“Magic is illegal? What backwater bullshit is this?” I muttered as I entered my room.

  Kaylee just popped her head out from her hiding spot underneath the pillows and looked at me quizzically. “Mow?”

  “Yes you heard me right. I just watched the townspeople here drag two young girls into town for the supposed charge of being witches,” I huffed. “I asked around and apparently the Graves company convinced the townspeople around here that magic is illegal, and they should turn any casters they find over to the company. I knew they’d be superstitious, that’s why we’ve been traveling incognito, but I never thought it would be this bad! Magic hasn’t been illegal since the end of the witch trials, and you’d need to be a suspected diabolist before the witch hunters were notified!” I slammed my fist into the chest of drawers in frustration, only to immediately regret it. I didn’t have any body enhancement magic on to absorb the impact, so I gently massaged my knuckles to soothe the bruise.

  “Meow?” Kaylee asked, tilting her head to the side.

  “No, they don’t know I’m a witch,” I replied as I paced back and forth. ”Even though they have some magic disrupting tools, they have no way to detect magic. The town probably only has a couple paid lawmen, and probably more than a few company men. The government wouldn’t station any witch hunters out here."

  My cat narrowed her eyes, “Murrr….”

  I sighed. “Can I help those kids? I doubt it. I still don’t know the full layout of the town, and even if I did, I’d have to risk exposing myself as a witch to help them. If I did that, I’d make an enemy not only of the entire town, but the Graves company too. It’s not worth it.”

  “Mhrrr!” Kaylee declared, jumping to her feet.

  “I know I’m lying to myself,” I spat out, as I threw my hands in the air. “I fucking hate that these people are treating those kids like criminals, just because they have magic. They don’t deserve to be persecuted like that, of course I want to help them. ”

  “MOW!” she hissed, stomping one of her feet.

  “I’m not just going to go out and attempt a jailbreak tomorrow,” I replied indignantly. “That would only result in me sharing a cell with the girls.”

  Kaylee huffed, although I wasn’t sure if it was in agreement, or disappointment, before hopping down from her perch and walking over to me. Instead of nuzzling me, she pawed at my shopping bag, trying to find out what was inside. I could tell when she found the bacon, because she immediately started purring.

  “I don’t know what they’re planning to do with those girls, they could end up dead… or worse, and all you can think about is food,” I said, looking down at her in disappointment. She just looked back up at me, in expectation. “Fine, dinner first, planning second, you glutton.”

  She just stared up at me, and I could swear there was a tiny smug smile on her face. “Meow.”

  After cooking dinner on the stove in my room, and feeding Kaylee, I sat on the window sill and stared down into the street. During the day the Graves company presence was heavy, but during the evening it was absolutely oppressive. There were a number of groups wandering the streets, and even though they didn’t have any identification, at least as far as I could tell, the locals were treating them with significant respect. At one point one of these groups even stormed into the tavern to settle some sort of ruckus.

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  They had to be company men, and since I counted at least a dozen of them while I nibbled on my egg toast, it was quite a large contingent.

  If I wanted to leave town that wouldn’t be a problem, even if the townsfolk identified me as a witch. There didn’t appear to be any actual witch hunters in town, which meant the locals were limited to protective trinkets. Attacking a fully trained witch without training would be suicide, which is probably why they kidnapped some kids and considered it a victory. This lot would never be able to break into a true coven, not without some serious backup.

  That didn’t mean I’d be able to rescue two kids, and escape town before getting gunned down. Even though I had been crippled, I still had more than enough tricks to deal with most mudanes, but I couldn’t take on a whole town.

  I brushed the crumbs off my shirt and pants, before stepping away from the window and placing my plate on the drawers.

  “Mowww?” Kaylee questioned, half a stick of bacon in her mouth.

  “No, there are far too many eyes on the street for me to go out and investigate tonight. I’ll probably end up on a watch list, as a person of interest, if I do anything besides going to the saloon. We can investigate more tomorrow.”

  I turned to close the window, and by the time I turned back around Kaylee had already sprawled on her back, right in the middle of the bed. I just sighed. There was no point trying to remove her, if I did I’d only regret it by the time I woke up in the morning, so I just kicked off my boots, slipped under the covers and blew out the light. Thankfully sleep came quickly.

  As soon as the first rays of light came through the window my eyes shot open. It felt like my arm was being torn apart by hundreds of jagged teeth, and my brain felt like it was on fire. I took a few deep breaths, spending several minutes trying to suppress the sensations before they began to fade. Once I felt slightly better I shifted over, and sat on the side of the bed. Kaylee was snoring loudly, so I let her sleep. I just quietly wiped myself down, pulled a new outfit out of my bag, and changed in the morning light.

  By the time my cat finally stirred I’d not only changed, but done a full maintenance routine on all my weapons.

  “Mow?” she asked as I holstered my pistol.

  “No fresh food this morning, I don’t feel like cooking. There’s jerky on the drawers.” She looked at me in concern, and didn’t complain.

  Instead she just silently took a strip of jerky over to a corner to enjoy. I watched her for a minute, enjoying the quiet while I worked up my nerves, before finally standing up. “I’m going for a walk, stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”

  I wasn’t in the mood to talk with anyone this morning, so I quickly made my way through the inn and out onto the street. Turning down the boardwalk I slowly made my way down the street, casually tipping my hat at the few people I met, not really paying attention to my surroundings. Until someone stepped out of the sheriff’s office, directly in my way.

  I blinked in surprise, and stepped back in order to get a look at the stranger. He was quite rugged looking, with a massive brown bushy mustache and sharp brown eyes. His entire outfit was neat, cleaner than most, and most importantly there was a shiny metal star hanging from his vest.

  “Good morning ma’am,” he said as he casually brushed his mustache. “You’re new in town, aren’t ya.” I wasn’t the most observant person on the planet, but it was hard to miss how much he was eyeing me up.

  “Morning…Deputy,” I muttered questioningly, standing up as straight as I could.

  “Sheriff actually, Sheriff Anderson,” he corrected, narrowing his eyes slightly.

  “Sheriff, sorry.” I put on my best fake smile for him. “I just arrived last night actually, haven’t done much more than pick up supplies and collapse at the inn.”

  “Really? How are you liking things so far?” I noticed a little movement further up the street, it was subtle, but one of the company gun hands that was leaning against a shop front glanced my way. Were they testing me?

  “It’s certainly different from what I’m used to back east. I didn’t know what to expect, but everyone’s been super friendly so far,” I replied smoothly. Even though I wanted to appear casual and open to the man, my head was still pounding. I winced as a ray of light bounced off his star and hit me in the eyes. The sheriff raised an eyebrow, so I gave him a small tired smile, “Sorry, I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

  “Understandable. It was your first night in a new place,” he said flatly. I glanced at his face, and didn’t see any empathy, just a wary, judging stare. “Are you staying long, Mrs…?”

  “Claiborne. Zoey Claiborne,” I told the sheriff. “And I don’t know, I’ve just been moving west, looking for a place to settle down.”

  The man nodded, never taking his eyes off me. “A common story. If you feel like sticking around, please come and see me. I’m not only the sheriff, but also the company representative, and I can see what I can do to set you up. If not, just make sure you keep your nose clean. The company keeps a tight ship, and we don’t appreciate trouble makers. Got it?”

  “Yes sir,” I whispered meekly.

  “Good, have a good day Mrs Claiborne,” the sheriff said stiffly before turning away. As he stomped away I noticed three other individuals turn away. It wasn’t just the man I spotted, but a couple others across the street.

  As the corporate goons dispersed, I just grabbed my forehead. “So much for not attracting attention.”

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