A Great City, Now the Witch's Den

Despite my trepidation, the captain never attacked Chika. Perhaps it was because she never gave him the opportunity. When he finally took his eyes off her for a moment, she slipped away, and by the time he noticed she was gone, he was so relieved to be rid of her that he did not order a pursuit.

I would not see her again until we safely reached our destination, save for a brief moment when I spied her in the distance, escorting my horse back towards the caravan. As soon as she spotted us, she released its reins and rode away on her own steed.

As a man used to making calm, dispassionate decisions, the entire sequence of events left me burdened with emotions that I was unaccustomed to dealing with. For the first time in my life, I considered that my critics might be right: Perhaps I was too callous towards the feelings of those who my decisions affected. It was easy to harden my heart in the sheltered environment of the imperial castle, where I would not suffer the consequences of my policies.

Thinking back on it, had she not rescued me personally, perhaps I would not have been so concerned with what happened to her, but she was my savior. I owed her my life, and I felt duty-bound to protect her in turn. No, it was more than that. She had charmed me, not with magic, but with something much more powerful.

Never before had I felt the tug of attraction so strongly. Our time together had been brief, but she was unlike anyone I had ever met. Confident, knowledgeable, brave, kind, and self-reliant. Some women in the capital who embodied these qualities, but none as harmoniously as Chika. In an admittedly superficial sense, her unrestrained, animated movements and expressions captivated my imagination; her unblemished skin flowed with vitality; and her smile…

Her smile was disturbing. It was warm, and it reached all the way to her eyes, but her teeth were uncanny. If you told me she wasn’t human, I would be tempted to believe you. Even so, the image of that smile was burned into my brain, and I found the memory a warm one.

What did it say about me that I was enamored of her unnatural beauty? Would I be similarly smitten by gods and demons? Was there some manner of beast in this vast world that could catch my fancy? I did not know, and my worries stayed with me for the rest of my journey to Aelirynth.

By the time we arrived, the city had already fallen. After witnessing the size and might of the army gathered against him, the city’s king had wisely surrendered without a battle. His prudence, however, created a mountain of work for me. Were it any other city, I’d need merely to calculate an appropriate annual tribute to the Empire, and advise the emperor on which of the local noble families could be trusted to administer things in his name.

But Aelirynth had the largest—and most complicated—economy of any city in the known world. There were opportunities to leverage the Empire’s sizable resources to enrich it even further, and in turn use the profits to strengthen the Empire’s power, and it was up to me to identify the worthwhile investments. I had no more time to dwell upon my feelings for Yasutake Chika.

That is not to say she disappeared from my life completely. As I carried out my work, I found that she had her hand in many of the city’s industries. Metalsmiths and potters were producing new canister designs, some of which reminded me of her staff. Tailors and dressmakers were working with materials and techniques to create more durable clothes, and when visiting one shop, I noticed a pointed black hat for sale. All throughout the marketplace, I found strange new inventions, their makers desperate for more raw materials to meet demand.

It was almost as if Chika had single-handedly revolutionized every industry in the city, and then invited the Empire in, so she could access its vast troves. The thought that a single person could manipulate the gargantuan forces of politics and enterprise to such an extent seemed impossible, but then again, that a single person could scare away a pack of vormarnok was similarly unthinkable. Whether intentionally or not, the fact remained that she was doing half my work for me.

I wasn’t the only person to notice. Rumors of the so-called Witch of Aelirynth spread quickly throughout the army, and on a warm evening a few weeks later, the caravan’s commander requested an audience in my chambers. Having just finished my work for the day, I told my servant to admit him. He stomped in wearing what I could tell was his finest ceremonial uniform and stood silently before my desk.

“Pull up a chair,” I bade, but it only made him twitch nervously.

“Lord Thelian, I… Well, I’m…”

“Not used to apologizing, clearly, but you have nothing to apologize for. I’m not so sensitive that I’d hold a grudge against a soldier for doing his duty. Please, sit. Have you had a vitafelar today?”

I offered him a fruit to show that I truly bore him no ill-will, and he accepted it gracefully. “I didn’t give you enough credit. You truly understand a soldier’s heart.”

“Well enough to know he wouldn’t dress himself up and come to my chambers only to offer an apology, at any rate.”

“Indeed. You’re well-known for not being superstitious, Lord Thelian, so I came to ask you, what do you think of these rumors about the Witch of Aelirynth?”

“As strange as they are, I’m inclined to believe most of them, but why ask me? You saw for yourself how unusual she was—and what she’s capable of.”

“It’s just… The rumors are affecting morale. The men are saying that the city has become the witch’s territory, and they worry she’s led us into a trap. I thought if you could tell them their fears were misplaced, they might regain their courage.”

“That’s most concerning.” I bit into a vitafelar to give myself an excuse to think it over. “In a way, she has set a trap for us, but it’s a political one. Nothing for the soldiers to worry about. Except…”

“Except?”

“She’s beloved by the people of this city, rich and poor alike. Had you harmed her on the road, you would have been given a very cold reception.”

“Pfft. I don’t fear those weaklings.”

“Then you’re a much braver man than I. Even emperors must be cautious when they earn the public’s ire.”

Upon hearing my words, the captain’s face went ashen. I could tell he was imagining all the ways he might be assassinated by the locals. “If one of the men happened upon the witch…”

Visualizing the scenario made me shudder. “Perhaps you should tell them that she’s on our side. She wants us to administer Aelirynth. It’s hardly a falsehood.”

“She told you as much?”

“Indirectly, but the men need not know that part, agreed?”

“I’d hate to lie to them, but I suppose controlling information is vital to warfare, and she wouldn’t have saved us from the vormarnok if she were our enemy.”

Just weeks prior, he had accused her of setting the vormarnok on us in the first place. It was amazing how adept the human mind was at rearranging information to its benefit. Not that I minded when it worked to my advantage. If the captain thought well of Chika, he would be less likely to threaten her. In a way, I was protecting my savior.

Having concluded his business, the captain stood, raised one hand in salute, and left. True to his word, he spread a rumor that Chika told me that she wanted the Empire to rule Aelirynth. Because the soldiers from the caravan confirmed that she had saved us, fear of the witch quickly turned to gratitude. I was very pleased with myself for overseeing this turn of events.

I would soon learn that not everyone was happy. A few days hence, I was about to leave for a tour of the city’s docks when Chika burst into my office. Gone was the smile that bedeviled my memories, replaced with a deep scowl.

To my great surprise, she was furious.