Glocara shivered, pulling the blanket that had slipped below her shoulders back up, then gently placed her palm on the girl's forehead.
It was slightly warm. Probably from catching a chill when she bathed her a few days ago, she thought.
There was medicine, but Glocara was unsure whether to use it. At this point, every decision had to be made with caution. She decided to wait a few days and see, hoping the girl could pull through on her own strength.
She removed the blanket, covered the girl, and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, Mareni," she said.
The words held no real meaning, but she still said them.
Carrying the candlestick, she left the room, and a cold wind blew into the hallway. As she turned to close the hallway door, the candlelight spread in a conical shape along the wall, revealing a shadow by the doorway.
"Who's there?" she asked.
At first, she thought it was those people. If they had come to ransack the White House during the night, there wasn't much she could do. But the figure wasn't human.
"Good evening, ma'am." The figure stepped into the hallway.
"Don't come in. You don't have my permission." She reached for the fire poker, usually brought out in winter, lying in the corner.
The figure hesitated, then stepped back out of the hallway.
"Relax, ma'am. I mean no harm."
Glocara stretched out her hand, casting the candlelight further. It was a troll, with only a small stump remaining of its right tusk. This discovery put her at ease, as, in her experience, any troll with self-respect would avoid such a situation unless elderly, weak, or struck by unfortunate accidents. Looking closer, his eyes were sharp, not the dull eyes of one who had recently had a "dinner."
"Looking for a place to stay?"
"Yes and no, Miss Glocara."
"You know me?"
"I've heard of your trade. My name is Tusha, once a witch doctor, now just a wandering troll. I wanted to ask if you had any work I could do."
"Work... that's rare. Tell me, what can you do?"
"Well, I'm experienced in treating all kinds of injuries, I know thousands of herbal remedies, I'm particularly familiar with the anatomy of trolls and orcs, and I've treated overindulgence in 'dinner.' Not to boast, but in my tribe, I was once a well-known witch doctor."
"Any capable witch doctor would be worshiped at their altar, not looking for work in the lower levels of Booty Bay like a dockhand fresh off a ship."
Tusha let out two dry laughs. "That's exactly my situation. Please don't ask too much. I really need this job. All I need is food and lodging."
"I don't need an assistant."
"But you do, Miss Glocara. I heard you recently lost a reliable assistant..."
"Who told you that?" Glocara suddenly stepped toward Tusha, repeating more forcefully, "Who told you that? It's not true. Get out of my house, now."
She pushed Tusha in the chest with her right hand, making him step back several paces, and immediately felt a pang of pain in her wrist. Tusha only nodded and said, "I'll be back," before turning and disappearing into the darkness.
"Don't come back," Glocara muttered. She put down the candlestick and closed the door.
Before returning to her bedroom, she passed by Mareni's room, gently pushing the door open to check on her. She was still peacefully asleep, as she always had been. Sometimes Glocara wondered if she dreamed. If she did, who would she be dreaming of.