Oliver stood at the library window, watching the street below.
A block away, small groups, families, strolled through the night, traveling from house to house, singing the Hymns of Salvation. The roads surrounding Scaggs’ townhouse, however, were empty.
“She’s not very popular, is she?” Thelemule asked, taking a sip of hot cider. He was sitting on a couch with Stephan, a couch that in turn was sitting on an empty bookcase, raised in front of the library window, so that they could spend Allsongs Eve comfortably watching the festivities. Their home had been trashed by an angry mob, everything except the fortified library, which was sort of the opposite of what had happened to Ms. Scaggs. Anyway, it was nice to have company.
“Not with most people.” Oliver shrugged.
“That’s what ‘popular’ means, isn’t it?”
Three quick knocks came from below.
All their heads shot around, ending the conversation. A moment later, terribly out of tune singing, the voices of children, started at the front door.
“Whose turn is it?” Stephan asked.
“Nobody’s yet. It’s the first one,” said Thelemule.
But Oliver was already heading for the stairs. “I got it. You guys get the next one… if there is one.”
He rushed down, grabbed the kettle of cider from the kitchen, and made for the door.
“Coming!” he yelled.
As Oliver stopped to unbolt the latch, cider splashed from the kettle and hit his foot. It burned a bit, and he might have yelped if he weren’t so excited.
When he pushed the door open, the singing stopped.
Below on the front step, sat a bag, on fire, that smelled of dog poo.
Nervous giggles burst from around the corner as tiny footsteps raced away.
Oliver looked down at the bag and sighed. He doused the flames with cider, and making sure not to stomp on it, kicked it to the side.
“Probably for the best,” he called into the night. “The cider would have turned you all into toads.”
A child giggled from around the corner.
“Happy Allsongs Eve!” Oliver closed the door, returned the cider to the kitchen, and plodded his way back upstairs, stopping at the library door.
“How’d it go?” Thelemule asked.
“Oh, very cute… I’ll let you get the next one. Be back in a bit.” Oliver turned and walked down the hall.
Scaggs was in her room, snoring peacefully. Next to her bed on the nightstand, sat an empty cup and a plate of cake crumbs.
He was just going to pick it up and go, but took a moment.
Even sleeping she looked so tired, but weren’t they all?
The gray streak was reasserting itself in her hair, which was now long enough to touch her chin. The hair growth spell had been an early Allsongs gift from Thelemule. He’d joked it was more a gift to everyone else than to her, but Oliver had a feeling that was as nice a thing as he was capable of saying, about Ms. Scaggs anyway.
The hair helped cover the cut on her forehead, and Oliver thought it wouldn’t be long until she had a scar to match his own.
He was about to pick up the dishes and take them to the kitchen when someone whispered, “Liv?” from the hallway, and Rina’s head poked in.
He hadn’t heard her come in. He must have been watching Scaggs longer than he thought.
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She stepped through the door wearing a bright red dress, covered in bows with a trailing bustle that poofed out behind her.
His stomach twisted. “It’s Oliver now, I guess.”
“Oh…” said Rina, examining him. “But you are Liv, right? Not her brother?”
Not ready to deal with this, he looked away. “I was Liv…”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Is it though?” Rina paused, but he didn’t look at her. “I mean. I don’t think I’d be okay with changing into a boy, every… whenever. Are you cursed or something?”
“No, I’m not cursed. That’s how I was born. It took magic to turn me into Liv.”
“Oh.”
Oliver held his breath, waiting for it.
“That’s not good.”
He exhaled in a sigh. What was coming? Liar…? unnatural…? pervert? Where would she start? The only thing that surprised him was that he wasn’t surprised at all.
“The ‘curse’ I mean, not the magic. I wouldn’t want that either.”
When he lifted his head, there was no anger in her face, but she was looking at him like he was broken. “I don’t need your pity,” he said.
Her face twisted into a scrunch. “I just want my friend back. We were really having fun there, for a while. You know, when no one was trying to kill us.”
He motioned to his body. “This doesn’t… upset you?”
“It upsets you, right?”
“Yes,” Oliver huffed.
“Then it upsets me that you have to deal with it. Who would be upset with you?”
“Well, Rafe left.”
“Oh.”
“He said he had to ‘go smooth things over with Dad.’”
“Shite. That’s annoying.”
Oliver snorted a chuckle.
“Are you sure you’re not Liv? Because you sure look a lot like a Liv to me, and I wanted to wish her Happy Allsongs… if she’s here?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get her back.” He stayed silent a moment. “Ms. Scaggs just needs to transform me.”
“Oh, is that how it works?”
“Every week.”
“So, you wouldn’t be interested in Liv’s Allsongs present then?” Rina gave an excited smile.
“What is it?”
“Well, I really shouldn’t spoil the surprise, but since you’re not Liv… I have a few dresses for her, if she doesn’t mind hand-me-downs?”
“A few?” he asked.
“From my wardrobe last year. They should fit her fine, I think. They’re a little small on me. I get new ones every year.”
“How many dresses?”
“I don’t know, all of them. I had a guard pack them in the carriage, if ‘she’s’ interested?”
Oliver’s jaw dropped. He made the scrunch face.
“And I brought ‘her’ old dress back, thank you.”
“Liv… might be here,” he said, feeling a tear.
“You want to try some on?”
“Yeah, but.” He motioned to his body.
“Ah well, I bet you’d still look cuter than me,” Rina grumbled before cracking a smile.
Oliver felt like laughing… and crying, and so did Liv. “Now I feel bad. I didn’t get you anything.”
“It’s just a bit of cloth.”
“But what?” Liv smiled, scratching her head, “could I possibly get for a princess who has everything? There must be something.”
“Well… anything?”
Liv nodded.
“Hmm…” Rina pursed her lips. “You might think it’s dumb?”
“Even better.” Liv smiled.
“Could you get Ms. Scaggs to turn me into a cat?”
“A cat?”
“Yes. Ever since you said you were a cat… I kind of wanted to give it a try… just for a day.”
“You’d have to stay that way for a week. That’s how long the spell lasts.”
“Oh, forget it then… Well wait, what is there to do… as a cat?”
“First of all, it’s not really a cat-cat. It needs to be the same size as you, so it’s a snow leopard. And there’s not really that much to do… Doorknobs are annoying, and it’s hard to say anything because cats can’t talk. The only thing that’s any fun is jumping from rooftop to rooftop at night… sneaking into plays… and entertaining children in the park for food… oddly enough Thelemule is usually involved in both of those.” Liv rolled her eyes. “Oh, and jumping on wizards when they’re trying to read, again usually Thelemule.”
Rina giggled. “There was literally no part of that sentence I did not like… except the bit about doorknobs.” She rubbed her chin. “We could try it next week if Scaggs is up to it?”
“We?”
“You don’t expect me to terrorize Thelemule alone, do you?”
“You know I can hear you two?” And as Scaggs cracked an eye open, Liv tried to figure out when she had stopped snoring.
Rina said, timidly, “Sorry.”
“Well, good. I’m glad someone is. But what, no talk of an Allsongs present for dear Ms. Scaggs?”
“Actually, I have one,” said Rina, and she reached into the folds of her dress, rooted around for a while, and eventually produced a red stone, bound in iron.
Scaggs tensed up. “How many more of these are there?”
“This is the last from the chest. Forty-four were on that ship.”
Scaggs relaxed. “Then that’s all of them. Thank you.”
“Um, and I do have one other thing.” Pulling her lips to one side of her face, Rina handed Scaggs a sealed note. “A summons from the king.”
Scaggs broke it open. “He demands my presence? Demands? Really?”
“Ah…” said Rina, “yeah, I think that’s why he sent me.” She glanced at Liv. “I mean I would have snuck out anyway, but he asked, or ‘demanded,’ that I bring it. It’s just the way kings are. He’s really okay once you get to know him.”
“I’m sure the Bastard is nice to his family too.”
“He’s not doing so well. Just hear him out, please, for me?”
Scaggs rolled her eyes.
“Then for Marco?”
The room went silent until Liv asked, “How’s he doing?”
Rina bit her lip. “He’s in bad shape.”
Scanning the note, Scaggs gave a huff. “The day after Allsongs?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I better get my rest.” And at that, Scaggs pulled her eyes shut tight.
One more chapter to go!... In book one... Book two is in the works, and book three is planned. So, if my math works correctly, which it doesn't always, that's a trilogy.
Don't worry, all the books will be posted here for free as a continuation of this fiction, so you don't need to follow anything else to get the update when it comes out.
Bringing this story to you here, on Royal Road, has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Being able to read your comments, to talk to you, to experience this story anew from your eyes... This is something I will always cherish. I will never stub.
That said, I could really use your help.
Here are the links:
"Witches, Boys, and Other Monsters" on Amazon
Trevor Project, a charity that provides crisis counseling to LGBTQ+ youth (mainly suicide prevention). Let's help them make a real difference.
[A picture of the proofs, the release version won't have that "not for resale" strip across the cover.]
It includes:
? All 49 chapter illustrations by the illustrious stvkar (Steve&Karen) at 4x resolution.
? 4 bestiary illustrations by HungerArtist. (He did the cover you now see on Royal Road.)
? 5 other bonus illustrations. (3 of which you haven't seen before.)
? 6 chapter heading illustrations by stvkar.
? 2 maps: One of Greatwen. One of the World. (By me)
? 13 pages of unreleased background and cut scenes (including one of my personal favorites with Rina)
and...
? One gorgeous cover, lovingly painted by @sunrisearts3 (Mary K) over the course of nine months.
"Witches, Boys, and Other Monsters" on Amazon
Thanks for reading. The last chapter (of book one) is next week!
(And more Whim is on the way)
What would be a good Snow Leopard name for Rina?
