Page 42 of Of Glass and of Gold

A round of clapping roused from the attentive crowd.

“Do we need to change an entire village?” she raised her voice.

“No!”

“Change starts with one connection at a time. It’s not required daily, not even weekly. Even if one connection in our lifetime decreases fear, we are doing a service to all of Highcrest. So, if you care to, find someone new in the crowd and share part of your story and what brings you here. Sharing with those whom we know share our values gives us a safe place to do so and lets us practice for interactions we’ll face in the real world.” She ended by clapping above her head with a smile that made the room feel a tad warmer. Immediately the crowd dispersed, and the rumble of conversation picked up again.

“Should we?” Melody leaned over the tall, rounded table top, glaring at me with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

I chuckled. “Hey, I’m here to follow your lead.”

She beamed, and I watched as she scoped the crowd for a target. Not surprisingly, she took herself to the host of the event. I smiled. The man that’d been poked fun at during the welcome speech stood off to the side, clearing some bar stools out of the way. I took myself over to him on determined feet. If Melody was being brave, I’d support her by doing the same.

“Hi, I’m Nora.”

I extended my hand toward the surprisingly fit and toned middle-aged man. His silver hair was shorn close to his head, and his dark eyes reflected some nearby flames. He greeted me with a warm smile that reminded me of Odion’s.

“Hi Nora, I’m Sverik.” He extended his hand to meet mine, and we shook. “I haven’t seen you here before. Is this your first time with us?”

“It is. So you’ve been coming here a long time to recognize fresh faces, then?”

His light laughter floated between us. “You could say that.” There was a twinkle in his eye that made me feel welcomed here, something I hadn’t seen in a while. Being taken out of higher social circles and thrust into poverty years ago made the world look at us differently, though we hadn’t changed.

He continued, “I’ve been at these meetings almost every week for five years. I know just about every person in here. Besides new faces.” He winked while holding a handsome smile.

My eyes went wide as I turned to address the room. “There must be forty people here. My sister and I must stick out like a beacon to you all if everyone here is as familiar.”

“For the most part. There’s about five people I don’t recognize, which is a really good turnout rate. Sometimes we go months without meeting anyone new. Those months feel a tad discouraging.” Sadness crossed his eyes for only a heartbeat before it faded. He sank back into a soft, lighthearted grin.

“I’ll admit, I pass by your congregation often in the markets, but never really gave much thought to attending.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it a congregation. That makes it sound like some sort of religious extremist group.” He furrowed his brow while still holding a smile.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to offend.” The last thing I wanted to do was leave a less than cordial first impression for my sister’s sake.

“It’ll take more than that to offend me, dear.” He chuckled, crossing his arms, accentuating the bulge of his biceps, visible through his almost-too-tight short-sleeved shirt. “May I ask what finally caught your attention?”

That pesky little twinge of guilt returned. If it’d been up to me, I would have ignored them as I always did. “My sister took interest today. Normally I don’t leave her alone in the markets but I had some—” I paused, choosing my words carefully, “ —business to attend to.” Flashing a quick smile, I hoped that’d bury that topic quickly.

“Maybe you should leave her alone more often. She has good instincts.” He swung his hand to clap on my shoulder.

A laugh rattled in my throat over the thought, probably sounding as nervous about the idea as I felt.

With a softening smile, he said, “Truly though, however you came to be here, I know everyone in this room appreciates it.”

I glanced around. “It’s a pleasant surprise to see how many people are in attendance. There are quite a few faces I recognize but never would have associated with magic. It’s never really talked about. I guess people would rather avoid the tension.”

He gave a thoughtful nod, pursing his lips. “That seems to be the prevailing sentiment over the past few years. Less outright hatred, and more of a neutrality. I can only pray we continue to travel up the scale. Maybe one day get overwhelming enthusiasm at the mere mention,” he teased, but I saw what lay behind his bright eyes. A true hope.

“Is he bothering you, Miss?” A woman with white muddling her swept back brown hair emerged through the crowd, joining Sverik at his side. The dark skin around her eyes wrinkled as she gave him a coy smile and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Nora, this is my radiant wife, Sharla.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He wouldn’t be considered tall, but she was definitely considered short. I wondered if she even reached five feet tall.

“Hi Nora, lovely to meet you,” she said.

“You as well, Sharla. He wasn’t bothering me at all, don’t worry. Besides, I think I could take him,” I teased, but honestly believed that was a real possibility. I hadn’t been training for nothing. She chuckled as I added, “This is my first time here.”

“Well, we are so happy to have you. I’m an herbalist, so if you ever need something, feel free to ask. Oh dear, it’s Mrs. Gallagher. Please excuse me.” A sudden bout of seriousness erased the delight on her features, and she departed immediately.

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