Page 10 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
"Grandma Tutti," he corrected. "I, ah. Please don't take offense. But I grew up in cities. And they said you're a witch. But witches in cities… um…"
"I'm not what you expected." She poured water into two teacups and came to sit opposite him. "It's horrible and sad how they treat magic users of any kind other places. They outlaw people's natural talents. Outlaw the teachings. Force people to hide who they are or to learn the worst parts of the craft in the worst places just to survive. In the worst cases, hunt them and murder them. I understand how lucky I am to have been born into a long line of forest witches. We don't have as much contact with wealthy people who make laws for their own benefit. We have much more freedom outside city walls."
"And Merseton is different."
She nodded and stirred her tea. "And Merseton, as you've already noted, is different. This forest was long rumored to be a haunted wood. Regular humans avoided it. So the area attracted anyone that non-magic humans would think of asdifferent, and now we have Merseton."
"Are you a forest witch? I thought forest witches lived behind walls of bramble and thorn or in giant, ancient trees." Aspic nearly kicked himself for being so blunt and possibly offensive, but she smiled.
"You're right. Many forest witches tend to live as close to the forest as possible. And many half-demons are children of the dark and chaos, tending towards thievery and sex work." She waved off the protest he'd started. "It's all right. I understand the confusion, especially considering where you've obviously been. My father was a forest witch. My mother a hedge witch concerned with the spirit world. I'm more of a garden witch, though I learned both of their crafts."
"That must've been a nice childhood." Aspic couldn't keep the wistfulness from his voice. "Here in the woods."
"I've had an enchanted life, I'll grant you that. Growing up with faun and gnome children as playmates. Marrying the two witches I loved most. Having a tribe of children between the three of us and watching them grow. Many of my children and grandchildren still live close."
"The bakery owner?"
Grandma Tutti pushed the sweet buns closer to him, her eyes crinkling merrily. "One of my daughters, yes." Something in her smile slipped a little. "And I see you've been to visit our Geoffrey. These buns are his favorites."
"He's one of your grandkids?" Aspic looked at his hands back and front. "How can you tell I was there?"
"I'd like to be terribly mysterious and saymagic, but that particular combination of milkweed seeds, burrs, stickseed, and woodland lettuce seed you're wearing is most likely from the path to Geoffrey's cave. He doesn't keep up with clearing it well at all. Seems to feel a necromancer wouldn't do that."
Aspic examined the hem of his kilt and discovered hehadpicked up a number of seed passengers. "I see. Yes. I had a delivery for Geoffrey today, too. And his shadow-imp guardian."
Her eyebrows went up in surprise. "He finally took Cecil on as a familiar?"
"I made that mistake, too. No, Cecil told me he's a guardian, not a familiar. He seemed nice. Cecil, that is."
Grandma Tutti chuckled into her teacup as she took a sip. "Thank you for not saying outright that my Geoffrey was rude to you."
"He wasn't…" Aspic shifted uncomfortably. "He was a little abrupt. And he was busy. He… I think he treats me the way he treats everyone, and that's actually a good thing." He finally gave in, picked up a sweet bun, and took a bite. It was all he could do not to embarrass himself by moaning in pleasure. "These aresogood. Thank you. Just what I needed. Do you have a familiar?"
"Baking is more fun if someone enjoys what you made. Eat as many as you like." Grandma Tutti took one for herself, though she only nibbled. "My familiar is an earth sprite. Thora likes taking the form of a chicken and watches over my little flock. She's out there with the other hens."
Aspic felt like a piggy, but he finished the first sweet bun and had reached for a second before he asked, "Do you worry about him? Being a necromancer and living alone up in that cave?"
Now she outright laughed, rocking back and smacking the table with her palm. "Liveup there? Oh, my dear, no. Geoffrey lives with me. He has a cozy room upstairs all his own and packs his lunch every morning before he goes to his laboratory. I wouldn't allow him to live in a cave. Though sometimes he does get too involved and might not come home for a day or two."
She sobered abruptly, frown lines suddenly more evident than laugh lines.
"But you do worry," Aspic prodded gently.
"I do." She nodded, subdued. "Geoffrey was born a weather witch. He's a good one. Quite respectable power and control. But he became obsessed with death after his kitty, Dandelion, passed away. She'd been his companion since he first started to walk. He really had no one else besides Dandelion and me."
"His parents?"
"My third daughter and her husband. They went to Kartleton to try to bring witches out when the last purge began there. They didn't come back. Geoffrey was too small to remember them."
"I'm so sorry. I, ah, lived in Kartleton when I was little."Barely lived, more accurately.Don't start, memories. Go away.
"Then you know how bad the situation can get there. I couldn't forbid them to go." She sighed and took another sip. "But I'm wandering off the path. Geoffrey was heartbroken when Dandelion passed away. She was in her sixteenth year. Certainly not young for a cat. And he swore—he even called a storm to make the oath more dramatic—he swore he would conquer death. Yes, I worry. Necromancy has a way of twisting people, no matter how good their intentions."
Aspic grasped frantically for something comforting to say. "I brought him seashells today."
"Seashells?"
"Three bushel baskets of them."
