The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't (Tales of Xest Book 1) Page 4

  A few hours in the factory doing dandelion work was beginning to feel like I was strung up on the rack, my insides getting torn apart. It wasn’t that I was struggling with it. As weak as my magic was, there seemed to be a constant flow with which to do my job. The problem was how was I ever going to get out of this place if I never came in contact with anyone stronger than a Whimsy?

  Working beside Rabbit was making me feel even more desperate. She was a poster child of why I didn’t want to be here. Each blow on the dandelion had begun to sound like a death rattle from her chest. Her skin, which had a normal hue this morning, now seemed to be turning ashen, her cheeks more sunken in by the minute.

  I glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention, before I leaned in. “Are you all right?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine as soon as I stop for the day. I’m always like this while I’m working.” She nodded, trying to look cheerful, but the cost was clear in her lopsided smile.

  Fine by the end of the day? She didn’t look like she’d be alive by the end of the day.

  “Rabbit, I’m getting out of this place. You need to as well.”

  “Even if we found someone willing to jump us back, I have nowhere to go. My mother was a Whimsy worker, her mother, and her mother before that. This is all we are. And it’s okay. This is what life is, and I know it.”

  Nothing about her bent shoulders and wheezing breath agreed with that statement.

  Rabbit had so much of my attention that I nearly missed seeing him as he stood in the doorway, scanning the factory floor. It was the guy that had come into the shop, who’d been obsessed with the black feather.

  The room hushed, including the table of witches by the fireplace who’d been laughing loudly a few seconds ago. How was he here? Did he have something to do with my being here? There was no way this was coincidental. One thing was clear: he was strong enough to jump.

  His eyes stopped on me, as if he’d found what he was looking for. They narrowed, and for a moment, I thought I saw annoyance flare in his gaze. Annoyed with me, or that I was here? That I couldn’t begin to guess at, but I was going to find out.

  “Who is that by the door?” I nudged Rabbit, the only person in the room who hadn’t noticed him.

  Rabbit lifted her head, catching a glance of him right before he left. “You mean Hawk?”

  “I’ve seen him before.”

  I began to stand, afraid I’d lose him. Rabbit grabbed my arm, tugging me back down.

  “Don’t go after him. Hawk’s the broker. He’d never talk to a Whimsy witch, and it could be dangerous to approach him.”

  She could say whatever she wanted. He’d come here for me. I could feel it in my gut and see it in the way his eyes had stayed on me. The thing I didn’t know was whether that was a bad or good thing. My first meeting made me hesitate long enough to hear her out.

  “What do you mean, he’s the broker?”

  “He owns the broker shop. He’s in charge of most of the big deals between Xest and Rest—you know, the place you came from.”

  “I don’t understand. What deals?” I asked.

  We both fell silent as Mertie walked into the room. She passed by our table, pausing and looking down at us as she did, before walking around the rest of the room and leaving, her hooves echoing down the hall.

  “Could he get me home if he wanted?” I whispered.

  “Yes, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t want to talk to him or even look at him.”

  “But I saw him in Salem. He came into the shop I was working at. He talked to me there.”

  Her chin dropped as she leaned back. “He did? About what?”

  “Honestly, nothing that made much sense, but the point is I’m still alive.” And he might be my way out of here. It was the only option on the table, and I wasn’t letting him go that easy. “I’ve got to talk to him. I think he can help me.”

  She shook her head again. “I’ve heard bad things whispered about him. You’re setting yourself up for trouble. He’s not like everyone else.”

  “Just cover for me if anyone asks, okay? Say I went to the bathroom.” I stood up. She could’ve said he was the devil himself come to take me to hell and I’d still have followed him. I was getting out of this place.

  Rabbit was chewing on her lip like it was lunch, her hair frazzled from swiping it away from her face, as if she were already preparing for an interrogation. That girl would not hold up under pressure.

  I made my way toward the bathroom and then did a quick dodge out the door. Hawk was nowhere to be seen in the hallway, and I didn’t know where to look. There was only one thing to do: make my way to the entrance and hope I hadn’t missed him. I ran down the steps, surprised at how easy it was to get out of this place.

  I was out the door and behind a few tall bushes. The idea of running occurred to me, but run where? I had a bad feeling that Rabbit was right. The only way to get out of this place was to have someone get you out, or jump you out, as she’d called it. There would be no running anywhere. It was probably why they didn’t need to guard the doors.

  The wind was whipping around, and I wished I had a jacket while I waited.

  Hawk finally walked out the door a few minutes later. I let him get across the street before I ran after him. A discussion on the front stoop of the factory could turn bad fast. I dashed across the street and planted myself in front of him, stopping him with a hand on his chest.

  “Did you turn me in?” I asked. If he had, getting him to jump me out was going to be a hard sell.

  He looked down at my hand, pausing as if he wasn’t used to someone approaching him or touching him. It reinforced the way Rabbit had spoken of him. Desperation had its own set of rules, though.

  He grabbed my wrist, moving it off his chest and then releasing it. “I didn’t turn you in.”

  He stepped around me and began walking.

  I chased after him. “You’re saying you had nothing to do with me being here?”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s what I said.” His jacket flared as he walked briskly in front of me, and I nearly had to jog to catch up.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m devastated.” He continued to walk, not bothering to look at me.

  He walked away as if I were of no consequence, but he wasn’t getting out of this that easy. I ran in front of him, grabbing his arm.

  He looked at my hand gripping his sleeve. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t have time for you or your problems.”

  “Did you turn me in because of your feather?”

  His gaze shot to the surrounding area, to who might’ve heard me, and I knew I was onto something.

  “Don’t mess with me, Whimsy witch. You won’t like the outcome.” The indifference in his voice turned to a growl.

  He wrapped his hand around mine. I thought he was going to throw my hand off him, but he paused, his fingers stilled. It was the first time we’d had skin-to-skin contact, and I could feel a sizzle where our flesh met. I was the one who pulled back this time, ending the sensation.

  “What are you playing at? Who are you?” he asked, stepping closer, the prey becoming the predator.

  I was running out of time. He would either help me or not, and at least he was finally paying attention. “I’m no one. I’m a human, and I need to get back home. Can you help me? I’ll pay anything.”

  He scanned me again, and I would’ve given anything to crawl into his mind for one minute.

  “What are you doing out here? Why are you talking to him?” Mertie called out from across the street.

  She was walking toward us. I didn’t know how I’d missed the sound of her hooves on the cobblestones. My best chance of getting out of here was about to disappear. I choked on my words, scrambling for an excuse that might buy me a few more minutes with Hawk.

  With another long stare, Hawk turned to Mertie. “I called her over. Now mind your business.”

  Mertie ducked her head, nodding, and
walked back to the building. She didn’t go in but hovered by the door, watching.

  “Don’t look, but there is a large tree down the way.” Hawk lowered his voice as if he wanted to make sure it didn’t carry to Mertie.

  I knew which tree he was talking about. I’d been staring at it all day from the window in the factory. Its trunk was whitish grey and its leaves were all black. The thing was huge, and appeared to be some kind of cross between an oak and a weeping willow if it had been grown in hell.

  “Be there at two a.m.”

  “You’ll help me?” Adrenaline mixed with hope and shot through my veins. I swallowed hard, trying to keep the excitement from spreading to my face and tipping off a spying Mertie.

  “Maybe.” He was back to sounding indifferent.

  My heart jumped as I forced the rest of my body to stay languid. He was going to give me a chance. I had a chance.

  He walked away, and I turned back to Mertie, planting a contrite face on as she watched my every step. I walked in the factory, and Mertie followed me, yelling, “Get back to work, you lazy Whimsy witch!”

  “I’m sorry. I got woozy. I’m not used to all this strong magic. I thought the cold air would help, and then Hawk called me over.” I tried to muster up a few tears for her benefit. I failed miserably. I’d never been good at crying on demand, or crying at all.

  “It wasn’t break time,” Mertie said. “You’re not getting your dinner now.” She stopped outside the factory room I’d been assigned to, pointing. “Get back to work and don’t let me see you out of that chair again, or Marvin will be hearing about it, and you won’t like what comes next.”

  I nodded, keeping my head down until I took a seat by Rabbit.

  “What happened? I saw you talking to him,” she whispered as soon as Mertie disappeared.

  “Nothing. He didn’t want to talk to me,” I lied, watching as she chewed on her lip and fidgeted.

  5

  The room was filled with soft snores at one thirty as I climbed down out of my bunk, pausing every time the metal creaked or there was a hitch in someone’s breathing. I had a feeling Rabbit would try to keep my secret, despite my lying to her, if she woke, but the other two girls in the room hadn’t even introduced themselves. They were part of the clique that sat near the fireplace, and I had no delusions about how loud they’d scream if I got caught.

  I tiptoed out into the common room, then made my way to the bathroom. I’d opened the window earlier tonight to see if it would set off any sort of alarm, or if it would open at all. With the lack of security in this place, it was surprising anyone stayed.

  As soon as I climbed out of the window, I broke into a jog. Hawk was there already, leaning against the tree, waiting.

  He straightened before I finished getting to him and began walking.

  “Where are we—”

  He spun, putting a finger to my lips, and then took off walking again at a pace that was brisk enough that I was winded. If I’d met a strange man like this a few days ago in Salem, I would’ve been afraid of where he was taking me and what he might do to me. I’d had to nearly stalk him to get a meeting, but fear of him trying to abduct me had vanished. Even now, he didn’t seem overly concerned about me having second thoughts. What was the worst thing that could happen? Maybe he’d abduct me and dump me somewhere I wanted to be more than here? If he took me somewhere other than Xest, my odds of survival increased. Made me wish for abduction.

  Then he took a turn down a dark alley. I paused. Maybe abduction wasn’t such a good idea. I glanced back down the road, in the direction of the factory and barracks.

  He was almost out of sight, absorbed by the dark as I weighed my decision. Abduction. Factory. It wasn’t even close. Even with the dark alley thrown in, abduction won all day long.

  I ran to catch up, not wanting him to get too far ahead of me. Losing my abductor wasn’t in the plans for tonight, and as far as abductors went, he really wasn’t on his game.

  We continued down a maze of alleys. He didn’t stop walking to check on me or even throw a casual glance back to make sure I was there. He ignored me completely until he was swinging open a door and motioning me in.

  The room was lit by a few candles and a roaring fire, and I was beginning to realize that there wasn’t anywhere in Xest that had electricity. I walked inside, grateful for the warmth as I turned around and took in the room. It wasn’t that small, but the shelves of books and knickknacks made it feel cozy. There were a couple sofas and chairs, and it had a strangely warm and homey feeling, considering who it must’ve belonged to. I’d barely taken a look at the place when there was another knock at the door. Hawk opened it without asking who it was.

  Another dark-haired man walked in. He looked at me and paused, taking my measure.

  “Did you bring it?” Hawk asked, dragging the man’s attention back to him.

  He dug into his pocket, producing a box. “Of course.”

  “Thanks, Oscar.”

  “This is the girl?” Oscar asked.

  The look on the newcomer’s face reminded me a bit of the way Hawk had looked at me the first time he’d seen me. Was there something wrong with my hair or face I didn’t realize?

  “Yes.” Hawk took the box and walked the few feet over to me while Oscar took a seat on the couch, watching intently.

  He opened the box and held it toward me. “I need you to hold this gem for me.”

  I stared down at what looked like a pale, cloudy diamond that was the size of a lemon and sat on a bed of velvet.

  “What is this going to do?” Just because it looked like a bad-quality diamond didn’t mean anything. I was learning fast that nothing in Xest was what it seemed.

  “It’ll give me your measure. Tell me if you can do what I need. If you can, we’ll have a deal.”

  I’d never heard a sweeter phrase. A deal. I might be able to get out of here.

  I reached out but paused. “That’s it? Like a scale or something?”

  He raised his brows, as if silently mocking my concern. “Yes, like a scale…or something.”

  Oh yes, he was mocking me. Didn’t care. I passed this and I was on my way home.

  I rubbed my hands together, afraid the chill in them might throw off his tester, because I needed this thing to measure me as good. Better than good. Awesome. I wanted to register as awesome. So far, this Hawk guy was the only one who might be able to help me, and I wasn’t spending the rest of my life in Xest, blowing on dandelions until I died an early death. Having nearly rubbed a layer of skin off, I picked the gem up.

  It glimmered for a second before dulling again. I didn’t have to ask how it had gone. The guy on the couch made it clear.

  “A flicker at best. Can’t imagine how she could help.” He stood as if preparing to leave. “Well, this was a waste of time.”

  Hawk was staring at me still, as if he’d had expectations of a different outcome. He held the box out to me to place the gem in, but he still hadn’t said a word.

  “Does this mean you won’t help me?” Clearly things had taken a turn for the worse, but until he said so, I was going to keep hoping.

  He grabbed my hand, the sizzle between us flaring in our flesh-to-flesh connection.

  His gaze burned into mine as he dropped my hand. “If you’re holding back somehow, this isn’t the time to do it if you want my help.”

  “She’s not it, Hawk. She’s just another Whimsy witch.” Oscar, who’d seemed very interested before, was now reclining back against the couch.

  Hawk wasn’t paying attention to him, though. His stare hadn’t left me, as if he were waiting for something.

  “I want to try again,” I said.

  Hawk lifted the box. “Then try.”

  I lifted my hand and rubbed the back of my neck. “May I use your bathroom first?”

  His eyes hardened. “No. You do it now or go. No secrets and no tricks.”

  It was do or die, and I wasn’t sure why I felt so strange about what I was
going to do. Maybe it was years of my mother rattling off her absurdities in my ear, building layer upon layer of paranoia. Now that her hysteria seemed to be founded in some truth, all her warnings about never trusting anyone were nearly choking my voice.

  “Promise me I can trust you?” That question from me was the epitome of desperation. It was a Hail Mary from a person whose faith had been destroyed years ago.

  He stared at me, and it seemed we were the only two in the room. “Promises from people you don’t know mean nothing. It comes down to instinct. Are you going to decide to trust me or not?”

  True to form, he wasn’t an easy sell. I either did this or walked, but he wouldn’t be barring the door. It was up to me.

  “He might be a bastard sometimes, but you can trust him,” Oscar said. “I’ll vouch for him if it gets this show rolling.”

  That didn’t help even a little.

  “If I can help you, you get me out of here. That’s the deal,” I said, holding out my hand to shake on it.

  “Yes.” He shook my hand. “Now, if you don’t mind?”

  It was time to take off the coal necklace I wore. If everything else my mother had said were true, then why wouldn’t that be as well? I had to try. I might not get another opportunity.

  It was a stupid rock hanging from my neck, but taking it off now suddenly felt like stripping naked with an audience.

  Whatever. This had to happen.

  I put my fingers to my striped orange shirt and undid the first button.

  Oscar said, “Honey witchy pie, I don’t think you know how many pairs he’s seen. You’re way off the mark. I wouldn’t mind seeing a glimpse if you insist, but it’s not getting you out of—”

  “Oscar,” Hawk said, which stopped Oscar’s flow of words.

  I gave Oscar a glare, which only encouraged laughter. Hawk wasn’t laughing. He was watching as I pulled on the thin chain I wore around my neck. It would’ve been better if he was laughing, because something about this moment felt too personal, like he was seeing into part of my soul as I stripped my final defense away.