26. Nora
26
Nora
T he sun hadn’t even arced in the sky before I had gotten myself up and dressed. Some may deem noon too late a time for a person to wake, but considering my shifts at the tavern, noon was considered early for me. Tucked beneath my plain ensemble now decorated in patchy stitch work, was a dagger on my hip. Concealed, of course, and with no intent to use it, but the hidden steel offered me a sense of security.
I avoided the stairs that would groan so I could slip out the front door without notice. My mission was successful as I strode into the street.
I had a plan, another lead to work with. Not only that, but as soon as tomorrow night, I’d be able to meet with Chol on the grassy ledge between towns and share what I learned today. My steps were lighter as hope beamed alongside the rays of the sun. The very breath in my lungs cleared away the cobwebs that’d grown from years of merely getting by, making them shiny and new.
The rising sun shone brighter today, chasing away the coldness of winter, and with it, the hopelessness of never being able to put an end to the kidnappings.
All the snow had melted, and patches of green started to liven the dull, dead brown. Life blossoming anew, reviving what had been long covered and frosted over by winter’s harsh hand. Hope manifested into the physical world around me.
“ A wise man doesn’t rely on hope ,” Chol had said last night. Part of me wished I could show him what I saw. That we could walk side by side in broad daylight, sharing our insights of the world. Mostly to prove him wrong, that was certainly a motivation for it, but also to be in his presence. Sooner than I would have thought possible for a complete stranger, I found myself wanting his company.
Snap out of it, Nora.
I shook my head, as if I could shake off the deep setting familiarity. I didn’t know him, anything about him. He was more an illusion of a person, a shadow, really. Nothing but this goal bonded us.
“ You’re the only person I can trust. ” The words grazed my mind in a gentle whisper, and my stomach flipped. I didn’t want to admit it, but my actions last night gave me away. I’d extended an olive branch, an attempt to repay him for the trust he’d shown me. A piece of me rooted so deeply I hadn’t dared share it with anyone else. He may never realize the weight of it, what it meant for me to do that, but as we continued to meet there, I hoped it would become a place that meant something to him, too.
A lopsided grin plastered my lips as I continued down the street, walking past the array of shops. There were three leather stores in town I needed to stop at today. The chiming bell announced my entrance as I strode into Brown & Suede, the smell of warmed leather marinating the air.
Only a couple patrons interacted with the shopkeep, giving me some much desired privacy.
“Be right with you, Miss,” the shopkeep said.
Hides were tacked upon the wall, spanning the length of the room. Equestrian equipment, material for tarps and clothing, as well as shoes, bags, and all manner of accessories sat on display. I smiled at the man and moseyed around, simply browsing the finely made wares.
I reached a table of leather bound journals, noting the etched imprinted designs. The sight had my smile slipping. My father’s journal looked much the same, and the bitter reminder put pressure on my chest.
“Can I help ya, Miss?”
I whipped around to see the other couple concluding their business and heading out, leaving only us in the store. “Yes, I am looking for someone who might work here.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, rolling up his sleeves over his elbows.
“Yes, Clemmons Braht. Is he under your employ?” I let my gaze peruse the items in the glass case between us, masking the importance of my question.
“He is, but…”
What a stroke of luck that I didn’t have to visit every single store this morning. “But?” I pried.
He took a moment, exhaling strongly. “The boy might have run away. He didn’t show up for his shift the past two days, and his parents say he hasn’t been home. I’d just paid him his weekly dues, so my money would be that he found some trouble to get into and he’ll turn up when he’s done. Nice kid, but he’ll have to search for another position after a stunt like this.”
“Sorry, when did he miss his shift?” Any attempt to feign disinterest suddenly vanished.
“Yesterday and the day prior.”
“The entire duration of both?”
He gave a soft chuckle. “That’s what missing shifts means.”
I cracked a smile, acting like a silly woman who often forgot herself. “Do you happen to know his address? He has something of my brothers that I’ve been sent to retrieve.” The lie rolled off my tongue, smooth as silk.
He found that an acceptable reason to reveal the boy’s address, so I bid my polite farewell before rushing out. Thank goodness Chol and I had set a time to meet tomorrow, because something was off about his information.
After confirming with his parents that Clemmons hadn’t shown up for his shift, I returned home only to be greeted by one of Kenzie’s screaming tantrums rattling the walls.
“It has to be perfect!” she shrieked from upstairs, the entitlement winding its way down the stairwell to my ears.
The front door closed behind me with a thud, and Melody said from the living room when I came into view, “It’s been a rough morning.” She tried explaining away her sister’s meltdown, as she often did.
“You don’t have to make excuses for her, you know,” I said as I joined her, wedging myself into the chair meant for one person. She laughed at my hips nudging her until we essentially overlapped each other, quite uncomfortably. She went quiet, and I could tell by the lack of expression on her face she’d fallen deep in thought. “What’s going on?”
Blinking herself back to the present, she assessed that we were alone before she whispered, “I’ve been practicing.”
“Practicing…what?”
“My magic.”
Of all the things I could have guessed she’d say, that would have been furthest on the list. Melody had always chosen to keep a lid on it, preferring to act like she hadn’t been blessed at all. “And?”
With a gleam in her eye and a tilt to her grin, she said, “Watch this.”
She held her palm flat, arm stretched in front of her, and closed her eyes. My heart suspended in time, waiting to see what she’d learned that’d made her so proud. White lightning sparked around her hand before a thin, white, cloudy barrier burst forth into the room. The couch across from us, with its draped white sheet, threw itself back an inch, scraping against the floor, sheet billowing.
Between us, there was no sound but my astonished exhale. “Melody,” I whispered, staring into her brilliant blue eyes with a smile on my face.
“I know.” She inspected her hand, as if it were a foreign thing. “I want to go back to that meeting.”
“Then we’ll go back.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her in close. “I’m proud of you, Mel.”
“It feels…good. To not hide it away. Nora, it’s almost like a part of me had been sleeping, but also locked behind a massive steel door, buried underground. I’ve carried so much shame and resentment, but I’ve always felt it.
“Not a minute goes by where I’m not aware of it coursing through me, trying to suppress the power it carries, trying to shove down my thoughts of it. Something happened when I saw that group, like the steel door had opened, and part of me woke up. I feel…clear, for the first time in a long time. Maybe even ever.”
I couldn’t fight off the guilt that threw its punches. I’d never asked her about it, not since we were kids. She so easily wore a suit of poised propriety, I honestly forgot she had magic most of the time. My job now wasn’t to apologize or put the spotlight on me. Instead, I tightened my grasp and said, “Then let’s get you above ground, hm?”
Beneath my fingertips, her muscles turned to liquid, and she rested her head against mine.