by Shona Husk
I waited for a sign that the Lords had heard me, a paperless fool in love with a married woman. Sunlight glanced between the buildings and hit the domed roof of the Decihall. I held my breath. This was it. I wanted to move, but I needed to be sure the Lawman was here and not at home. What if he handed the job to his deputy because he’d spent the night drinking at my suggestion? Had I ruined my only opportunity?
A cheer erupted from the crowd. I turned to look at the stage and frames. The Lawman, bleary-eyed in the morning light, had taken to the platform. The first man to be hanged followed. He looked like any other man. Not one I’d seen at any of the FAA meetings behind my lust house doors—but I had tried to stay out of the way, since the less I knew the better.
One by one the militia in white armbands led the condemned men up, their hands bound so they couldn’t fight. All for show and wrong. These men didn’t deserve to die because they were FAA supporters, if not Rogue themselves. I glanced at the crowd that was swelling with every breath. More had turned out for the hanging of suspected Rogues than my branding. Small fights were breaking out. Not everyone was here to support the Union crackdown on magic. Then I looked back at the condemned men. No truth-seeker would step up and speak for them.
Did the Union care about the lives they were destroying? Would the FAA look after the widows and children? Being born with magic was no gift. I envied those who got through life by hiding it and pretending to be like other folk without it taking over their mind.
The Lawman walked to the front and raised his hands. His face looked a little green compared to his whites, his eyes more than a little bloodshot. Good. I pressed my lips together in a thin smile. I hoped my other suggestion would give him grief for many months to come.
My stomach drew tight. If I failed, it really wouldn’t matter, as I wouldn’t have time to think about anything but dying. I shuddered as I glanced at the gallows. Fear and desperation roiled off the men. I couldn’t watch as these men died, and I couldn’t do anything to help them.
Or could I?
I’d spent the last six years giving pleasure to those who paid. Today I’d take the fear and give them a few moments of joy. There was no need for them to end their lives in misery, so I touched the surface of their minds. Their bodies relaxed, and while they would be confused from my lack of finesse, they would go peacefully.
As the Lawman spoke I slipped away, unnoticed in the throng of people. I slid up the back road against the tide of bodies and in through the back gate of the Lawman’s house. I banged on the door, glancing over my shoulder while I waited. My heart was heavy instead of leaping with joy. The unresolved fear and turmoil of the coming hangings seeped under my skin and swelled my own doubts and unease. I couldn’t calm the whole crowd and still have enough energy left to take on the Lawman.
Anisa peered out the window, her eyes widened. Then she opened the door. “He won’t let me leave the house today.”
“He’s busy.”
“What if you’re seen? You shouldn’t be here.” The joy of yesterday’s meeting seemed so long ago. Her gaze flicked from me to the gate, as if expecting someone to appear.
“It won’t matter. Come with me today.” Please.
Her mouth fell open. “Now?”
“We only have now. I can make sure he doesn’t follow us but…”
She was staring at me. Had I misjudged her? She’d seemed so keen. But maybe thoughts of escape are easier to dream when the cage door isn’t open and the world doesn’t seem so big. If she wouldn’t escape with me, what would I do? My heart clenched.
A cheer went up on the street. Nine hangings to go. This wouldn’t take long—there was no truth-seeker and no trial. The Union needed the show, and so did the Lawman. Reseda was going mad.
And all this time I’d thought it was me. Even if the Lawman didn’t kill me, my magic would. I had to find a way to get it under control and I couldn’t do that when my life depended on me using it every day.
I couldn’t convince her with words, so I drew her closer and kissed her. My lips crushed hers, taking what she’d given yesterday. I let my fingers brush against her silken hair. Her lips parted, her tongue darting against mine as she leaned forward. I broke away before we got lost in the moment and forgot the danger. But my blood was jagged with desire.
“I love you. If you want to stay, I won’t love you less, but if you meant what you said yesterday we need to move.” I needed her to come with me. I couldn’t lose her again. I traced the curve of her cheek.
Her teeth raked her lower lip, but she tilted her chin and met my gaze. “I’m scared.”
“So am I.” It was there, cold in the pit of my stomach. But I wanted to live so I ignored it before it could get into my blood and paralyze me.
Another yell. Eight to go.
Anisa jumped that time and looked at me as if understanding the timing.
“He’s hanging those men without a trial. He did this to me last night.” I pointed to my cheek, where the flesh was still tender. “It’s only a matter of time until we’re next.”
She nodded, blinked slowly as if gathering her courage and then spoke. “What do you need me to do?”
“Grab some clothing and anything of value, but only what you can carry.” I undid my coat and unwound the length of rope I’d coiled around my waist. I couldn’t have walked the streets holding rope on the day of a hanging. Even now I didn’t want to think about it too much. But it was heavy and coarse in my hand, and what the Lawman was doing for real, I was going to create in his mind.
The crowd was growing in volume. It was getting hard to pick out the drops, even for me.
“What are you going to do?”
“Make him think you’ve hanged yourself.” As I said it aloud the words caught in my throat.
“Can you do that?” Her gaze flicked between me and the rope.
“I sure hope so.” I softened my voice. “I’ve never hurt anyone with magic, never wanted to, but it’s the only way I can think of that will stop him from following.”
She paused before speaking, as if letting the horror of what I had to do sink in. “Is that how his first wife died?”
“No, she jumped out the window.”
“He didn’t push her?”
Not physically, but she’d had no one to turn to. “She didn’t see another way out.” I didn’t want Anisa to be in the same place. “If we don’t take this chance, we may never get another one.”
She nodded, but she was frowning. “If we fail—”
“We’re dead.” The Union and FAA would know what I could do and the Lawman would hang me and revive me just to do it again—and that was before the Union got their hands on me. Her lips parted in a gasp, but there was no way for me to sugarcoat it.
“I never thought my life would be like this.” She looked like she was ready to run and hide but had realized nowhere was safe. Even with me.
“Neither did I.”
“But we can go back to how it was.” She tried a tentative smile.
I shook my head, painfully aware that time was slipping past far too quickly. “Only forward, and we need to hurry.”
She stared at me for two heartbeats as if weighing how far she could trust me. Then she drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. “Okay.”
As she led the way upstairs to the bedroom, I followed and tried not to think of her in bed with Brixen—no doubt she had the same thoughts about him with me. I made a noose with one end of the rope and tied the other to the banister. I let it fall then half slid, half ran down the stairs. The length looked fine. I grabbed a chair from the dining suit and placed it on its side beneath.
I didn’t need the props, but it would make the illusion more believable and I needed him to believe it. I didn’t care that no one would see Anisa swinging. The damage to his reputation would be done. In my mind I built the image of her caught in the noose, ready to force it into Brixen’s head. Just thinking it made my heart tight.
She
came down the stairs, a lumpy pile gripped too tightly in her hands. She glanced at the noose then the chair and back to me, but the fear was gone from her eyes, replaced by questions I didn’t have time to answer.
“The buggy is at the Nightbird Resting House. Red, with yellow wheels.” There were plenty of red buggies, but I was willing to bet the Lawman knew exactly what mine looked like. I’d have to repaint sooner rather than later, or trade it.
Her eyes widened. “I can’t leave you to face him alone.”
I took a breath. As much as I wanted her by my side, I couldn’t afford the distraction. I needed to know she was away from here. “After the final hanging, give me a count of two hundred. If I don’t come, go to my folks. Tell them I died saving you, that I was a wealthy trader and that I regretted never writing or going to see them. Tell them I loved them.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. If I didn’t reign in my emotions I’d never be able to pull this off.
“He’ll look for me there.”
“I’ll make sure he won’t.” Even if my plan failed, I’d make sure that Anisa got free.
Her fingers traced my jaw as she placed a kiss on my cheek. “Be careful. I can’t lose you again. I’ve waited too long.”
For a moment there was nothing but us. The way her fingers were cool on my skin and the scent of her hair. I slid my arm around her waist and gave myself a few precious seconds of what my life could have been—a fancy house with Anisa as my wife. She moved closer, as if unwilling to leave. If I thought we could outrun the Lawman I’d leave with her now, but I had to stop Brixen.
The cheering around the Decihall dulled to a murmur as if the realization of what had happened was sinking in. The citizens of Reseda now knew the Lawman could hang whoever he wanted, when he wanted, without a truth-seeker to determine innocence. We were out of time.
“Go.” I took in the curve of her cheek and the lift of her lips, praying this wasn’t the last time I’d see her.
Anisa took two steps back; for a moment I thought she’d lose her nerve. If she did, I was sure I’d lose mine. What I was planning was awful and crazy and all I had left. Then she turned and ran.
The next few moments passed quickly. I walked to the front of the house. For the best chance of success I’d need to touch him and drive the vision in with force, make him reel with shock then amplify everything he felt until he drowned. I had to uncurl my hands from the tight fists that had formed. It was one thing to let a person sink into his desires but another to force him to face his fears, drive him to the point of insanity. I was the worst kind of Rogue, using magic for my own gain and to harm others. I was the kind the Union warned about and were afraid of.
Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. Had she reached the buggy? What if one of the militia men had stopped her? What if the Lawman wasn’t alone? Could I extend the horror to a group of witnesses? My heart pounded hard, like a fist thumping against my chest.
I glanced out the white curtains. Brixen was alone. He had a smug smile glued to his face, even though his eyes were bloodshot from the night before.
I looked at my hands. No matter how many times I told myself he deserved this, I wasn’t sure I should be making that judgment. Lords, forgive me.
The front door opened. He slammed it closed behind him then startled when he saw me. A hard glint formed in his red-rimmed lilac eyes. His fingers curled, ready to strike me. “What are you doing here?”
I sensed his fear, mixing with stale liquor. He knew I’d given Anisa the ribbon. Now that I was in his house he suspected the worst—Anisa would rather be with me than him. He saw her as little better than a loose-skirt. And he hated me and my pretty face, wanted to break it and ruin my trade forever. But he’d used his fists for the last time.
Brixen threw a punch, but at that moment I felt the Hunter standing with me. I caught his hand and it was all the contact I needed. I force-fed him his own fear. That people knew he fucked me, that they believed he’d killed his first wife, that a hanging without a trial meant he had something to hide. They doubted him and his ability to uphold the law. They thought him weak and corrupt. As he trembled, I led him through the house to the staircase. Everyone would know he’d driven his second wife to suicide. In his mind he saw Anisa, her lips blue and an ugly red mark around her neck. I hated seeing her like that, even if it was all in my mind. An evil creation I brought to life for the Lawman, the same way I’d brought his fantasies to life.
The Lawman dropped to his knees and cried out, trying to reach for her but never able to touch her. He’d never touch anyone again. Never mistreat another wife or whore. His hands clutched at the air as he cursed her for being a selfish whore, for ruining him. His face twisted with rage.
If he’d have shed a tear or shown a fleeting sorrow, I would have stopped. But he didn’t; his total concern was for himself and his reputation. My years of pent-up hate and fear bubbled over.
His eyes bulged and his face purpled as I pushed the image deep into his mind to places where it couldn’t be forgotten. It was like diving into pitch. For moment I thought I was caught and would drown there, trapped in his mind by his hate and my illusion of death forever.
Then something snapped. I felt the twang reverberate through me. I pulled back mentally and for a moment didn’t move as I realized what I’d done. I’d gone too deep and broken his mind.
Brixen remained on his knees, ranting in angry nonsense sentences at the illusion of Anisa.
I stepped back, releasing my grip on his sweaty skin. I’d gone too far. I tried to breathe but struggled against the weight of what I’d done. I’d broken a man. One whose heart was blacker than the Arcane Lord, but still a man. I wanted to throw up but I couldn’t. I didn’t have the luxury of regret. I didn’t know how long my magic would last. So I fled.
Anisa waited in the buggy, her lips pressed tight, face pale with worry. I didn’t pause to explain. I just drove like an Arcane Bounty Hunter was on my tail and gaining. The Union would know magic had done that to the Lawman. Cog would know it was me. My ruse was up, but not exposed. Cog would blame the FAA—he couldn’t have it known he’d turned me away and then let me wander the streets of Reseda, doing what I wanted.
Still, I wouldn’t sleep until we were well away from Reseda and somewhere without accursed lightning boxes. A small town where we could start again.
We reached the outskirts of Reseda, where roads became dirt and the houses well-spaced with farms, before the buggy clicked and stopped. I glanced at Anisa, and she looked at me. Her hands were clenched in her lap, as if she were too afraid to move. If I hadn’t have reached her, would she have fled without me?
I took my hand off the tiller and jumped down to crank the engine. As I did I watched the road, looking for puffs of dust that would announce another buggy. But the road was clear. It was just her and I. I looked up at her and smiled. It felt forced, like it would break at any moment. She didn’t return it, just watched me as I climbed back into the buggy and eased it forward again, picking up pace as we went. Was she having doubts? If she was, I didn’t know how to ease them. I’d all but killed a man and those memories weren’t going to fade as fast as bruises.
With the buggy rolling again and the fields sliding past in a blur, Anisa finally spoke. “Lords, what have we done?”
I swallowed the dust lining my throat. I didn’t know. But we couldn’t go back. “The right thing, I hope.”
“I broke my wedding vows.” I barely heard her over the whirring of the buggy.
I looked sideways at her. Technically she hadn’t, yet, as we hadn’t done anything. But I knew what she meant. She’d left her husband with the intention of taking up with another man. “I’m sure the Lords will forgive you more readily than they will forgive him for abusing you and their law.” Or me.
She fell silent again, and so did I. In those quiet moments, when I relived what I’d done again and again, hearing the echo of the snap of his mind, I swore a silent promise that I wouldn’
t use magic to interfere with someone’s mind again—for any reason. Yes, I’d have to use magic or I’d bleed from my ear and eyes, but I’d find a way. It was that or take up drinking, but I didn’t want to waste my second chance at the bottom of a bottle. Besides I’d grown accustomed to quality liquor and my funds wouldn’t stretch that far anymore.
The engine of the buggy whirred and the sky became blue as the sun reached higher.
Anisa would check behind us occasionally. After a while her body lost the rigid set of fear. Her cheeks got back some color.
“Would you have gone without me?”
She glanced at the tips of her shoes peeking from beneath her skirt. “Yes. I wouldn’t have let your sacrifice be in vain.”
I didn’t know if that was the answer I’d hoped to hear or not. “Good thing I made it.”
“Only by twenty.” She gave me a half smile that lasted only a heartbeat. “Is he…?”
“He’s alive.” She drew in a sharp breath and I glanced at her. “He won’t be hurting anyone for a while.” I couldn’t say if he’d recover or if he would spend the rest of his life locked away. Maybe it would have been kinder to kill him. Either way I would live with what I’d done forever.
“Thank you. It can’t have been easy.” Anisa’s hand landed on my leg as softly as a butterfly, and she turned to face me. It was the first time she’d touched me since I’d met her at the buggy. I wanted to cover her hand with mine but hesitated. After what I’d done I wasn’t sure I should be touching anyone.
I gave a single nod. Maybe I’d tell her another time about the darkness and the brutality I found in there. How a man like that had convinced so many people he was a decent man capable of upholding the law, I’d never know. But then, most folk didn’t see what I saw.
Her fingers moved and I knew without looking at her she was thinking. I remembered the way her fingers had once walked across my skin before she’d ask some complicated question. Some things didn’t change. “Why did you do it? You could’ve pretended to never see me and gone on with your life.”