Page 35 of Wickedly Ever After
“You go see about your dragon. I’m going to go down to the tent to give the girl a last bit of advice,” she announced. She hurried down the stairs and breezed across the field to see a princess about her destiny.
17
Hector
The role of the four Cardinal Witches encompasses these aspects of magic deemed too dangerous or delicate for average licensed witches:
Item 1) The maintenance and care of sensitive and/or sentient magical species, including, but not limited to giants, trolls, dragons, unicorns, manticores, gnomes, dwarves, dryads and drus, naiads, undines, merfolk, and sea serpents;
Item 2) The construction and breaking of various enchantments from animal to human and human to animal;
Item 3) To oversee the breeding and regulation of dangerous magical plant species;
Item 4) To regulate the use of potions, balms, essences, and various liquid enchantments; and
Item 5) All enchantments related to Happily-Ever-After.
Rules and Regulations, Council of Witches, Role of Cardinal Witches
Hector left the stage in a hurry. His scrying mirror was in the coach along with all his luggage—he didn’t intend on staying in the capital city one hour more than necessary, not after lastnight. He’d had Tinbit check out of the hotel and see to the loading of the coach first thing that morning. Whenever the gnome was deeply upset, the best way to keep him from brooding was to give him something to do.
The nerve of Ida North, having her servant seduce his! It would be like her to brush a love potion on the letters, a patently illegal thing to do. He wished Tinbit hadn’t burned all of Hari’s letters last night in the hotel fireplace. If he could prove she’d done it, he’d haul her up in front of the Council and censure her for the next century over it. She deserved it. Tinbit was utterly undone.
***
At first Tinbit refused to believe him. “Wait a minute,” he’d said, waving his hand, grin fading from his face. “Hari is Ida North’s manservant?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“You do realize Hari is a common name for gnomes. Granted, he’s a lot less hairy than most Hari’s I’ve met, but—”
“Tinbit—”
The gnome began to pace, wringing his hands. “No! It’s not true. I don’t believe you.” He turned to Hector, his face a mask of fury. “I’m telling you, you’ve got the wrong guy. Nobody who gives a blowjob like that works for a good witch!”
His cheeks burned, but Tinbit was truly upset. Best keep it matter-of-fact. He didn’t want Tinbit weeping. “I’m sorry, but there’s no mistake. She said she saw you with me in the garden.”
Tinbit froze. “He came?”
“It seems so.”
Tinbit began to shake. “Oh, Gods, Hector. Tell me it’s nottrue. I haven’t been like that with a man in forever. Everything was right, it was—” Tinbit stopped, staring at him. “Well, I guess you couldn’t understand that, being a nine-hundred-ninety-year-old virgin.”
Hector flinched. “No, I guess I couldn’t. But it’s true.”
Tinbit wilted. He dropped on the bed and covered his face.
Hector’s professionalism dropped like the façade it was. This was Tinbit—his Tinbit. He sat down beside him, and wrapped the little gnome in an embrace. “Tinbit, Tinbit, honey, please don’t cry…I’m so sorry. If I’d known Ida would do something like this…she’s supposed to be a good witch, but I suppose when it comes to getting back at me, she doesn’t care who she hurts. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault,” Tinbit said, dry heaving to avoid tears. “You warned me.”
“I didn’t want to be right.”
“And I totally fell for it.” Tinbit slumped. “I really liked him, Hector. We talked together so easily—it was like I’d known him for years. I told him I’d meet him at the Happily-Ever-After tomorrow. I wanted him to meet you.”
Love potion for sure. Oh, he was going to roast that woman!
Tinbit drew himself up, face twitching as he tried not to cry. “Hector, I want to go home. I can’t stay here, not in this hotel, not knowing he probably set this up, used me to disgrace you.”
