The Nowhere Witch (Tales of Xest Book 2)

by Donna Augustine

  “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.

  There had been a clear divide over the thing out there, and now I seemed to be an extension of that. If they got the warm fuzzies from the lurking entity in the forest, they hated me. If they felt the way I did, like it was the guard dog to hell, where you would rot in despair for the rest of your years, they had a newfound respect for me. Or maybe just a touch of civility, but I’d take it over the sneers.

  I pushed all the nods and sneers out of my head as I neared my first stop, the Sweet Shop, and not for a cocoa. I’d have to watch every coin until I landed myself a job. I’d had a decent relationship with the owner, Gilli, and working in a candy shop? There were worse things.

  I walked past the broker building, trying to not look but not obviously looking away either. It was a tough balance to achieve. Musso was probably inside, and probably knew from Zab that I was back. How did I walk past and not say hello?

  Dammit. I crossed the street and saw his scruffy, bent head. I knocked on the glass to catch his attention and gave him a wave and a smile when he looked up. He held up a finger, telling me to wait, but not waving me in.

  Musso was a slick old guy. He’d already figured out why I wasn’t coming in.

  I waited a few steps away, hoping Hawk wouldn’t happen past.

  Musso strode out like a long-lost uncle, except one I couldn’t hug. I’d never been a hugger before, but now the lack of them was making me miss them sorely.

  I got one of his rare smiles. “How are you, kid? Zab told me you were back.”

  “I’m doing good. How about you?”

  “Come on, walk with me and I’ll buy you a cocoa,” he said, heading across the street.

  I fell into step beside him without the slightest hesitation, like everything was just as it had been. So easy, and yet nothing was the same.

  “I know Hawk might be looking to give you a hard time, but you stand strong,” he said.

  “Zab told you all of it?”

  “Didn’t have to. I’ve been around a long time,” he said as he paused outside the Sweet Shop.

  “Hawk could’ve done worse. I said
I wasn’t going back, and he left it alone.” All in all, it hadn’t gone that bad.

  Musso smiled a little and nodded. He wasn’t really agreeing or disagreeing.

  “I really laid out my feelings, and maybe for once he took it to heart. I was quite firm,” I continued.

  He was still giving me those ambiguous nods that made me want to look over my shoulder to see what I was missing.

  “Do you think I’ve got a problem?” I asked.

  “Not necessarily a problem, but I’d be ready to stand my ground. That’s all.”

  Oh, I was definitely going to do that. Musso hadn’t heard what I’d said to Hawk. I wasn’t the same person who had come here the first time. I wasn’t rolling over for anyone. Even if Hawk was going to be stubborn, let him try. It wasn’t like he owned all of Xest.

  We walked into the Sweet Shop, and Gilli waved to greet me over the counter. “Wait right there. I’m bringing you a cocoa myself,” she called out.

  Musso nodded to the door. “I’ve got some appointments coming in, but if you need anything, you come tell me, okay? He’s been gone most mornings anyway.”

  “I will.”

  Musso left, and I watched as he crossed the street, heading back to the broker’s office. I would go back there, but only to visit, right after I got a job and a place to call my own. I’d march in and show Hawk I was in Xest for good and making a success of it. He wasn’t running me out of anywhere.

  But first I had to get the job and a place to live.

  “Heard you went back. Are you here for good?” Gilli asked as she walked toward me with the cocoa.

  “I am. That’s one of the reasons I stopped by.” This place was always busy. Surely she must hire every so often.

  Even as we were talking, she was fixing one of the candy displays.

  “Oh? Can I help out somehow?” she asked.

  One of her employees walked over, refilling the barrels along the wall beside us. Definitely really busy, and she sure looked like they could use some help.

  “Actually, I was looking for a job. I just got back, and Hawk doesn’t need me over at the broker house. I was wondering if you might need any help around here?”

  Gilli’s mouth was gaping open, and it was very clear what the answer would be when she did get around to speaking.

  Her employee glanced over. “Oh, that’s gre—”

  Gilli’s employee didn’t get a chance to finish.

  “I just hired someone yesterday,” Gilli said, finding her words.

  “You did?” the employee asked.

  “Yes,” Gilli said, nodding. “He’s going to start next week. I would’ve swiped you up in a second if I’d known.”

  The employee was staring at Gilli, and then at the ceiling, as if trying to remember something. The furrow on her forehead might as well have been shaped like a question mark before her mouth turned into an O.

  “It’s fine. Not a big deal. Thanks anyway. And thanks for the cocoa. I just love this place, so I thought I’d stop here first and see.” It was all true. I did love this place, or had. Right now, I was feeling like I’d just found out the boy I was crushing on, who I’d thought was crushing on me back, thought I was frumpy and smelled.

  Gilli looked to me and then her employee before looking back at me, as if at a loss for words. The situation had gone from optimistic, to awkward, to one of those dreams where you lost your pants and everyone was staring at you. Since her employee was afraid to talk, and Gilli was struggling with words as well, I was left to fill the growing stretch of silence as we stared uncomfortably at each other.

  I took a step back. “But like I said, it’s not a big deal. I’ve got a long list of places I’m going to stop in.”

  Something about that last bit made her look like I’d just slammed her fingers in a car door.

  “Okay, so I really have to get going. Busy day ahead of me.”

  Gilli forced a smile. I forced one back and then got out of there. At least I had a cocoa to soothe the hurt a bit. She hadn’t wanted me, and she clearly needed someone. Was it my reputation? The wall? The dragon incident? The grouslies? What had I done so wrong that I’d scared her off?

  It didn’t matter. There were plenty of other places to work in Xest, and one of them would be looking for help—and maybe desperate enough to hire me.

  The butcher shop next. I’d never met them, or had anything to do with them. Maybe they wouldn’t know who I was. Maybe they hadn’t seen whatever picture or billboard that had my face plastered on it.

  Swinging the door open with confidence, I was immediately greeted with a sneer from the man behind the counter. I didn’t bother saying a word before turning around and leaving. Definitely a nonstarter.

  The next stop was the Stationery and Sundries. The owner there had been a nosy sort, but his weird cat-bird had liked me. Maybe he’d be of the nodding variety? I needed some nodding shop owners right now.

  I walked in, and the older man who owned the shop lifted his head, giving me a slight nod. “I heard you were back.”

  No sneer. It was safe.

  “Yep, it’s me. I’m back.” Bassy, his cat-bird pet, leapt onto the shelf next to my shoulder, purred loudly, and began butting his head up against me.

  “So, what can I do for you?” His eyes were taking in his cat-bird and then me, as if I were hypnotizing the thing or something.

  Could I really work for him? Was I desperate enough to have him eyeing me up all day long? It wasn’t as if he’d leave me be. He’d grill me from morning to night. He’d want to know everything I was doing. That’s the type he was. I remembered clearly how he’d questioned me the first time I came here, his stare thick with suspicion, and that was before everything that had happened.

  Although he wasn’t grilling me yet.

  And yes, I was that desperate.

  “I was wondering if you could use some help around here? Or maybe a…” Couldn’t call Bassy a cat. That might be insulting. Not a good way to ask for a job. “A sitter?”

  “No, I’m just a one-man show. Never had any help and don’t need it now,” he said as he continued staring at me as if I’d cast a spell on him.

  “Well, if you change your mind, you can always send me a newsflash.”

  He nodded, this one half as friendly as the last. Time to make my exit. Bassy was about to leap onto my shoulders if I didn’t get out of there soon.

  The restaurant Hawk had brought me to was next. I knew they didn’t like me, but it was right here, and I was going to stop everywhere. I couldn’t be sure if they’d sneer until I tried.

  One step inside and a roomful of sneers met me. I turned right around. Even if the owner would hire me, that might’ve been a little too hostile an environment to handle.

  I crossed the street to the shop I’d bought Rabbit an outfit in on her last day in Xest, hoping there might be some goodwill.

  The store owner nodded at me. “Can I help you? Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “I was wondering if you were looking for a sales clerk or had any positions open?”

  Her lips parted as her eyes darted to the door before returning to me. I could see right where this was headed and was determined to turn this ship around. Was it because I was an outsider?

  “Just so you know, I have a lot of experience in sales. I worked in a shop for years and was always on time and extremely responsible. I can provide a reference as well.”

  She swallowed, then stared at the door again and back to me.

  “That’s very nice,” she said, straightening things on the counter. “But I’m not hiring right now. Try back in a year or so. Maybe things will have changed by then.”

  I took a step toward her, fed up with all the twitchy shop owners who never needed help even when they appeared completely understaffed. “Was it the wall? It’s clearly something.”

  “No, not at all. I’m sorry. I just don’t need anyone,” she said. “I would’ve loved to hire you.”

&nb
sp; I forced a smile and a wave as I left. Loved to? If she’d really loved to, she could’ve. She had piles along the wall that she clearly didn’t have time to get to.

  Didn’t matter. There were plenty more places in Xest. Someone would hire me.

  4

  No one was going to hire me. There were no more places in Xest I could think to try. I’d been to every open business I could find that would let me in the door. Now the sun was setting and I was no better off than I had been this morning. Hawk did own this place, and he was doing a mighty good job of making it hard to stay.

  I’d been wrong, so utterly wrong that if this had been a graded test, I wouldn’t have even gotten five percent correct. Still, I wasn’t giving up. It would take a lot more than this to make me quit.

  The old, rusty mailbox was the final stop of the day. I’d drop off my letter to Rabbit, letting her know I’d ended up back in Xest, so she didn’t worry. I’d written it to her last night, so it read a little more optimistic than my current state of mind. If I’d had to write something now, it might’ve been closer to “see you in a few days.”

  Heading back to Zab’s, I drew a mental map of Xest, wondering if I’d overlooked a place. There had to be other places hiring here. Zab would know. If he didn’t, Musso might. He might have a connection that would help me get a foot in the door. It wasn’t like I was aiming high. I’d take anything. Hand me a broom or a mop as long as it came with a paycheck. Scrubbing dishes, digging ditches, whatever it took.

  A man came close enough to me that I jumped back before he accidentally hit me.

  “Go away, Nowhere witch,” he said as he passed by.

  Great. I’d moved beyond sneers to getting run off the street? It was the last slight of the day, and one too many.

  “What did you say to me?” I didn’t realize how loud I was until a few people across the street stopped in their tracks to see what was going down.

  He stopped and turned back toward me. “I said, go away, Nowhere witch.”

  Whatever a Nowhere witch was, the way he said the words made it sound like it was the lowest of the low. Be nice to know what it meant so I knew how to respond. I’d have to take a leap and just run with it.