“Just information,” he said, casting a glance at Hannah that told her to be quiet. “Who are you?”
She squinted as if her eyesight might be failing. “An odd question, if I may say so. Who am I? I’m the mother of my two sons and my daughter. I was the wife of Jenkins, a farmer who raised goats, sheep, pigs, and most anything else people eat. I am a widow these last twenty years, a friend to a few and an enemy to others. Does that answer your question?”
“No,” he said, his voice solid as any rock. “You’re toying with me. Your name and occupation.”
“Evelyn. I live alone on my farm, but for a few coins I also sell worthless charms and silly love spells to ignorant young girls.”
“Is that tea?” Hannah asked, pointing to a pot simmering over a small fire.
“Thirsty, are you? How about something to chew on, too? I have some hard bread and even a few sweet crackers you might like.”
“We can pay,” Sir James said, bringing a wider smile to the woman’s lips.
She said, “By all means. Tea costs two small gold coins for each cup and the crackers only a silver coin each.
Sir James’s face hardened.
“No sense of humor? What are you, one of the King’s Knights or something?”
Sir James nodded, drawing an awed expression from Evelyn. He continued, “I am Sir James. You may have heard of me.”
Turning back to her teapot, she found two cups and wiped them clean with her apron. When she poured, she said in a carefully modulated voice, “I did not realize the King’s favorite Knight was going to pay me a visit, or that he is a mage.”
Hannah stuffed her mouth with a sweet cracker. Every time the sorceress spoke, she felt herself wanting to correct her, but Hannah also remembered the warning glance from Sir James.
He said, “Why would you think me a mage?”
“Don’t take me for a fool, mage. I may not be as well-known in the kingdom as you, but that does not mean I am without skill in certain areas. Only a powerful mage could see the motes from a sorceress’ cauldron and follow them to the source. I have this tree protected with probably a hundred spells or more that I cast over the years, and none but the most powerful mage could find it. Peasants walk right past it if they come near at all. I’ve watched dozens of them over the years, and none can see, smell, sense, or know it is here. They see, hear, smell, and sense nothing, not even the tree itself. I am the sixth sorceress to use it, and you are the very first visitors I’ve had.”
“I see,” Sir James said as if accepting a role to play. He stroked his beard and looked at Hannah, then at the crackers uneaten as if to tell her to eat more while she could.
He does not want me to talk. She might find out he’s not a mage if I do. Hannah ate another cracker and sipped tea.
Ignoring Hannah, he said, “There are assassins chasing me. Many of them. You need to strengthen your spells and expect them here within a day. They may have a mage traveling with them. We are heading for the King’s Palace as fast as possible.”
The woman said, “For that warning, I thank you. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
He shrugged with a smile, “Transport us to the castle with one of your spells?”
“I cannot do that, of course. But how about a couple of basic concoctions instead? Ones that might help you, should a need arise. I can provide you a powder that makes it hard for people to see you. It does not make you invisible, of course, but they will look past you instead of at you, especially if you stand still. Usually, they will pass within a few steps and never look at you or see you.”
“That would be worth a coin or two when I reach the castle.”
She reached for a jar, a bowl, and a few smaller flasks, mixing the ingredients together as she said, “I have a confusion spell you may also find handy. It will work once on a person, but it’s one of my favorites.”
“How does it work?” he asked.
She rifled through another container, found what she wanted and handed him three small globes, each the size of Hannah’s thumb. She said, “Don’t mash them, or allow the outer skin to split until you need them. Hold your breath and break them. I find throwing them onto the hard ground effective. Do not breath in until the blue smoke has cleared, usually a puff no larger than this.” She spread her arms out to make a large circle.
“It causes confusion?”
She smiled, “Extreme confusion. For a tenth of a day. Anyone who inhales that blue smoke will wonder at their own name. Any task will seem too complicated. Most will just sit down and contemplate their toes or some such. Only after a tenth day will their heads begin to clear, so if they are chasing you, you’ll know how far behind they are when their memory returns.”
Sir James took possession of the tiny globes and carefully placed them into a pocket inside his shirt. Hannah watched her combine ingredients for the ‘no see’ spell. The inside surface of the mixture erupted with small green flames that licked high enough to touch the sorceress’ hands. Hannah drew in a sharp breath when she thought they might burn the woman, and quickly pretended to choke on the cracker, but she saw the flick of Evelyn’s knowing eyes in her direction.
When satisfied with the mixture the sorceress dribbled the powder into the center of a square of paper coated with wax for waterproofing it, and she folded it into an envelope before handing it to Sir James.
She said, “Best to hold it over your heads and sprinkle. There is enough for both of you, and it will last for a couple of days, but will begin to fade after a single day. Wash well when you wish them to notice you again.”
He placed it with the globes inside his shirt. “Is there anything in return that I can do for you?”
She again reached for containers and dabbled out ingredients where she ground them together using a mortar and pestle. “Two things come to mind. I can always use a few small coins, so I don’t have to use my skills to acquire things I need from the local peasants. Not much, but whatever you can spare. The second is an honest explanation.”
“I don’t understand,” the Knight said. “What do you want to know?”
“Far be it from me to accuse the King’s Knight of lying. But a day will come when you should return here and explain what happened this day.”
“I’ve told you the truth and never lied.”
“And yet there is more truth to tell,” her eyes finally met his and held them as if in a vise. “You sir, are no mage.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The horses were still grazing near the tree where they’d left them, on the sparse grass that grew under the shade of the tall forest. Hannah and Sir James walked out of the small patch of trees in front of the hollow tree. Other than signs of a faint pathway, she found no evidence of the sorceress or her workplace, other than the pink dots bobbing around in an expanding circle. Following any of them backward would take Hannah directly to the sorceress.
There were other sorceresses in other towns, and whenever Hannah saw floating dots in the future, she would know one was near, and how to locate her. She knew how to mount and ride a horse, and string a bow, and how to ride to the west, with the sun warming her back in the morning. Thinking back to the last two days, she had probably accumulated more knowledge than in the last two years. Her imagination couldn’t comprehend what the next days would bring.
She glanced up and estimated the sun had reached its zenith. Mounting, she asked, “Which way?”