Page 36 of Witch’s Ruin

Mina snorted. “If you mean promising him to another and planning a wedding counts as not too keen, then yes, I’ll say.”

“But you won’t be going through with it, of course.” Cora’s statement wasn’t a question.

“I hope to have us far, far away from here by then. But only after we’ve sorted things out.”

“The demons,” Cora said, nodding. “They started popping up not too long ago. The curfew came about a few days later. Whole city’s been locked down since then.” Cora drained her teacup and set it on the tray. “No one knows what’s going on, or why the witches let it happen.”

“Who says it’s the witches?” Mina hedged.

Cora shrugged. “They’re the ones letting it happen—or, so everyone says.”

“And what do you believe?” Rixon asked.

“Not sure at this point. But what I do know is people are dying, Aleksander, and there are six witches in this city who seem to be letting it happen.”

“I’m not sure the witches have anything to do with it,” Mina said. Cora lifted a brow. “Not entirely sure,” she amended. “The curfew starts at dusk, and the witches must adhere to it.” Mina didn’t voice their suspicion—that it could be the witches summoning the demons in the first place.

Cora hummed.

“Whatever’s going on, I intend to get to the bottom of it,” Mina added, throwing a glance in Rixon’s direction. He nodded.

They spent more time chatting about milder matters. Cora told them about her life over the past fifteen years, after Rixon had left. When Jessin was old enough, he enlisted in the military, and used some of his earnings to give his mother a comfortable life.

“The king wasn’t too happy after you disappeared. I lost my job, and he didn’t bother setting me up with anything,” Cora explained.

Rixon’s throat started to ache. He dropped his gaze. “I never thought about what my leaving might mean for you—”

“Oh, stop that.” Cora raised her hand. “You did what you had to, and I’m not bitter about it. If anyone’s to blame, it’s your father.”

Regardless of her words, he couldn’t help the heat that flushed his skin. The shame he felt over abandoning the only woman who’d been a mother to him. “I’m sorry, Nona.”

“Don’t be. I’m comfortable. It was a bit rough, starting out anew, leaving the palace behind and settling in the city. But, Jessin helped.”

“Were…were you not noble born?” Mina asked.

“Oh, no dear. Commoner through and through.”

“Oh.” Mina’s brows rose.

“When the king’s wife died in childbirth, the call went out for birthing mothers. I was in a hard place, husband dead—killed in a shipping accident at the docks—with no money to make our next rent, no money to eat more than a single meal a day. Jessin was only a couple months old, and I was terrified. So, I answered the call, but I didn’t expect nothin’ to come of it.” Rixon exhaled, leaning back. This was all news to him. He listened silently as Cora continued. “There were a few others who answered, too. The king had his pick from a handful of us, certainly. I was the youngest. And…well…I think my pleasing looks had something to do with it.”

“Oh…” Mina said again.

Cora chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t get the wrong idea, dear. He never touched me that way, but if he was going to have a woman nursing and caring for his heir, well, he wanted her to appear pleasing. I also had more proper manners than the other nursing mothers who presented themselves. But, he did insist I undergo etiquette training.”

Mina snorted out something that sounded a lot like, “Shallow bastard.”

“King Kozma offered me a place in the palace for both me and my son, contingent on becoming Aleksander’s wet nurse. He gave me a fine salary, whatever gowns I needed to look presentable, and I had all the food I could want. He wanted his son healthy, and that meant my milk needed to be, too.” Cora lifted her chin, chest out, shoulders back. “I did a fine job of raising this boy, did I not?” she asked Mina, but continued before Mina could answer. “The king thought so too, so he kept me on after I weaned him. And then he kept me even longer, seeing how close Aleksander and Jessin had grown. But…” She hesitated. “I also think he knew it was important for his son to have a mother figure. I was willing to give Aleksander the love he deserved, when the king refused to do the same. He had tutors, yes, scores of them. But, he was also just a boy, with a need to be nurtured. I…I think the king understood that.”

Rixon didn’t notice his deep frown until he forced his lips into a line. This didn’t sound like his father at all. “Jessin never told me any of this,” he mused.

“Oh, I doubt he could have, seeing as he was none the wiser as a boy. When you ran, the king no longer needed my services. I had money tucked away, enough to subside on for years. Jessin didn’t learn the truth for nearly that amount of time. But when he did…” Her face softened. “That boy of mine has a good heart, he does. He insisted on joining the military, working his way up in the ranks, to ensure he made a proper salary, to ensure I was taken care of.”

Rixon’s heart cinched tight. Jessin had done all that for her, and what had he done? Run away. Left her in a bind. She was as much his mother as she was Jessin’s.

“With my remaining funds, and Jess’s salary, we were able to purchase this fine house a few years back. I love that boy.” She shook her head, seeming to fall into her own thoughts. “But some days, I wonder if he’ll be the death of me.”

“Is there anything we can do for you while we are here, Cora?” Mina asked.