The Meeting

Serenica had feared Roinar's wrath, but when she came to the house on the hill, there was only Helen, sobbing on the stairs, a bottle of wine in both hands.

Serenica couldn't make up anything sensible, so she said:"You haven't opened both of those? Please tell me you haven't."

Helen raised her head instantly as she heard Serenica's voice.

"Serenica! My darling! You didn't abandon me!"

"I couldn't. I am sorry."

"So am I."

"Where's Roinar?" Serenica asked to dull her sense of relief. Relief was a fickle wench. It never stayed for long.

"He left. I don't know what the hell he is up to, and I don't care."

"Good. Can I sit with you?"

"An absurd question, Serenica, of course you can. After all, you are the true mistress here. I am an imitation of womanhood, while you're real, tangible, useful."

Serenica sat down and took a sip of wine. It tasted very bad.

"You're the most useful person I know," she said quietly.

"The city council is having an open meeting an hour from now," Helen said and let out a hiccup. She had dried her tears, but apparently her throat was still sore from all the crying.

"Fat old men and one cold wench telling each other how evil the poor are. Might be interesting," Serenica said. She had interests and it could have served her to go and see what the said fat old men were up to, not to mention Kinley.

"Kinley is truly the only woman in the council. Outrageous. We get one girl, and it has to be her."

"Hush, dear Helen, we must be grateful, we are unmarried and free to be so. So we have nothing to complain about."

The women laughed bitterly.

"I want to go," Serenica said. "It'll look funny if I go alone. I think I should be Molly. Just once more."

"You've planted a deep distaste for those mistress and servant kind of games in me, I'm not sure if I have enough wine to wash it down."

"Oh, it isn't serious. Just another evening gathering information."

"I'm still unsure. It's different this time."

"We're safer in the meeting than we were at Kinley's place," Serenica reminded Helen.

"Hold me. I am scared."

They hugged. Serenica could smell the perfume Helen used. Lotus flowers and vanilla.

Helen agreed to go. Serenica put on her scarf again, even though her supposed mistress protested that it would draw too much attention.

"It's good to be consistent. If Kinley sees me and recognizes me, it's going to be hard to explain why Molly is now Sally."

The town hall was a magnificent building, with gargoyles on each corner of the roof, spitting rainwater and guarding the yard with their stony gazes. The architecture was from the age of greater kings. There was no chance of Guyl the Kind, or Guyl the Slack, as he was sometimes nicknamed, would ever construct anything so pompous. Serenica had to admit that the old way of building was pleasant to the eye.

A man of the city watch checked them for hidden weapons and finding nothing of interest let them in from the rain. Serenica thought she'd seen the man somewhere before. It was likely. The city watch was everywhere these days. There had been rumors about them even frequenting the Blue Girl, but Serenica thought this to be impossible. The Girl was a stronghold for smugglers and pirates and other outlaws. There was no way a man in red and gray would have made it through the door.

The meeting drew in lots of people. Most of them were dressed like merchants, like practical people whose main interest was gold. Serenica considered the possibility of others like her being disguised as businessmen and -women, but it didn't seem like anything that would have crossed the mind of a regular witch. She was no regular witch. Her life was far too high-strung, far too volatile.

They found free seats in the back of the room. That suited them well. They were to be passive participants while the high, mighty and few decided important things about the fates of the lowly, poor and many. The ration of listeners and decision-makers angered Serenica greatly. How could it be that an ordinary citizen had so little power, when it was the humble who kept the crops watered and the pantries full?

"I sense unrest on your behalf," Helen whispered in her ear.

"These people think nothing can ever bite them back. I despise them."

"On the contrary, love, I think they know quite well what will happen if the poor get fed up. Watch and listen, you'll see how we swallow the morsels of their luck."

Serenica rolled her eyes, as Helen was just being pompous and political, but she had to agree on some level.

The meeting was opened by a secretary, as the mayor had fallen ill. Kinley was sitting next to a relative of Murdon who rarely even spoke with Serenica's landlord. Sure, Murdon tried hard, but he'd made the mistake of not being perfectly healthy or perfectly sane. The man next to Kinley had it much better, and for a moment Serenica pitied both him and the hag of a woman. It was not easy being disowned. Even with money, a human being had to belong somewhere.

Serenica straightened her posture.

"The nonsense will start coming out of their mouths now," she whispered to Helen.