The Witch's Patron

Chapter 18

Noori was getting a lot better at finding the studio without Luck's guidance. Now that she knew what Keizsa's magic felt like, she could sense it in the air with a bit of concentration and follow it the way one could follow the aroma of freshly baked bread to the kitchen.

Tonight's journey was on the longer side. Noori's hunt for the door lead her deep into the heart of the city until, at last, she felt something warm and comforting pull at the pit of her stomach. She glanced around and caught a faint glow coming from the underside of a bridge spanning the great river that split the city in two. Noori climbed over the rails and carefully scaled the stonework down to a narrow ledge that led her under the bridge and to the door. 

"Surprise!" Noori announced as she slipped inside. She pulled a neatly wrapped package from her satchel and held it up proudly. The spicy scent of honey cakes permeated the wax paper and made her mouth water. "I come bearing gifts."

Keizsa's face poked through the gauzy curtains that shielded the chaos of her supply closet from view. Her mouth fell open with surprise.

"Noori!" Keizsa gasped, rushing out to greet her. She looked even more scattered than usual. Her hair fell in wild, unbrushed curtains around her face and her eyes darted furtively between Noori and the door. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Is... this a bad time?" Noori asked. She had imagined a happier reunion, but Keizsa's fidgety distraction left her feeling deflated. "I'm sorry, I should have sent word by Luck—"

Her words words were smothered by Keizsa's hand over her mouth.

"I am delighted to see you, Noori," the witch whispered. Her face was close enough for Noori to see the brightest flecks of gold in the witch's eyes. "But right now I need you to be out of sight."

"Mhhy?" Noori's confused reply was muffled under Keizsa's hand. 

"I have a patron coming tonight," Keizsa explained, pulling Noori toward the staircase. "They'll be here any minute and they can't know that you're here. Quickly — go up and stay quiet."

With her heart in her throat, Noori did as she was told. She bounded up the stairs two at a time until she reached the platform where Keizsa slept. Noori had never been up there before, and to be there now, standing breathless at the edge of the witch's bed, felt like Keizsa had just whispered an intimate secret into her ear. Keizsa slept on a large, plush mattress that was covered in quilts and sheets of luxurious fabrics and piled high with colorful pillows of all sizes. Candles, currently unlit, lined a low shelf on a wall with various glittering crystals and gems arranged between them. A small sketch book laid at the head of the bed, a pencil tucked between the pages.

Normally Noori wouldn't have dreamed of laying on another person's bed. But considering there was nowhere else for her to go — not to mention the shameless fashion in which she had been hustled up there in the first place — she figured Keizsa wouldn't mind. She set her satchel and sweets down and fell back onto the mattress sith a satisfying fwump. As she sank into the sea of pillows and blankets, she breathed deeply. Keizsa's powerful aroma intoxicated her senses and sent a rush of warmth cascading through her insides. Noori could have laid there forever. 

A knock, loud and commanding, shook the studio door. The sound of it ripped Noori back to the moment. Despite all of the time she'd spent at Keizsa's studio, Noori had never been present when a patron came to call. Usually, Keizsa was already hard at work on a spell commission by the time she arrived, and she never said a word about who her patrons were or they needed from her. 

As much as she understood Keizsa's commitment to privacy, Noori couldn't deny her own curiosity. Rolling onto her stomach, she crawled to the edge of the bed and peered over the platform just as Keizsa threw the door open wide. First came Luck, chittering brightly as he flew past her into the studio. He chirped and buzzed, landing here and there as though he was too excited to stay still for very long.