Witch Zanthia's Little Shop Of Horrors

Victory Square was full of people. Representatives of all social classes, races and trades were present. Fortunately the space was large and had a lot of vegetation that provided shade. In some sectors of the square there were small stages and also a very large central stage was placed next to the gigantic bronze statue of Borto IX.

In addition, throughout the plaza several magically enchanted stone fountains provided abundant and crystal clear water to drink. In different places there were shops tended by staff of foreign embassies where it was possible to taste the specialties of each nation and contemplate some typical native dance.

The act had already begun several hours ago so there was no need to endure any boring speech or exalted declamation. The special time that was celebrated was the birth in olden times of Borto IX, great-grandfather of the current emperor.

Due to a conspiracy of a concubine to try to keep the throne for her son, Borto IX's mother was forced to give birth while she was hiding in a stable in the capital. Fortunately, it was soon found and protected by three ambassadors from the eastern kingdoms, who were careless about the politics of this continent.

They said they had been guided by a star to where the mother and child were. In the meantime the Emperor's forces, under the command of a general allied with the concubine, were looking house by house for them in order to kill them. The ambassadors brought them food and then helped them to escape, the boy hidden inside a large metal pot and the mother disguised as a kitchen assistant by a prestigious chef of the time.

Some decades later, after the boy became a grown man and finally succeeded in regaining the throne and giving himself the name of Borto IX, he issued a decree that every year a celebration was to be held to commemorate his mother and the ambassadors who saved them.

Naturally, the main event was a food contest and the judges would be the people themselves. After tasting each dish of the most renowned chefs , free of charge, then they would give their vote to crown the preferred one. While waiting for the main event to begin, people enjoyed typical native dances prepared by the embassies of each nation and enjoyed regional dishes.

The witch and the cats had not arrived long ago but they had already caught the festive air of the place. They chatted and joked. Suddenly, when the witch had stopped to contemplate the interesting dance of a beautiful and scantily dressed odalisque, an unexpected sound broke the charm of the situation.

Somehow, without really knowing what had happened and even before turning around, the witch already suspected that her felines were involved. She sensed it. Zanthia reluctantly left the odalisque to turn around and watch what happened.

She found a surprised black cat coming out of a nearby fountain, completely drenched from head to toe, and a smiling white p.u.s.s.y cat that suspiciously looked the other way while whistling a melody. Of course, if someone had lifted the white cat´s sunglasses at this time then that person would have discovered a glow of pure satisfaction in her eyes.

"What happened?" asked the witch.

"She threw me into the fountain with a vicious surprise attack!" Little Sun accused at Moon.

"I did not do anything, it will have been the wind." denied the white cat.

"A wind spell, you mean," said the black cat with a frown.

"Enough, you two, that from so much fighting you already seem like an old married couple." Zanthia mocked them.

"I am not crazy!" said the white cat, paws crossed on her c.h.e.s.t and turning her back to Little Sun.

"Not in a million years!" exclaimed the black cat, and he also putted his paws crossed before turning his back to Moon.

A few minutes later…

*SPLASH!*

Zanthia turned to find a gray cat drenched from head to toe, still inside a nearby fountain.

"Moon, again? I can understand about Little Sun but ... What did the poor Shadow ever do to you?"

"I tell you that I did not do anything ..." denied the white cat, offended.

"And then, why is Shadow soaking wet?"

"Nyyaah, I just wanted to see if there were delicious fish inside the fountain." said the gray cat, depressed, " There are none."

"Seriously? Really, Shadow? "

"Nyah…"

A lot of concurrence gathered in the square but the space was so big that luckily it was not tight. There were little gardens full of well-kept flowers and luscious trees of different types that provided shade.

There were also statues of Borto IX, his mother and the ambassadors. The atmosphere was extremely festive. You could hear music coming from exotic instruments played by skilled musicians and you could see dancers and ballerinas doing beautiful choreographies.

On their walk, they unexpectedly met an acquaintance. A short and fat lady with a nasal voice accompanied by a wax golem.

"Dear, but what a pleasant surprise to find you right here. I was just telling my friends how nice your shop is and how well equipped it is. . It has the seal of approval of Silvia Gomez, of course, and it is already known that when I approve something it has to be of the highest quality. You people do not have to miss an opportunity to visit her because ... "the woman threw herself to chatter without even giving the witch a chance to respond to the greeting.

With the woman and the golem came two other women and their husbands, who seemed relieved to have found someone to distract the nasal lady from their presence. They took the opportunity to apologize and flee quickly, leaving the witch listening to the inexhaustible chatter of the lady.

Zanthia sighed resigned to her fate and had already begun to make the necessary gesture to steal Silvia's voice when she unexpectedly said something of interest.

"…and you already found out about that girl who murdered a noble, right? Oh, terrible, terrible, very ugly business. He was a boy of good family, of the Clan Montes, a good boy who had a bright future ahead of him. People like ourselves, you know, as one of us. And that little girl who lives in the streets killed him, "said the fat woman in her horrible nasal voice that pierced the eardrums.

Mysteriously, Silvia could continue talking, without having to pause for breath, despite her long tirades. But Zanthia now had more practice talking to her and interrupted the fat lady with shouting.

"Are you sure, Silvia? Did the girl really kill him? Cannot there be some kind of confusion about it?"

Even the wax golem had the decency to look embarrassed. On one side, thrown upside down, Little Sun burst out laughing. Zanthia blushed, a little embarrassed by what she had done, but to Silvia that did not affect her in the least and she continued talking, also shouting.

"Yes, yes, she kill him. There's no doubt. There are many witnesses. The kind of people that aren't pronet to gossip or malicious rumors. Very reliable persons! Like you or me! Yes, I tell you that that girl sold the young noble food in poor condition. Or was it poisoned? Yes, now I remember that I was poisoned, according to the doctors. A powerful poison! Terrible, nasty thing! Ugly!"

"I always tell my sons not to play with those street children, they are always dirty and you have no way of knowing what diseases they have. But this girl, daring to poison a noble! And of the Clan Montes on top of that! Luckily they have already taken her and they have her in the jail of the outer circle waiting for the trial ... "

Having heard what she wanted to know, this time Zanthia did not hesitate to steal her voice. The cats sighed in relief. Well, Little Sun did not. It was that the black cat was very busy laughing, still lying belly up on the fresh grass. The witch thought about what she had just heard.

The version that indicated that the boy of the Montes family had been poisoned credited the captain's accusation. If he had been killed in another way, perhaps the girl could have been exonerated because of her poor physical condition, but it did not take much effort to poison someone. That's why poisons were one of the favorite resources of female killers since antiquity.

Still, it was a version to take it with tweezers. Silvia was not a reliable witness, at all. With sufficient time and saliva that woman was able to transform a cold into an epidemic and a pigeon in a phoenix. You had to be careful with Silvia. Better to have her as a friend. Yes, a friend, but far away.

During all this, the woman with the nasal voice kept talking and talking without realizing that others were not listening to her words. But Zanthia could not leave her in that state permanently, even if it was the best thing for society as a whole.

The woman was annoying but not a bad person. She returned the voice. Immediately the chatter was heard once again through the plaza. However, the witch was ready. She took the black cat by the tail and gave him to Silvia, who received him in her arms by reflection.

"Take him, Silvia. Take care of Little Sun for a minute. And talk to him as much as you want! He would be very glad listening to you! He really likes this sweet and charming voice you have. I will come back in a little while, right now I have to go to see something, just wait for me here, without moving. "

In the distance, a black cat was trying desperately to escape from a fat lady but the wax butler made things difficult for him. His pitiful meows were drowned out by the music and the noise of the celebration.

A long time later, the witch and the cats were enjoying a ritual dance from a kingdom in the east when a gaunt and depressed Little Sun finally found them. He was so bad that he did not even reproach the witch for what she had done.

Compassionate, Shadow shared a bit of a fish she had taken from a nearby store. Little Sun took the fish without saying a word but there was a sincere sense of gratitude in his eyes for the gray cat concern of him.

The best moment of the celebration came at the last hour of an afternoon now quite cold, when the sun had just sunk behind a bank of purple clouds, to the west of the horizon. The sky temporarily acquired a pale turquoise color speckled with pink and purple clouds.

A few moments later a rich fragrance enveloped Victory Square. It was so aromatic that the people who inhale it were fascinated. On the main stage, an announcer shouted out loud that the cooking contest had started.

This main event was the opportunity for people to try for free the best food dishes of these renowned chefs. The dishes they prepared were the result of decades of study and practice of haute cuisine. They had the best presentation, aroma and flavor.

Now that the sun was gone, the main sources of light and heat were the large hearths and stone grills where the cooks prepared their delicious dishes. All the chefs wore aprons and hats with the badges of famous restaurants. They were equipped with woks, pans, pots, saucepans and other kitchen implements.

Several types of wonderful and exotic ingredients were arranged on tables on the stage. The scene of the cooks brandishing their kitchen knives, while the blades reflected the glow of the stoves and grills, was strangely attractive. It reminded Zanthia the figure of her beloved cooking teacher, that old mind flayer.

"Nyaahh! Delicious, so many aromas, my mouth waters "said Shadow.

"Very well! Taste all the delicacies you want but do not mess up. I already had enough for today. Go and eat! " replied the witch Zanthia.

"Meow! This Cat Lord is looking for Sacred Bull Meat bathed in orange sauce"

"I feel the aroma of Sacred Winged Tuna coming from that place. It is calling me. I can hear it. Sacred Winged Tuna, there goes this cute kitty! "

"¡Nyahh! Fish! I'm going with you, Moon, wait for me!"