Page 95 of A Light in the Dark
“You’re on the ballot.”
“How is that even possible?” I blurted. “I know some people on my street, I know Joel, and I know some people at work! How did my name end up on a mayoral ballot?”
“Your neighbors blabbed to some reporters about how you’re a hard worker, had risked your life to save Gabriella, and manage to bring peace to a street known for conflict. Some of our contacts know of you, too. Then there’s the issue of Joel.”
“Why are you blaming Joel? Nobody on our street even knows his last name! Well, except for me.”
“A reporter cornered Joel and asked for his personal opinion about you. Joel’s well known up the hill, so while you weren’t aware he runs Sampson Sigils, the people in power were—and Joel surrounds himself with smart, educated people. He wasn’t thinking clearly at the time due to his concussion, and I wasn’t there to kick him to shut him up, so he’s on record about your resourcefulness, kindness, and tendency to help others however you can. This translated to someone proposing you end up on the ballot. In emergency situations, the person added to the ballot need not offer their approval to be on it. It’s an emergency measure to get the best person for the job elected.”
I spluttered. “Surely, someone will look at my background, realize I lack a degree, and remove me from that ballot. That’s utter nonsense!”
“You’d do a good job. You don’t need a degree to organize a government. You need common sense and the ability to resolve conflict, which you have. And it would only be for a year, long enough to keep the city-state together before there’s a proper election with qualified people willing tobring change to Stonecreek.” My boss shrugged. “And because it’s an emergency position, you’d only be expected to work a few hours a day, just long enough to keep the ship floating. Allasandro would help, too.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know Allasandro would help?”
“We talked about it while you were napping. Allasandro is going to be a problem, too. He’s already announced, rather publicly, that if you become the mayor, you’ll have the organizational support of the Hunters and Moonriver.”
“That wolf pays for this,” I grumbled.
“He’s going to be playing in that gaming tournament. I’m sure Coraline would love to help you eliminate him in a ruthless and merciless fashion.”
“Please tell me there’s no other bad news.”
“That was the big piece of bad news, and I don’t think it’s bad. Honestly, if you have to deal with the city-state for a year, you’ll manage to make good change happen before you can run away—or you get elected to the actual mayor.”
“Bite your tongue, Humphrey!”
My boss snickered. “I see you do know my name.”
“Sir, you are a terrible, horrible person. Why would you even propose I become the mayor? Or hint at it? That’s just wrong.”
“Honestly, I think you’d be a fabulous mayor, the city-state would be run efficiently for a change, because you’d want to spend no more than two or three hours a day on your mayoral duties, and you’d quietly organize everything from the shadows and assign the people best for the jobs they need to do. Corruption would plummet; you’d still work for us, and you would not be doing the job for thepaycheck. The former mayor? Nobody is under any delusions. He was as corrupt as they get. He was just the only contender. And now that we have proof of his machinations, there are many people speculating that he was eliminating possible candidates for the mayorship.”
What a bastard. “You’re still a horrible person for suggesting I might get elected to be the mayor.”
He laughed at me. “Hey, just think about it this way. I’m going to vote for you during the election. I know what you’re capable of, and if anyone can ride two horses, it’s you. It’s not like you have to give up your career or schooling to be the mayor. If anything, you’ll be more determined to get the job done quickly and well so you don’t have to deal with it as often. And anyway, with how often the former mayor took off? You doing fifteen hours a week would be a major improvement overall. The refugees also adore you. They know about Gabriella, and then you took in Madeline, too—and alotof refugees met you during the job fair. You were kind, you gave everyone equal time and opportunity, and they know it. They’ve told their friends, both refugee and local alike. This is a bed you made for yourself. However, if youareelected, I expect our company is going to hire a few extra bodies to help you out. We know you. You’ll excel at this type of work. You hate everything to do with politics and love people. That’s what would make you an excellent mayor.”
I huffed, kept my arms crossed, and refused to look my boss in the eyes. “Only if I don’t have to give up my job. I like my job, I’m paid well, and I don’t want to lose it. Also, I have bonuses to earn, because I need to buy Shifter Five’s silk.”
“Joel is Shifter Five,” he informed me.
My eyes widened. “What?”
“I spoke to Yolana about four hours ago, as I wanted to get you some yarn from Shifter Five to keep you busy until you’re released. She informed me of the truth: Joel is Shifter Five, and she thought it was absolutelyhilariousyou fixated on him to the point you identified his silk by touch. Also, Joel’s going to think your silk is the absolute best thing on this planet, and it doesn’t matter what the actual texture is. That is a thing we luna moths do. But since you’re from the neighboring town, she suspects you’ve been packing luna moth genetics all along, and it just took some exposure from an interested gentleman to fully activate them. She’s going to confess to Joel what his number is next time she talks to him. Then she’s going to renumber everyone, use letters, and allow family to purchase the silk of their family members without informing them of their numbers.”
I did the math: Joel lived next door, he produced my obsession, and I’d already extorted him for a percent a year of his goods. “This is not good. This is not good at all. Not for my wallet, my sanity, nor anything else. I’ve already extorted him. And kidnapped him. And once he steps into this room, his status as a captive luna moth is resumed. Except now that I know he is the provider of my precious silk,he’s never leaving.”
“You have to let him go to work, Valerie.”
I did some more huffing. “I don’t see why I have to. He can be a kept luna moth, allowed to play with my sewing machine, garden to his heart’s content, and get absolutely skunked on my roses daily if he’d like.”
“His house is wretchedly expensive to maintain, and you need him maintaining it, else the other houses in the rowwill get in worse condition. While you’re making good money, you need him to be maintaining his place.” After a moment, he added, “But there’s no reason you can’t hold him hostage in your home and use his as a place to store your excess crafting supplies and your silk stock. And if you’re keeping him hostage, you can coerce him out of however much silk you want. He’s a prolific producer.”
“But will I have time to worship his silk if I’m having to do that mayor gig? This is an issue.”
“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to worship his silk,” my boss assured me. “You’d still get weekends off except during emergencies, and you’d only be working an extra few hours a day during the week. Your hobby time will not be hugely impaired.”
I had my doubts, and I grumbled over the thought of more work. “And the onboarding for his company?”
