Still Writing in this Craziness I Call Life

We will have moved 3 times across the county in 13 months. Apartment dwellers for two of those moves with the majority of our stuff in storage. (oh how I missed my books) I stretch my self with creative outlets in reading, writing and quilting/crafting. I finished Sephina's book and the idea of trying to edit it overwhelmed me and writing went by the wayside. I love that outlet so I joined back up with '12 Short Stories in 12 Months' now called https://deadlinesforwriters.com/. I did not get January's story written but here is my offering for February. The prompt was 'For Hire' and the word count was 1000. Extra kudos if you can get it exactly.  Ustes he is a minor character in "The Temporary Crown" and I did another story for him called "Accidental Magic". If you'd like to hear more about Ustes let me know and I'll post them.

Last Straw by Julie Blankenship

The wizard grabbed Ustes by the ear and quick stepped him out the door. A box came clattering across the threshold and landed at his feet. Ustes thought his time would be better served in trying to catch some of the imps he had let loose in their rooms. He moved to enter the house and felt his shoulder bruising from the wizard’s grasp. A placard hung from his master’s other fist.

“You will sit on this box until someone comes to take you off my hands.” The wizard swung the chord of the placard over Ustes’ head and let the board bounce against the boy’s chest.

Ustes lifted the board enough to read the words and groaned as the wizard disappeared back into the house. Now he had truly done it, apparently this was the last straw for his master. He had fallen from apprentice, to drudge and now to hireling. He pushed the box with his foot up against the wall of the house and slumped down onto it.

This street was not a thoroughfare but still plenty of pedestrians passed Ustes on their way to parts unknown. He could tell the literate from the illiterate by their reaction to him and his sign. The illiterate assumed that the sign was some kind of hex from the wizard and hugged the opposite side of the street to keep from getting tainted; a flurry of hand motions to ward off evil. The literate either looked at the sign and quickly looked away or if they knew him and the wizard, they smirked.

A dirt clod hit the wall above Ustes head and rained dirt onto his head and down his collar.

“What’s it say? Is that your name, Useless?” Drigs, the tanner’s apprentice, taunted from across the street. A second dirt clod pelted Ustes in the arm as he was brushing dirt out of his hair.

“It’s a hex on anyone who does me harm,” Ustes bellowed as he stood to shake the dirt from his shirt. A small cry and the patter of running feet was all Ustes heard as the wizard’s shadow fell across him.

“It is small minded to torment the unlearned,” the wizard said.

“Sorry, sir,” Ustes hung his head and slid back down onto the box.

The door closed behind his master and Ustes glanced up at the window to see the vixen, that ran tame in their rooms, staring at him from the window sill. He grimaced and looked away as he saw the still wriggling leg of an imp dangling from her mouth and the pile of tiny broken bodies between her feet. At least she was proving useful to the Wizard.

He knew he had magic. That was the reason the wizard took him on in the first place. ‘Dripping with it’, was the term his master used. It was a problem to have untamed magic and it seemed to constantly get him in trouble.

The edge of the board dug into his ribs as he bent over to put his head in his hands. The cloying scent of day lilies made him go still. The pulse in his neck beat up into his head. He could make out the smell of unwashed body beneath the sickly-sweet scent. Racha looked down at him with coal black eyes in a painted face, her wild black hair threatening to drop down across her brow. Her garish dress accentuated her over abundant curves.

“You have displeased your master again, I see little one,” she hissed.

“Yes.” Ustes cringed away from the witch. He knew the wizard had dealings with her but she made his skin crawl with the look of naked hunger she reserved for only him.

“We will away then. I would hire you.” She reached down to take his hand in her gnarled claw.

“I will let my master know.” He jumped up and stepped to the door.

“No need, he will not miss you, will he?” She snatched for his hand again.

The vixen nosed her way through the door baring her teeth at the witch. A growl rumbled in her chest. The witch moved back at the threat.

“You surprise me, little one, I did not know you had a familiar.” She circled to get around the brisling fox.

“She is not my familiar, only a bit of accidental magic.” Ustes admitted.

The witch’s eyes widened as she looked from Ustes to the little fox. The look of hunger was back in full force.

“You created your own familiar?” She panted. “Come, the wizard does not appreciate what he has in you. The untapped power. I can make good use of you.”

The vixen gave three yips and moved again between Ustes and the witch.

The door of the house flew open and the wizard towered in the opening. He had taken the time to don his robes and hat and held his staff in his hand.

“Racha, what is your business here?” he commanded.

“You are hiring out the boy and I would have him.” She did not seem intimidated by the wizard but still veered away from the fox.

“I am not giving him up as a sacrificial lamb, woman.” He seemed to grow in stature as he looked down at her.

“I would not drain him, but the magic is fairly seeping out of him and you put him out on your stoop with that sign around his neck. I want him.” She cajoled.

“It was a lesson gone awry, now take your lechery and go.” The wizard fairly ripped the offending sign from Ustes neck and used his staff to herd him back into their rooms.

Ustes stared up at his master as he closed the door in the witch’s face.

“Lessons start again tomorrow, my young apprentice. Now get this house cleaned up from all the mischief your imps have caused.”

Ustes wanted to dance but wisely he got a broom and got to work.