Page 19 of Wickedly Ever After
At my age, it’s easy to dispense advice to young men and women who come to me for help when one or the other has torn a rift in their relationship. It is somehow harder to give the same advice to myself. But if I had it to do over again, I would never have caused you pain.
Please forgive me.
Love,
Ida
She tossed it into the hungry wastebasket, which devoured it with great papery crunchings and gave a contented, inky burp.
9
Hector
Dear Hector,
I know you aren’t one for visits, and I wouldn’t ask, but I must talk to you about Archie. No need for a formal visit—I’m attending the Rogues and Thieves game on Moonsday. I would be happy if you honored me by accepting these tickets.
Thanks,
King Rupert I
Hector hated travelling. This wasn’t like hopping on a broom for a quick ride to Goblin Town. A trip to the capital city meant harnessing the undead horses, making sure the coach was properly enchanted with antitheft hexes, asking his banshee neighbor to water the greenhouse while he was gone, arming a few skeletons to ride post, and then sitting in the most uncomfortable seat outside of the Council chamber for two whole miserable days. The coach rocked hard as it hit the millionth pothole, and his teeth slammed against each other. King Rupert’s letter almost flew out of his hand.
Tinbit bounced halfway across his seat, cursing. “Dammit, Hector, you said you were going to fix this.”
Hector folded the letter, tucking it away in the pocket of his second-best robe for safekeeping, and adjusted the cushion under his backside. “I didn’t see the sense in pulling ogres off duty for road work. Besides, heroes can use a few more hemorrhoids in their lives.”
Grumbling, Tinbit shoved his pillow into a comfortable position. The poor gnome had been up until midnight making arrangements for their week away from the castle, and as most places on Hector’s side of the kingdom weren’t equipped with crystal balls, that meant summoning carrier bats for reservations. At least there’d been no need to do that for the hotel in the capital city, although he remained uneasy about that. The Golden Dragon was Ida’s favorite hotel. Well, maybe he wouldn’t see her there.
“It’s almost time for afternoon tea. Would you like to stop and stretch?”
Tinbit’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. I forgot to pack your favorite tea.”
“Don’t worry about it.” His stomach would rot on the swill they made in the village. But the gnome had been so stressed.
“It slipped my mind,” Tinbit said. “I was trying to decide what flowers to send to Hari. A rose? But what if he thinks that means I’m in love with him? What if I’m not? Maybe a poppy. But poppies make people sleep, and he might think I want to go to bed with him. Argh!”
Hector chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll find the flower that says what you want it to say.”
“Yeah, aconite. I can poison myself and make a quick getaway in a healer’s wagon.”
“Are you truly that nervous about meeting this man?”
Tinbit folded his arms over his chest moodily. “Haven’t you ever wanted to make a good first impression on someone?”
“Can’t say that I have.” Maybe Ida. But he’d been younger and considerably more foolish back then.
“Daisies. Yeah. Not too formal. Friendly,” Tinbit muttered to himself.
Hector almost suggested gardenias. If he remembered his language of flowers correctly, gardenias meant ‘go away.’ Or was that sweet peas? He couldn’t remember anymore. Centuries had passed since he’d read a book on the language of flowers for his examination as a Cardinal Witch. He’d not had cause to use it since.
“What are you going to do when you aren’t at the Happily-Ever-After?” Tinbit asked. “You made me turn down every invitation, even the one to the Gardening Club.”
“I’m a Wicked Witch. I’m supposed to be unsociable.” It hurt him to turn down the Gardening Club. They’d wanted him to speak on “Sentient Plants and Their Special Requirements.” He’d planned to bring his sensitive fern. But Ida would definitely go to the Gardening Club. If he could get out of the Prince’s Dinner, perhaps he could avoid her altogether except for the Happily-Ever-After. He fingered the king’s letter. “The Rouge Rogues are playing the Marketown Thieves on Moonsday. I’ll go to that.”
“That’s one night out of three. You can’t just lie around in the hotel and do nothing.”
That was exactly what he planned to do. It was all he ever did on these trips to the capital city. Entertainment could be found there, but none that entertained him. “You know how boring I’ve gotten in my old age. Turn in every evening at eight, and seven if it’s dark out.”
