The subway car rocked gently back and forth, and the only thing that could be heard over the rhythmic clicking of the wheels on the track was Igraine’s stomach.

She avoided Dolly’s offended gaze and tried to shush the noises inside her. When she looked up, Dolly was still staring at her, expecting an explanation.

Igraine defended, “What? I never got a chance to eat at the Bright & Right Café.”

“Bunny’s,” Dolly corrected.

“Whatever, and then I had to chase you down. So, ya, my stomach’s a little vocal at the moment.”

“Well, when we get off at our stop, you can go get food, while I talk to my contact.”

“So you can run away again? Stop trying to ditch me!”

The words came out louder than Igraine had intended, and she surveyed the train car, but none of the scattered people seemed to care.

Dolly spoke at a volume that required Igraine to lean in. “This isn’t your problem.”

“I don’t know this life. I’ve got to learn how to protect myself and who to protect myself from.”

Dolly’s phone vibrated from inside her purse. Igraine nodded that she should take it.

“I’ll just let it go to voicemail.”

“No, just take it now.”

Dolly pulled out the phone and answered.

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“Hello, Sundrop… Oh hold on now… we need to get that donkey back in the hen house…”

Igraine rolled her eyes at Dolly’s made-up colloquialism and then closed them as the train picked up speed. There was no doubt that she was talking to a client, which meant she was lying. It was one thing for Igraine to hear the absurd takes from Dolly when she was the only person hearing them, but it was harder for her to listen to Dolly speak to someone who took them as fact.

Igraine focused on the rocking motion of the car to help tune out Dolly’s conversation. It only worked a little.

Dolly was soothing the caller, but she eventually said, “You’re making as much sense as a meat pie in a chicken salad… I can’t talk right now, I’m in a train… yes, a train… they have wi-fi in these things now… look, I don’t want to miss my stop, so just call back later. We’ll figure it all out.”

The moment it ended, Dolly continued on with Igraine as if she hadn’t just been talking to someone else.

“So you’re not looking to go back to a normal life? Sounds to me like you’re giving up.”

Igraine opened her eyes and sat up. “You said you didn’t deal with curses, and there is no way I can deny that every night I locked my roommate in a coffin and then anguished over whether or not she would be alive in the morning.”

Her stomach growled again as if to offer a resounding “Amen.” She choked up a bit and noticed Dolly was seeing if anyone on the nearly empty car was listening.

She continued, “I never got used to it. And now I learn there are like these people, bad guys or whatever, who can rob me in broad daylight without anyone to stop them or protect me?”

She didn’t know the right words, so she asked.

“So, how am I supposed to protect myself?”

Dolly didn’t respond.

Igraine insisted, “I need you to tell me.”

“Someone put a curse on your roommate. You knew there were bad actors. Ones that were much worse than Burton.”

“But I never saw them. She only told me they were some cult of magic users. I don't even know what they called themselves. Wait. What if they come after me? Should I be worried about that?”

Igraine could tell the conversation was making Dolly uncomfortable, but she wasn’t going to back down or lower her voice.

Dolly spoke softly. “Did your roommate think you would be in trouble?”

“She never said anything.”

“Then, I’m guessing you’re probably going to be ok.”

The train pulled into the station at Library Market Square and squealed to a halt. Dolly stood up and said, “It's our stop. The Bear’s Den.”