BAD CROW MOUNTAIN (Lesbian)

CHAPTER 23 Trophy witch (part 2)

The boy looked at me with such sadness, such despair, that I gathered all my faith and said:

"Listen, not all is lost, I'm sure. I'm sure your generation can still change something... with the elves, in the old times before Kattia came, everything was much better. Taxes were lower, and the quality of life was better. Remember when we took shelter from the rain in that small Amixantra church?"

"Yes! Did you notice it too? There were many elves there."

"Exactly. Terra told me that the elves had already begun to propagate a negative image of Queen Kattia through recruited Woodland priests and priestesses of the Amixantra temples, churches, and small chapels. Doubtlessly these priests are the old regime supporters. It's actually a good idea, since it's easier for simple peasants to believe their priest in their native rural parish than some foreign elf. So the process has already begun."

"What should we do?"

"For now, just observe. Promise me you won't try to be a hero? I don't want them to erect a monument to you at the academy and everyone would throw flowers at its base."

"That would be great," he says dreamily.

"I'll give you a knock!" I grab him by the ear. "We need you alive. A dull old mage with a long white beard and mustaches like a catfish, not a young and pretty dead revolutionary."

"Got it, got it." He rubs his red ear.

"Go to the academy, pretend you don't know anything. Don't tell the teacher anything about me or Imor – I'm worried about the teacher, he has fewer and fewer supporters at court these days.

Write your thesis, and in the meantime, observe people and mages, listen to local gossip. Go to the tavern "The Old Mole" in the right quarter, you can just sit in the corner and listen to the latest events without buying a newspaper. Is Madam Crone still working in the academy cafeteria? Great. You can find out everything from her without even opening your mouth or asking questions. Visit the local temples a couple of times, watch the elves and their activities. I don't need to teach you spying spells. Your ideal image of a good boy will play into our hands. No one will believe you planned to spy. Just act like you're a naive fool and deny everything, saying you're just writing a dissertation and the only thing you need is to know how to get to the library."

"That's exactly what I'll do," Zil says with a smile. "I won't let you down. But where will you go if not to the academy?"

"I need to meet my old friends. Maybe they know something. I'll try to delicately inquire without arousing suspicions."

"Do you trust them?"

"I used to think I was good at reading people. Now I feel like after meeting with the elfia, I only trust her," for a moment the tears sting unpleasantly in my eyes, but I clear my throat, pretending that something got into my eyes, "Listen, if things go wrong, boy, send me a sparrow. Don't write anything in the message, I'll understand that it's from you and you need help. I'll send you a sparrow myself if I think the information I have can help save you or the academy."

I ruffle his hair like a sister, and the boy sniffs.

"Please take this from me," he says, handing me a neatly folded piece of paper.

"What's this?" I ask, surprised, taking the sheet.

"It's a small gift from me. It's nothing special, but I know you like my sketches, so, here, take it..."

"Thank you, it wasn't necessary..." I pause, unfolding the paper. It depicts me and Terra. He drew me and her when we didn't know someone was watching us. The elfia looks as if he conveyed all her beauty with swift strokes, both inner and outer. Surprisingly, I look very feminine and gentle, no one has ever depicted me or associated me like this. When did he manage to draw us? Maybe it was during a break shortly before we met the kikimora. We look at each other as if in love, as if we don't want to look at anything else in this world. Do I really look at her like that? But most importantly, does she look at me like that?

"I'm sure she'll come back," the boy says confidentially.

Is he trying to cheer me up? Does he really understand? How can he understand anything at all?!

"I hope she stays with her mother: it will be safer for all of us."