A Place
A Place
Serafine POV
I sorted out a lot, I’ve got a place to stay, and I’ll have food as well until I have a job. I’m grateful for every little bit of help that Eliana gave me. Now though, I need to figure out the job situation then I need to figure out my two friends. Leaving them outside even if that’s where they have forever lived seems wrong. It also feels dangerous. What happens if someone sees one of them?
They are known as guardians for a reason, typically they guard packs, and the alpha of the pack. That means if they get seen, everyone is going to assume there’s an alpha here.
I spoke to Eliana enough to know that alphas aren’t welcome here. Well, not the ones who are actively living their alpha role. It would cause a panic if someone saw the Silvermane Hound, and everyone would question who it’s protecting.
Walking through the quiet streets, I look at the list of places that may be recruiting. I can hope someone is, as I don’t want to be staying here if I can’t pay for it.
I continue to walk the length of the narrow street. The paper is clenched tight in my hand that has the names and addresses on it. The cold wind is biting at my cheeks, and I pull my hood lower over my face. There’s a few people who pass by me but they barely glance my way. Most of the people keep their heads down or are focused on their own things.
It suits me fine, the less I’m noticed here, the better it is. The more attention I draw, the worse things can become for me.
The first place that is on my list, is a small smithy that’s tucked between two crooked stone buildings. The blackened sign above the door reads, During & Sons Ironworks. I’m fine working and doing hard labor. Smoke spills from the chimney and I can hear the sharp ring of a hammer striking metal before I even push open the heavy wooden door.
The head inside the building hits me like a wall. There’s a large, broad man with a bald head and a thick black beard inside. He wipes the sweat from his brow and glances up from where he’s shaping what looks like a glowing horseshoe. His arms are covered in dark soot but I can still see the powerful muscles beneath it. His eyes narrow slightly as I step inside. “I’m looking for work,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. There’s no point in me wasting time. I need to find work today. Grunting low, he shakes his head. “Not here, girl. Too dangerous. Too heavy. You’ll break before you earn your keep.” He’s not been unkind in what he says, it’s just his blunt honesty of what he believes I’m capable of. To be fair, I’m not sure if I could do this work anyway.
“Try the tannery across the square.”
“Thank you,” I whisper and he nods his head. I step back outside and the cold air feels like a welcome after the suffocating heat within that building.
When I get to the tannery, it’s worse. The stench hits me before I even reach the door. It’s a low, squat building that has thick leather hides hanging from the beams outside. There’s a thin, sharp–faced woman in a long apron. She stands by a workbench scraping something from a stretched hide.
“Hi, I’m looking for work,” I say, part of me hopes they have a place, another parts hopes they don’t.
Her gaze flicks up and down my frame. “I’m not hirting, go try the stables.” She doesn’t wait for my reply, she goes back to her work and acts like I don’t exist.
Sighing, I move on. The stables, Blackthorn Lodge are run by a wiry man, his name is Jonah and he has grey–streaked hair and walks with a limp. He shakes his head before I can even finish asking him.
“We barely have enough coin to keep the horses fed. Sorry, Lass.”
The next place I visit that is on my list, is a seamstress’s shop called Brindle Threads. It’s run by a plump cheerful woman named Nessa. The windows are lined with soft fabrics and colourful spools of thread.
She’s friendly, offeirng me a cup of warm tea and a friendly smile, but when it comes to work, I’ve got no luck.
“I’ve already got more hands than orders,” she says kindly. “I hate to turn you away, but I would suggest trying The Haven’s Reach across town. It’s a supply depot. It’s possible they are looking for extra hands to help with deliveries.” Thanking her for the tea, I drink it then continue it.
The Haven’s Reach is nothing more than a warehouse. it’s damp and cold with crates stacked to the rafters. The man in charge, a stout fellow named Bram shakes his head as I walk toward him before I even ask.
“Got a full crew this week.”
Successfully unlocked!
I don’t waste time, I think him and leave. With each comes though, the knot in my chest tightens. The day drags on.
I check every name on the list that I was given. I even went to places others suggested. No one has work, most simply shrug apologetically and send me on my way.
A Pisc
With each refuest, the knot in my chest tightens I can’t quit though
the day drags on, and I check every name on the list and more but no one has work. Most just shrug apologetically and say if a hard time to find work. I feel the hours press heavily against me.
The ache in my legs grows sharper with each step, and my stomach clenches with hunger. The alst name at the bottom of the liste, that Elans had written, is simply marked the library
it’s the last place I expect to need work, but I may as well try. Part of me doesn’t want to bother, feeling like it will be another dismissal but I’ve got nothing left to lose.
The library is not what I expect. It stands at the farthest edge of the settlement. There’s twisted oak trees and ancient stone walls at the sides of it. The building itself is old, but solid with tall arched windows and ivy that creeps up its sides.
The heavy wooden doors creak as I push them open.
Inside the building is dim and smells like aged paper, beeswac and something faintly floral. Shelves stretch to the ceiling. each one is packed with books. There are candles flickering along the walls that cast a golden light over the worn tables and soft armchairs.
The silence in here is thick but comforting.
A woman steps out from behind one of the tall stacks. She’s tall and slender with silver hair that’s braided down her back. Her grey eyes are sharp and make me feel like she’s someone who misses nothing. She wears a long robe that brushes the floor as she approaches me. There’s an air of command about her, the kind that makes me straighten my posture instantly without thinking.
“I don’t recognize you,” she says quietly, folding her arms as she studies me. She’s not looking at me bad, more in
confusion like she’s wondering where I came from. I’m guessing she will know most people in the city.
“I just arrived,” I reply. “I’m looking for work.”
She watches me for a long moment. “Most do not seek work here.”
“I’ve tried everywhere else, I admit, feeling the frustration creep into my voice. “No one has room.”
“What makes you think I do?” she asks calmly.
I blink and don’t know what to say. That isn’t a question I was expecting.
The corner of her mouth lifts slightly and she turns back toward the shelves. “Come.”
I don’t hesitate I follow her through the narrow rows of books that are stacked so high I have to tilt my head back to see the tops. We pass through a heavy velvet curtain and end up in a smaller room lined with fragile scrolls and ancient tomes. “I’m Helena,” she says as she stops at a desk that is cluttered with ink bottles and loose parchment. “I keep this place. And you are?”
“Serafine,” I offer quietly.
Helena looks me over again. “I don’t have many visitors, let alone people asking to work here.” She gestures to the room around us. “Do you know how to read?”
“Yes.” I nod.
“Do you know how to be quiet?”
I manage a small smile. “I’ve had practice.” Quiet and silence are two things I can do easily.
Her eyes soften just slightly. “I can offer a bed in the back, it’s more private than the Haven’s shared rooms and meals from the kitchen in exchange for your help sorting, cataloguing, and dusting the archives. The pay will not be much.”
“I’ll take it,” I say without hesitation. I would rather be here then in a shared room at the Haven. If I get to stay here, earn nothing but get fed for my work I’m happy.
Helena nods once. “Then you may stay.”
Relief crashes over me instantly like a wave. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding myself together until this moment. My knees feel weak from the relief.
“Let me get the spare keys and ledger.” She gives me a smile and walks away to fetch them.
The Hollowfang Raven taps against the window from outside. I glance at it and nod faintly. I can still sense the Silvermane Hound lingering deep in the trees at the forest edge, hidden but waiting.
For the first time since I ran, I have a place to rest. It is not much. It is not home, but it is safe for now and maybe it will become my home?
