Chapter 25
Elise had barely slept during her first night at the castle.
Her chamber was located above the workshop.
It was still on the ground floor, but at least she did not have to share the small room with anyone else.
This came as a most pleasant surprise, since she was planning to scout the gardens at night in the days to come.
That very thought had kept her awake for a good part of the night. It was a demonic quality of her mind to stay focused on the task at hand and be unable to rest before completing it.
Another thing that had kept her restless was, of course, the memory of Kurt. Every time she closed her eyes, there he was, looking at her with those deep blue eyes that could undo her on any given day.
And his lips. Oh, his lips.
Poor Elise stood a far better chance of getting some rest by focusing on her impending task of finding the magic stone.
Bruno was still sleeping atop the small table in the corner of the chamber, beside the mirror attached to the wall. Elise washed her face using the pitcher and basin and grabbed one of the dresses she had stored in the large old chest that sat beside her bed.
The arrangement was not luxurious in any sense of the word, but it was sufficient for Elise. She had enough room to walk about, and the stone floor held a pleasant warmth that spread from the massive fireplace at the end of the hall.
Fabian had said to meet outside the workshop before dawn, and not wanting to disappoint the prickly fairy, Elise made her way there in no time.
She waited and waited for anyone to arrive, but nothing happened.
After half an hour, Elise decided to entertain herself by returning to the workshop and wandering among the potion tables.
Eventually, she occupied herself by reading some of the scrolls on the shelves as her wait stretched on for nearly two hours.
She was starting to feel the effects of the early hour when she heard footsteps in the hall connecting the chambers to the workshop.
The dozen people who entered the ample chamber were surprised to find Elise already there.
Some regarded her with a smile, though others appeared less pleased.
No one dared say a word. They were likely waiting for the one person with the authority to decide whether her presence was a blessing or a disaster. They did not have to wait long.
“How did you get in here?” Fabian demanded as soon as he laid eyes on her.
Elise swallowed hard.
“You told me to come before dawn.”
“But who let you in?”
“I was assigned a room in the castle.”
“What?” the fairy barked. “Who gave you the key?”
Elise looked around, confused. She composed herself quickly and explained, “It was Susanne who arranged it.”
But the man, still wearing the same old red leggings, seemed set on his own ideas.
“That cannot be. She would have told me. You must have gained the favor some other way...” A twisted smile formed on Fabian’s face as his dismissive eyes traveled over Elise.
Had this occurrence taken place in another setting, such as a market or the streets, Elise would have slapped the man on the spot. But seeing this was a coveted employment, she chose to overlook the offense.
“I assure you it was Susanne, sire,” Elise continued with a controlled countenance. She even managed a small smile. She was surprised Susanne hadn’t mentioned anything to Fabian, but the old woman had been in a rush to take to the road after all.
Naturally, the murmurs around the workshop began to grow, but Elise paid them no heed.
There was little more to be said after that, and Fabian guided everyone outdoors after gathering a few ingredients and a couple of cauldrons for the famed Healing Potion they needed to prepare.
There was a great deal of interest in Elise, but the other fairies kept most of their curiosity to themselves. One murmured that it had taken her six years of working there before she was assigned a chamber in the castle. Elise figured the fairy had been unlucky.
Dawn had almost given way to morning by the time they began the potions.
Fabian urged them to mix the ingredients quickly and set the fires for the preparation.
There were no magic flames or chants among them.
It was indeed as Morgaine had said; the fairies lacked some of the gifts possessed by their counterparts.
Elise was relieved by the situation, for in this arrangement she was at barely any disadvantage. Everything went smoothly and she helped without any difficulty.
When they brought everything back to the workshop, however, a real problem had made its entrance.
Standing at the threshold of the door leading to the stairs was Adelle, waiting for Fabian as though she carried the gossip of the century.
Elise had a bad feeling about the visit, but she simply nodded and followed the rest of the fairies inside.
She watched from afar as Adelle and Fabian spoke in hushed tones.
Their eyes drifted to Elise now and then, and she could tell the two of them appeared increasingly outraged.
Fabian, as if satisfied to corroborate his wicked theories, ordered Elise to come to them.
The whole workshop, now filled with around fifty fairies, halted in silence, waiting to see what was about to be said.
“So it was the duke who asked for the chamber on your behalf,” Fabian said with the conviction of a man ready to carve the statement in stone.
“Kurt?” Elise gasped.
“Ha!” Adelle laughed. “Of course he’s Kurt.”
“No, no,” Elise quickly interjected. “It was Susanne who had the idea. She left the key for me in the herbarium, and then a guard helped me find the place when I came back.”
She took Susanne’s note from her pocket and extended the small piece of paper to Fabian, who took it and lazily read it.
“You could have written this. It doesn’t have any seal,” the fairy muttered.
“I saw you two yesterday at the gardens,” Adelle said plainly, locking her gaze on Elise’s with contempt. “I saw everything.”
Elise’s eyes widened, remembering the heated moment. A small measure of embarrassment filled her, but she tried to contain it.
“I...I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Fabian was clearly enjoying the gossip, and before he surrendered the opportunity, he added, “The duke has been interested in you working here from the start. What favors you may have done for him are your concern, but it is plain enough why you would want a chamber here, darling.”
Elise, whose mind remained considerably purer than Fabian’s, took a few gasps before understanding the full implication.
“No!” was all she said.
She thought of sending for Kurt or trying to reach Susanne, but it was no time to dwell on any of that.
The whole workshop became little more than a nest of harpies in Elise’s terrified eyes.
Fabian and Adelle began spinning their theories about her attempts to seduce Kurt and how disgraced she must already be.
There was no shortage of unpleasant talk of witches in their slander.
Thankfully, the hateful recitation was halted by the loud cawing of Bruno, who by now seemed the only one on Elise’s side.
“Caw! Cawww!”
Fabian ducked as the black bird swooped around the workshop while several fairies took cover.
“Devil take you!” Fabian exclaimed.
And with that, an idea sparked in Elise’s clouded mind, making the reality of her situation as clear as the blue sky.
“Indeed. Devil take you,” she said.
They all fell silent, and Elise felt a small resolve guiding her.
She remembered Morgaine telling her to invoke the names of the Devil and Hell if she ever found herself in trouble. Well, she could not imagine a better moment to follow that advice.
“Believe me when I tell you I did not seek any favors from the Duke of Dornheim, or the Devil himself may see justice done.”
She swallowed hard. It was a gamble, but she sensed she had little left to lose after all the outrageous accusations thrown her way.
No one dared say a word. Elise stood there, glancing at Fabian and Adelle without flinching.
Finally, Fabian decided to be the one to speak. “This matter is not finished. Elise, stay where you are.”
A fresh round of whispers swept through the workshop.
Fabian and Adelle left the chamber, looking over their shoulders should Bruno decide to lecture them again. But the opinionated crow remained on Elise’s shoulder.
She felt a measure of calm knowing she had a sort of warden to protect her from the wickedness around, but she remained watchful nonetheless.
*****
Elise felt as though she were the original carrier of the plague for the rest of the day.
She was granted the treasured gift of solitude, whether she wanted it or not.
Fabian had not had the kindness to resolve the misunderstanding, and in the fearful eyes of the rest of the staff, Elise seemed to be an inconvenience best avoided.
It turned out Kurt, much like Susanne, was far from Metz. Elise didn’t know much more. There was no one to come forward and solve the wicked misunderstanding. It remained a mystery what Fabian had discovered during his inquiries, but at least she was still there. That alone felt like a victory.
She had to remind herself that the real reason for her presence in the castle was to find the Stone of Raj and that her position on the magical staff was secondary drivel.
Deep in thought and with barely any appetite for the stew served at the midday meal, Elise noticed one fairy who seemed to be enjoying a quantity of solitude nearly equal to her own.
She figured she could make her wait for nightfall more interesting by entertaining conversation with the wretched fairy.
As Elise would soon discover, in every blessed place where there was power, one could also find opposition.
The fairy enjoying his meal in such abundance of privacy was Emery, a man who had worked in the workshop longer than Fabian himself.
Sadly, having the unfortunate habit of speaking his mind, he had remained in the same post since the day he joined the magical staff.
“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked the languid fellow.
He lifted his eyes with a half-smile. “Of course.”
The other fairies around the hall watched them as Elise sat across from him.
“My name is Emery,” he whispered, glancing about. “Don’t pay them any heed. They are probably wondering if you are about to summon demons.”
Elise nodded with a smile. “I’m Elise,” she said, though she suspected Fabian’s introduction had been more than enough for everyone to know her by name already.
“Are you not afraid I might call the Devil on you?” she asked carefully.
He shook his head. “You look too kind for that. I doubt even Fabian was fully convinced.”
Elise let out a soft laugh. For a moment she felt as if she could trust the fairy.
“Is Fabian always like this?” she dared to ask, suspecting he had something to do with Emery’s own situation.
“He’s like that with every new recruit. That’s why the position remained vacant for so long.”
Elise sighed. Her good luck was beginning to fade. Thankfully, she was stubborn when it came to keeping her spirits up.
As she talked with Emery, her mind began to drift away from her own troubles, and instead she grew curious about the reason for Emery’s own isolation.
But not wishing to spoil her new friendship, she kept her questions within the bounds of politeness, limiting their conversation to weather and architecture until those topics proved too dull even for someone used to the quiet of solitude.
“So you are a witch?” Emery said after Elise had once again commented on the thickness of the walls.
She gave a slow nod. “I’m on my way to becoming one.”
“And I’m assuming Susanne was the one who approved your hiring,” he continued, as though he had already reached his own conclusions.
“She was the one who gave me a room as well.”
A small smile formed on Emery’s lips.
“Fabian has no authority over the Chancellor of Magic. If Susanne wants you here, you have little to worry about.”
“Do you know when she’s coming back?”
Emery thought for a moment.
“It could take a while. I believe she’s visiting several places in the east.”
Elise swallowed hard. It seemed she would have to wait for the fairy to return and set things straight. At this point, she doubted even a declaration from Kurt could undo the damage caused by Fabian’s and Adelle’s accusations.
As they continued talking, Elise discovered that having a chamber in the castle was indeed a rare privilege.
Emery himself had spent three months sleeping outside the castle through the rigors of winter until one day someone found him half-frozen.
It was only then that Fabian decided it might be better for everyone if he were given a room.
After her meal with Emery, and with a more educated understanding of how matters were handled within the magical staff, Elise felt considerably more at ease.
Relieved to know she would not be dismissed any time soon, she proceeded to do her work as diligently as she could and offered her help wherever it was needed around the potion tables.
A most sensible attitude, one that would pay handsome dividends in the days to come.