One of Zab’s most endearing qualities was his loyalty. Right now, one of Zab’s most frustrating qualities was his loyalty. His inability to believe anything bad of the people he was close to was almost insurmountable. Hawk’s slight was still fresh and stinging. I had zero desire to convince Zab of how little Hawk wanted me around when I didn’t particularly like to think about it myself.
“Ah, shit. Does that mean you’re going back?” He looked like a kid who’d just been told he was getting no birthday gifts.
“No. I’m staying, whether Hawk wants me to or not.” Here was the moment of truth. Would he tell me to leave or would he try to help me make it here, when I so desperately needed any friend I could get?
I had to wait for the shock of my statement to fully absorb. Hawk wasn’t the only person here who thought he owned Xest. A lot of people seemed to think he did. Not to mention the caste system here. It was probably hard for anyone of lower magic to contemplate going against someone as strong as Hawk.
“Good for you! This place is better with you here. And you know I’ll help you any way I can.”
I hadn’t known if he’d go against Hawk, but hearing him say he would? Every nerve that felt like it had been tied up into knots felt like it had just gotten unraveled. Half the battle felt won. I rested an arm on the back of the couch, sagging a little into it.
“Zab, you don’t know how good it is to hear that. Could you help me transfer my money back to Xest coin?”
And boom, his eyes were crinkling again and the smile was fading.
“Yeah, well, as much as I want to help, that might be a problem. It’s kind of like the mail situation. You can send money over, but you can’t send any back.”
I lost a little of my looseness. It wasn’t the end of the world. I’d been penniless before and wasn’t a stranger to pulling myself up. I’d always planned on getting a job here. The timeline would simply be moved up.
“I can spot you some cash? It’s not a problem.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you in a spot.”
“You won’t be. I don’t even know what to spend half my money on anyway. It’s just sitting around piling up. It’ll be good to put it to some use.”
“I’ll pay you back. I just need a couple of dollars so I can get a hotel room and a few things to tide me over until I find a job.”
He cringed enough to show teeth. Oh no. Another problem.
“We don’t have hotels here.”
“None? Not even someone who rents out a room occasionally?” I’d been holding out hope, even though I’d never see one myself.
“The people who are here all live here. I could help you find a place to rent if you want? Give you a reference if you need, and you can crash on my couch for a bit. It’ll be fun.”
Now not only would I have to borrow Zab’s coin, it looked like I’d be borrowing his apartment. Maybe I should’ve gone back to Salem until I had this planned out a little better. But how would I ever get back? I’d grabbed the only opportunity I’d had, and another might never come around.
“I don’t know. I thought I was going to come here and ask for a small favor. Not make you save me utterly and completely.”
Zab was already off the couch and digging through a trunk as he said, “Who saved me from a dragon?”
“A dragon that was there because of me.”
“Maybe, but it wasn’t going to turn down a tasty treat, and I take good care of myself. There’s no way I wouldn’t be tasty.” He turned around with an armful of blankets and pillows.
“Could I make a place to stay?” I asked as I watched him dump his bedding on the couch next to me.
He shook his head with the gravity of a two-ton weight. “You’re strong, but making a place to live when you don’t know what you’re doing can be pretty dangerous. If you don’t have the skill down, it can disappear when you’re in it and kill you. It’s happened before.”
“I just figured…”
“You can’t judge what can be done by what Hawk does or did. No, you’ll stay here until we find you a place. It’ll be fun.”
3
I’d barely gotten my eyes open when Zab walked over and pointed to a bag of my old clothes sitting beside the couch.
“Look what I found,” Zab said, smiling like he’d performed a miracle.
I yawned and stretched, while trying to impart some enthusiasm into my tone. “Wow, all my old things. That’s…amazing.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d feel better having them, since you came over without a chance to pack,” he said as he made his way to his stove.
He came back over, handing me tea and a piece of toast made from black bread. I still didn’t know what that bread was exactly, but I’d been dreaming of its sour taste for months.
“Thanks. I’m going to start looking for a job today. I don’t want you to worry that I’m going to be a drain on you forever.” I dug through the bag, looking for a couple of the better pieces I’d left behind. The things I had acquired in Xest before I left hadn’t really fit the dress code back in Salem.
“I’m sure you’ll find something fast. Everyone knows how strong you are. They’d be crazy not to hire you. Well, I’ll be off to the broker house. I set the door so you can get back in.”
“Thanks, Zab.” I gave him a wave before he disappeared, hoping he was right. The way I’d left here, with the wall I’d created in the Unsettled Lands around it, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be a hero or a villain in Xest.
I stepped out onto the streets half an hour later, feeling invigorated. I’d put together a decent outfit of black pants and a slightly funky blue sweater that did some nice things for my figure and looked job-presentable. My old necklace, the one I’d still worn even back in Salem, was sitting on the table near Zab’s couch. This was going to be the first day of my new life, one where I didn’t hide in the shadows and pretend I was something I wasn’t.
To add to that, a man walking down the street nodded in my direction before elbowing his friend, who then did the same. Well, that was a nice indication of things to come. I’d gotten off to a rough start yesterday, but today was a brand-new day.
I walked another few feet and encountered a couple. They both noticed me at the same time. They sneered and crossed the street, saying something about a “Nowhere witch.” What the hell was that? Was it a different type of witch? Like a Whimsy? Or Middling? Asking them wasn’t possible unless I wanted to chase them down the street.
Another handful of people passed by, and a very clear pattern was emerging: respectful nods, or sneers and eye daggers. There was definitely another “Nowhere witch” muttered again, too. Once might’ve been a mistake. Growing up with the mother I had, living a life where things always seemed a little off, it was hard to shake off all that bred-in paranoia. Twice? No. I definitely wasn’t hearing things.
The other thing that I wasn’t imagining was everyone knew who I was. I’d expected some of them to know me, but not all of them. I’d never met most of these people. They must’ve been passing pictures around. Even if I did get a little stage fright, there would be no more hiding in the shadows, not here, not after what I’d done before I left, leaving a monstrosity of a wall in the middle of the Unsettled Lands.