“Are you an idiot? Who wears a scarf in Erasima?”

That was the first thing the man said to her. She felt like she had acclimated to the sticky heat of Erasima, but her daffodil scarf siphoned all the heat from the air to her neck. Sweat ran down her shirt, leaving patches of dark spots. Neve prayed for a single breeze to quell her suffering, yet the air remained still. 

“I can’t take remove it,” she replied. 

He raised a brow, “Why not?”

“Because my head would fall off. You don’t want to see that, do you?”

The man narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. His gaze lowered to her neck as if he could see the seam separating her head from her torso. “Stop lying.”

“It’s the truth!” she insisted, trying to seem as sincere as possible. “You see, I was cursed by a magician for seducing his wife! I by no means intended to bewitch the poor woman, but my looks drew her gaze. It is unfortunate that I had to pay the price for her wandering eyes.”

“That makes no sense! Magicians can’t curse people.” 

“This one can. His name was Aviticus, and he was terribly strong. Trained in lriuashayise for ten years before becoming an instructor there. If you don’t believe me, ask him yourself!”

“The Master Aviticus cursed you?” 

“I can’t believe it myself.”

She struggled to keep in laughter as the young man’s face switched from disbelief to shock. Of all the people to have talked to her, she had the delight to meet him. Judging by his clothes, he must be the son of a noble or a wealthy merchant. Not many felt comfortable wandering the streets of Stolital in such fancy clothes. Those who did must be exceedingly stupid or exceedingly powerful. She guessed the man before her was a mix of both.

“Is there nothing you can do? Will you have to wear that scarf for the rest of your life?”

“It pains me to have to say yes.” She covered her eyes with her hands like the weight of her words overwhelmed her. 

The man placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “That must be difficult.”

She turned to sweep him into an embrace. He stiffened, not expecting the abrupt action. However, he relaxed into the hug moments later. Neve let her hands wander from her face to around his back. Then, further down into his pockets. Without his notice, she slipped a pouch of coins and a paper into her the sleeves of her shirt. 

She released him with a grateful smile, and he returned it with a nice smile of his own. She said, “That was what I needed. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.” The man shuffled his feet in a shy manner, “If you like, the high magician may be able to help. My father says that he was also trained at lriuashayise.”

“Really! Thank you so much for the offer!” She grabbed him by the hand. “Let me show you were you can find me.”

She was not, of course, showing the man where to find her. But she did want to get him alone. Having powerful acquaintances was something any runaway spy needed. Threats created brittle bonds, and she wanted him to trust her. Offering the man his pouch and coins that she “found” would be the best place to start.

“Um,” the man began as she led them out of the city walls, “You live outside the walls? There’s not a city around for hours.”

“Oh, I can’t quite afford a house in Stolital. I almost have enough for rent.”

She wasn’t that concerned about it. If she were honest, she wasn’t that concerned about anything. She was free. The air had never tasted as fresh, the water as refreshing, nor the food as filling. Sleeping outside was discomfort she relished. There were no more targets or missions that loomed over her shoulder. 

“Truly?” 

“In clothes like that, I assume you’ve never looked at the price of rent. Not to complain, but it’s hard to find work that’ll cover the nice apartments.”

The man nervously chuckled, “I suppose you’re right.”

She sat him down in a clearing, pulling out the man’s sack of coins and paper. “Are these yours?”

“No? Mine are in my pocket.” He shoved a hand down his pocket to show her proof. However, his eyes went wide when he found that nothing was there. He grabbed the pouch and paper from her hands. “Where did you get these?”

“You dropped them on the way out.” She hoped she was smiling and not smirking.

“I did? I didn’t even feel them fall out.”

“It’s a good thing I noticed then.”

The man smiled at her, “Yeah, thanks for that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost them!”

The man’s relaxed pose and open expression told her that she had made a good impression on him. From the glimpse she caught of the paper, he was more important than she realized. It seemed her luck was looking up. After all these years, she would finally get what she wanted. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Malek. Yours?”

“Neve.”