouraging expression dropped. “I’m still having a hell of time convincing the Troivackian knights that she’s Daxarian, and I’m pretty sure they’re all studying law in their spare time to better argue it …”

Kat smiled. “I think it’s rather sweet of them.”

Eric rolled his eyes at the ceiling. “Plus, we’re still trying to get information out of Duke Icarus before we finish him off—the man is incredibly resilient.”

“I get it … We’ve overcome quite a bit … but … my mother … well … even you said she’s infamous and frightening to criminals.”

The prince paused at this reminder. “I suppose I have also been warned how problematic some mothers-in-law can be.”

“Was it Alina warning you?”

Eric sighed and stared at his wife with a small smile. “I know you’re stalling now.”

The redhead slouched guiltily.

“Alright, come on. Let’s get this over with. And if it gets bad, just remember, after this we have no one frightening left to tell. In fact … just envision Mr. Howard’s reaction. I’ll have you know it took a lot of threats and bribes to try keeping news of our marriage from being sent off to my father.”

At being reminded of Mr. Howard, the Daxarian king’s dramatic and perpetually exasperated assistant that had been irritated by her father for decades, Kat perked up.

Eric was right! There was so much left to live for!

Turning toward the solar, Kat took long rejuvenated strides, though she stumbled a little as she approached the guards at the door.

She had forgotten to walk like a lady instead of like a soldier, and her dark yellow dress had gotten caught under her feet.

Eric’s hand appeared at her back, steadying her as they both nodded to the guards, who bowed to the couple before knocking on the door behind them, announcing Kat and Eric’s arrival.

Kat’s hands curled momentarily into fists before she lifted her chin and entered the chamber.

Upon crossing the threshold, she was greeted by the sight of her mother, sitting with her back perfectly straight, a white teacup in hand and a table ladened with dinner. The duchess wore a pearl-colored gown and amethyst jewelry with her hair piled atop her head. On her right sat Fin, whose hands were lightly clasped and resting on the table, his shirtsleeves already pushed up informally.

Annika turned and looked over her daughter as Eric closed the door behind himself.

The duchess rose with a smile and crossed the room. Once she had reached Kat, Annika lifted a hand and cupped her daughter’s face, her brown eyes warm …

Kat felt herself melt under her mother’s touch, and before she could stop herself, she wrapped her in a strong embrace.

“I’ve really missed you, Mum,” Kat croaked, surprised by how emotional she was becoming.

She hadn’t realized how, with everything going on, she really had wanted her mum …

Annika Ashowan had always known how to take care of things and had always been there for Kat to the best of her ability. She was strong and steady, and it had just dawned on her daughter then how incredible she was.

Annika hugged Kat back, stroking her head and holding her daughter close.

“I’ve missed you too. Ah, let me see, my girl.” Annika pulled away, though her hands clasped Kat’s, not quite ready to relinquish her daughter.

Under the duchess’s keen scrutiny, Kat could feel herself blush.

“You’ve put on some weight amazingly enough … though it appears to be muscle. I take it you are training quite often with the sword.”

Kat winced. She could hear the beginning of a dreaded question cropping up, and it would mean that she would have to reveal something before sharing her worst news.

So she panicked, and during that panic blurted, “I got married.”

Annika’s studious expression dropped.

She stared blankly at Kat while also standing perfectly still.

“Gods, Kat … did you have to say it like that?” Fin half moaned while covering his eyes with his hand.

Annika still didn’t react.

That is, until Eric cleared his throat uncomfortably and positioned himself beside Kat.

The duchess blinked, then stiffly turned toward him.

“Your Highness … Are you present to tell me you sanctioned her union with another man on our behalf? Or …”

Eric cleared his throat again and bowed.

“I see.”

Annika returned her dumbfounded stare back to her daughter.

“I’m guessing there is a reason you two had to get married in a hurry?” Her voice was faint, but it was difficult to tell if it was due to barely restrained anger or shock.

“You’re not going to be a grandmother,” Kat assured hastily while straightening her shoulders as though under questioning from her superior.

Annika swallowed and allowed herself a breath of relief.

“Then why was this rushed?” she asked with a forced calm, her gaze moving briefly to Eric before returning to her daughter.

“Er … well … we weren’t … completely certain for a time that you wouldn’t be a grandmother …”

Annika once again turned into a living statue.

One that no one dared tried to move.

She then rounded back to the table and sat back down, her stare directed straight ahead.

“Fin. I would like you to open that spare bottle of moonshine for me now.”

The house witch wasted no time in reaching beside the table, yanking the cork free from the bottle, and filling her empty teacup with the liquor.

When the task was completed, Annika reached forward and raised the cup gracefully to her mouth before draining it and setting it back down in its saucer.

“Another.”

Fin topped up the cup without any argument.

After polishing off the second serving, she casually took the moonshine from her husband, and drank straight from the bottle for the span of two breaths, the liquor going down by an inch or two in the bottle.

When she had finished inspecting the Troivackian moonshine—moonshine that was infamous for its unholy strength and potency—and for its calming benefits—Annika set the bottle on the table and regarded her daughter.

“That isn’t everything, is it?”

“Er. No. I’ve had people attempt to poison me, and I got stabbed again. Then I was exiled—but that was all a ruse for me to learn sword fighting in private. I learned sword fighting; got really good at it. I have an indentured peer because he attacked and almost killed me—it’s fine, we’re kind of friends now.”

“Let’s not get too excited about forgiving Broghan,” Eric added darkly.

“Alright, alright … I also fought against a few knights in an official spar to prove that women should be allowed to fight—and that witches aren’t all bad. I won those matches and now am training a bunch of noblewomen how to defend themselves until I leave to return to Daxaria—which I refuse to do until I help Alina and the king defeat the devil, or at least figure out who this woman who is plotting against him is. Oh right. I rescued Eric after he’d been abducted by the devil, and I almost gouged the devil’s eyes out. The devil also goes by Sam, and I just think that name isn’t at all suited for him.”

Annika observed her daughter without a word of response.

Then she turned to the window, her eyes lost in thought.

Kat sincerely started to worry that she had broken something in her mother’s mind.

After a long while of no one moving or making a sound, Annika addressed Fin.

“At what point in learning about this did it dawn on you she’s taking after me?”

“It took a lot longer than I’m proud to admit,” Fin confessed while risking a small smile.

Annika’s stare lowered and an eyebrow raised. “The Gods have a funny sense of humor.”

“Are you angry?” Fin asked quietly.

Annika scoffed. “I don’t have much of a right to be when I’m the same way.”

The house witch stared at his wife in open awe. “Gods, you’re amazing.”

Annika reached over and clasped her husband’s hand before once again facing her daughter.

“Come over, you two, I think we all have quite a bit to discuss.”

Kat glanced at Eric, unable to mask her astonishment at how well her mother handled the news. Though, admittedly, she had just drank what would’ve knocked the average sturdy Troivackian man unconscious.

Kat made her way over to her chair with her husband following close behind.

“If I’d known it was going to go over this well, I wouldn’t have bothered wearing a dress.”

Annika balked. “What would you be wearing if not— Oh no. Katarina, have you been wearing trousers here in Troivack?!”

“That you take exception to?!” Kat had been in the process of laying a napkin in her lap as she stared incredulously at her mother. “Yes, I wear pants! But only after I was ranked the top of my class, and it is an official uniform!” Kat snapped back indignantly.

Caught off guard by this tidbit of information, Annika leaned back in her seat. “Top of your class? Truly? Who is your teacher?”

Kat grinned. “Leader Gregory Faucher. It took a while, but the old grump likes me now! He even walked me down the aisle for our wedding!”

“I still haven’t forgiven you completely for robbing me of that experience,” Fin grumbled in his seat while he ladled some small seasoned potatoes onto his plate.

“Leader Gregory Faucher …” Annika frowned. “Does he happen to have a wife named—”

“Lady Nathalie, yes! She mentioned you two knew each other years ago.” Kat nodded eagerly, hoping that they were moving onto far safer and more pleasant conversation.

However, the duchess suddenly looked mildly irked. “She did, did she?”

“Yeah … Did you two know each other well?” Kat queried next, though she was starting to grow wary again.

“We crossed paths once or twice.”

Kat decided not to mention how Lady Nathalie had indicated that she actually knew her mother quite well … Not when Annika Ashowan had handled the most shocking piece of news so swimmingly!

“Ah … I see … She has a daughter, who’s wonderful. Her name’s Dana. I’ll introduce you tomorrow morning!”

Annika bobbed her head vaguely, her true emotions and thoughts unclear.

Sensing this, Fin eyed his wife before addressing his daughter.

“After we eat here, Kat, your mother and I are going to look for Likon, but I’ll have to leave her on her own for a while. I learned earlier today that there have been rumored sightings of sirins.”

Everyone’s attention snapped to the duke.

“Another ancient beast?” Eric leaned forward.

Fin nodded. “Yes. There were four types of ancient beasts that legends say used to dominate this world, each one aligning with an element. The stone golems were for earth, the imps were for the water, the dragons for fire, and the sirins for air.”

“What do sirins look like?” the prince insisted, his eyes intent.

“They have the head of a woman, bird claws for feet, and wings for arms, though there are claws on them as well as working hands. Usually, they have white or gray hair, and red or blue eyes. They’re the size of an average person, and they have great control over the wind … At least that’s how the old texts described them. It now makes me wonder if maybe they have something to do with the terrible weather we were experiencing over the Alcide Sea, which could also explain the strange winter Troivack is having.”

Kat cringed. “Gods, as if the nobility here needed more fuel for their hatred of magic … I’m shocked they even let Mage Sebastian into the meetings.”

“That was a bit different. They aren’t really aware of how much magic he can wield. They are treating him more as an academic who knows about magic rather than a magic user. At least they were. Alina’s coronation changed everyone’s view of him, and people have been wary of Sebastian ever since. However, with all this speculation about Duke Icarus’s heir … things might get even nastier for him,” Eric expounded.

Fin nodded. “From what I’ve heard, there is a chance that Duke Icarus’s next of kin may even relinquish the title, as it is going to be more hassle than the prestige is worth, what with all the duchy’s finances being tied up. With the people he enslaved having been released, there aren’t enough workers to help in the vineyards, and his ships are docked for the foreseeable future.”

Annika turned to her husband. “Do you like Mage Sebastian?”

Fin tilted his head back and forth thoughtfully. “He seems alright. What about you two? What do you make of the man?”

“Annoying as hell, but a decent fellow. Why are you asking that though, Mum?” Kat wondered while loading her dinner plate with half a rack of mutton and potatoes.

“I’m debating if we should help him.” Annika gave a dignified shrug and took another drink from her teacup, though when she finished, she noticed the prince giving her a hard stare.

“Is there something you wish to say, Your Highness?”

Eric looked at Kat, his eyes asking the silent question.

She gave her head a small shake.

“Not presently, Your Grace,” Eric responded tightly.

Annika watched the exchange between her daughter and new son-in-law and recognized that there was definitely something the future king of Daxaria wished to say, and surprisingly … her daughter was navigating the situation and deciding to bring the matter up at a different time.

The duchess couldn’t resist giving a discreet smile toward her plate, unable to say what she wanted to in Eric’s company.

It looks like my daughter has grown up quite a bit since I’ve last seen her …