Warlock and Son by Christopher Stasheff

another in fright, making the sign of the Cross-whether at the mention of the Wee Folk, or of the hag, Rod didn't know. Certainly the combination would be enough to make a saint take precautions.
    The women came running up then, children in tow, and the men had to turn to give them the news while the wives tried to shush the babes. Magnus took advantage of the interruption to lean over to Rod and mutter, "Neatly done, Dad. Thou didst not lie."
    "No, but I sure made one hell of a false impression, eh? Well, that happens. Thanks for your help, son." Magnus started to answer, then remembered his own prevarication, and had the grace to blush. One of the older peasants turned back to Rod. "We can only thank thee from the bottoms of our hearts, sir knight. The witch hath beset us, long and sorely."
    "Why, how is this?" Magnus demanded, suddenly alert. "Have you no lord to protect you?"
    "From a witch like to her?" The peasant shook his head with a grim frown. "Even he did fear this vile hag, young sir, as did his father before him. He came once each year to show himself, so that we might know he was our lord, and his bailiff came but once a month, with armed men behind him, to take his tax. Yet sin that they would do no more, the hag too required tax of us-tribute, she called it, in cloth, grain, meat, and other goods."
    "Money, too," said another man. "When we had it." Magnus frowned. "And if thou didst not pay?"
    "Then would she make our cows go dry, keep the rain from our crops . . ."
    "Or bring far too much of it," another peasant said. "In truth, she hath brought flood." Or taken the credit for it,Rod reflected sourly. "I can see that would be reason enough to pay."
    "Oh, there were better!" cried a wife. "She would make the men no longer wish to lie with their wives, or would make us women barren."
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    Several men reddened with embarrassment and looked daggers at her, but she was staring up at Rod in righteous indignation and didn't notice. Rod nodded; he could believe that these events, at least, were really the hag's doing.
    "Her worst deeds thou hast seen, I doubt not," the first peasant said grimly, "and she would do it, whether or not we paid our tribute."
    The woman nodded. "Our sons."
    "Now and again," another peasant said, "she would beguile away some young man to use as a toy. Whene'er one of our youths failed to come home at day's end, 'twas cause for mourning, for we knew we'd not see him again."
    Magnus scowled. "She let none go free when she had done with them?"
    "There were one or two. Elber, dost thou hear?" Another woman elbowed a middle-aged man who stood among them but seemed not to be paying attention. He jumped at the contact, turned to her, and said, "Eh?" His face was completely vacant.
    "Thus would they come home," the woman said with contempt, "those few that were seen again. Not the lad himself, but his hollow husk."
    Magnus stared at the man's empty gaze, and shuddered. "Well, she won't bother you again," Rod said firmly. "You might consider cutting down the Cold Iron that's hanging over her doorway, so the Little People can get in and decontaminate the tower. You'll find she doesn't demand tribute again, and I doubt you'll ever find any trace of her." The peasants cheered, and the woman in front called, "Bless thee, valiant knight!"
    "I can use it," Rod returned. "Don't forget, though-your baron will probably be paying much closer attention to you now. His taxes will still need to be paid."
    They looked at one another, startled; they hadn't thought it through that far. Magnus stared, too, then began to look angry.
    Time for a quick exit. "Make the best of it," Rod advised. "Good luck." He turned Fess away toward the forest.
    A unanimous cry of protest rose from the crowd, and they ran after him. "Wilt thou not stay, that we may honor thee?" the headman cried.
    "Thanks, but I have other tasks to see to." Rod smiled