Page 91 of The Noldrin Witch

“What about last night?” Elise asked. In situations like this, she figured it was best to deny every accusation.

Fabian narrowed his eyes. He looked ready to extract a confession, and worse still, a public one.

“I was not the only one who heard men’s voices coming from your room.”

Elise glanced in Gwern’s direction, and the fairy immediately lowered her head. Of course, she was in on it. Her room was only a few doors down from hers, and by now it seemed only natural to assume she had kept a watchful eye on her every move.

But Elise stuck to her only strategy: denying everything. Somehow, she felt that if she admitted even the smallest part of what Fabian was saying, it would open the door for him to invent an entire catalog of outrageous behavior.

“I assure you I was only with Bruno, and the vapors are a common remedy among witches,” she said, chin held high. Like a convict hoping to be hanged with at least some shred of dignity.

Fabian had lost his smug smile by then and was pressing his lips together as he shook his head. He looked like a wicked little doll, his limbs so thin they scarcely seemed enough to support a grown man.

He was about to say something full of spite, venom, and all the beautiful things he was sure to carry inside at all times, when salvation walked into the workshop wearing a smile that stood in stark contrast to Fabian’s scowl.

“Fabian!” Susanne walked to join the fairy. “What are you doing to this poor soul?”

“Susanne,” he gasped.

Then, with the eagerness of a child carrying scandal, he leaned in to whisper to Susanne with a sly smile that only widened the longer he murmured.

Susanne’s frown seemed to deepen the more he indulged himself.

Elise feared what the Chancellor of Magic would have to say about the matter, but she still held on to some hope. After all, Susanne had been nothing but a savior to her.

“Ha, Fabian, please,” Susanne interrupted after a few more whispers. “One need only look at this young lady to know she is capable of nothing of the sort.”

Elise let out a long breath and felt Emery squeeze her arm in excitement.

“But...but, Susanne, you should have heard what I heard. And I have to tell you, there are other witnesses to this outrage.”

The old fairy merely shook her head, never losing her kind expression.

“Instead of trying to find flaws in what I’m sure is perfectly decent behavior, you should be thanking Elise for her extraordinary contribution to the potion,” Susanne said warmly, glancing at her. “I cannot recall a more promising member of the workshop since the day you were recruited, dear Fabian. You, of all people, should be able to sympathize with her.”

Fabian gave a reluctant nod. He was no doubt considering the implication. He, too, had once been given the opportunity to work among the fairies despite being a man. Being a witch was of course different, but the comparison seemed close enough to stir a measure of sympathy among those present.

“Susanne, I just want to add something that may help persuade you,” Fabian said, as though a wicked idea had suddenly struck him. “Elise was assigned a room the very moment she started working. You had already left by then, but to everyone who was here, it was obvious she couldn’t have received such a favor by honorable means.”

A hush fell over the workshop. The fairy seemed to stand a few inches taller, like the victor of some great tournament of gossip.

Elise’s lips parted. If this was the best card Fabian had left to play, she was eager to watch his game fall apart. She exchanged a glance with Susanne, and it was plain the old fairy understood the ordeal Fabian had put her through in her absence.

Susanne’s expression grew more serious.

“I want everyone to know that the person who gave Elise a room in the castle was none other than me.”

A ripple of gasps swept through the catacombs.

Elise felt an immense wave of relief. At last, the fiendish rumors surrounding her room had been put to rest. Even Adelle seemed taken aback as Susanne explained exactly how it had come about.

“Fabian,” Susanne continued, “it seems you have become rather agitated by all these theories. In fact, I fear you are too agitated to attend an audience with the king today. You may take the day off to recover. I shall explain to His Majesty how we are to proceed with the potion.”

Fabian became the very picture of misery. His face turned pale, and the trembling of his thin limbs suggested he might faint at any moment.

“But, Susanne, I was here when the potion was completed. With all due respect, I am better suited to explain the achievement to the king.”

“You are right,” Susanne said.