The Enchanted Sorceress

Chapter 5
Quest for the missing party

With the old man using as a ticket, they entered the semi-lighted tavern. Voices of guest clang; busy with their own conversations than to notice anyone else coming through the door.

Not far away the sorceress saw the waitress, serving some soldiers their drinks.

" Thank you, Abigail! " one of the soldiers shouted and gave the waitress a slap on her butt when she left the table.

" Save your temper for the Orcs, " she smirked back.

After a few steps she discovered the girl.

" Haven’t I told you to stay outside? " she said sarcastic.

" It is okay, she is with me. " the old man heckled.

The waitress looked both of them grimly and just went without giving a comment.

They took a two-seated table somewhere near a windowless wall; the best spot to oversight this place, the girl reasoned.

The chair was too high for the girl, so her legs dangled above the ground.

" Any sign of your father? " the old man asked.

" No, not yet. " the pretending niece replied.

" I see, " he said, " well, to judge the look of your clothes I don’t think your father would be hanging around in an inn like this, where middle-class people are doing their businesses. I assume that he would hanging around more in simple working-class inns such “The Shovels Mug” or a typically place to get drunk, “The Great Pig in the Barrel”, if you have might heard of it. "

None of those two speakeasies comes into question, in which regular customers would notice strangers at once, the sorceress concludes, she had to wait here for the party, but what should she tell this grandpa?

" I can see it in your face that it wasn’t for your father why you wanted to come here, don’t you? "

The old man got her; he wasn’t so ditsy like he was looking after all.

" Am I right? " he dig deeper. " Why don’t you want to tell what you are really aiming for? "

This was the time the little sorceress had quickly to make up an excuse.

" Well, to be honest, " she said, " I was actually wanted to offer people my services. "

After all she looked like a poor girl; this seems to be the best answer.

" Ahhh! A day-taller you are, working every day just for the penny. " he said in a wise understandingly manner.

The old man buys the story, lucky that I am such a convincing liar, the girl thought.

" And what is your father doing? " came the next question.

This old codger was quite talkative, the sorceress thought annoyed.

" I have none, " she answered, which was in fact true.

I should stay as close to the truth as possible, before he caught me with nothing but lies, were her thoughts.

" If you ask so I have no parents at all. " the girl added. " So you see I’m on my own. "

" Then in fact you are an orphan. " he said while he again runs his hand over the white beard thoughtfully.

" That’s right, old man! " the girl replied rude.

" Hohoho, " he laughed like a fairy tale telling grandfather would do, " old man is quite right, since you don’t know my name and I haven’t introduced myself, yet. So just call me Uncle Ben, people are used to be know me by this name. Anyway it would also fits, since you are, of course, my niece. "

" Okay, Uncle Ben, " the girl said.

" And what is your precious little name? " Uncle Ben was keen on to know.

" Huh? ... My name! " the sorceress repeated surprised.

" You have a name, don’ you? " Ben joked.

The sorceress didn’t want to risk telling her real name, what of kind of name she should made up, matching her girls appearance: " Misty! " she said instantly out of her voice, therefore she was used to be called mistress, this name seemed her perfect. "

" Misty, that is indeed a nice name, " the old man nodded, " and a pretty brave girl too, to fending for yourself. However, that means that you are an urchin, too. "

Me! A shabby brat, the sorceress thought appalled. The horror was written in her face, even the thought to be a one made feel her uncomfortable.

" You see, people don’t like alley children. So straying around, they will send them for their own sake in an orphanage. "

The little heart began beating harder like the last time she became a girl, it was the same strange feeling re-aging for years.

" But be of no fear, as long as you are working, there will be no need for such drastically measures, " Ben soothed her.

Great! Now I have to getting sure not to be caught and send into an orphanage, the sorceress thought, but she was sure anyway that the old man was overthrowing the whole thing.

However, she should be careful.

" Well, I see! Let’s talk about more pleasant things. " Uncle Ben recommended.

Then the old man picked the menu-card and watched it puzzled.

" My old eyes became old, could you please come over here, my Dear, and read it for me? " the codger asked, and made a gesture to sit on his lap.

The sorceress didn’t want to; but she shouldn’t make the same mistake like in “The Great Pig in the Barrel”, where she had been kicked out and under these circumstances it was better not to screw things up and jollies the old man along.

However, it was just a low price to stay in the inn.

" Sure, why not. " the girl said.

She took a look-around the inn to see anything about the party while walking over to Uncle Ben’s site; but she couldn’t see anything that would fit the three men and one woman description.

" Come on my lap. " he said, lifting her on his knee. " My dear, you are quite light-weighted for your age.

On the menu were several desserts listed.

The girl read the various names of these delicious sweets, such as plum pudding, flapjack and fruit salad; not to forget to mention the large palette of chocolate, fruit and lemon-cream cakes.

If the sorceress hadn’t known it better, an outsider would consider a girl practicing to read with her grandfather.

" Do you want to order something? " sounds the voice of the waitress all sudden.

The sorceress just looked amazed, she didn’t notice her.

" Well, I’m not sure. They all sound luscious. What do you think, my Dear? " Ben asked the girl.

" Apple strudel, " she answered, " that’s healthier for you. "

" Good! " the old man said. " Two apple strudels then, please. " Ben ordered and laid his hand on the sorceress lap. " For me and my niece. "

The waitress just watched the girl queer.

" You looked for you drunken father but found your Uncle. " she said ironically, and leaves the table.

The girl looked not very pleased to Ben.

" Hohoho! " the old man laughed unconcerned. " Don’t worry; of course you are my guest; so you don’t have to pay for it. "

But that wasn’t the problem, the point was, the sorceress hates sweet stuff. Besides to that, she was beginning to think, what the old man was really up to, since this letch put his hands of her naked lap.

Well, she thought, if he likes it so much, then he should have his fun; maybe he could be of use for her for a further time and at the moment she needed him to stay in this place.

" Can I sit on my own chair, Uncle? " the girl asked in a sweet tone, the old man shouldn’t get too much.

" Of course, you can, " Ben answered, " my old knee became tired, anyway. "

Sure, you old liar, the sorceress thought, but I will play this game, for now.

Before she could sit properly on her chair, the waitress put two plates of apple strudel on the tabletop.

" Thank you, Abigail my Dear. " he called her name, and off she was.

" Always in a rush she is, isn’t she? " the old man said.

" Yes, and strange, too. " the girl responded, but maybe she didn’t wanted to be slapped such even before, especially not from an old debauchee like him.

" You haven’t tried your cake, yet. " Uncle Ben noticed.

I guess, I have to, she said to herself.

She tried a scooped the fork with a bit apple strudel into her mouth. All a sudden her palatine was filled with the sweet taste. Something good like this she hadn’t ate for a long time ago.

Though she hates sweets, her younger body seems to love it.

Uncle Ben said nothing. He just enjoyed watching the good appetite of his niece.

The sorceress swallowed the last bit, when a man with a dark-hood-covered robe came in.

He sat to a round table in a corner to two other persons.

The man talked something to them and unfolded his cloak and the typically sharp ears of an Elf could be seen.

Now the sorceress recognized the armour under the garment of one of the two other men that were worn by knight men. Also she could now see a magic wand, which had to be one of a magician.

An Elf, a knight and a mage, that were the three her spies told her they would gather in this inn to met Azura.

The girl stand up and approached the party, leaving Uncle Ben cold-shouldered.

Finally she found the party, after she had to lurk here so long.

 

---