Amaranta’s Tapestry

«I’ll go!» Instead of words, a wheeze came from Gloria’s throat, as if she had just been strangled.

«You’ll do the right thing,» Janet said with a nod. «It’s best not to interrupt a magic lesson.»

The door slammed shut behind Gloria as loudly as if it had been pulled down by a giant. There was a menacing hiss from the walls, and Gloria could hear it:

«Get out!»

She had to go to her niece with a sword. How had she not guessed that Janet might have unholy guests living with her! It was too late to correct the mistake.

Gloria clenched her fists and thought gloatingly that once she learned to fight properly, she’d have the place in order.

«To do that, you’ll have to learn magic,» whispered the annoying voice of Fior, who, of course, was nowhere to be seen.

Gloria went to look for him in the tapestry room, and on the way she came across Angus, who was sitting on the floor of the bay window overlooking the garden, drinking wine from the neck of a bottle.

«Drinking is not the best way to deal with problems!» Gloria defiantly crouched down beside him and tried to snatch the bottle.

«What are you doing?» Angus was indignant. «Get off! You’re not my babysitter! If I’d known you’d act like a duenna, I’d never have let you in here!»

Gloria gave up and left the bottle with him. It was already three-quarters empty anyway.

«Why didn’t you tell me anything about the nighttime fairies?»

«Did you see them?» Angus was surprised.

«What do they want from you?»

«A bit of mischief, that’s all fairies usually want.»

«They were babbling on about some kind of treaty… their buzzing gave me an earache.»

«The sentries were even less fortunate,» Angus brushed strands of greasy hair from his forehead. The longer Gloria watched him, the greasier his luxurious hair became. Clearly, the earl hadn’t had a bath in a long time. But he wasn’t lazy about emptying the bottles.

«Usually fairies only want to seduce knights. They suck the life out of them,» he began to explain. «But this is different. My king himself gave the queen of fairies the opportunity to dispose of his troops and lands.»

«Well, you’re keeping up with the fashion,» Gloria quipped.

«I’m in a state of war with the fairies, not in an alliance.»

«Why is it not?»

«They deceived me,» Angus admitted reluctantly. «Or rather their queen deceived me, and all fairies are her subjects, so you can generalize them.»

«Fairies can do a lot of damage. We need to set some traps on them in case they come again.»

«Traps won’t work. I’ve already set snares. Fairies tear them down with a flap of their wings. They also steal babies from their cradles. They make crops rot and milk go sour. Once they put their mark on livestock, there’s an animal epidemic.»

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