Asahi sighed, starting a transmuting spell. The pot and the sludge inside elongated and rounded, turning an ashy brown color. Asahi carefully picked up the perfectly round log and tossed in onto the fire, wiping the ash off his fingers onto his pant leg.
It would be so much easier if he could conjure food. Asahi made a face, leaving the side of the fireplace to cross over to his pack. Pulling out a little chunk of the jerky he'd been avoiding eating, he bit into it viciously and tried not to break his jaw trying to chew it.
Staring around the cabin morosely, Asahi chewed a little slower. This was the last of his food—he might as well make it last. Inexplicably, his thoughts turned back to the little town's mayor. Nesfir, he'd said his name was, and really, these eastern countries had the oddest names.
He'd stared a little, but Asahi was getting used to that. Touching his fingers lightly to the mark on his cheek, he smiled. It would only be a little complicated, obscuring the witchmark into something else. But he was proud of his accomplishments back in Osamu, and he wasn't going to let a bunch of bigoted easterners change his mind.
A sudden knock jerked him from his thoughts and Asahi frowned, hesitating before crossing the small cabin. Tucking the jerky in his pocket, Asahi pressed his ear to the door and listened.
Everything was quiet though, so either there was only one person—one quiet person—out there, or there was excellent mob control. Since Asahi had yet to meet a mob that could keep itself silent enough for an ambush, he carefully opened the door a crack. He wedged the toes of his boot under the door, determined to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to get inside.
"What?" Asahi asked, well aware of how rude he was being. He didn't really care though—no one in this country had given him any politeness.
"Good afternoon," Nesfir greeted cheerfully, with a smile, and Asahi stared at him suspiciously. He didn't seem at all put out by Asahi's rude greeting, making Asahi wonder what he was up to. He was alone, at least, so he probably wasn't going to try to run Asahi off yet, unless the basket he was holding was some sinister sort of weapon he was going to try to beat Asahi to death with.
If that wasn't paranoia at its finest, Asahi didn't know what was.
"You missed the meeting," Nesfir said, actually sounding a little reproachful. Asahi scoffed, leaning on the door. There was no way Nesfir actually expected him to show up.
"I make it a point to bring the news to those who don't make it," Nesfir informed him cheerfully, unperturbed by Asahi's silent disbelief. Or simply ignoring him.
"You came to bring me the news," Asahi repeated slowly, infusing his words with as much skepticism as he could. That was a poor excuse to keep an eye on him.
"Well, that's not all," Nesfir conceded with a smile. Asahi waited for Nesfir to elaborate, completely unsurprised. Nesfir held the basket out to him, his smile only widening when Asahi gave it a suspicious look.
"What is it?" Asahi asked, not bothering to take it. That would mean opening the door further, and he wasn't going to give Nesfir any hospitality until he was convinced the man's motives were pure, which might take a while.
"A housewarming present," Nesfir declared, edging closer. Asahi favored him with another suspicious look, but curiosity got the best of him. None of the towns he'd tried so far had given him a housewarming present. Hesitating for a moment, Asahi shifted the door (wedged toes and all) back the distance it would take to bring the basket inside.
"The Miclai's provided some fresh milk. Mrs. Flekan's daughter made some of her apple twist bread. There are some fresh vegetables from one of the town gardens. Half a pie from old Mrs. Kenshaw…" Nesfir trailed off, looking thoughtful. "There are some other things, too, but I didn't really get a good look before I left."
"Right," Asahi muttered, setting the basket down to the left of the doorway. Nesfir was looking past him into the cabin when he straightened, but quickly turned his attention back to Asahi with a smile when Asahi was standing again.
"We discussed only a few things at last night's meeting," Nesfir announced, and Asahi blinked, startled. What did he care?
"Ellac is going to do chores on the Cinades' farm until he pays back the price of the window he broke," Nesfir continued, as if Asahi knew and cared who those people were.
"It was decided a fox had been getting into the Carali's henhouse. Jashen is organizing a foxhunt. If you're interested in joining, you can let him know," Nesfir paused, and Asahi gave him an incredulous look that only made Nesfir laugh. "Well, if you change your mind, the Carali's house is the pale blue farmhouse on the east edge of town.
"The issue of witches was brought up, of course," Nesfir continued without pause or change in tone. Asahi still tensed, folding his arms and giving Nesfir a dark look. Really, there had been no need to go confusing the issue by bringing up unimportant things first.
"It was decided to let your actions decide whether you stay," Nesfir said, his voice suddenly solemn and quiet. "Unless you do us harm, you can stay without challenge."
Asahi snorted. They would decide when they got rid of him. Probably mid-winter, to have a better chance at actually killing him.
"Oh, and Ptima and Allika are getting married next week," Nesfir said, abruptly cheerful again. "They've invited the entire town, which includes you now."
Asahi rolled his eyes. He wasn't buying the 'welcome' routine. Still, it was a little better than being immediately set upon by a mob of unruly and unhappy villagers bent on doing their best to get rid of him for good.
"Was that all?" Asahi asked, impatient now for Nesfir to go away. He needed to think on this and try to figure out whether the welcome basket was safe enough to accept and partake of.
"You're a conjurer, correct?" Nesfir asked, and Asahi stared at him, taken aback. Except that he was an idiot—of course it was obvious, with the cabin. Still, most people took one look at the witchmark and started crying for a mob.
"Yes," Asahi answered warily, his fingers itching to touch the mark on his face. Nesfir just smiled at him, shifting in place on the stoop.
"There are plenty of things around town that a conjurer's touch would ease, if you're interested," Nesfir offered, tucking his hands into his pockets. The smile never left his face and Asahi frowned, suddenly struck by boyishness of the posture.
"What kind of things?" Asahi asked before his mind caught up to his mouth. He shouldn't be indulging Nesfir's jokes.
"Wells," Nesfir replied promptly. "Construction of houses, fixing roofs, windows, replacing expensive glass and other things—"
"You're insane," Asahi decided, scowling before realizing what he'd just said. His eyes widened, but before he could do anything to recover himself, Nesfir laughed.
"Is that a yes?" Nesfir asked, grinning at him. He didn't seem offended, and for all Asahi knew he'd taken it as a compliment.
"No," Asahi snapped, sliding the door off his toes.
"If you change your mind—"
"I won't," Asahi told him flatly. Stepping back slightly, he shut the door on Nesfir's still-smiling face. Not the smartest idea, he knew, but he didn't need to deal with Nesfir's attempts to fool him into complacency.
*~*~*
Nesfir paused as the cabin came into sight. Smoke curled lazily skyward from the chimney that had appeared somewhere between his first and second visits. Otherwise the cabin hadn't changed, and Nesfir was curious about what Asahi was conjuring inside the cabin.
A little from a protective standpoint—he wanted to know for sure that Asahi's energy wasn't going towards something malicious—but most of it was curiosity. He'd never run into a conjurer before, and Asahi had already impressed him by conjuring the cabin he was living in, and then modifying it after the fact. The windows were real glass, too, and the chimney appeared to be made of sturdy brick.
Nesfir wanted badly to win the defensive conjurer over. Not only because the conjurer could do a lot for Shakartha—there were quite a few windows around town that could afford to be real glass and many o
ther improvements that Asahi could do much more easily and cheaper than the villagers—but also because Asahi needed a home.
This was very obviously not the first place Asahi had tried to settle. It was far too easy to see the suspicion and wariness in Asahi, and a little too hard for Nesfir to suspect the witch of anything when he didn't ever seem to leave the cabin and wouldn't open the door more than a few inches for him.
If only he could figure out how to make Asahi open up. Each time he visited, the best he could get from Asahi was a less-than-amused roll of the eyes. Not a single smile or anything more than exasperation at best and suspicion and wariness at worst.
Nesfir sighed, starting towards the cabin. He didn't have any stellar plan for this either. Just the 'make Asahi feel welcome by treating him like any new villager' plan, which wasn't really working.
Perhaps today Asahi would let something slip that would give Nesfir a clue. Nesfir doubted it. Asahi barely tolerated him speaking and got closed-off and terse whenever Nesfir tried to ask him anything, even the simplest questions.
Nesfir wasn't ready to give up quite yet though, and he crossed the remaining distance to the cabin quickly. Knocking loudly, he shifted his weight back on his heels and waited patiently.
It took a moment, but each time Nesfir had visited in the last two weeks it had. He'd visited a handful of times, but never gotten further than the front stoop. Disappointing, but Nesfir was optimistic.
The door cracked open, and Asahi stared at him flatly from inside. Nesfir only smiled, already used to Asahi's less-than-hospitable greeting.
"Afternoon," Nesfir greeted cheerfully, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"What do you want?" Asahi demanded, his eyes narrowing. Nesfir blinked, a little surprised. Usually it took Asahi a few minutes before he got irritated enough to snap at Nesfir.
"Everything alright?" Nesfir asked with concern, earning himself a darker look. Nesfir frowned, struck by how worn Asahi looked. There were dark shadows under his eyes and he seemed shorter than usual, like he was slumping, half-hidden behind his door.
"Fine," Asahi snapped, but quickly followed it by a muffled curse. He turned away from the door, and Nesfir could only stare in surprise as the door swung his way again. It didn't latch, barely making contact with the doorframe before swinging slightly in again.
Nesfir took advantage, ignoring the little voice in his head telling him how angry Asahi would be over his trespassing. He was too curious to pay that any heed. Nudging the door open with the tip of his index finger, Nesfir stepped inside.
The emptiness of the cabin was the first thing he noticed. The fireplace was the largest thing in it, with a broad mantle made of brick. There was a pattern to the colors that traced up the chimney and stopped only at the roof. It was too big for the small cabin, taking up nearly half of the narrow wall to the right of the doorway.
Asahi was chanting rapidly, his eyes fixed on the smoking pot sitting in front of the fire, and Nesfir was tempted to watch him do the spell but he didn't know when the next time he'd get to look around the cabin was.
The rest of the cabin was depressingly empty. There was a small, battered pack propped against the far wall next to the basket Nesfir had brought. The top was open, but Nesfir couldn't see anything in it even though it was lumpy enough to have to hold something. An equally battered looking bedroll lay next to that, and Nesfir winced because it looked painfully flat and uncomfortable.
It didn't make sense. Nesfir stepped further into the cabin. Obviously Asahi had some talent with conjuring, if the fireplace was anything to go by. Why was he not conjuring himself more comfortable furniture? A bed, at least?
Glancing over at Asahi, Nesfir smothered a smile as he watched Asahi dump a newly conjured bucket of water on the smoking pot. A cloud of smoke and steam rose, and Asahi scowled, letting the bucket drop to the floor with a clatter. Asahi sighed, raising his hands to rub wearily at his face as his shoulders slumped.
Nesfir shifted uneasily, sure that Asahi wouldn't be pleased to find him in here. Before he could open his mouth to draw Asahi's attention though, Asahi started chanting again, more quietly and less quickly. The nonsensical words flew over Nesfir's head, and Nesfir hoped he wasn't conjuring anything sharp to maim him with.
But the little pot was changing shape, and Nesfir watched, a little startled because he hadn't known that conjurers could transmute as well as create things. Not that that was saying much. Most of his knowledge on witches was limited to enchanters and healing witches.
"Sorry," Nesfir spoke up when Asahi stopped chanting and the pot had turned into a little log. Asahi's head snapped around, and he glared at Nesfir. "I didn't mean to distract you from making supper."
"What are you doing in here?" Asahi demanded, disregarding Nesfir's words. Nesfir prudently stepped back, putting himself back outside.
"I smelled the smoke," Nesfir answered easily. "And the door didn't shut."
"Hmph," Asahi scoffed, planting himself in the doorway and crossing his arms defensively. He stared at Nesfir, his look daring Nesfir to say anything. And because Nesfir couldn't keep his mouth shut, he had to ask.
"Why is your cabin so bare?"
"Because," Asahi snapped, his expression darkening even more. He didn't elaborate, merely stared stubbornly at Nesfir. Nesfir glanced past him into the cabin.
"You have the power to make furniture though," Nesfir tried again, unable to let it go. "And the talent to make really nice furniture, if that fireplace is anything to go by. Why aren't you?"
"Because there's no point!" Asahi snapped tersely, and then defiantly clamped his mouth shut, looking furious.
"Of course there's a point," Nesfir said, shaking his head slightly in confusion.
"I refuse," Asahi began, stepping towards Nesfir threateningly. Nesfir didn't step back, not allowing himself to be intimidated. "To put forth the energy to make this place habitable when it's going to be burned or left behind when you decide to be rid of the witch."
Asahi glared at him for a moment before stepping back and starting to shut the door in Nesfir's face. Nesfir stepped forward quickly, catching the door before it could shut.
"Get out," Asahi snapped, his voice sharp except for the worn, tired note in it.
"We are not going to run you out," Nesfir said firmly, stepping around the door and facing Asahi squarely. "We're trying to make you a part of the community."
"I am not thick!" Asahi shouted, his hand still on the doorjamb. "How many times do you think I've heard that? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"You're nervous," Nesfir said confidently, amused when Asahi let out a noise he tentatively classified as a squawk. "You don't trust us, but I'm not giving up."
"You're insane," Asahi declared, glowering but strangely sounding a little less upset. "Get out."
Nesfir grinned, moving toward the door. Not progress, really, but now he had a plan. Or an idea for a plan, at least.
"I'll be back," Nesfir promised, stepping outside.
Asahi just rolled his eyes, shutting the door with a mutter that sounded suspiciously like, "You always are."
*~*~*
Asahi frowned down at the nearly empty basket of food that Nesfir had brought him. There were only a few hard rolls and stale cookies left in the basket, and more of the too-chewy jerky from ages ago in his pack.
He wasn't going to attempt to cook anything again, either. He'd managed to catch a tiny rabbit, but then he'd botched the skinning and it had cooked poorly—the outside had been burnt, but the inside had been raw, and he'd ended up burying it behind his cabin instead of actually eating it.
Really, it was a wonder he hadn't starved since he left home. Asahi sighed, scrubbing his hand through his hair. Of course, he wouldn't be nearly out of food if this town had acted like all the others and tried to run him out immediately. Then he would've been able to snitch food without guilt.
He had no idea why they'd left him alone, nless Nesfir's continued visits were some o
bscure form of torture meant to drive him away through sheer perseverance and irritation.
Not that Asahi had seen Nesfir for almost a week. Not since the last food-burning incident, where Nesfir had taken it upon himself to come into the cabin without permission. Asahi was still a little annoyed about that, and maybe a little worried about Nesfir's absence. Relieved, too, but a also worried. He didn't know what to do with Nesfir's easy chatter or cheerful smiles or his insistence that they didn't really mind having Asahi there and would be more than willing to find odd jobs for him around town.
Asahi was far too close to caving on that. He already half-believed Nesfir—they hadn't run him off yet, and it had been nearly three weeks. And if he went and did the jobs Nesfir kept coming up with—replacing the glass in this window, creating stones for that garden path—he could request payment in food. Then he wouldn't need to risk burning down the cabin by attempting to cook.
Except it couldn't be as simple as that. There had to be some catch for them accepting his presence here, more than that they wanted to use his abilities, even if Asahi couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.
Standing, Asahi paced across the room to where the fireplace was. There was no fire currently burning, the day had warmed up enough to take the chill bite out of the air so Asahi hadn't bothered to light the monstrosity this morning.
Frowning at the bricks, Asahi hummed thoughtfully. It would be winter in another month or so. If they chased him out of town then, he might not survive the cold if they tried to pursue him for any length of time.
So he should force their hand. Do something to force them to do something. Nothing unpleasant, but something that would prove their intentions. Asahi chewed his lip thoughtfully, staring at the ashes of yesterday's fire.
He should go into town.
If they saw him, and perhaps even saw him conjure something, they'd get to see the reality of having a witch around.
Seeing is Believing Page 11