Page 30 of The Black Witch

Suddenly aware of someone’s eyes on me, I glance to the side.

A slight, plain young woman with intelligent green eyes is regarding me calmly from where she sits, a book open and facedown on her lap, her hands resting on it. She’s dressed like Echo Flood, in a conservative, multilayered frock with a silver Erthia sphere hanging from it. No makeup. I notice that the hands resting on her book are unmarked, like mine, and it seems incongruous. Her dress pegs her as a girl from a very conservative family, yet she’s unfasted.

“Fallon doesn’t seem to like you,” she comments as she glances over at Fallon, who’s laughing and eating with her friends. She smiles at me sympathetically, her eyes kind. “You’re brave, you know. In your choice of enemies.”

“You don’t like her, then?” I ask, surprised.

The young woman shakes her head. “Fallon? She’s mean as a snake. So are her brothers.” She shoots me a look of caution. “Mind you, if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.”

I raise my eyebrows, relieved to finally be meeting someone outside Fallon’s social circle. I extend my hand to her. “I’m Elloren Gardner.”

She laughs and takes my hand in hers. “That’sobvious. I’ve heard all about you.”

“Let me guess,” I say guardedly. “I’m the girl who looks exactly like my grandmother?”

“No,” she laughs, “you’re the girl who’s been living under a rock somewhere up north. But I think yourrealclaim to fame is that you’ve never been kissed.”

My face going hot, I sigh and reach up to massage my aching forehead. “I should never have told her that.”

“Don’t worry,” she says, trying to comfort me. “Ihavebeen kissed, and it’s overrated.”

I stop rubbing my forehead. “Really?”

“Really. Two people, smushing their mouths together, tasting each other’s spit, possibly with food bits mixed into it. It’s not at all appealing, when you really think about it.”

I let out a short laugh. “You’re a dyed in the wool romantic, aren’t you?”

“I am not the least bit romantic,” she affirms, somewhat proudly. “Romance just complicates life, sets up unrealistic expectations.”

She sits there so neatly, her discreet dress perfectly pressed, her long black hair carefully brushed and pulled back off her face with two silver barrettes.

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right young man yet,” I offer.

“No, I’ve met him,” she says, matter-of-factly. “We’ll be wandfasted by the end of the year. He’s over there.” She gestures with her chin toward the entrance to the large ballroom. “The one just to the right of the door.”

He’s much like all the other young men who are milling about. Square jaw, black hair, green eyes.

I turn back to her. “So you’ve kissed him.”

“Yes, it’s expected.” She sighs with resignation. “They wait so long for...other things, our men. We’re supposed to throw them a bone every now and then, I guess.”

“But you don’t like it.”

“It’s notawful, don’t get me wrong. I mean, it’stolerable.”

Her lack of enthusiasm makes me laugh. “You make it sound like doing chores!”

“Well, it kind ofis.” She’s smiling at me good-humoredly.

“You feel this way, and you’re okay with fasting to him? Withmarryinghim?”

She shrugs. “Oh, Randall’s all right. He’ll make a good fastmate, I suppose. My parents picked him out for me, and I trust them.”

“You mean you had no say in the matter?”

“I don’t need to have a say. I trust them. I knew they wouldn’t pick someone mean. They chose fastmates for my two older sisters, as well.”

I’m fascinated by her complete acceptance of this. “Don’t you want to choose your own fastmate?” Uncle Edwin would never just pick someone for me. Maybe he’d introduce me to someone nice, but he’d certainly leave the decision solely with me.

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