"Yeah. Our attendance is not optional." She smoothed her hands over the silk. "I don't even know how much this dress costs. Amanda paid for everything and refused to tell us. How are we going to pay her back?"
"She's not expecting you to repay her." Esag pushed off from the doorframe, crossed the room to stand before her and took her hands in his. "It didn't come out of her own pocket. I assume it came from the budget allocated to helping newcomers settle in the village."
"So, I'll replenish the budget when I can. I need to find a job."
"There is no rush." He lifted one of her hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. "And there's nothing wrong with accepting help from family in the meantime."
Family.
The word sent a pang through her chest. For millennia, the closest thing she'd had to family were Areana and the other harem ladies, bound together by shared captivity rather than blood or choice.
Now she had Wonder and a clan full of strangers who happened to share her godly heritage, and Tula felt more at home than she ever had, but that had more to do with Esag than anyone else.
They left her house and stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine. The village was beautiful in the golden light, all manicured greenery and charming houses and tree-linedpathways. It looked like something out of a storybook, almost too perfect to be real.
The problem was that it was a tiny community, and she had no idea what job she could have here. Maybe she could work in the café? It would be nice to spend time with her sister. But as her pregnancy progressed, it would be difficult to stay on her feet all day.
What else could she do?
She had no useful skills. Well, she'd learned how to restore books, and she enjoyed the work, but she doubted there was much demand for that particular skill in the village.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Esag asked.
"I need to earn money, but the last time I actually worked was as a lady-in-waiting for Areana. But that was a long time ago, and I don't think positions like that exist anymore. Women today don't need a servant to help them get dressed and do their hair. The only other skill I have is restoring old books. After the harem library got damaged in the flood, we spent weeks trying to save the books. Some of them were very old and very valuable. I'd gotten quite good at it."
"I've seen the library and the tables laden with books through your eyes."
She winced. "I still think of that as creepy. Anyway, I enjoyed doing it, and I wouldn't mind doing it here." She thought of the crumbling leather bindings, the faded pages, the careful work of preservation. "The other ladies enjoyed it too. We made a good team."
"I don't think the village even has a library," Esag said. "If it does, I haven't seen it."
Tula sighed. "I don't imagine there's much demand for book restoration in a small village like this."
"There might be other options." He guided her around a bend in the pathway, the village green coming into view in the distance. "You could start a business online. People from all over the country could mail you their old books, you'd restore them and mail them back."
"An online business." Tula turned the idea over in her mind. "I don't know anything about running a business. Or about the internet, for that matter."
"I can help you, but I don't know if it would make much money, at least not at first. But if you enjoy doing it, then you should pursue it." He let out a breath. "I'm facing the same predicament."
She turned to look at him. "I thought your figurines were in high demand."
"They are, but soon I will exhaust my clientele. How many figurines do people need?"
She chuckled. "More than old books that they need to restore."
"Maybe." He didn't smile. "I'm considering joining the Guardian force."
Tula stopped walking, surprised. "You want to become a warrior?"
"Want might be too strong a word." Esag stopped beside her, his hand covering hers where it rested on his arm. "Guardians arewell paid, even during training. It would be enough to support us both handsomely. You wouldn't need to worry about finding a job."
"Support us both," Tula echoed. The words sent a wave of warmth through her chest, followed immediately by a prickle of unease. "Esag..."
"I know what you're going to say." He turned to face her, taking both her hands in his. "You want to stand on your own feet. I understand and respect that. But we're partners now, and partners support each other."
"We've known each other for a week."
"We've known each other for much longer than that." His voice was gentle. "I knew you five thousand years ago, and I've never forgotten you."
