Not all the patrons were hurtful, and many frequented the brothel without harming the ones they spent time with. But there were plenty who were not kind, and now the lambs were left to the wolves who never could seem to eat their fill.
Orelia briefly considered leaving Minro to start over in a new place, but the simple fact was she couldn’t afford to. So in the morning, she headed into town looking for work. Her boots collected mud in the rain-soaked street as she tried the two taverns, the inn, the bookstore, the docks, the apothecary, the feedstore, the chandler, and the smithy, but no one was hiring.
With her options exhausted, Orelia headed home with her head hung low, drenched in sweat from the humidity. She was so unfocused on the world around her that she almost caught a bite to the ankle.
“Hey!” she scolded, glaring at the village nuisance.
If the beady red eyes of a bruno duck weren’t ominous enough, their blade-like teeth were enough of a deterrent not to mess with them. Thankfully, the rest of the flock pecked at the ground, minding their business. But Orelia was hot, frustrated, and angry, so when the bird lowered its head and came at her again, she lifted a hand and sent it over the bridge, splashing into the river below.
After the ball of white feathers righted itself and shook out the water, the duck craned its neck and hissed at her.
She shot the duck a smug grin. “That’ll teach you.” Orelia left the river behind, tromped through the wildflower field, and headed up the hill to her oasis. She preferred the peace and quiet away from pesky ducks, noise of the main street, and crude dockworkers. Orelia rounded her house and headed for the garden in the back.
“There you are!”
She startled with a hand over her heart. “Gods, Teegan, you scared the hells out of me!”
Teegan chuckled from her seat on the porch steps. “Sorry. Where have you been? You didn’t show up for work.”
Orelia sat next to her, set her face in her hands, and blew out a breath before telling her what happened. “So that’s where I’ve been. I tried everywhere, but no one will hire me.”
Teegan looped her arm through Orelia’s. “Morton doesn’t have a spot for you?”
She used a stair edge to scrape the mud off her boots, careful not to rip the soles further. “Not enough customers for a wizard in sleepy ole’ Minro to warrant taking on another employee.”
“None of the fishermen have openings?”
Orelia shook her head. “The boats are full. Even the dock jobs are taken.”
The insects trilled in the stagnant air, replacing the pitiful silence coming from her friend. She’d expected to be turned away, but to be rejected byeveryonewas still a surprise. Orelia lifted her hair off her sweaty neck and sighed. “Beron offered me a job as a pleasure girl.”
“He did? What did you say?”
The hope in Teegan’s voice made her hesitate, but she had to be honest. “I could never endure what you all do. I don’t even think I could pretend to enjoy it.”
Teegan nudged her shoulder. “Sure you could. Besides, you already know how things go around there, and with that body, you would certainly do well. Men love wide hips and large breasts.” Teegan’s mouth morphed into a beautiful smile, but Orelia couldn’t find it in her to do the same.
“Thanks, but I’m not strong enough. No one wants a girl who’d just be crying the whole time.” The thought of men being able to do whatever they wanted to her just because they paid left an acrid taste in her mouth.
Her friend was quiet for a moment. “Happiness isn’t as difficult to fake as you might think.”
The hollowness that occasionally graced Teegan’s face appeared, but the woman could handle anything thrown at her, including raising a child alone. Sired by a patron a few years ago, Jax was the light of Teegan’s life, and Orelia loved the little boy like he was her own.
Reflecting on Teegan’s journey through motherhood and all the hardships it entailed made Orelia nudge her friend back. “I wish I could be more like you. Braver. Stronger. More resilient.”
Teegan grinned. “You already are. I just wish you could see it for yourself.”
Orelia rested her head on her friend’s bony shoulder. “I may have lost my job, but I’m glad I have you.” The witch let her focus drift to the garden. To the shriveled plants sticking out of the ground, then to the wilting plumrose bushes.
Orelia loved plumroses. Their velvety, violet petals looked almost black, even in the sun. She’d pricked herself on their thorns plenty of times, never faulting the plant for what it was born to be. Beautiful with a bite if you weren’t careful.
Teegan tucked a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear. “If you did become a pleasure girl, we’d get to see each other all the time.”
If Orelia donned the green dress, she could still take care of the others and provide for herself. An answer to both of her problems. She’d lain in bed, staring at the ceiling the previous night debating what to do, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t envision herself working for Beron in that capacity.
“But I don’t want you to do that. You’re meant for more.”
Orelia shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought about asking if I could work alongside Rotha, but she hates me.”
