Buris collapsed to the floor and began to whimper.
Epilogue
The collection had failed. As was customary, the return to base was now proceeding via an indirect route. The Collector stood motionless in the exact center of its conveyance as it considered the possibilities. Collections usually succeeded, but not always. If the reason for the failure was clear—and could be eliminated or avoided—then a second attempt was made. But never a third. That was one of the strictures it had been given by its creator.
The collection had failed for multiple reasons. The target had shed its bonds. (Perhaps because it was a witch?) The servants had reacted too slowly. (There were no more of the type of servant better-suited for such tasks.) The ramp allowing access to the outside had been left open. (It worked poorly, and so its openings and closings were minimized.) The target had eluded capture for an extended period. (Also because it was a witch? Or a failure on the part of its servants? Possibly both.) A group of nine humanoids had unexpectedly appeared. They assaulted its servants and secured the target. (They had known where to find the target, suggesting a previously-unknown magic had been employed.) Finally, the possibility of a further attack against it and its conveyance had dictated a withdrawal. (The losses had already exceeded the worst projection.)
There was no blame to be assigned, only understanding to be sought. There would be no second attempt until the failure of the first was explained. The Collector made a decision. There would be no further attempts to collect a witch. There were simply too many unknowns at present. It would fortify its base further and then resume collections. From now on, the possibility of the collection target being tracked over a long distance would be taken into account during the planning phase. That would complicate the process and likely eliminate a number of possible targets. But the collections would continue.
Acknowledgements
First of all, thank you for reading this book. Please feel free to leave a review on the retailer site where you obtained it and/or Goodreads. You can also contact me directly through either Twitter or email. For information on future books, please visit my blog and sign up for the newsletter.
◆Blog: https://mgreggroe.com
◆Twitter: @M_Gregg_Roe
◆Email: andorans_realm@icloud.com
If you read the first book of this series, Audrey of Farmerton, then you certainly noticed one major change. That book was told entirely from Audrey’s perspective, while this book is told from multiple viewpoints (including Audrey’s). I realize that such a change is unusual, but I felt it necessary in order to tell a wider story within the world that I have created.
As with the previous book, The Witch’s City incorporates an actual Dungeons & Dragons adventure from my long-running campaign. Specifically, it includes “Kidnapped” from August 2015. The players were: Jym Ramage (Siljan, Danj), Brian Chevrier (Saxloc, Hagen), Kat Chevrier (Gabriel, Branwyn), and Noah Ramage (Hankin, Milric).
There was a real black-and-white cat named Benson that the one in the book is based on. He belonged to my mother and was larger than the dog she had at the time.
Special thanks to Brian Chevrier, Kat Chevrier, and Kirsten Blair for providing feedback on the initial draft and later revisions. Thanks to many others for providing support and encouragement. The cover was created by Brandi McCann (http://www.ebook-coverdesigns.com).
Index of Names
Abhir — Novox caravan guard; originally from Dymar
Abigail — wife of Farmerton’s mayor; Romee’s mother
Adrian — Valwyn’s magic instructor; Alinda’s father
Albert — powerful and eccentric wizard who lives on Kaldir; Aliva’s father
Alec — Novox employee
Alessandra — Priestess of Kyran with a drinking problem; one of Siljan’s teachers
Alinda — gullible teenage girl; studying archery and sword-fighting
Aliva — half-succubus who struggles to control her demon half
Almera — Saxloc’s meddling mother; gardening enthusiast
Andoran — god-like wizard that created Andoran’s Realm; deceased
Anton — pig-farmer in Farmerton; Audrey’s father
Ariel — temple guard with a troubled past; engaged to Dayne
Arwon — god associated with maintaining balance between order and chaos
Asria — High Priestess of Dukane in Rohoville; Alinda’s mother
Audrey — young woman from Farmerton now living in the Witch’s City; martial arts enthusiast and part-time seamstress
Aurelia — ancient elf that runs Desires
Bennet — instructor at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy; married to Zalina
Berna — widowed seamstress with twin daughters; Audrey’s aunt
Beron — Branwyn’s acolyte; married to Olitha
Bianca — Warrior of Kyran who was slain by Morton; Siljan’s nemesis
Birchbark — powerful druid who lives in Tritown
Bjarni — Siljan’s older brother that takes after their father; lives on Kaldir
Branwyn — High Priestess of Arwon in Rohoville; Valwyn’s mother
Carlinda — volunteer helper at the Temple of Arwon; Hagen’s wife
Celebern — founder and operator of Novox; member of the Witch’s City Council
Cinda — girl from a wealthy family that now works as a courtesan; Audrey’s friend
Colin — employee of the Witch’s City tax office; likes Marryn
Collector — magical construct created by Andoran
Corbin — temple guard that Siljan is interested in
Danhelm — young son of Hagen and Tilda; Hanna’s brother
Danj — King of Rohoville; good-hearted but not very bright; Siljan’s father
Daragrim — powerful elf wizard; member of the Witch’s City Council; Almera’s father
Darius — former Novox employee building an inn in Rohoville; skilled archer
Dayne — temple guard from Fisherton; engaged to Ariel
Dora — owner of A-Dora-ble Dresses in Rohoville; Radora is her full name
Draymund — Saxloc’s dragon-slaying father; operates a charity
Druna — one of Asria’s acolytes
Dukane — god associated with order and creation
Dulls — retired warrior; former henchman of Xlee; Grasapa’s husband
Ecklin — leader of the People’s Freedom Front; retired merchant
Elsebeth — young woman who was victimized by an arranged marriage; Cinda’s sister
Eomera — irreverent elf who is second-in-command of the Witch’s City Guard
Erik — member of the Witch’s City Guard; Ilia’s partner
Ermiana — Ermizad’s keenly intelligent and impish daughter
Ermizad — High Witch and hereditary ruler of the Witch’s City; Ermiana’s mother
Erwin — Audrey’s first real boyfriend and continuing love interest
Falk — fellow student of Audrey’s at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy
Fern — Priestess of Arwon who lives in Tritown; Birchbark’s wife
Fiya — goddess associated with power and control
Folmer — village elder of Briarwood; hired Draymund to slay a dragon
Gabriel — young man seeking to become a great warrior like his father; Marryn’s brother
Gaston — Novox employee
Grasapa — head of Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy; Ariel’s mother
Gustav — manager of the Temple of Kyran’s winery; attracted to Siljan
Hagen — Captain of the Witch’s City Guard; Hanna and Danhelm’s father
Hankin — ward of Celebern now employed by the Novox intelligence division
Hanna — preteen girl training to become a thief; Valwyn’s friend
Ilia — member of the Witch’s City Guard; Erik’s partner
Iris — one of Audrey’s twin cousins
Isadora — promiscuous Priestess of Kyran;
one of Siljan’s teachers
Johan — Farmerton’s mayor; Romee’s father
Josara — last Eye of Andoran; lives in Tritown and has possession of the EarthStaff
Jost — wife-abuser that Siljan deals with
Julien — Warrior of Kyran; Siljan’s arms instructor and occasional lover
Karth — god associated with chaos and destruction
Kerwyn — Hankin’s immediate boss at Novox; in charge of intelligence-gathering
Kora — fellow student of Audrey’s; freelance courtesan; Sparrow fanatic; Koralena is her full name
Kyran — god associated with harvests and fertility
Larna — Aliva’s evil half-sister; abducted and traumatized Ariel; now dead
Lasrina — goddess associated with beauty and luck
Lilina — utterly gorgeous half-elf; head courtesan at Desires
Lothar — head of the Witch’s City tax office
Lucien — warlock who founded what is now known as the Witch’s City
Marcel — Rosalind’s older brother; married with one child; lives in Zardis
Mardan — legendary hero from Kaldir; member of the Witch’s City Council; Gabriel and Marryn’s father
Marielle — courtesan at Desires who sometimes role-plays as Ermizad
Marilee — homemaker in Farmerton; Audrey’s mother
Marryn — teenage girl obsessed with wealth; rebellious; good at arithmetic
Medea — former adventurer who specialized in giant-slaying; Gabriel and Marryn’s mother
Mianna — woman who works as a maid; practical joker; likes Gabriel
Milric — Captain of the Rohoville City Guard; Valwyn’s father
Mina — Priestess of Triara from Kaldir; Bjarni’s wife
Morton — Priest of Yalk slain by Aliva; was infatuated with Alessandra
Natalia — employee of Novox tasked with hunting down unlicensed thieves
Nicolas — bully who moved to Farmerton
Nissa — barmaid at the Axe & Spear; student at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy
Olitha — Branwyn’s acolyte; married to Beron
Orian — young farmer from Farmerton; Violet’s husband
Oskar — carpenter-in-training that likes Marryn
Owen — Novox trainee and former unlicensed thief
Penric — cobbler who was an unwilling participant in Petra’s abduction
Petra — teenage girl that grew up underground; Ermizad’s cousin
Piran — Audrey’s quarterstaff instructor
Quentin(1) — village handyman who died saving Audrey’s life
Quentin(2) — son of Orian and Violet; named in honor of Quentin(1)
Randolf — student at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy
Rodric — Captain of the Rohoville Royal Guard
Roho — dwarf warrior who lived on Kaldir
Romee — pigtailed girl that lives in Farmerton and loves to run
Rosalind — former clerk who discovers she is a spell-caster; has a rare ailment
Sabrina — Queen of Rohoville and its true ruler; Siljan’s mother
Safira — student at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy
Sasha — Novox clerk who was spying for the Zardis Thieves’ Guild
Saxloc — young man who aspires to be a dragon-slayer; in love with Audrey
Siljan — young woman that lives and studies at the Temple of Kyran
Sofia — Petra’s mother; lives in Hard Rock City
Stanley — owner and operator of Rohoville’s ferry service; Aliva’s boyfriend
Tilda — former member of the Zardis Thieves’ Guild; Hanna and Danhelm’s mother
Triara — goddess associated with night and darkness
Valwyn — teenage girl studying magic; obsessed with sweets
Viktor — librarian that Audrey briefly dated (and beat up)
Vinca — abused young woman that Siljan helps
Violet — Audrey’s best friend from Farmerton; now lives in Dymar
Vydan — racist elf recruited by Siljan
Wilfred — Isadora’s lost love; slain by Morton
Wiva — Aliva’s deceased mother and a succubus
Xlee — founder of Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy; now retired and living on Kaldir
Yalk — god associated with death
Zale — Petra’s father and Ermizad’s uncle
Zalina — instructor at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy; married to Bennet
About the Author
M. Gregg Roe did not grow up in a city ruled by a witch. He grew up in central Ohio and attended the rather large university based there. He lived and worked for a time in Virginia and California before finally taking up residence in Tennessee.
Gregg has a Ph.D. in physics, which helps not at all when writing a fantasy novel. His leisure activities include cycling, anime, travel, reading (primarily fantasy and hard science fiction), and, of course, D&D.