Page 84 of The Nowhere Witch

I stood, feeling the anger of it all around, raging like a storm that wanted to tear down everything I was—and it couldn’t. It wasn’t capable. There was something about me that it couldn’t attack, just like before. Just like with the grouslies it had sent. Whatever it was, whateverIwas, it couldn’t kill me. But it would kill Hawk to hurt me. If it wanted Hawk, it was going to have to come through me. I took another step toward where I felt it, letting the rage build in me.

The strange sound exploded in the air, something in between a howl of agony and an F5 tornado ready to drop upon us, before the sound and the wind was gone in an instant.

We were out, but so was it.

My shoulders slumped as I shoved my hand through my hair, twigs and leaves getting raked out as I did. I turned, looking at Hawk.

He nodded. We were both okay. We’d made it.

I looked around, surveying the damage to see Raydam, Belinda, and their small group lying dead in the snow not far from us.

“Did you kill them?” I tried not to sound too happy or relieved, even if I were both. Part of me still believed you shouldn’t wish anyone dead, but them being gone made my life a lot easier. When it came down to it, it was probably always going to be me or them in the end anyway.

“No,” he said. “I think you did.”

Me? My hands shook. It was disarming enough to see bodies lying lifeless. Knowing you’d been the one to make them like that? Whole other level.

“How?” I asked, walking toward them.

“When they involved you in whatever they were trying to accomplish, they opened themselves up to you. You had the stronger magic and will.”

The dome. I used the magic they’d been putting out to build it, and, I guess, a little more magic than they’d planned on giving.

“Come on. We should get out of here,” he said, his look mirroring the exhaustion I felt. We were both too weak right now to fend off another attack. It was time to go lick our wounds.

33

“There are forty-eight by my count,” Zab said, standing beside me the morning of my immigration meeting.

Zark, Gilli, and some of her employees from the Sweet Shop were here. Musso had even brought his wife, the one I’d never met, and they were currently on the other side of the group talking to Bibbi. All Zab’s friends from the Watering Hole had shown up. All the regulars from Zark’s had come, including Zark himself.

“Forty-nine will be here, but I’m still short one. Maybe they won’t notice?”

I’d slept almost a complete day, wasting any chance to scrounge up another person to stand up for me. After everything I’d gone through, to get kicked out for one person?

Zab glanced around again. “While you were sleeping, I told Hawk. You weren’t waking up, and it had to be done. He said he’s coming. Had been planning on it.” He took a step away from me. “Don’t hurt me.”

“The only thing I want to do is hug you right now,” I said, refusing to get emotional and start crying like a big ninny.

I’d have the references for immigration. Hopefully they wouldn’t blame me for wrecking a huge chunk of the Unsettled Lands. If I did get the heat for what was happening, no amount of witnesses was going to help.

“Who are you missing, then?” Zab asked.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be here.”

The crowd went quiet as Bautere stepped through the trees. He stopped ten feet shy of the crowds, located me, and gave a nod.

“That’s your forty-nine?” Zab asked. “What did you have to barter to get him to come?”

I smiled. “Nothing. He offered.”

Oscar whistled as he walked over. “I have to say, Tippi, you do keep things interesting.”

“I do my best,” I said. Where was Hawk, though? This was it. Maybe this was his plan to get rid of me. It was going to be just like before. I’d start trusting him, think I’d been all wrong about him, and then he’d pull the rug out from under me.

“You looking for Hawk? He’ll show,” Oscar said. “Now stop scanning the horizon. You don’t want the hags to see you getting crazy when they arrive. Need to portray confidence.”

Easier said than done, but I straightened my shoulders and tried to put a good face on it.

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