The Witch Child's Amulet: #2

Chapter 2 - The Magician's Tricks

Bridgette stood by the door for several minutes before daring to unlock it, listening for any sound of movement in the hallway beyond. The sun had not yet risen, but she was already geared up and ready to set out. It hadn't been easy: She chose to stay in her own weather-worn clothes instead of donning the new stuff that had been laid out for her, but after her head hit that pillow, she slept unexpectedly deeper than she had in years. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so comfortable; she almost didn't want to wake up the next day. Her blankets were fluffy and warm, the room was secure and safe, yet she knew it was all a fluke. She'd gotten lucky yesterday. Perhaps the man had been uncommonly gracious because he'd been uncommonly happy for some reason or other, but it was too good to last. He was weird. You couldn't trust humans-- Least of all weird humans.

After several minutes of reassuring silence, she quietly turned the key, then the knob, and opened the door slowly. Peeking out into the hallway, she saw no one. Her plan to sneak out before any of the humans woke up seemed to be a success. She stepped out into the hallway as quietly as a mouse and made her way toward the stairs, but upon reaching them, she caught a whiff of a delicious smell. It seemed the cook-- What was his name again? Didn't matter. That cook must arrive before the break of day and get an early start on preparing his master's breakfast. Bridgette reached into her pouch and grabbed a pink marble. Hopefully he'd be too scared of her after their encounter yesterday, but if not, she'd handle him. She descended confidently, stepping into the dining room without reservation.

 The sight that greeted her was unexpected. It wasn't the cook; it was the guy from last night: Vano. He was preparing pancakes again. Was that all he knew how to make? Bridgette concealed her pink marble in her fist. It didn't matter which human it was; he'd be gooped if he tried to stop her. Vano turned just in time to see Bridgette stride determinedly toward the doorway that would take her to the main room and the front door of the castle.

"Not hungry, Bridgette?" He asked curiously.

Bridgette stopped even though her foot had already crossed the threshold, then turned and lifted her chin almost defiantly. "I've already taken advantage of your hospitality, sir, I will be leaving now. And you did promise that I could go when I wished." She said simply.

"Well, yes I did, but I meant in the morning. It isn't exactly morning yet." Vano replied, "Wouldn't you like to eat something before you go?"

"If I say no, are you going to try to stop me?" Bridgette asked, her tone and demeanor darkening.

Vano blinked. It felt strange being threatened by a child. None of the children in the city had ever threatened him, though even if they had he wouldn't have taken it seriously. With Bridgette however, it was different. He knew her threats weren't empty because he'd seen what she did to Esmé, Alfonso, Reno and Jardani yesterday. It made him feel nervous, and that was even more strange. Children never made him nervous!

Turning away for a moment, Vano set down the plate of pancakes that he had been holding, then turned back to Bridgette and folded his arms. "Before I answer that, I need to know what's in your pack." He said.

"What? Why?!" Bridgette demanded defensively.

"I don't like picking fights I can't win. Prove to me I couldn't win if I challenged you." Vano said, tilting his head with a smug smile.

"Trust me, you couldn't. You're a human and I'm a Level 12 magician. I could take you even without the things in my pack." Bridgette retorted.

"That may be true. But you didn't take my friends with magic yesterday, you took them with your tricks. I can only assume you'd do the same to me." Vano said coolly with a casual shrug of his shoulders, though he kept his arms folded across his chest. "So, what's in your pack?"

Bridgette glared and tightened her fists. She had to remind herself she was still holding the pink marble and breaking it would be bad. Without a verbal reply, she strode back into the room, placed the hidden marble back in her pack, then removed the pack from its place at her side and emptied its contents on the dining table: A coin purse, some cram wrapped in brown paper, a depressingly small water flask, several marbles of assorted colors, a couple of filled pouches, and a glove with strange rough patches on the index finger and thumb were set out. Bridgette looked to Vano angrily to see if he was satisfied. Vano drew closer and eyed each item carefully.

"These are your alchemical concoctions and cures from yesterday, I know that." He said, pointing at the marbles, then pointed at the pouches. "But what are these?"

"Various powders. Itching powder, sleep powder, spark powder-- Whatever I need to weaken my opponent." Bridgette replied, keeping her glare fixed on his face. She wanted to see some sort of intimidation, but it was not forthcoming. Little did she know that was only because he was good at hiding it.

"Uh-huh. And this?" Vano asked, pointing at the glove.

 "It's how I activate the spark powder." Bridgette said, grabbing the glove and slipping it onto her hand. "All I have to do is throw a fistful at someone, snap--" She paused to demonstrate, snapping her fingers between herself and Vano. As she did so, there was a sudden and powerful spark. "--And the guy is on fire." She finished with a mean smile.

 Vano stared intentionally at her face in silence, struggling to keep from glancing nervously at the glove. He could tell from her tone that she was searching for weakness in him, but if he conceded, she'd leave without eating. "Hm." He hummed, as though he were bored, when in actuality he was extremely amazed. She was ten. Ten!

"How do know you're grabbing the right trick?"

“The powder in these pouches are just refills. There are pockets that line the inside of my pack where I keep the powders I need to use in a hurry. I memorize which is where." She said, removing her glove and putting it back on the table. "Same with the alchemy beads and their cures. I keep them in the pockets opposite to the powders." Bridgette explained. Vano still hadn't shown any sign of intimidation, but there was another emotion in his eyes which he made no effort to conceal, which she almost liked better: He was impressed.

After several minutes of thoughtful silence, in which one hand was raised to his mouth, he pointed at Bridgette herself. "What about that pouch around your neck?" He asked.

Bridgette unexpectedly gripped the aforementioned pouch and withdrew a step, as though she feared he would try to take it from her. "It's nothing." She said quickly, "Just an heirloom my mama gave me. Not a trick."

Like day and night, Vano felt his own confidence grow as Bridgette's yielded. Throughout their conversation yesterday, Bridgette had mentioned her mother several times, and had spoken matter-of-factly about the last time she had seen her alive. She had never once given such a vulnerable reaction as she had just now. For a second, Vano glimpsed the child hidden underneath the adult mindset; the one her mortal form denoted, and his heart felt like it would break.

"Okay." He said softly, indicating he would not demand to see the pouch's contents or verify her claim. Bridgette stepped forward again, keeping the pouch clutched in her hands and held closely to her chest. Her eyes were cast downward, reliving some memory, then she relaxed and looked up at him with something like a sneer. Her timidity was gone, the fire had returned. "So, are you satisfied now?" She demanded.

Vano looked over the things on the table once again in a desperate attempt to win this battle of wills. As he did so, he noticed Bridgette's pack. She had lain it on its side after taking everything out of it-- Only now he could see that she hadn't taken everything out of it. There was a glimmer of red and gold still inside. Vano raised an eyebrow sharply and cast a suspicious glance at Bridgette. "Is that everything you have?" He asked.

Bridgette hesitated, then said: "Yes."

"Really?" Vano asked seriously.

He watched her eyes shift for a moment toward the pack. "Y-yes." She repeated, "That's all my tricks."

"Well, if it's not a trick, then what else is it?" Vano insisted, indicating toward the pack with a quick lift of his chin.

Bridgette followed his gaze and noticed for the first time that her hidden treasure was visible. "That's nothing, just a silly piece of jewelry." She answered quickly, seizing the pack off the table and refastening it to her belt. Without another word or a glance, she began to grab her things off the table and put them back where they belonged.

"Your mother's jewelry?" Vano asked, genuinely curious.

"No." Bridgette snapped, as though she found the idea offensive. "I mean, yes-- Sort of. Just forget it, will you?"

 He had managed to frazzle her, but he wasn't sure that was a good thing. If she became agitated enough, she might just hit him with one of her tricks and leave. In fact, that was exactly what Bridgette was thinking about doing. "I just want to know what it is. If it's another heirloom, that's fine. But if it's something you stole--" Vano spoke playfully and lifted his hand in a casual wave, but he didn't get to finish.

"I HAD TO!" Bridgette shouted. She seemed afraid; afraid and angry. There was a tense silence for what felt like an eternity, until somewhere outside a rooster crowed. "I had to." Bridgette finally repeated, more softly.

 "I-... I was joking." Vano admitted awkwardly, "I didn't think you'd actually stolen it."

 "Well, I did. I didn't have a choice." Bridgette replied.

Vano had so many questions, but something warned him it was not the right time to ask them. They had reached the end of Bridgette's tolerance for the game, he had to make up his mind now: Was he going to keep his word and let her go, or force her to stay? No. He couldn't. He gave his word yesterday, and even if it would be for the better, he wouldn't back out.

 "I must say, you have quite a terrifying arsenal." He said, gingerly stepping aside and swinging his hand out toward the doorway. "You're free to go. But I would really like you to have breakfast first. I added blueberries this time."

Bridgette studied his countenance for a moment. Now it was her turn to make a choice: Take his offer and eat, or just turn and leave. He had been honest and kind thus far, it was unfair for her to harbor resentment against him merely because of his race. Ultimately, she chose to stay and eat. So you see, in that moment Vano and Bridgette were both at a cross roads, and they chose the road that would keep them together.

Over blueberry pancakes, the two discussed Bridgette's quest for magic improvement, and how it would take her to Niris Tul for training. But to get there, she had to pass through Mithil Gan, which was not going to be easy; especially since the month-long celebration of Haygen was about to begin. That was when Dolly finally came down and heard Vano make a shocking offer:

"Let me go with you. I'm known throughout this region; I can escort you. If people think you're with me, they'll let you pass through unhindered.

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