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

monster here or a raging river of death there can trim off a few hundred."
    "What do you guess a dragon to be worth?" Gwurm asked.
    "Oh, I don't know" Newt sighed. "At least two or three hundred."
    "And a sphinx?"
    "Who knows? A lot, I guess, as that's mostly what sphinxes are for."
    "What about a gnome?"
    "A what?"
    "A gnome."
    "A what?"
    I stifled a chuckle. Gwurm, very impressively, kept a perfectly straight face.
    Newt rolled his eyes. "A gnome wouldn't be worth anything."
    "I'm speaking of a very unpleasant gnome. A vicious, terribly irritated gnome. Perhaps with a very pointed pebble in his shoes. Digging right into the soft spot of his heel."
    "What are you ..."
    "I knew a gnome like that once. Horribly rude little bugger. Mean too. Not truly dangerous, but an annoyance nonetheless. An encounter with him on the road to vengeance would have to cut at least ten or twenty miles, I would imagine."
    Newt gaped.
    Gwurm remained quite sincere-looking.
    "Fine, fine," Newt consented. "I guess if the gnome were an especially foul-tempered little bastard he'd be worth ten or twenty."
    "Not thirty?" Gwurm said.
    "No. Not thirty. Even the rottenest, most vile, most terribly furious gnome in this world wouldn't be worth more than twenty miles."
    "I guess not."
    Gwurm hesitated long enough that Newt might think this portion of the conversation ended.
    "What about a vast wasteland filled with packs of bloodthirsty mollusks?"
    Something in Newt's enchanted mind popped. He lowered his head and wandered away, trying to remember what this had originally been about.
    "Big ones!" Gwurm called after the duck. "Carnivorous snails the size of hounds!"
    I finally allowed myself a polite chuckle. "Thank you."
    His wide mouth turned up in a toothy grin. "You're very welcome."
    I would never admit such to Newt, but I felt he was correct. Roads to vengeance are never that short, but my quest for revenge was measured in more than miles. It was also a journey of time, and that journey could be a very long one. Decades or centuries. Possibly even millennia. As I was ageless and very difficult to kill, I could afford patience. I didn't share this observation with Newt because though his enchanted nature granted him a long life, he still suffered the passage of time and would eventually die of old age someday. A day that might come long before my chances for revenge. This speculation would only upset him, and Newt was upset enough as it was.
    In any case, I was the witch and he, only the familiar. He had no choice.

    IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG to adjust to our new way of life. By the Captain's order, I was given a spare tent, torn and shoddily patched. I put it up away from the camp but close enough that I wouldn't be forgotten. It was a witchly tradition to live apart from men and all those other menlike creatures that so enjoy clustering in crushing herds. As the herd instinct in most men is so strong, they cannot help but think one who chooses solitude to be a little off. An image of strangeness is part of the witch's trade. It also made my charade of ugliness easier to maintain, and I didn't trust myself among the camp. The smells and sounds of mortals called to my curse, and I didn't want to eat anyone. Rather, I found myself very much wanting to at times, and having a place to retreat was a wise precaution.
    The people were wary of Gwurm at first, but his strength and willingness to work made him a welcome addition. The soldiers were only too happy for his assistance in constructing the fort. Eventually, the camp's suspicion of the troll ebbed into acceptance and even a cautious affection. The children adored him. He'd spend hours rearranging himself for their amusement, juggling his toes, and standing on his head. The mothers would always watch him with a touch of nervousness. As if he might suddenly transform into some terrible fiend and glut himself on their offspring in a moment of hunger.
    Newt did not adjust so well. He spent most of his time