Chapter 26 — Picking a Side

"Today I was invited to the Marketplace. What wonders I had never imagined in a thousand lifetimes! Whole cities could exist in the space of a marble, floating in voids of purest night. The place seems to run itself, and even the kind old man who invited me knew nothing of its creator. But of course, it must have one, and they are a wicked soul indeed. They have such beautiful, incredible gifts and knowledge of spellcraft beyond the bounds of dreams, yet they purport to use such a space for commerce! They have commoditized magic itself! If I were not in awe of their sheer power, I would consider hunting down this monstrous person to set an example.

It is the unfortunate curse of all humans to label everything they find with value. It is the engine upon which capitalism runs rampant. I had hoped that we, ascending to the next stage of the world, would find a new way — but alas, we remain chained by our basest nature."

~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries

Jeremy stumbled backward as the beady-eyed, greasy-haired man approached.

"Now hang on there," Julian started. "Come and sit down, friend."

Doesn't know who I am… but is he a threat? Rachel called him an enemy. But who knows if Rachel's that reliable anymore… I still don't have a fuckin' clue where I am.

Reluctantly, Jeremy stopped and waited. Julian kept eyeing him, while the couple dozen or so occupants of the tented clearing watched with baited breath. A fair few looked ready to bolt in an instant.

"Are you lost?" he asked.

"...Somethin' like that," Jeremy replied.

"Well, maybe we can get ya goin' in the right direction." Julian gestured to the nearest empty seat, taking the side opposite. Jeremy followed suit, still followed by every eyeball in the whole place. "Bit surprised you found your way into our little get-together, to be honest."

A whiny voice two seats away piped up — a teenager who looked totally out of his depth. "I did it right! Exactly like you told me! If it—"

"Calm down, calm down, we're all friends here," Julian scolded gently. "It's just a glitch."

"You think she sabotaged it or something? What if she gave us the wrong spell?"

"Kyle!" Julian snapped. The kid faltered. "We've got a guest," he added, nodding at Jeremy.

This is gettin' nowhere. Jeremy shrugged. "You're all awakened, right?"

Julian recovered remarkably fast from the shock. His smile grew to twice its usual size. "Well then. Didn't realize we were among a fellow practitioner." He extended a grubby hand for Jeremy to shake.

Jeremy shook it, doing his best not to wince. Wash your fuckin' hands. Jesus. "Not exactly. I'm not one of you."

"Ah. Not a problem, not a problem, you're just as welcome here."

"Where's here, exactly?" he asked, glancing around.

"Well, it's supposed to be a secret," Julian went on, shooting a look at Kyle.

"I did it exactly right!" snapped Kyle.

"This here is the new Market," said Julian, gesturing in a wide sweep. "Neutral ground, where us magic folks can buy and sell our new trade… with a bit less of the stuffy rules and taxes from the old proprietor. I run a free market here."

A vague cheer went up from a gaggle in the back, raising mugs in toast.

Julian grinned. "If you've got cash or somethin' to sell, or you're just lookin' to swap drinks and cards, you're welcome to stick around. We don't put no restrictions on people just tryin' to have an honest evening."

Conversation was starting to pick up at the other tables while Julian spoke, returning to a normal bustle he might expect from a tavern or pub. Sure, they were outdoors, but the place was still warm and cozy despite the time of year. The large tent awning kept the rain off, and the trees kept the wind down. Jeremy could even hear some faint music playing from a portable speaker somewhere in the center.

A handsome young man with a towel over his shoulder and a tight-fitted shirt brought Jeremy a mug of the best-tasting beer he'd had in years. He savored it while Julian held a brief conversation with Kyle, which he couldn't hear in the slightest despite being only a few feet away — and they definitely weren't whispering. Fuckin' magic…

As Kyle disappeared behind the huge food and drink table, Julian turned back to Jeremy. "So tell me, how'd you find out about our little brand of wizardry?"

He shrugged. "Friend of a friend." A fresh burger from the grill slid down the table to stop perfectly in front of him. He eyed it warily.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Nope." Jeremy picked it up and bit down. The burger wasn't anything special, but he was hungry enough that it tasted like pure, delicious manna from heaven. "Thanks for all this."

"Share 'n share alike," said Julian. "This here bounty was a lucky find. I'm just makin' sure it goes around."

"Bounty?" Jeremy cleared his face with a napkin. "What'd'you mean?"

"Well, let's just say I was on my last leg. End of my rope, y'know?" I thought Kendra was sendin' money to all the Rallsburg survivors. Did Rachel lie on that too? Or maybe she didn't know about this… "I was broke and couldn't rightly earn a proper wage anymore. Consequence of bein' a wanted fugitive and all."

"Hm," he grunted noncommittally.

"But then! I heard back from a good friend I thought long dead. He'd found a veritable fortune, an invaluable cache of otherworldly treasures — and, of course, a few abandoned assets from the dearly departed. So, what was I to do? Penniless man without a home and the long arm of the law on my falsely-accused back, I had no choice. I came home."

Jeremy's wits were returning quick with the food and drink. "And you two decided to start up a charity?"

"Charity's too noble, even for a changed man like me," Julian said with a tip of the hat. "Jerry and me were lookin' to bring back somethin' we lost in Rallsburg. We're here to trade, old fashioned-like. A safe place for us awakened. No councils or gods or cults. Just us folk, doin' business and enjoyin' life again."

"Councils, huh?" Jeremy asked, doing his best to sound casual. "Heard about them."

"Don't get me started," Julian groaned. "So much hemmin' and hawin' about rules they just made up on the damn spot, you know?" He waved in greeting to a man who had just emerged through the solid hedge wall on the other side. "Mabel was the only smart one of the bunch. She was a tough old bird. Shame what happened to her."

No shit… her head was flattened into the pavement. "The other two, then? Worthless government trash?"

"Oh no, don't get me wrong, friend," Julian went on, pouring himself another drink. "They weren't worthless. Hell, without Rachel, we'd probably all be dead, you included."

"But I'm not—"

"He didn't give a rat's ass, you know? Pardon my language." The toothy grin returned, followed by a deep swill of beer. "That girl killed him, sure as sure. But everything else she did, you know? She stomped all over her own damn rules the moment they got in her way. Can't really trust a leader does somethin' like that, y'know?"

"What'd she do?"

"Which time?" Julian shrugged. "She deputized her best friend to act as the sheriff and nearly kill a bunch of people once. She added all sorts of rules restrictin' us from usin' magic, even in our own homes. Public safety." He rolled his eyes. "Nobody ever hurt no one, but big and mighty Rachel can't be takin' any chances."

"Seems like she wasn't wrong, though. In the end," Jeremy pointed out. Not that it justifies shit, but it'll get him to keep talkin'.

"How far is too far?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, she killed 'im. But she had her techie friend cut all the lines out of town. Couldn't call for help, couldn't call friends to tell 'em we might die that night. I didn't run from the fight, but I sure as hell would've wanted my mother to know why she wasn't gonna hear from me again."

What the hell…? "She blocked phone lines?"

"Hell, she did worse than that. She was tappin' everything with her boyfriend's help. Internet, phones, you name it. Little sprinkle of magic to help them take it all in and bam — best spyin' you ever saw."

I know a few people who'd sell their souls for that sort of power. "Crazy."

"On top a'that, she goes and outs magic to the whole town, without even talkin' to her supposed council. Outs all of us, and just to save her best friend. That ain't no leader."

That one I heard about. Rachel admitted it up front. "She sounds like a piece of work."

"You got it." Julian finished off his drink with a satisfied gulp. "But here I am talkin' your ear off. I didn't catch your name earlier."

"Jeremy."

"Well, Jeremy, I'm Julian, and this here's the Market. No fancy name because we ain't fancy folk." Julian gestured around in a grand fashion again. "Stay as long as y'like. Only rules are no fightin', no magic in the games, and no tellin'. If we get wind of someone spillin' the beans — and we will get wind of it, trust me," Julian added with a smirk, "you ain't invited to the next gathering. Make sense?"

Jeremy nodded. "If you don't mind my asking, where are we at, anyway?"

"Oh, somewhere near the highway," Julian said with an airy wave. "It ain't important. Nobody can find this place unless we let 'em."

Except me, apparently… "I'm just wonderin' how hard it would be to get back to civilization."

"Ah…" Julian shrugged. "Guessin' you didn't drive here."

"Nope."

"Well, that sounds like a story all on its own," he grinned. "Well, I'm sure you could probably find someone to hitch a ride back with when we're done here."

"When's that?"

"I don't close up til the sun's yawnin'." Julian smiled. "But I'm sure if you play your cards right, you could win yourself out a bit early."

Well… Hope Maddie and Rachel aren't missin' me yet. "Thanks."

"Anytime."