Page 24 of The Nowhere Witch
The door swung open and a woman of undetermined but extremely old age stood in front of me looking like the quintessential witch, dressed in a black cape with stringy grey hair falling down her back. If the Wicked Witch of the West had looked like her, little kids would’ve run screaming from the theater.Iwanted to run screaming.
She eyed me up thoroughly before glancing past me to Zab.
She pointed a bent finger at him.
“You arenotinvited.” She turned around and walked inside. “Come in and shut the door.”
One last glance back at Zab was all I got before I was shut into the room alone with her and two more witches. The other two were in the same black cloaks, same long grey hair, but one had ringlets. It did absolutely nothing to soften her look. The other was stirring a large cauldron over a massive fireplace. Dried plants and herbs hung from the ceiling as I walked across the wood-planked floor.
“She’s the immigration call we received,” the hag who’d answered the door said, seeming to have some sort of rank amongst the three of them.
“They said she was a Nowhere witch. Is that true? Are you a Nowhere witch?” the one with ringlets asked.
“No. Or, at least, I’d like it not to be. I still have magic and would greatly appreciate citizenship in Xest.” I went to cross my arms but then kept them at my side, afraid of looking distant or defensive.
“We’ve already received a long list of why you shouldn’t be allowed to stay,” Lead Hag said.
I didn’t care if it took a week. I was writing every name down until I found out who did this.
“Not to mention she’s too short.” This came from the shortest witch in the room, who was probably a good foot shorter than me.
“No. She’s too tall, I say,” the tallest one said.
Should I argue, or would that anger them? If I said nothing, that might not go well either. I tried to read the room, but nothing about this situation read well.
“She has no job,” Lead Hag said.
“I do have a job,” I said. That one wasn’t an opinion. At least I could argue it.
Lead Hag got close enough that I would’ve sworn I smelled the grave she’d crawled out of. How old were these witches?
“Someone hired you? I thought you were a Nowhere witch. No one hires a Nowhere witch,” Lead Hag said.
I’d never minded being called a Whimsy witch, though most would consider it an insult. But this “Nowhere witch” was like a rasp that kept running over the same piece of flesh, rubbing it raw.
“Someone did hire me. I’m working at Zark’s.” If I got out of here, I was going to have to thank Oscar several more times. I didn’t care why he’d helped. I just knew I was on a razor’s edge, and these witches were looking for any reason to get rid of me.
“She still has no home,” Ringlet said, proving my point.
“I do. I just got it a day ago.” Thank you, Zab! I was going to hug that dust bunny when I got out of here.
Every positive thing I had going for me seemed to build this feeling of anger in the room.
Suddenly, all sounds disappeared. The witches clustered together on the other side of the room, growing more animated. What didn’t they want me to hear? Why was there an argument and why did not one of them appear to want me here?
I tried to stay calm as it continued, hating the loss of one of my senses, or that they’d taken it from me so easily.
They stopped arguing, and the sounds of the room, the boiling of whatever brew they churned, filled the space again.
The lead hag stepped forward. “You have one moon cycle to return. When you come here again, you must bring fifty citizens of Xest to vouch for you. You must still be employed. You must have a residence. You must also pass our test of magic.”
“Xest is a very desirable place to live. We can’t just let anyone in,” Ringlet said.
I wasn’t sure which scared me more: the fifty people when I only had a handful of friends, or the magic test. Nope. It was the magic for sure.
“I’ll be here.” I infused my voice with a confidence that was all smoke and mirrors.
Even through the wrinkles, I could see the skepticism. Oh, someone had definitely given them an earful.