Page 46 of The Storm
“What did you do?” Renata asked quietly as they were finishing their food. It was the first time she’d spoken to Zana since she’d called him a monster and tried to kill him. “Before the war. Back in Damascus. What was your profession?”
He smiled a little. “I was a carpenter. I worked for myself, which let me avoid most people.”
Grigori, like Irin scribes, could not sustain contact with humans without draining them of their life force. But while Irin scribes had magic to help their control, Grigori were given no such knowledge by their angelic fathers.
“Did you do some work on the porch?” Max asked casually. “Over on the east side? I noticed some of the wood was different.”
“I did,” Zana said. “I found some lumber in the barn last summer and decided to replace a few of the railings.” He glanced at Renata warily. “I didn’t think anyone would mind. They were loose. I didn’t want anyone to fall. And we’d taken some food from storage in the house.”
“It’s fine,” Renata said absently. “Thank you for fixing it.”
“You’re most welcome.” Zana reached over and used his napkin to wipe Evin’s cheek. “Drink all your milk, bug.”
“It tastes funny,” Evin whispered.
“It’s different because it’s fresh,” Zana said. “But fresh is better. It will make you strong.”
Max reached for Renata’s hand under the table.
Thawra tapped the table and signed,Zana is very gifted. He was more than a carpenter. He was an artist. He sold a table for one hundred forty thousand pounds once.
“What was that?” Max asked. Renata translated for him.
Zana laughed ruefully. “It’s a good thing I changed our money to gold. That much in Syrian pounds wouldn’t even buy the lumber for that table anymore.”
Max asked, “Where you able to bring some money out?”
Zana nodded. “I have some savings. I always kept gold. I’ve lived too long not to know how quickly things can change. But we have no papers, and I’m sure any gold I exchange would not be the correct value on the… informal market. So I’ve tried to save as much as possible.”
Max glanced at Renata. “I think we can help fix the papers situation.”
She nodded. “Max is very good at that. Scribes need new papers regularly for brothers who have outlived their current documents.”
Thawra and Zana’s eyes went wide. “What?” he asked. “You can get us papers?”
“I’ll give you Austrian citizenship,” Max said. “They’re an EU country, so you’ll have options. I have plenty of connections in Vienna that can help. And health insurance cards, of course.”
Thawra slapped a hand over her mouth but couldn’t stop the choking gasp that came from her throat. Tears of relief fell from her eyes and she started to shake.
Evin cried, “Mama, what’s wrong?”
Zana threw his arms around his mate. “Thawra, shhh.” He looked at Max with fierce eyes. “I can pay you.”
“You don’t need to pay him,” Renata said. “Your family needs help. We can’t solve the problems of the whole world, but we can do this. With papers, you’ll be able to find work. Carpentry is a skilled trade. You can get Evin in school. Thawra can have proper health care for her and the baby.”
Max squeezed her hand. “Save your money, Zana. This is simply the decent thing to do.”
Renata noticed Evin close her eyes and press her fingers to her temples. Her little face was scrunched up.
Poor thing.
Not only hearing voices, but also the emotions of those around her. No child should have to sort through the complex emotional maze in the kitchen. Renata rose and held out her hand.
“Evin, come with me for a moment, will you?”
Zana asked, “Where—?”
“Don’t worry. I am going to teach her a simple shielding spell I learned at her age. One little song. It will help with the voices. It might also help shield her from emotional waves. I don’t know for sure as I’m not an empath, but we can try.”
