The Washery Mage

By Nikki Bollman

Erzie could be a mage, but instead she's stuck working in nasty Madam Deera's washery.
With each unreasonable demand and punishment, Erzie dreams up ways to get out of the washery and into the mage school.
But without the money she brings home from the washery, her sister could die.
Will Erzie submit to the rules of magic and money in this story set in the world of Arethia? Or will she subvert them and find a way to free herself from the washery forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sticks & Scribbles Press
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223105251

Book preview

THE WASHERY MAGE

Erzie bent over the steaming vat and leaned hard into her wooden paddle, stirring the pile of clothes so they would get clean. She couldn’t tell if the sun above her or the steam below caused water to drip from her brow. Sometimes, a breeze would course through the courtyard and cool her, but not today. Today the air was still and stale.

Above her, a balcony ringed the courtyard where Erzie and the others bent over their washing. Some of the girls around her chatted while they worked, but only with a watchful eye to the doors on the balcony, where Madam Deera liked to stop and watch. Erzie had been the subject of that watchful eye before, and even now as she thought about it she tried to shrug it off her shoulders. Concentrating on her washing was the best thing.

But when she was done later that day, as the hot sun dipped lower in the sky, she was subject to Madam Deera’s complaints once again.

What is this?

Erzie looked up from her shoes to the forbidding figure that blocked the light in the doorway. Madam Deera held a pair of trousers up and pointed to a faint stain on the front. Erzie’s usual strategy was to say as little as possible, but found it impossible to avoid a direct question from Madam Deera.

It looks like a stain, Madam. Erzie looked her in the eye but hoped she kept her face neutral.

Exactly. How are we allowing stains to remain on the clothing? This was from your batch of washing today. You need to check the clothes before they go in and apply the stain remover before you wash.

Very slightly, Erzie nodded. She could have explained that she had checked everything in the wash, and that she had scrubbed at all of the stains, especially that one, before she’d put them in the washing vat. But Madam Deera tended to take explanations as excuses, and Erzie refused to set herself up for more scolding. As it was, Madam Deera seemed dissatisfied with Erzie’s response, for she pursed her lips and glared as she folded the pants and pushed them back into Erzie’s arm.

It’s your pay if we lose business, she said and stared hard into Erzie’s eyes. Erzie tried not to look away, but she sensed that Madam Deera wouldn’t be done until she did, so she looked at the stain instead and brushed it lightly with her fingers. Madam Deera huffed and turned away, muttering to herself as she stalked down the corridor. How do you think I pay for you girls if we have nothing to wash?

More than anything, Erzie wished she could retort something clever. Or maybe just walk out and never come back. That would show her. The truth was, Erzie was one of the best at getting stains out, and the other girls came to her to help. Some stains just didn’t want to come out, no matter what you tried. And others weren’t worth the time it would take to spend on them. It was a balancing act, trying to get the wash done fast enough and clean enough. Madam Deera never would have acknowledged that there wasn’t enough time to pay the attention that each stain required. She would say the girls weren’t using