Page 77 of The Nowhere Witch

Gregor walked into the main room, all the patrons in the place now paying keen attention to what was going down. I wanted to kill Hawk for pulling a stunt like this. Just the implication of what he was suggesting would tarnish Gregor’s reputation for a decade.

I was standing my ground in between them when Hawk reached down and grabbed me by the waist. I grabbed his arms, letting him get a feel of my magic and what I was going to do if he didn’t unhand me. Instead of feeling anything, he picked me up and deposited me back down beside Oscar. I scurried back to the front, not quite a buffer anymore.

“What’s going on?” Gregor asked. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone waited to see if there was a traitor in our midst. Which therewasn’t, and I couldn’t wait until Gregor proved it.

“Oscar picked up a trace of your magic at the newest crack in the wall. The one we repaired that’s already failing.”

“It’s failing?” I asked Hawk, torn between outrage for Gregor and fear for what was going to happen to Xest.

Hawk nodded. “Found it this morning.”

I suddenly felt like I was a hundred pounds heavier. I needed to go look, but I couldn’t yet, not until I made sure Hawk didn’t kill Gregor.

I would stand up to Hawk in a way no one else seemed willing to do. I couldn’t just run out of here right now.

“It might be breaking, but your info is wrong. Gregor walked up that way with me the other day. He started us a fire. That’s probably what you picked up on. He’s not working withthem.” At least a thread of reasoning, even if it was weak. They hadn’t made something up out of thin air.

Hawk’s gaze was on me, as if he were furious I was interfering and sad for me all at once. It wasn’t a combination I was used to seeing on him. On the average day, he was just pissed off at me for various reasons.

He turned to Gregor. “Are you going to admit it or have her defend your lies? Are you going to tell her you sabotaged the repair? At least be man enough to stand up for yourself.”

I edged farther in between them. It would be safer that way when Gregor told Hawk to go to hell. Hawk was being an ass, but there was no need for bloodshed. Ultimately we were all on the same side, even if some people seemed to keep forgetting that.

I stood there, ready, but Gregor wasn’t talking. Why wasn’t he talking? Gregor was never short on words.

I turned around, and Gregor’s gaze met mine. It veered off almost as fast, as if he couldn’t quite look me in the eye.

I turned to Hawk, who never had a problem meeting my gaze, as if he could offer some clarification on what was happening. Was Hawk right? Had Gregor betrayed him, me, everyone who was fighting to keep that evil from contaminating all of Xest? And when had I started relying on Hawk’s word for it? The last one was easy. As soon as Gregor couldn’t look at me.

Hawk gave a single shake of his head, confirming what my gut and Gregor’s silence was already saying.

I had a mile-long list of questions, the first being the most important. Why wasn’t Gregor at least trying to defend himself? There had to be some reason.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Zark asked, beating me to it.

It was a good thing, because my words didn’t seem to want to form. They’d been smothered by shock and the startling feeling of betrayal.

Only silence filled the room.

I turned back to Gregor, slowly, almost afraid to see his face and the guilt that was going to be written there as my mind ran back over all the things that should’ve been obvious to me. The signs had been there. The questions. He’d always been so quick with them, squirreling away little tidbits. I’d pushed unease away, over and over again, and now it was flooding up around me, drowning me.

Gregor wasn’t my friend. He was another liar.

“Speak, dammit. Are you working with them? Are you with them?” his father asked. Zark, unfortunately, was still looking for more clarification.

As surely as my heart was bruised and bleeding, Zark’s was bleeding out. The weight of Gregor’s betrayal seemed to be bringing this formerly hard man to his knees.

I wanted to wrap my arms around Zark and say it would be okay, but it wouldn’t be. His son was on the other side, and this wasn’t like a political fight in Rest. This was for all the marbles. If the other side won this war, Xest wouldn’t be recognizable.

“Yes. I’m working with them. I’m sorry if you can’t understand the beauty of what’s growing there, but you’re trying to kill something that’s a miracle,” Gregor said, his voice rising as he spoke.

The door to Zark’s opened and Raydam stepped inside, followed by Belinda and others I recognized from their sneers on the street.

The rest of the patrons in Zark, who’d only been watching on before, also stood. It was a packed house, and not in a good way. This was the first time today I’d actually wondered if our fearsome trio would be fierce enough. I could handle some bruises, but this might turn out to be something way worse.

Gregor paused for only a few seconds before he said, “I’m sorry,” and moved to stand with his people.

Zark looked at the newcomers and then back to Gregor. He leaned a hand on the bar, his shoulders dropping, as he watched his son join the other side.