Chapter 6

Neither Johan, Sebastian or anybody else had seen Tom for some time. The former was having problems seeing anything through bloodshot eyes, received from Sebastian's fist and Sebastian would have cared less now that he had returned to Bretton in a huff having beaten the truth out of his cousin about Agetha's summons. He wasn't too upset though, reasoning that he might have done the same if he'd heard of magic at an earlier time. The punch up had been over quite quickly and although the bruises to Johan would take a little while to go away, they had made up sort of shortly after. They had resolved one thing between them and that was the need to get some money into the respective private accounts. A King cannot live by venison alone. Funds needed to be found, mis-appropriated and stashed. Discussions had revealed that neither of them really liked being Kings but, only enjoyed the benefits that, should money allow, be fitting to their station in life.

Tom's station in life had taken a small turn for the worse. His elevated position in the palace had, temporarily come to a halt. However, he thought, perhaps he might be able to wheedle his way back in, after all, he had provided some very good entertainment for his employers and had also proved to be of some small use although not in the intended manner.

Since his self enforced exile for his place of work, he had indeed been practising his arcane pursuits. He had, he knew, the talent for magic use but, something always seemed to go wrong. His practice had forced him to move on one or two occasions after solid walls and such took on sentient life and walked to pastures new, much to the chagrin of his Landlords.

Practice, they say, makes perfect. Tom was not an exception to this rule, just a particularly hard example that proved it. Some of his conjuration's did actually succeed. It was a close run thing as to who was the most astonished, Tom or the recipient of his ministrations. Wine could now be transformed into a combustible liquid at will... sometimes. The Automobile Association would be eternally grateful... in about a couple of hundred years or so.

Tom's small network of informants had related the expertise with which Agetha had dealt with the mess left behind when he had left the Palace in such a haste. Graphic descriptions of how she had turned Johan and Sebastian on their heads, transformed them into toads, cats and other equally improbable animals. One report mentioned a griffin. All got treated with the same condiment, salt by the largest pinch but, Tom knew there would be some element of truth to the fantastically enlarged accounts, all witnessed first hand which was an obvious lie. It was also reported that the King was looking for a tutor to teach him how to read and add up. This proved to be Tom's salvation and got him back into Johan's favour. The rationale being, as a magic user he had limitations but, as a tutor, he'd do being one of the few left around that could read, write and manipulate numbers.

The King was a slow learner. A week of intensive sweat, threats of violence and brain ache had gained Johan the ability to write his name albeit in spikey letters and never the same twice in a row, but, bye and large, a huge improvement on his previous prowess. To celebrate the joining of more than one letter together, Johan decreed that they have a few days break which left Tom with time on his hands to think and stew.

The question that had started this whole diversion from his safe but, unexciting career as a baker reared large in his thinking. Retribution is okay. The problem was going to be HOW?

Many miles, adventures and situations had been endured since that day in the ruins of his business when he had vowed to pay Agetha back for turning him into a mouse. Becoming an Adept had seemed like a good idea at the time but, here he was, several years down the road and little nearer realising his ambition. For sure he could wield power, available at his finger tips and merest though but, he realised, as would any brainless bystander suddenly altered in the physical sense, it was mostly random in it's outcome and accidental in the focusing and aiming bit. Sympathetic relation with inanimate objects had become easier. Rocks, trees and so on shared feelings and meanings and changing the circumstances of the existences of the innocent objects was quite easy. Subject to chance but, easy.

Having an empathetic understanding of gypsum wasn't going to further his desire for revenge though and a contest of wills or abilities was going to be extremely short in duration. The result would be a racing certainty similar to a one horse race.

Tom, rightly began to think that using magic alone wasn't going to be a sure fire method to successfully finishing the job. It hadn't been up to now so there was no reason to think that this might change. A fresh angle needed to be dreamt up and rapidly for he had no idea how long she would be around this particular area or even why she was here in the first place.

His intelligence (?) reports had revealed that she had a child in tow. Perhaps a weak spot in her armour, one that might be exploited and also a dog of sorts formed part of her entourage. This could be an avenue of vulnerability. Straw clutching again perhaps, but, even straw, if bundled together nice and tightly, could make a ship capable of sailing over very long distances. These straws had a definite feeling of being waterlogged already. He continued thinking, plotting, counter-plotting and dismissing plans and after a week spent mulling over the problem, an idea popped into his ruminations that wouldn't go away.

It required refining... a lot. A bit like petrol begins life as compressed plant matter buried underground for millennia and treated to chemical attack before being extracted via bloody great big long drills and then treated to even more chemical bombardment.

It was fool proof. Which meant that somebody else should implement it perhaps.

He would become Agetha's friend. Simple. Then he would bide his time until some other plan came along. His physical appearance had changed beyond recognition. He no longer looked like Tom the Baker. A lot of water had passed under the bridge since that brief meeting all those years ago. A lot of food had passed under the bridge of his nose since that day. The effect devastating on his midriff area. When he had last seem her, apart from fleeting glimpses in the street, he had hair on his head and over most of his body in the form of fur but, that was a minor point. Tom the man had changed to the point of being completely unrecognisable. Even his former wife could have walked passed him without a second glance. Not quite true, she was now begging in their home town having used up the insurance man's moderate wealth and hadn't been able to find another to replace him and any passing stranger got more than one look just in case the kick aimed at her had the slightest offer of a penny behind it.

Tom had to find Agetha who was still somewhere in the metropolis of the city.

It took him the best part of two weeks to locate her during which, he made his peace with Johan and had made promises of greater efforts to fulfil his commission and find sources of wealth from unlikely raw materials. He tried to qualify his efforts by telling Johan that it might take some time and results may not be exactly what were expected. He also became Royal Tutor on the Quiet. A new title. Being one of the few that could read and write and had slightly more than a rudimentary knowledge of numbers as well as being trustworthy in so much as decapitation commands complete loyalty.

The market place was unusually deserted. Sunday morning being one of the few days when even the street traders had a lay in after the excesses of Saturday night at the Broken Leg or similar establishment.

Tom was lost in thought as he crossed the wet square. His cloak pulled tightly around him and shoved up under his chin to keep the chilly breeze out. A hand touched his arm and a voice said something that he missed.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you".

"I said could you tell me the way to the Laundromat." Agetha paused for a second while she looked at the stranger and then said.

"Hello Tom, I see the whiskers have gone and the ears are back to normal. It's good to see a friendly face is what I always says. So, how you doing? How's the wife? Not baking any more? How's the daughter? What brings you to these parts?"

She flitted from question to question seamlessly, without pause or breath.

Tom was also without breath but for completely different reasons. The chill wind had had an obvious effect on her poorly concealed breasts which never failed to get themselves aquatinted with members of the opposite sex before their eyes had travelled up to her face. Tom was rather more used to seeing Agetha as a horrid mess complete with masticated cardigan, warts and all.

"I... er... hello. Um."

She mistook his speech problems as fright, not unreasonable seeing that she had given him a spell of rodent life.

"It's okay, I wont be changing you into anything, I only wanted to know how to get to the laundry. It's quite by chance that I should see you after so long and from so far away. Listen, how about a beverage for old times sake and to show there's no hard feelings." She took his arm and shoved it under hers, trapping it between an ample bosom and the fleshy part of her upper arm.

Tom still hadn't found his tongue, but allowed himself to be lead to Happy Mac's, which never closed.

Two herbal teas later and Tom still had to get a word in sideways. Up to now, half formed words had died on the edge of his lips, cut off in their prime by the incessant barrage of bringing him up to speed on all that had happened to her with some editing, leaving out the best bits.

"... and I've got a child now of my own. She wasn't planned but, Oh what a joy and soo beautiful. She's four... or is it five any way she's going on twenty if you know what I mean. Your daughter must be married by now I suppose. Did she find a nice young man in the village or did she travel away?

"Would you like another tea?" Tom had at last managed to get a word or two out before being killed in infancy.

"That would be nice". Agetha looked up and smiled which had the usual effect on a man.

He hurried over to the counter and ordered another two Jasmine teas.

"Would you like a Massive Mac with that, Sir?"

"No thanks, just the teas".

"Enjoy you meal Sir". The checkout girl smiled in a bored way which did little to improve her looks from under the silly hat which formed part of her uniform.

He carried the steaming drinks back to where Agetha still sat smiling. She opened her mouth to resume the verbal ear bashing but was cut short by his upturned hand that signalled enough already.

"Agetha". Tom looked into her eyes which left him feeling somewhat disconcerted and vaguely feeling like a drowning man might when he sees the sun for the last time through several thousand gallons of water. "You look different from when I last saw you".

"I have lost a bit of weight, raising a child can do that you know".

"Funny, it usually seems to have the opposite effect on a woman, it certainly did with Gertha. She grew to gargantuan proportions after giving birth to her brat. So, any way, what brings you to these parts or shouldn't I ask?"

"Oh it's no secret, King Johan summoned me a while ago but, apart from straightening out his guests and dinning hall, I'm still non the wiser as to why. I sort of met him when I arrived and He's supposed to call for me when he's ready but, I've been here several weeks now and not heard from him."

Tom grabbed his half empty cup back from the Happy Mac employee who was clearing the tables. (Why do they do that? You just get comfortable, difficult on plastic seating, you meal has just cooled so that you can eat it without cauterising you mouth when some brain-dead operative comes along and sweeps it into a carry sack full of other peoples meals?) Agetha hadn't been quick enough.

"I might be able to help you there, I have the King's ear so to speak, I'm tutoring him with letters and numbers, (so much for confidentiality.) Listen, give me your address and I'll put a word or two in for you, He's probably forgotten what with all that's been happening lately.

I'd heard that a few people had disappeared recently and the treasury was looking for some misappropriated funds." The grape vine had borne fruit it would seem and state matters were common knowledge.

"Yeah, well, enough of that, so, how about it?"

Agetha completely misunderstanding the question, began to remove her clothing. "I've had some strange requests lately, but, in a restraunt beats most of them into a half cocked hat. But if that's what you want, I'm game."

"No... no... not that kind of how about it. I meant your address."

(Innuendo is sometimes good for a laugh so I thought I'd throw a bit in. Probably wouldn't touch the sides... like a sausage up... Enough already.)

"Oh sorry, just a left over from my last job." She did her clothes back up and gave Tom her address.

He watched her go and waved a small wave when she turned back outside. He still hadn't told her where the laundry was and a little smile played across his lips. Things couldn't be better. He wouldn't need to go and find her and perhaps might get a slight edge being on home territory. Obviously, he still had the problem of how and what to do, but, it looked as if she was gong to be around for a while. My, but hadn't she changed, for the better... a lot better. If it wasn't for history, he might even contemplate adding her to his not inconsiderable list of conquests. Now there's a thought, why not add her to the list. What's the best way of really pissing off a woman? Get them interested and then dump 'em without reason.

His thinking processes began to formulate a plan. He had a feeling that she might just fall for him without too much engineering on his part. (You might be thinking that he had a high opinion of himself. You wouldn't be far of the truth. This bloke was so far up himself the sun hadn't shone on his head for three weeks).

He glanced at the napkin with her address written on it and tucked it into one of the many hidden pockets in his cloak and thanked his lucky stars for the volume of the garment that hid his sudden interest in the female form having caught a more than healthy glimpse of the creature she had become since their last meeting.

This was going to be fun on several counts he thought as Happy Mac's receded into the mist behind him.

It was going to be a little while before he had a chance to catch up with her again. Johan, flushed with his new skill wanted to get it down with an urgency bordering on the obsessive. They worked late into the night, pouring over books paper and sums that made your eyes bulge, like two plus three equals... erm?? Six? Slow though it was, he could now recognise some words and numbers no longer held a mystery just so long as they were only one or two digits long. Hundreds still had to be tussled with.

Agetha meanwhile returned to her room and waited for Tom's message and played with Matilda. Mong had got bored with city life, with it's smells, rodents with either two or four feet and buggered off to seek his fortune outside the confines of the city walls, therefore, leaving the story from this point having served no practical function other than beginning a new scene and finishing a spent one. (Thanks Mong). It is good just to add that the dog sired hundreds of puppies and lived to a ripe age.

Plots

Days past in which Tom's every waking thought was filled with methods of teaching that stopped just short of hammering information loaded paper or parchment into his employers brain, either through his ear or up Johan's nose.

It has been said that hard work has its rewards. Ha! Must have been on drugs or trained as a time and motion designer.

The constant struggle to feed learning into Johan's brain gave Tom an idea though, something on which he could work and use against Agetha. The simplicity was stunning. Employ Agetha as a tutor. Teach him all the arcane practices that she had at her disposal improve on them perhaps and then whiz a quick spell or two over Agetha and her brat and then she would be in his service to do whatever he could dream up. The prospect held promise.

It was some time though, before Tom could get any time away. A temporary halt was called, even the pupil had become stiff from poring over the books. Progress was being made and gradually, Johan was actually recognising words and numbers. The next step would be to get him to hold a pen and make some kind of legible scrawl that could pass as writing.

Tom's first thought was for food followed by copious sex with who ever was available. The former proved to be no problem while the latter was a little harder. The courtesan ladies having either participated with Tom at some point in time or having heard of his sexploits pretty much gave him a very wide berth once it became common knowledge that he was once again at large. The serving wenches however, were fair game and his lust was satisfied over a night or three. Something Tom had perfected in his arcane pursuits was a slight beguilement, which proved useful on unfortunates with limited capacity in the reasoning process. Serving wenches traditionally, are buxom, rosy of cheek and slow with a ready smile and genuine warmth. Ideal bed meat.

After nearly a week of eating and fornicating, Tom was ready once more to go abroad. The city hadn't changed much. It still smelled bad. The plumbing really had to be redesigned and disease wouldn't wait for Thomas Crapper. Summer was in full swing. Heat lay like a blanket, covering the narrow streets with a haze, slightly brown in hue that could almost be called smog, but in reality was the amalgamation of tepid steam from the open sewer system and gas from the same source. The effect on the senses might be described as profound. Good of the sinuses, not so god for the prospect of living too long. That isn't actually true, benefit is forever found, even in adversity. The rats grew to massive proportions, which fed a large part of the population that fed the sewer system that fed the rats. Neat eh? The cycle of life rules, okay!

After several wrong turns and mystifying directions, Tom found the street Agetha had told him she lived in. It was pretty much the same as most of the rest. Dingy, dirty and downright bloody dangerous. The buildings hung over the street, further adding to the sanitation problem by not allowing air, rain or light to permeate down enough to clean the street occasionally. Alleys just wide enough to allow a slim man to traverse sideways along led off at irregular intervals. You didn't need to be very intelligent to know that these would lead to certain death one way or another. The street wobbled in less than straight lines vaguely in an east to west direction depending on the orientation and position. Although the there where no corners or bends as such, the buildings went in and out creating a causeway that kind of heaved as you walked along it.

The building that owned Agetha's address also hung over the street at first floor level. Oak beams jutted out at weird angles supporting the upper levels of which two could be seen. Once what was white wattle formed the barrier between the outside and the inside only some of the lathes had become bare and stuck out like ribs on a long cleaned and bleached skeleton in the desert. Fortunately, the same wattle had been spread over the inside and this had fared better so you couldn't see or walk through to inside without using the door. Windows started on the first floor and sagged open on petrified leather hinges.

Tom pushed the entrance door and fell through as the solid looking door swung open far too easily depositing him in a dark foyer, two steps down. He regained his equilibrium and tried to shut the door, but it had sagged on the top hinge and wouldn't fit.

"Gotta lift it." The disembodied voice informed him from somewhere behind him.

Tom lifted the door and pushed it back into place. Then turned to find the owner of the voice sitting behind an ancient desk with his feet being the only adornment on it.

"Does Agetha live here?" Asked Tom as he peered into the gloom trying to make out the man's features.

"Yep."

"On what floor? Pray tell."

"First." He paused as if to find an errant thought, then added, "Second door on the left."

"Thanks." Tom decided the guy wasn't one for conversation and didn't even try. Instead, he located the staircase and started up. Everything moved. What passed for a carpet seemed to have a life of it's own, squirming and wriggling under his feet in an effort to throw the burden off. Holding onto the banister didn't help too much either, it wobbled alarmingly and held promise of being no use what so ever should anyone need the support in a potential fall.

Eventually, Tom found the second door and knocked softly on it. No sound came from the other side so he knocked again a little harder with the same result. It was obvious that she wasn't in. He was undecided what to do. Wait in this corridor and see what tries to bite him or come back some other time. What he was sure of though was that he wanted to knock the living daylights out of the bloke down stairs for wasting his time.

Tom retraced his steps tentatively, he still hadn't got used to the dim light and he had a feeling that a fall might just prove fatal. He made the foyer safely and headed toward the door. His concentration dissipating the irritation he had felt in the passage upstairs.

"She aint in." The man at the desk said as Tom climbed the two steps.

Tom turned and considered belting him just for the fun of it and to make him feel better. He even started toward the desk but the door opening saved him from doing any damage and, in the event, saved him from being knocked on his rear end by the door. Tom turned again to see Agetha and the child lift the door into the proper position effortlessly as if they had been born to it.

"Hello Tom." Her recognition instant. "I wondered if you would come round."

The child, who stood next to Agetha, took his hand and smiled up at him. A chill ran through him as he looked down on her upturned smiling face. Privately, he thought, what an ugly thing she is. Even the tide wouldn't take her out. He smiled back which seemed to have a similar effect on the girl she promptly screwed her face up and hid behind Agetha's dress.

"Hello. Sweet little girl you have there." He could have bitten his tongue out. "What's her name again?"

"This is Matilda. Come out from there and say hello Matilda." She spoke to the hidden child.

"No way." Came the muffled response. "He's scary."

"Now that's being rude. What have I told you about being rude? Eh?" Agetha looked at Tom and made a helpless face.

"Sometimes I just can't do anything with her." She shrugged and yanked the girl from behind her.

"Are you people gonner clutter up my entrance all day? Or have you got someplace else you could have the reunion?" The man's feet still stopped the table from levitating.

"Don't be such a miserable sod Frank, this is an old friend from back home." Agetha gave him a withering look, but it was quite possible that he couldn't see it in the gloom.

"I couldn't give a rat's arse even if it was your long lost girlfriend, just get the hell outta my foyer."

Tom's temper got the better of him then. He walked over to the owner of the mouth and shut it for good and all with one punch between the eyes.

"Shall we go upstairs?" Agetha tried to calm him down. I'll make some tea."

Tom had had quite enough of the stairs and the rat hole and suggested they find some fresh air.

Twenty minutes later, they had left the worst of the slum behind and had entered the merchant quarter that set the scene of some of the better restaurants the city offered. For once, Tom had other things on his mind than food. They contented themselves with spiced tea and small talk. Tom was yet again reminded just how beautiful Agetha had become and remained. The fact somewhat confused him. He was used to hating and holding a seething desire for revenge for a haggard, fat and disgusting specimen of humanity, but being faced with this picture of loveliness only served to lessen his resolve. Under the layer of admiration for this very obvious object of most men's fantasy beat the heart of his most hated adversary. The one he had sworn to exact revenge of the foulest kind. It was difficult to remember that she had turned him into a rodent just for wishing to improve the quality of his business.

Agetha had stopped talking and was looking at him intently. Tom, when he realised that he had missed the last few minutes, focused on her face and felt momentarily like a lab rat might when the microscope is swung into place. He had a slight nagging feeling that she had been trying to enter his thoughts. He looked away at nothing in particular then returned Agetha's stare.

"How long do you intend to stay in Clevedon?" Changing the subject was always a good way to get back into the conversation and allow you to think of what the thread was.

"As I was saying, I'm probably going to return home in a day or two, nothing seems to be happening here and Johan, it would seem, has forgotten his summons."

Tom felt a twinge of panic at her words, but he wasn't sure why.

"Sorry, I drifted for a second. Listen..." He moistened his lips.

"... I'll have another word with him and remind Johan that he called you here for what was probably a good reason. Besides, I'd like to see you again, it's nice to see a familiar face, makes you think of home and all that." He couldn't think quickly enough. The panic of losing his... well, what was she? Quarry? Enemy? Or possible partner? The sense of loss was starting to rise, as was the confusion. It had been clear-cut until a few minutes ago. He wanted to get one over on her, make her suffer some indignity just as she had to him. Find some way of making her suffer, painfully if possible. Maybe even fatally such had his hatred been, but somehow, faced with the creature, it didn't hold the same appeal anymore.

"I shouldn't worry too much, it's been too long since I left home. My cat, while it can look after it's self, needs the company and some proper food so does the cottage. It will be overrun with weeds and dust. It'll take me a fortnight to clean up..."

This was a complete untruth. Anything strong enough to get over the magic protecting the portals of the hovel would be unlikely to survive the bombardment of attacks from the wards that protected the rest of the place. But even if something had overcome all this, Agetha's return would spell the end in seconds flat when she waved her hands.

"... and besides, Matilda should be taught the ways of Country Folk and there's nowhere like home for that is there?" Agetha looked over at her child who was terrorising the other patrons with a series of faces that may have been endearing on other children, but had the precise opposite effect on the hapless diners. There was again a brief link of minds that caused Matilda to suddenly sit down in her chair with something of a bemused expression. Tom caught just the barest touch just behind his eyes.

His alarm at letting her slip through his fingers hadn't abated in the least and he almost pleaded with her to stay. Then a thought sprang into the roiling maelstrom of thoughts. Without framing his next question into formulated order, he asked...

"Would you teach me magic?"

Agetha was startled for a moment, then, a small smile curled the corner of her mouth. Tom's heart nearly jumped out of him, he already thought her to be stunningly beautiful, but the smile devastated his already scrambled reasoning.

"Why do you want to learn magic?" Her question, although innocuous, sounded mocking, but the smile just grew by a few degrees, softening her face even further.

Tom wouldn't have noticed even if she speared him with a blunt stick, tried to think of a suitable answer.

"I have been studying some and have become something of an Adept, but a little more never hurts does it?"

"So what can you do?"

Matilda had by now thrown off the restrictions of her Mother and was engaged in moving things around just as the serving wenches and Barman reached for them. Their frustration of seeing a bottle slide away from grasp or the glass turn upside down as they started to pour was getting to critical level. Tempers vied for supremacy over puzzlement.

"I could stop Matilda playing with those poor unfortunates for instance. By the power of thought and a few chosen words, I could put her back in the chair there and tie her up."

"This I've gotta see." Agetha said. The amused smile spreading further and up to her eyes, which twinkled.

Tom concentrated for a second, then, he uttered a few words and waved his hands. The effect was instantaneous; his spell rebounded from what must have been an invisible protective screen around Matilda at hundreds of tangents. Anything in a circle of about fifty yards from the epicentre that was Matilda, suddenly found themselves transported to a completely different position, mostly on their heads in the street. The unfortunate thing being that the walls of the restaurant often got in the way, leaving vaguely human shaped holes in the fabric of the building.