Tiphaine

She spotted Emony and Lenah coming back as she was lying on the floor beside Aylard, gazing at the man sleeping on the ceiling and laughing.

To her, it looked like the man’s liquid and breathing face was dripping onto the floor, but at the same time somehow coming back so that it never ran out. For a while, she was scared that it was really happening – they were at Lenah’s house, after all, but it turned out it probably wasn’t, as Aylard was seeing something completely different.

She heard a crash.

“Oh, divines. Sorry,” said Emony, who’d tripped over her tail. Slowly, he managed to get up and sit down at the table next to their witchy friend. She noticed he wasn’t wearing his sling anymore, and he had a new set of clothes on. It looked like Lenah had been busy with him.

“Now, what was the spell…” the witch murmured, looking for something on the table. Tiphaine could barely hear her, but she could tell they were going to talk about something important. Eventually, she got sick of being left out and joined them, even leaving the fireplace to do so.

“…Oh, right, that was it. Now, Emony… Be cured! Did it work? No? How about now? Be… cured! Now? Urgh. Please be cured? Now? Oh, thank the divines, finally,” Lenah grumbled as she materialized a chair for Tiphaine.

“Now, what were we going to talk about? Oh, right, Garrick. Garrick wasn’t the smartest of merchants, but he was pretty opportunistic. He often traveled to Levara. Oh, you already know that? Okay, well, he’d always come back here whenever he made enough money to spend a day or two with me – he was a pretty lonely human. No, don’t bother trying to talk out loud. I hear you. To answer your question, no. He never told me, and I never thought to look. But one time, I did notice something that might be of help to us. I thought nothing of it back then, but… He was having trouble – ah, you already know about the bank, too. Why are you even here, then? So, anyway, he’s been dealing with the Bank of Trouwts for years. He always paid off his debts, but not always on time. The bank made good money off him, but they wanted assurances before they lent him any. They wanted to know what he was doing, how he was making his returns. They had a ledger; they’d constantly write things down in it. There’s a chance there might be something useful in there.”

“Do you think the bank still has it? The information we’re looking for is ten years old.”

“They might.”

“Lenah?” Tiphaine asked, suddenly curious about something entirely different. “Right now, is it hot or cold? I can’t tell.”

“It’s pleasantly warm,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be back with us soon, Tiphaine. Oh, don’t you be so worried. You survived, didn’t you, Emony? It looks like the effects are nearly gone from your mind, and with them, your openness and good humor. Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell her nothing of what we spoke about… Or what we did.”

Emony gave Lenah his murder-stare again. The witch ignored him, pointing her own gaze at Tiphaine.

“But really, Tiphaine, what we did… What Emony wanted to do…”

Tiphaine turned and stared at Emony, briefly considering taking off her veil.

“She’s lying,” he mouthed, irritated.

“Oh, but not entirely. Don’t worry about it though, Tiphaine. You were right when you were talking to Aylard that time. He really is a softy! After waiting so long, you two finally had your first kiss next to that undead king, and he messed it up! So sweet!”

“I will kill you in your sleep,” Emony hissed, murderously staring at Lenah with that wide, fake smile that creeped Tiphaine out. Still, she couldn’t help blushing, remembering that particular memory.

“So, anyway,” the witch smiled, changing the subject, “I vote that we go to the Bank of Trouwts, ask them to give us the man’s ledger. They won’t want to, obviously, but I’m sure we can persuade them. If necessary, we can bark up the wrong tree… Put them in a new and unusual situation – like fish on dry land.”

“Urgh.”

“By the way, no, I’m afraid you can’t spend the night here. You are friends, and you are right, it is late, and I would actually be glad to have you, but the thing is, I can’t stay here either. I hear a mob of angry humans coming here with pitchforks – quite a lot of women among them, come to think of it, and I don’t think I want to be here when they arrive. The king’s seal will only get me so far.”

Tiphaine looked around and listened closely. Her eyes widened. Lenah was right. A lot of people were coming.

“You really have a way with human women,” Emony grumbled. “How, by the divines, can the king’s seal not be enough to keep them from trying to kill you? Whatever, just cure Tiphaine.”

“One more healing spell, coming right up,” Lenah said, pretty blue sparks suddenly flying off her hands and sizzling through the air. They danced all over Tiphaine’s skin for a moment while the world blurred. Then, a few moments later, a sense of dull normalcy overcame her.

“Welcome back to reality,” Emony said. “Feels weird, doesn’t it?”

“Mhm. Super weird. How do I know I’m really here?”

“I couldn’t tell you. But we have to move. Get up slowly. I’ll help you.”

Lenah interrupted: “Emony, I approve of what you’re doing, but there are hundreds of angry women coming. Grab the wine and the leaves, as many as possible. Oh, and that love potion over there, in the little flask, for old time’s sake. Tiphaine, pick up your human friend. We’re leaving through the backdoor.”

Tiphaine nodded and quickly slithered over to Aylard, grabbing his waist with the end of her tail, as she once had Emony’s.

“You got him? Good. Lenah, we’re ready to go,” Emony said, his arms already full of various nefarious things.

“Good. Now, where was that…? Oh, right. There it is. Hey, before we leave, Emony, I must warn you – right now, you’re being paranoid for no reason. Aylard’s trustworthy – but that may change if he learns about Palehome. Are you sure you want to take him with us?”

Tiphaine looked at the two, not understanding. “Hm? What are you talking about? Emony, you mentioned Palehome a couple of times before… Urgh, fine, don’t tell me anything! Just come on, let’s go! They’re getting closer! Yes, we’re taking him!”

“Agreed. I trust Tiphaine. Let’s go,” Emony muttered.

“Okay. Oh, but first, put the love potion in his pocket, Emony. It’ll be really funny if he mistakes it for alcohol,” Lenah said, still not feeling rushed in the least.

“You’re a hideously evil little creature, you know that?” Emony gasped, shaking his head, though he sauntered over behind Tiphaine and did it anyway with a wide smile.

As he did so, Lenah snapped her fingers and all the furniture around them rushed to push itself against the front door. “Come on, this way,” she said.

She led them to a door on the opposite side of the hallway, beside the bedroom. Hearing the thudding of countless footsteps on the stone path outside, Tiphaine was already growing increasingly nervous – but just before she went through the door Lenah had opened for them, she remembered something: “Wait, Lenah, that guy, your friend! He’s still on the ceiling!”

“Don’t worry, they’ll find a way to get him down eventually. Come on,” Lenah said, putting her hands on Tiphaine’s back and pushing her forward.

Suddenly there was a great pounding on the door.

“To the dirt with you, witch! That love potion doesn’t… Just open the door!” a female human voice shouted outside.

“I’d really rather not,” Lenah said and ushered them all through the door.