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It’s not often people show me kindness, and while her’s may have been attached to a short string, it’s more than this world has ever offered. Mother always said to be the change I want to see. I want a world where men respect their wives, and a woman can choose the life she lives. I know I can’t save every battered wife, but I can save her.
I offer Sage a small smile, take my dress, and then leave the shop to return to my room. I don’t have two hundred silvers, let alone a pouch big enough to hold them, but Jessup doesn’t know that. He will see what I want him to see.
I bite my lip and search through my pack for something useful. Shy ofgiving him the only thing I have to carry my effects, my other option is a pillowcase. It might not be the epitome of social status, but it will work.
I open my pouch and spread the fifteen coins I have left out on the bed. I’ve never tried to form an illusion this big and have only used this part of my magic twice.
The first time I created an illusion was an accident. I was so mad at Ezra. He tricked me, pretending to have fallen off his horse and broken his leg. He laughed when I came running to him to try to help; not sure what I could do but terrified nonetheless.
When I realized Ezra was faking, I was so angry. I wanted his leg to be broken. I wanted the bone to be sticking out through his pants. I wanted him to feel the pain, and he did. In a matter of seconds of me wanting it to happen and him pretending that it had, he was screaming in agony. We both stared at his leg, at the tear in his pants and the meaty bone poking through the fabric.
I freaked out and dropped to my knees again. I was terrified because I knew I made it happen, but then, as soon as I wanted it to be gone, his bone was back in place. His tears were still wet on his cheeks, but the pain was gone. We stared at each other, unsure what had happened, neither wanting to talk about it.
I realized Ezra couldn’t have broken his leg because he wouldn’t have been able to walk on it and that I made it seem like his leg was broken. The thought was terrifying and exciting. I wanted to test my theory, so I tried it again, this time with an apple in the privacy of my room. I wanted there to be two. I wanted to feel the waxy flesh in my hands and taste its sweet juiciness.
It took a lot of concentration, but eventually, I did it. A second apple appeared before my eyes, and it tasted so good. It was hard to believe that it wasn’t real. I left it on my dresser to see how long it would last before it disappeared. Thirty minutes later, it crumbled into dust.
I hope I can make these coins last longer than thirty minutes, but just in case they don’t, I’m waiting until the very last moment to summon them.
The brass bell rings above the door, just as it had when I first walked into the dress shop an hour ago, but now, instead of excitement, I feel nervous.
Fifteen coins are all I had left after purchasing Sage’s dress and there isn’t a single Silver in my pillowcase that is real. I hand the makeshift satchel over and hope this is a quick transaction. It was a ten-minute walk from the Village Inn to the dress shop. At best, we have twenty minutes before the illusion turns to dust. I hope to be as far from here as possible when Jessup realizes he’s been duped.
Sage sits on a bench made for guests near the large mirror, a single tweed bag at her feet. There’s a pang in my chest at how little she has, but then it twists into a form of understanding. If I were to leave Divale, I could fit everything I needed into a single backpack. I have plenty more things, trunk loads of stuff should I wish to take it—pillows, cushions, sheets, shoes, cloaks—but all of it is frivolous. They wouldn’t help me survive. All I would need is some clothes and my knives.
“You came back,” Sage says, surprised.
“Did he hurt you?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?”
I open my mouth to explain my reasoning, but I shut it when her husband walks into the room.
“So, you were serious about wanting her. She’s not worth the trouble,” he says.
“Here, take your money.” I toss the bag onto the floor, and the jingle of metal rustling makes him grin. “Are you going to count it?” I ask as he bends down to pick up the bag. I think about asking him if he can even count high enough to verify I made enough coins, but I don’t want to risk being here any longer than necessary.
“Feels heavy enough,” he says, and with that, our business is done.
“Come, Marisol,” I say, in the demeaning way my uncle talks to his servants. “We have work to do.”
Sage gathers her bag and follows me out the door. When we’re a few shops down the road, I link my arm with hers and say, “We need to move quickly.”
“Why?”
“Because those coins are fake and I don’t think it’ll take long for your husband to realize he’s been conned.”
“Serves him right.” Sage laughs and hip-bumps me.
“Come on.” We run back to my room and I fall onto the bed as soon as the door closes. “I have it for tonight and tomorrow.”
Sage sits beside me. I push onto my elbows, all playfulness aside, and tell her, “You don’t have to stay here. I wasn’t trying to buy you as my servant, I promise. It’s just, I didn’t like the way your husband treated you. You were kind to me last night when you didn’t need to be, and not many people are. They judge me based on my hair. I saw an opportunity to repay your kindness, and so I did.” I sit up and hold out my hand. “Khiara Hargrove.”
“Marisol.” She shakes it but realizes I already know that.
“I think I like Sage better.”
“Me too.” Sage grins. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to the Culling. If you get selected, it would be an honor to serve as your lady’s maid.”
