Witch Emerging (High Witch Book 2) Read Free Page A

if something bad happened.
     

Chapter 2
     
    Hallie sat in the tavern after work, trying to enjoy the meal of meat and vegetables before her. She was at a small table along the wall by herself, half-listening to the loud sounds of people talking and laughing. The dimly lit place had the aroma of smoke mixed with the smell of ale and the food people were eating. There were a lot of people there, but they all left Hallie alone. They didn’t know about her past. She was safe there.
    She took a sip of her wine, remembering with a heavy heart what day this was. It was two years exactly since she’d last seen Sean. After their fight all those months ago, he took a job on his uncle’s ship and left town. She hadn’t heard from him in all that time—not even a single letter. She had no way of knowing where he was, but she knew he could still find her because her parents knew where she lived. Didn’t he want to know how she was doing? Wasn’t he curious at all? She sighed, having to resign herself to the fact that he probably got married to someone and had forgotten all about her. She guessed she never meant as much to him as he meant to her.
    She gradually finished eating, then tucked her hair behind her ears. Her appearance had changed a bit over the last couple of years: she had gotten a little taller but not much; her hair was a little longer now, though still a wavy mess; she lost the extra weight she’d carried throughout her childhood, her face less round and her figure more slender.
    But her life had changed significantly in other ways. She had been copying letters and other documents for people in her town for years for free, just because she was good at it and enjoyed it. She had always been good at writing and was an excellent reader, much to her parents’ dismay. They always wanted her to be good at more practical tasks, get married, and be a good housewife. But Hallie preferred reading and writing.
    When she was seventeen, the man who became her employer was traveling in her town and needed some letters copied at the last moment. Hallie did the work for him, and he was so impressed he offered to take her on as his apprentice as long as she was willing to leave with him. And so she went with him. The elderly man was a highly proficient writer, and Hallie had a huge amount of work to do. She had worked for the man for the last year, he paid her well, and she earned a reputation as a highly intelligent, hard-working woman. She was pleased she had started work, had started a new life, but there was a hole in her heart nothing could fill. She tried to ignore it with work, which was all she really had.
    No one in that town knew she was a witch—no one knew anything about her really. She mainly kept to herself, and while the people around her seemed nice and friendly, she just wanted to work and not get close to anyone. She didn’t want anyone there to know about her past. It was safer that way.
    Hallie took another sip of wine when she felt someone watching her. She looked around, then saw a young man of around twenty standing near the door. He was tall and slender, with short black hair. To her surprise he made his way towards her and stood by her table.
    “I hear you work for Amos,” the man said in a gentle voice.
    Hallie half-smiled. “Yes, I do. I’m his scribe.”
    The man nodded. “I heard you do very good work. My name is Nicholas.”
    “Hallie,” she replied, feeling a little nervous.
    Nicholas rubbed his chin. “I have some letters I need copied. Do you think you would be able to help me? I would pay you well.”
    Hallie looked down, fidgeting with her napkin. “I guess so. I don’t work on Sundays. I could do it for you then.” She looked up at him again and saw him gazing at her warmly.
    He gestured to the empty chair across from her. “May I sit down? I’ve been traveling all day and would like to rest my feet.”
    “I—alright,” Hallie said. “I’ll be leaving soon, though. But