A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez Read Free Book Online Page A

He pulled up his pants with a scowl. He was mildly attractive with a face too chubby for his thin body and slightly crooked teeth.
    My dark desires whispered, "Not bad. Suck out the eyes and save the tongue for later."
    "I told the men we don't need any more prostitutes," the man grunted.
    I was about to correct him on his mistake when another voice came from the same tent.
    "She's not one of us. She's a witch." A woman wrapped in a blanket stepped out. She had long blond hair and a body that couldn't be hidden away so easily. She was slender without being bony every bit as beautiful as I except for a tiredness in her round face.
    My inner ghoul murmured, "Very good. A morsel to be savored."
    "I'm right, aren't I?" the prostitute asked.
    I nodded.
    "Witch? So what do you do, witch?" the soldier asked.
    "I commune with forbidden spirits. I speak to the beasts and plants. I cast bones. I heal. I curse. And I raise the dead."
    "Can you get rid of warts?"
    "Yes. I also know of ways to treat all the minor ailments your men might catch in their off-duty hours."
    He nodded. "Very good. You can stay then." He marched back into the tent, unbuckling his pants. The woman started to follow him.
    "How did you know I was a witch?"
    "The hat. The broom." She shrugged. "Seems obvious."
    The soldier grunted from the darkened tent. "Sunrise!"
    "You'll have to excuse me."
    She disappeared into the tent. I was left alone, among the throng, amid the grunts and moans and laughter of prostitutes at work.
    I'd only come for a look around. I hadn't planned on staying, but here was a place in need of a witch and after living so long by myself, it was time for a change. I decided to linger for a few days at least. Perhaps more. Providing I could keep Newt from killing anyone and my own accursed cravings in check.
    "No one will miss one succulent little child," the dark voice whispered.
    I pretended not to hear it.

6
I told Swurm and Newt we were staying. Gwurm was in different to the decision, as I expected. Newt was filled with objections, as I knew he would be, and immediately voiced those objections. It was my own fault. I'd asked him for his opinion once. The precedent was set, and I couldn't undo it now. While his protests mattered little to me (not at all, in truth), I allowed him his moment.
    He hopped about and flapped his wings. We were a good distance from the camp, but still within easy view. If anyone should notice me arguing with the duck, I wouldn't have minded. It could only enhance my peculiarity and credibility as a good witch.
    "But we're on the road to vengeance!" he cried. "Have you forgotten your dead mistress?"
    "I haven't forgotten anything, but vengeance can wait. Or perhaps my vengeance is already here, waiting for me?"
    He danced around in an angry circle. "No, it isn't!"
    I smiled despite my best efforts. "I was unaware you had a sense of these things."
    "Well, I do! And I can tell you that there's nothing here but people and tents and garbage. By everything festering in the bowels of Hades, it's not even a real village!" He turned to Gwurm for help. "Tell her I'm right."
    "About what?"
    "About this! What we're talking about."
    "Sorry Wasn't paying attention."
    Newt uttered an exasperated quack. He paused long enough to collect his thoughts.
    "I'm sure that wherever your vengeance waits is farther away."
    I nodded slowly as if I understood his reasoning, and he continued, sounding almost calm.
    "It just makes sense. No worthwhile vengeance is just a day-and-a-half 's walk away."
    "I see," I said. "And how far away is one's vengeance generally? In your experience."
    His head bobbed while he considered the question. "It isn't an exact science, but I figure it has to be farther than a journey of self-discovery, but shorter than an epic quest. Hundreds, even thousands, of miles."
    "That seems very far," Gwurm chimed in.
    Newt threw him a nasty glare. "It can be considerably less if the journey is especially perilous. A terrible