time.
He smiled appreciatively as one of the women came out with a fresh hot pot of tea, and took the empty away. He glanced after her quickly. Wait. What had he done last night? With whom? That woman was so elegant and detached, surely he hadn't? And then he'd done it again, hadn't he? How much had he drunk?
He had poorly sorted memories of the general's staff staggering off with various . . . And the general himself with the one named Idea? He poured a cup with shaky hands and wondered what would happen if the missing husbands ever showed up.
***
Answer frowned down at Lady Gisele. Or tried to. The old herb wife seemed to be having trouble keeping her appearance steady. At times she looked like a mature but beautiful woman, strong and powerful, and then there was the maiden, who was sexually devastating. Even an old witch could feel a tinge of lust rising at the sight of her.
"What did you put in that wine, Gisele?"
"Oh, deary me." The old woman snickered. "I knew you lot would wake up to your reproductive duties sooner or later, but it was getting a bit late, so I thought a touch of the sweet potato would be in order." The wrinkled countenance and hunched back of her usual appearance firmed up, and she leaned closer to wink. "Aids fertility, you see."
"Lady Gisele! There was a great deal mo re than a sweet-potato spell in that wine! We were all running about like wantons!" Delight leaned forward, blushing. "I'm forty-eight years old, I'm skipping moon times. I suspect the change will come within the year. I can't get pregnant."
The old lady cackled; the image slipped a bit and something that might have been a fertility goddess a few centuries ago flickered and then compressed back into an old crone. "Never know till you try, eh?"
"I don't think the aphrodisiac was a wise idea." Blissful made the understatement of the century.
The old lady cackled again. "Don't blame me, blame that special wine of the Auld Wulf's. You know how those men are, always wanting it. They'll do practically anything for a bit of sex, and gods are even worse, even if he really isn't one, any more."
"The Auld Wulf?" The witches looked horrified.
Delight clapped her hands to her face in wide-eyed horror. "Was that who we dragged into the house? I thought maybe the Sheep Man, but he didn't smell bad enough." Several other witches shifted guiltily.
Justice, who had been sitting in the back, sighed loudly.
"Oh, you didn't! Not again! You know witches and wizards shouldn't mate, you know that."
"Yes, Mother."
"And I didn't see you for days! Surely you weren't . . . "
"Yes, Mother."
The old crone cackled again. “Guess I should have put a bit more forget-me in the ageing barrel."
"Don't you mean forget-me-not?"
She snorted. "Certainly not!" and stumped her way out.
"Well, Sisters," Answer firmed up her voice. "It seems that we are going to have a very interesting year. We'd better think about laying in extra supplies this summer. We'll assume for now that we'll have, umm, six babies next winter."
"Answer," Happy wailed. "That was Gisele's fertility potion."
"Hmm, yes, well, perhaps nine babies." She frowned forbiddingly. "The Sisters of the New Moon didn't get any of that wine, did they?"
"No, with all those soldiers in town I sent them off south to scout for the rest of the engineering brigade. Good practice for them, and a little distance never hurt anything. Harry sent his boys as well, and some of the mage children went." Glorious nodded decisively. “And I'll tell Harry that when the soldiers come, to serve only wine he's had safe and sound in his cellar for at least a year." She hesitated, eyeing the Sisters. "Did anyone, umm, Harry?"
Curious waved her hand. "Really. I'm sure I'm too old for even Gisele to aid."
Blissful snorted. "I'm definitely too old." Everyone stared. The old woman pulled herself up straight. "I may be a hundred and seven, but I still know what a man is good for."
Furious leaned over to
He smiled appreciatively as one of the women came out with a fresh hot pot of tea, and took the empty away. He glanced after her quickly. Wait. What had he done last night? With whom? That woman was so elegant and detached, surely he hadn't? And then he'd done it again, hadn't he? How much had he drunk?
He had poorly sorted memories of the general's staff staggering off with various . . . And the general himself with the one named Idea? He poured a cup with shaky hands and wondered what would happen if the missing husbands ever showed up.
***
Answer frowned down at Lady Gisele. Or tried to. The old herb wife seemed to be having trouble keeping her appearance steady. At times she looked like a mature but beautiful woman, strong and powerful, and then there was the maiden, who was sexually devastating. Even an old witch could feel a tinge of lust rising at the sight of her.
"What did you put in that wine, Gisele?"
"Oh, deary me." The old woman snickered. "I knew you lot would wake up to your reproductive duties sooner or later, but it was getting a bit late, so I thought a touch of the sweet potato would be in order." The wrinkled countenance and hunched back of her usual appearance firmed up, and she leaned closer to wink. "Aids fertility, you see."
"Lady Gisele! There was a great deal mo re than a sweet-potato spell in that wine! We were all running about like wantons!" Delight leaned forward, blushing. "I'm forty-eight years old, I'm skipping moon times. I suspect the change will come within the year. I can't get pregnant."
The old lady cackled; the image slipped a bit and something that might have been a fertility goddess a few centuries ago flickered and then compressed back into an old crone. "Never know till you try, eh?"
"I don't think the aphrodisiac was a wise idea." Blissful made the understatement of the century.
The old lady cackled again. "Don't blame me, blame that special wine of the Auld Wulf's. You know how those men are, always wanting it. They'll do practically anything for a bit of sex, and gods are even worse, even if he really isn't one, any more."
"The Auld Wulf?" The witches looked horrified.
Delight clapped her hands to her face in wide-eyed horror. "Was that who we dragged into the house? I thought maybe the Sheep Man, but he didn't smell bad enough." Several other witches shifted guiltily.
Justice, who had been sitting in the back, sighed loudly.
"Oh, you didn't! Not again! You know witches and wizards shouldn't mate, you know that."
"Yes, Mother."
"And I didn't see you for days! Surely you weren't . . . "
"Yes, Mother."
The old crone cackled again. “Guess I should have put a bit more forget-me in the ageing barrel."
"Don't you mean forget-me-not?"
She snorted. "Certainly not!" and stumped her way out.
"Well, Sisters," Answer firmed up her voice. "It seems that we are going to have a very interesting year. We'd better think about laying in extra supplies this summer. We'll assume for now that we'll have, umm, six babies next winter."
"Answer," Happy wailed. "That was Gisele's fertility potion."
"Hmm, yes, well, perhaps nine babies." She frowned forbiddingly. "The Sisters of the New Moon didn't get any of that wine, did they?"
"No, with all those soldiers in town I sent them off south to scout for the rest of the engineering brigade. Good practice for them, and a little distance never hurt anything. Harry sent his boys as well, and some of the mage children went." Glorious nodded decisively. “And I'll tell Harry that when the soldiers come, to serve only wine he's had safe and sound in his cellar for at least a year." She hesitated, eyeing the Sisters. "Did anyone, umm, Harry?"
Curious waved her hand. "Really. I'm sure I'm too old for even Gisele to aid."
Blissful snorted. "I'm definitely too old." Everyone stared. The old woman pulled herself up straight. "I may be a hundred and seven, but I still know what a man is good for."
Furious leaned over to
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