The shopper stepped hesitantly out of the blazing D’eshkar afternoon into Seftal’s shop, then came to a halt as a young man approached her. “Where is Seftal?”

“I am he, lady.” He took in the cut and quality of her clothes and gave her the exact depth of bow that suited her station.

“Do you take me for a fool? Seftal is much older than you!”

“Ah! You seek my uncle, Seftal the Elder. Alas, Uncle Seftal died recently of a fall. I inherited the shop and I assure you my uncle oversaw my training with a sharp eye. Please, how may I be of assistance?”

For a moment it seemed as though the woman would turn and bolt out of his shop without another word. Then the eyes over the top edge of the veil glanced over towards the goods displayed on the ornate rack and the shopkeeper readied himself. “It IS that time once more,” he murmured softly. The woman took the few steps to the brightly colored strips of cloth, and Seftal the Younger followed.

One hand reached out to finger the closest piece. “My neighbor, Haytha, told me about these.”

Seftal nodded pleasantly. “Aye, many ladies such as yourself have purchased one of late. As you can see, I’ve only three left out of several hundred.”

Her hand moved over to the second strip. “How does it work?”

“You simply slip it around the waist. We recommend this be done when the recipient sleeps, to avoid unpleasant confrontations. Once the belt touches the recipient‘s skin, the spell ensures drowsiness until you tie the ends, whispering the name of…who you wish to guard against.”

“And he will not know its there?”

“It is absorbed into the skin. Only when the rest of the spell is activated will he feel anything. And even then, he will not know the source.”

“What will it do?”

“When your…recipient…sees the person whose name you said, and reacts, the belt will begin tightening, until all impure thoughts are banished.”

The woman withdrew her hand. “How much?”

“Twenty gold pieces.”

“Outrageous! Ten gold!”

“It IS near the time, lady. Eighteen.”

“Too much. Fifteen!”

“Eighteen, lady. These are my last three.”

For a moment he thought he had lost her. Then the veiled head bobbed, and she took out her purse, and with a firm hand counted out the eighteen gold.

She arrived, as always, with a clap of thunder and a burst of wind that tore clean wash into the dirt. For a few seconds she stood motionless as heads turned and mouths fell agape, and then the Sorceress Queen moved across the main square of D’eshkar towards the Forbidden Library. All about her, the men of D’eshkar fell in behind her, worshipping her beauty and…then here and there, began falling into the dust, clutching at their midsections as they gasped for air.

By the time the Queen had reached the doors of the Library, the only men still entranced were those too young, too old, or too ugly to have wives and followed her still. Perhaps the groans of the others caused her to stop and look back across the square. Here and there women were retrieving groaning husbands, hands gripping ears as they tugged their men home. She laughed, then looked across at the women gathered at the fountain with their laundry, and smiled as she bowed to the victors, and then with a swirl of her robes, turned and walked inside.

Her laughter echoed out for a long time.