Bulletproof Witch Read online

  “Hold up, now, let me speak my piece. I was afraid, yes, I’ll admit to that. Afraid of what you could do, but also afraid of what you were letting go to waste. Every morning you were coming out of this room a little more torn down than when you went into it. Nobody can maintain that kind of punishment for long and not do permanent damage. I thought some forced time away from all that might just bring back the fiery girl I met that first night in Cold Valley, but it seems I did more harm than good. I want you to know that I only meant to do right by you. Things never should have gone south the way they did.”

  He fell silent. They sat on the bed, sunlight playing off their backs and sinking deep into their skin. Temperance felt its kiss, but the warmth never reached her center. At last, she turned and faced her teacher.

  “Why didn’t you ever ask?”

  “Eh?” Martin looked at her, confusion writ plain on his face.

  “Why didn’t you ever ask about Cold Valley? You’ve been acting this whole time like you already knew what happened. Like it was already something done and over. I know Grandpa wasn’t your family, but still, you never even shed a tear. It was almost like you expected him to be dead before you ever found me. Did you know? Is that why you waited until spring to come check? Did you ride into the mountains expecting to find nothing but piles of bones?”

  “Oh, Temperance.” The old gunslinger’s face crinkled. He looked on the verge of tears himself. “Of course I didn’t know. Had no idea something was wrong until I reached the last mountain and saw the valley smashed to pieces below me.”

  “Then why didn’t you ask me about it?”

  Martin opened his mouth. Paused. Closed it again. At last he gave a shrug. “Truth told, I thought I was being kinder, that way. Figured you’d come around and tell me everything when you were ready. After all, my best friend and his family are gone to the wrong side of the dirt. Not as if the particulars matter when faced with that little fact.”

  His words hit Temperance like a punch to the gut. It had never occurred to her that he might have been waiting on her to start the conversation. That felt like more responsibility than her thirteen years of life could handle.

  “Do you want to talk about it now?” Martin asked.

  “I . . . .” And just like that, Temperance realized she did. The weight of everything had been pressing upon her for months now. She opened her mouth, and the story began to tumble out, a few words at first, and then faster and faster. She told Martin about how she had found herself on the cliffs above the town and watched the battle unfold. Of waking to find the town burned and everyone gone.

  She even told him about the miners that came the next day, and what had happened, but stopped short of speaking about her trip to Smithton. That whole mess was a different problem for her to untangle, and not worth the words at the moment. Already her mouth felt like a ball of cotton from saying so much.

  Not sure what else to say, she looked up at Martin. “Does the name Varconis mean anything to you? It was the last thing Grandpa said before he died.”

  For a few minutes, the old gunslinger just sat on the bed, staring at nothing. At last he turned to her. “I want you to promise me you won’t go mentioning that name to anybody. Not until a few years and miles have put some distance between you and all of this.”

  “So you have heard of it?” Her heart skipped a beat.

  “No, I don’t think I have, but any daemon powerful enough to take on your grandfather is nothing to be trifled with. Creatures like that have all manner of strange powers, and I don’t need you risking me or yourself bandying its name about carelessly.”

  “I . . . alright. I’ll keep it to myself. For now.”

  Martin patted her shoulder. “Thank you, Temperance. For that, and for being willing to tell me everything. I imagine this wasn’t easy on you.”

  Temperance nodded. She could still feel the weight of guilt inside, the pain of everyone she had lost pressing down upon her. Yet, for some reason, it didn’t seem to hurt as badly as before. It was almost like talking to Martin had eased some of the burden from her, as if she was now sharing a load that had been hers alone for far too long. With a bit of effort, she managed to squeeze a smile onto her face. The old gunslinger returned one of his own.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to need time to process all this. Perhaps with enough time we can make sense of what happened, start to put the pieces together, but for the moment . . . .” He shook his head. “Well, best if you just focus on your training again. Assuming that you’re still my student, of course?”

  Temperance didn’t hesitate in responding. All of her anger from earlier already felt like a bad dream. “Of course I am.”

  “Good. Oh, before I forget, I have a little present. Was planning on giving it to you when you got back, but with all the uproar in the kitchen, I never got the chance. Thought you might appreciate it, seeing as how sorcery isn’t exactly my area of expertise.”

  “Sorcery?” Temperance frowned as the old gunslinger drew a book covered in black leather from inside his jacket. He handed it to her.

  “I’ll let you alone now. Imagine you’ll want a bit of a rest after what happened up at the cabin.” Martin climbed to his feet and made for the door. Just before reaching it, he turned around. “One more question for you, and I’m only asking because it’s eating at the seat of my britches: where did you keep getting the alcohol? I know you didn’t bring it all with you from Cold Valley.”

  Temperance blinked at him. “You don’t know? I got it from the supply in the cellar.”

  “The—you mean to tell me you’ve been drinking my collection of aged liquors this entire time? Hell, some of those bottles are older than you!”

  “Oh.” Temperance glanced away, feeling a flush of color run up her cheeks. “Sorry.”

  “You damn well better be! Although I suppose it serves me right for not checking on them before now. How many did you drink?”

  The heat running up Temperance cheeks was hot enough to cook a rooster. “All of them? I was going to buy more in town to replace what I took, but I never got the chance.”

  Martin stood in the doorway and just stared at her. His expression was unreadable, but certainly not anything even close to resembling pleased. Temperance resisted the urge to fidget.

  At last her teacher spoke. “We’ll discuss how you’re going to pay me back for that later. I promise you, though, it’ll take far more than a single afternoon of hard work. For now, get some sleep.”

  He turned and stomped off. Temperance listened to the sound of his angry mutters fading away as he descended the stairs. Then the house was quiet.

  Leaning back, she let the sunlight play across her face, the feel of it warm and comforting at last. She lifted up the book that Martin had given her and read the title.

  Basic Thaumatik Artes — A Primer For Sorcerers of All Ages

  The words set her heart to beating faster. While she had learned the basic principles behind sorcery from her grandfather, James had been resistant to taking her education any further until he felt she was ready. Who knew what wondrous powers awaited her upon these pages?

  She opened the book and started to read. Her heartbeat grew faster and faster.

  Chapter One: The Familial Bond . . . .

  * * *

  Present Day

  “You are certain you will not stay a little longer?”

  Temperance glanced at William over the rim of her coffee mug. She swallowed and wiped at her mouth. “Afraid I can’t. There’s too much I’ve got to attend to, now that Lucius is dead. Certain people need to know about the upyr threat, and the sooner the better.”

  “Still, I wish you would stay. I do not like the thought of being here, alone.”

  “Hey, now.” Temperance reached across the table and gave William’s hand a squeeze. “You’re going to be alright, you hear? Hell, your share of the Gunpowder Gang bounty alone can keep you living like a gentleman for years.”

 
; “If you say so.” The boy hunched over in his chair, staring at his own cup of coffee but not touching it. Apparently the stuff was unknown in Isterial, and acquiring a taste for it took time. Temperance wouldn’t know, as she had been drinking hers black as midnight since she was seven.

  “I do say so. Besides, it’s not like this is goodbye forever. I’ll be back soon as I’ve taken care of my own business. We need to have a long chat about sigilry, and I’m sure you’re still holding on to one or two surprises I need to know about.”

  She gave a conspiratorial wink to let William know she was joking–or half so, anyway. Finishing her cup, they climbed to their feet and made for the door. The coffee shop was near the center of what the locals of Messanai City had taken to calling “Little Isterial,” a district almost entirely populated by refugees fleeing upyr persecution. In the few short days since they arrived, William had managed to learn almost everyone’s name. He called out greetings in that strange language of theirs to those they passed in the street. Temperance just smiled and shook her head.

  “What are your plans from here?” she asked.

  “The same as before. I will open a shop and sell my enchanted items. An older man named Roberion who lives across from the hotel offered the use of his storefront. We Isteri look out for each other, after all.”

  “Hey, and here you were worried about me leaving. You won’t hardly notice at all, busy as you’ll be running your own shop.”

  “Perhaps, but it will not be the same. You understand what I have been through. What it took to get here.”

  “You mean fighting against an upyr? Oh, I’m sure nobody else in this town knows what that’s like at all.” Temperance started to laugh, but it quickly turned into a wet cough. She was nowhere near recovered from her injuries yet. Her hand brushed against the bandage wrapping her throat as a reminder.

  They arrived at the Meridian Hotel, run by an Isterial couple whose names kept escaping Temperance. William paused in the doorway.

  “If you are leaving, then I suppose I should give you this. I had hoped to have more time to work on it, but . . . .” He shrugged and started digging through his bag.

  “What’s all this now?” Temperance frowned as the boy pulled a lump of dark fabric from his bag and handed it to her. She unfolded it, and her eyes went wide.

  “I remember you were admiring it in the clothing shop.” William smiled shyly as Temperance held the black duster jacket up to the light. “I snuck back and bought it while you were turning in Whittaker. Since you lost your other coat, I thought you might like this for a replacement.”

  “That’s—” Temperance felt a lump in her throat. She turned to William. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

  Something on the inside of the jacket caught her eye. Pulling the fabric back, Temperance stared at three clear stones set into clasps. They glowed with a faint red light. She glanced back up. “Are these—?”

  “Source stones. I still have a few features to add to the jacket, but they can wait until later. Everything important is already inscribed.”

  Temperance ran her hands along the front of the jacket, searching for patterns to activate. She frowned when she found nothing but rough canvas. “What does it do?”

  “Several things. Unfortunately, I never had time to study how your old jacket moved the way it did. Creating those kinds of sigils from scratch is beyond my skills. However, adding the ability to deflect projectiles was easy enough. There is also a pocket on the inside that works like my extra-dimensional bag. It is not quite as large, but should store enough supplies to last you several weeks, at least.”

  “I thought you said making your bag took you several months?” Temperance stuck a hand into the indicated pocket, sinking in all the way to her shoulder. William gave a noncommittal shrug.

  “When something is important, you find a way.”

  Temperance glanced up, and suddenly the dark rings under the boy’s eyes made a great deal more sense. “William, I—thank you. Truly, thank you.”

  “So you like it?”

  “Like it?” She reached out and pulled the boy into a tight embrace. “It is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. I’ll treasure it always.”

  William blushed. “Yes, well, I am glad you approve. Next time you visit I will try to finish the other work I started.”

  “Other work or no, it doesn’t matter. I’m bulletproof again, and that means more than all the extra pockets in the world.”

  They separated, only to stand awkwardly in the hotel doorway. Now that the moment had come, Temperance wasn’t sure what to say. In the end, it was William who broke the silence.

  “I should get going, I still need to work out the details of my rent with Mister Roberion. Whatever happens out there, Temperance, please be safe, and know that I will never forget what you did for me.”

  “I only did what a Pistol Witch is supposed to do.” Temperance ran a hand along the jacket, reveling in the feel of the fabric. “No more, and no less.”

  Once William was out of sight, she unfolded the jacket and pulled it around her shoulders. The material was stiff, but that was nothing a few weeks on the trail wouldn’t fix. Other than that, the coat fit to perfection. Almost like it had been made for her specifically.

  For the first time in weeks, she felt whole again.

  She wandered to the hotel stables and found Astor munching contentedly on a trough of hay. The horse didn’t look up as she entered, but his tail swished in acknowledgement. Finally ready to get back on the trail? Good, I’m tired of the smell of this place.

  “Soon enough. First, I think it’s time you and I talk about what happened out there.” Temperance had left Astor alone the whole trip to Messanai, but the need to know was eating at her something fierce. “What was that, the thing inside of you? Did my Grandpa—”

  I don’t know. Astor flicked his ears as he turned to regard her. The words hit her like a slap. Her face must have showed it, because the horse continued, Truth be told, I don’t remember much of what happened. Last thing I recall, we fell from that bridge, and the next moment we’re standing in the cabin. Everything else is like . . . like a dream I can only half remember. I know that’s probably not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s all I can offer right now. Maybe with time, more of it will come back.

  Temperance opened her mouth to press further, but the look on Astor’s face set her teeth clacking together. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite place. A deep well of regret, or perhaps something else harder to define. It was clear that whatever had happened, it had scarred Astor in ways he didn’t fully understand yet.

  So instead, she simply nodded. “When you’re ready, we’ll talk. In the meantime, we should head back to see Martin.”

  That old grump? We were just there, what do you need to go back for already? You’ve got more hexbullets than you did when we left, and Varconis’s trail isn’t getting any fresher. What has Martin got that we don’t?

  “It isn’t that. This whole mess with Lucius, I need to talk with him, and probably Mister Lorde too. Something tells me our upyr troubles aren’t over yet. We need to get ready for what’s coming.”

  Astor let out a puff of air. Like daemons aren’t enough trouble as it is. Alright, when do we leave?

  “Soon as I can pack our bags. We’ll take the next train heading eastward, can be back to Oceanside before the week is out.”

  Trains. The horse snorted. He looked as if he were about to say something else, then glanced at Temperance and seemed to recall her bruised state. I suppose I can endure a few days of train cars for you. Just be sure to bring me a sugar cube to make up for it.

  “I’ll see what I can manage.” Temperance turned away, a smile playing across her lips. She made her way back to the hotel.

  It seemed impossible that only a few weeks had passed since the incident on the bridge. Temperance’s entire world had changed at least three times over between then and now. Who could say what even the nex
t day might bring?

  She still didn’t know where she and Astor stood, and her grandfather’s cabins hadn’t brought her any closer to finding Varconis; yet, somehow, the future seemed brighter than ever. Against all odds she had fought off enemies on three different fronts, all without her jacket, her hexbullets, or her familiar. Now that she found herself restored, the threats assailing her and Korvana didn’t stand a chance.

  Send daemons, upyr, sorcerers and bandits. Whatever you’ve got, I’ll be ready. Temperance paused at the doors to the hotel and glanced back to where the sun rose high over the building rooftops. Perhaps I am meant for failure, but I’d rather fail trying than never know what I could have done. It’s what Grandpa would have wanted, and what destiny has been pushing me towards since I took my first steps. All I need to do is keep moving forward, and I’ll see my way through, eventually. So you best get yourself ready, Varconis.

  Because Temperance Whiteoak is coming for you.

  Thanks for reading! Temperance will return June 2021 in

  Episode Five: Shadows and Revelations

  Also coming November 2020:

  Greenfingers

  Even the humblest of destinies can still reshape the world

  Now turn the page for additional bonus content!

  Appendix

  The Lost Inhabitants of Korvana

  By Daniel Hamlin

  The history of this continent has always been a subject of fascination for me. Far back as I can remember, I have sought out books and scholars on the subject. Although we Galanese have lived here for centuries, it feels as if we barely understand Korvana and what it signifies.

  Of course, some of that ignorance is due to our own restrictive nature. It was not until recent decades that the government eased limitations on travel and settlement, that the gentry who claim the right of ownership over most of this country begin “allowing” the rest of us access to that which they themselves had enjoyed unhindered for so long. Because of this, there are secrets that have lain right outside our doorstep, yet are only just now coming to the world’s attention.