Treacherous Witch

"—should be afraid of you."

"Well, now we can both sleep soundly."

She doesn't think so, but she appreciates the reassurance nonetheless.

Of course, he's right to be cautious. She's already made note of all the potential weapons in the tent, from his sword to a heavy water jug. Even if her hands weren't tied—

*

Afterwards, they lay entwined in bed, Valerie's head resting on Avon's chest, his hand on her waist. For a time, they were quiet. She listened to his soft breathing, his heartbeat matching hers.

She traced the planes of his chest. "James?"

"Hmm?"

"I have a confession. I told the ladies in Jairah that you were mediocre in bed. Now we have to go back so I can correct my mistake."

For a moment, he looked startled, then he chuckled. "You petty brat. Why am I not surprised?"

"I suppose you'll just have to keep proving me wrong."

"I suppose I will." He stroked her hair. "I suppose I'll have to wake up with you every morning. And kiss you…" He planted a soft kiss to the top of her head. "And look forward to every day and night after that."

"Look at you being romantic," she teased him.

"I asked you to marry me. I'll admit there are feelings involved."

This statement, with its quiet ring of truth, got to her more than their gentle banter. All these squishy feelings that she had suppressed came rushing back. She felt it in her heart, almost an ache, a tightness in her chest. It wasn't wholly happy. Trusting him with her body created one kind of vulnerability. Trusting him with her heart was far more dangerous.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Same here."

She twisted the mercurite ring around her finger, sensing Avon's gaze on her. There was another question in his statement, one that he wanted an answer to, but she was unwilling to give it. She didn't want to ruin the moment.

The silence lingered.

"Actually," he said, "I've been meaning to ask you something else."

She looked at him, waiting for him to go on. He met her eyes.

"When I spoke to the Senate regarding my ambitions for the Empire… What did you think?"

Oh. She dredged up the memory. It seemed so distant after everything that had happened.

"You said you wanted magic to be used for the benefit of the Empire. Is that what you mean?"

"Sometimes it's hard to see the goal with so much standing in our way." He spoke into the dark and she listened. "But when I look at our enemies, I see one clear difference between us and them. They're divided. Maskamere isolated itself from the world. We in the Empire like to think we're bringing our realms together, but the truth is we only held you down. You and I must find the courage to change that."

"Together," she said, understanding. If their enemies were divided, they must be united.

"Yes. Together. Do something for me. Close your eyes."

Puzzled, she complied.

"I said I wanted to use magic for the benefit of the Empire. You told me you wanted to restore magic to Maskamere. But imagine something greater than that. Imagine bringing magic to the whole world. Groves of silvertrees. Shrines of mercurite. Every human blessed. A free exchange of knowledge across the entire Empire and beyond, mediated by a guild of magic. A respected field of study, not some occult craft to be reviled or feared."

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"Magic everywhere," she whispered. "For everyone."

"Think of the progress we could make. A cure for all ills. An end to poverty, starvation. A new age of knowledge and exploration, where technology and magic advance together."

She could almost see it, like a far-off star in the sky. A bright, shining realm, more beautiful than the Maskamere she had known and loved, and greater than the Empire she knew and hated. Hungrier too, not content to merely serve its people, but ever seeking new horizons, new discoveries. Never still, always moving. After all, the stars never stood still, did they?

And perhaps the stars would shine brightly on Avon's new Empire.

"Where are we in this world?"

"Long dead, probably," he said, "for all of that to happen. But we'll set out the path to get us there. You'll be the spark that ignites the fire. And I'll be the one to set you alight."

In that moment she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. He was beautiful and powerful, and she felt the light of his vision like the sun on her skin.

But then she thought of the Empire, of everything she'd experienced since the war. Indentured servitude. Torture. Prostitution. A society where women were torn from their families and given to men like cattle, where even speaking out of turn could see them whipped or beaten.

Mithras had helped to make this world; his ideas had given shape to it. But even if they erased Mithras from the face of this earth, the world would not change. Those ideas wouldn't disappear.

She looked at him. "It sounds wonderful…"

He sensed her hesitation. "But?"

"It's still the Empire."

"A better Empire," he said. "One where you'll flourish."

"Try this," she said. "Close your eyes."

He complied.

"Imagine everything you said coming true. A world full of magic. A guild led by the Abbesses. No Patriarch. No bishops. No Senate. No Empire. A realm guided by a queen who teaches everyone to protect and nurture the silvertrees, so that the whole world can enjoy them."

"Like Maskamere," he said.

"A better Maskamere. A paradise for everyone."

"Maskamere wasn't a paradise for everyone."

"But it could be, couldn't it?"

There was a long moment of silence. She twisted to look at him, studying his face. His brow was drawn, deep in thought.

"Can I tell you a story?"

He gave a short nod.

"Before the war, there was a wishing well in the woods near my village. The priestesses told us that it only purified the water, but everyone called it the wishing well. It was so beautiful, especially in the morning. You could see all the cobwebs in the grass and brambles full of dew. Sometimes I'd go there alone, just to clear my head. It felt magical, even though I didn't have the blessing yet. It's also where I had my first kiss."

He raised his eyebrows. She curled a lock of hair around her finger and continued.

"He was a captain of the borderlands patrol. He was older than me, and I liked him a lot more than the boys my age. I thought he looked very dashing in uniform."

"Were you in love?"

She shook her head. "I liked him, but… He wanted to give me a child. And I said no, I'm studying to be a priestess, I don't want to be distracted. We couldn't get past that disagreement. And that was the only time I made a wish at the wishing well. After I ended it with him, I dropped a stone into the well and wished to never see him again. And you know what, I didn't."

"So your wish was granted."

"Well, that's the fairy tale version. The truth is that the Empire invaded a few weeks later. He was probably one of the first to be killed."

Avon said nothing.

"I've ruined the mood," she said.

"Were you hoping to lighten it?"

"No, I… I was hoping to tell you something I missed about Maskamere. Our way of life was different from yours, but it was good. We were peaceful. We didn't want for anything."

"I suppose," he said, "you've seen little in the Drakonian way of life to recommend it."

She thought for a moment. "I like your trains."

He laughed. "A ringing endorsement."

"I was taught that Drakon was a terrible place. A place where people are enslaved and forced to serve cruel masters."

"What do you think now?"

"I think that Drakon is a terrible place where people are enslaved and forced to serve cruel masters. Even you."

"Me?"

"Your father."

"It isn't cruel to discipline a child."

"What he did to you wasn't discipline. Why are you defending him?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"If only you'd grown up in Maskamere. You would have loved it. Women would be fighting over you. Men too."

He chuckled. "I don't know about that."

"You're smart, charismatic. You've got that Drakonian…" She searched for the right word.

"Nose?"

"Pride."

He smiled. "You're certainly flattering my ego tonight. Should I be worried?"

"Maybe." She hesitated. "I…"

She had to tell him eventually. But from the look on Avon's face, he had already worked it out. He gave a heavy sigh.

"Tonight wasn't your answer to my proposal, was it?"

"No." She blinked. How could he think that? "No, that's completely different. I invited you to bed because I'm not bound to you. I want us to be together like this. Not as wife and husband. Not a witch and her master either. Just us."

"Just us," he murmured. "I wish the world would allow it."

"If it doesn't, then we change the world. Together."

They had to find the courage, like he'd said, not only to change the world but to believe that they could change it. If she couldn't imagine a future at the end of all this, then what was the point? They needed something to aim for, something to keep them going when they woke up in the morning and faced all their problems. Then she'd have to tell him again that her answer to his proposal was no, that she would not marry him, not now, not ever, and they would have to find a different way to keep her safe from the Patriarch.

She thought she was prepared to face the consequences.

The gunshot shattered that illusion apart.