Cauldrons and Cat Tails (Moonvale Matches #2)

10. Kizzi

CHAPTER 10

Kizzi

T he knocking on my front door started before the suns had even risen in the sky. Incessant. Constant. Never-ending. I ignored it for as long as I could, but eventually, I forced myself out of bed. If I was going to be awake against my will, I could at least be productive.

I glanced at the giant cauldron in the corner as I sleepily made my morning shop rounds, checking for any damage the sprites might have inflicted overnight. It was full, uncovered, and perfectly still.

Everything else was exactly as I had left it the night before. The sprites still hadn’t returned. Assholes. Whether they were assholes for bothering me or assholes for making me worry, I couldn’t decide. I plopped down on my stool and rested my head in my hands.

I was exhausted—tired all the way down to my bones. Between the late night, the racing thoughts, and the ridiculously early morning, I hardly caught a wink of sleep, and I was feeling the consequences.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Go. Away!” I shouted for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. “I’m not open yet. Don’t you have something better to do?”

“Gods, who crapped in your cauldron this morning?” a bright, familiar voice called out. Fiella.

I sighed. I guess I prefer her over the others.

Hoisting myself from my stool, I dragged my feet to the front door and pulled it open. “Quick. Don’t let anyone else in.”

“You look like shit,” Fiella declared, looking me up and down. I would have slammed the door in her face, but she was carrying a pouch from the bakery and two steaming mugs of tea. And I was not above delicious bribes, even on my grumpiest of days.

“Come on! Hurry!” I tucked my arm around her back and yanked her inside before I ducked back in and threw the door shut.

I let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“What the fuck was that?” Fiella asked, heading to a table and making herself at home as she always did.

“I honestly don’t know,” I responded. I massaged my throbbing temples, trying to ease the ache that was slowly settling beneath my skull.

“Are you running a crazy sale that you didn’t tell me about? Why are so many folk waiting outside?”

I snatched a mug of tea and a peach biscuit from her. I took a slow sip of the hot beverage, letting it soothe me. Earl grey and spearmint. “Nope, no sale. Do you think they’re playing a prank on me?”

She considered this. “No, it didn’t seem like it. They were just waiting out there. They wouldn’t tell me why.”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “How many of them?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Gods, is it that bad?”

She nodded sagely. “It’s pretty bad.”

I took a huge bite of the peach biscuit, chewed it slowly, and swallowed, not even caring about the crumbs I was dropping everywhere. I washed the bite down with a sip of tea. “I’m ready. Lay it on me.”

“At least half of the town is out there, Kiz.”

My jaw dropped open. “You’re joking.”

“I hate to tell you this, but I’m not. Look for yourself.”

“No way! How do I make them leave?”

She shrugged. “Have you tried just… telling them to leave? Asking what they want?”

“Of course not! I refused to open the door.”

“Well, I’d say that’s a good place to start.”

I sighed. The vampire was right. I had been so grouchy from the early morning and all the pestering that I hadn’t felt like entertaining any of it. I simply left my curtains pulled shut and ignored the problem, hoping it would go away. I occasionally shouted curse words at them, but that hadn’t done much either. Clearly my plan wasn’t working.

Speaking of ignoring problems and hoping they’ll go away…

Bracing myself, I turned slowly to the cauldron in the corner. I hadn’t questioned what it looked like this morning, but now that I was more awake, the discovery was… alarming.

The cauldron was full to the brim, the sheet that had been covering it, weighed down with selenite crystals, was crumpled against the wall, and it was oozing magic. I could almost see the waves of magic drifting down the cast iron, over the floor, cascading across the shop. It was a wonder I hadn’t noticed it before—I had gotten so used to tuning it out.

“Hey, why did you stop breathing? I can’t hear your breaths anymore—” Fiella started before she noticed what I was looking at. Her spine straightened in a jerk. “Oh, fuck. Did you add something to it? Wasn’t that thing like half full the first time I saw it?”

I shivered and ran my hands over my arms. Goosebumps rose on my skin. “I didn’t add anything.”

“Okay. Let’s not panic. So, the mysterious and extremely unsettling cauldron creation is… growing?”

I nodded. “It sure seems like it.”

“And we’re not panicking.”

“Nope. Not at all.” My teeth began to chatter.

We stared at the cauldron for what felt like ages. I could almost feel it staring back—my paranoid imagination was out of control.

“Why hasn’t it dried out? Shouldn’t it be shrinking?” she asked.

“It should be. I’ve been keeping it covered, maybe that’s why it hasn’t dried?”

“You should really get it out of here.”

“I could hardly move it to the corner, there is no way I’m going to be able to pick it up and carry it outside!”

“What was your plan?”

“I didn’t have one, clearly! I’ve been ignoring it!”

She snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Knock. Knock. Knock. A gentle hand rattled the front door. “Kizzi? Are you in there?”

Shit! “Depends who’s asking,” I responded.

“It’s Mayor Tommins.”

“Oh… Yes, I’m here. Hang on.” I pulled the door open and let the man in, hastily shutting it behind him. “What can I do for you, Mayor?” I hoped he couldn’t tell how tense I was.

The tall gryphon waltzed into the room, his fluffy, golden hair smoothed back into its usual ponytail at the nape of his neck. His tunic was a bright blue color that reminded me of Fiella’s hair.

Mayor Tommins looked at me strangely for a second. His pupils dilated and his nose scrunched. He shook his head, as though trying to clear his thoughts. Then he stepped backwards, putting as much space between himself and me as possible.

Tentatively, I sniffed my underarm. Do I smell that bad? Rude.

Mayor Tommins cleared his throat. “It seems there is some sort of… situation going on here. Care to explain why so many folk are camped outside?”

I shrugged. “Truly, I have no clue. Can you ask them?”

“I tried that. They didn’t seem to have an answer for me.” His gaze traveled from my face, down to my feet, and then back up again. He hastily looked away, his expression strained.

“Can you demand that they leave, as mayor? I don’t want to deal with them.”

“I suppose I could.” He glanced around the shop suspiciously. “What have you been up to in here?”

I gulped. “Why do you ask?”

“Something feels strange…” He slowly walked around the room, examining jars and shelves at random. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “When I look at you, I feel this—this unpleasant sensation.”

Fiella snorted from where she sat across the room before drowning her laughter with a swig of tea.

“I’m… sorry? There isn’t much I can do about that. I didn’t realize I was so unpleasant to look at.”

His cheeks flushed. “That’s not what I meant. You’re a lovely lady, Kizzi. It’s just… he glanced at me again and shuddered. “It doesn’t usually feel like this.”

I shrugged helplessly. “Well, I didn’t do anything, I swear! Just business as usual!”

“You haven’t been making potions with those plants again, have you?”

“No! By the Old Gods, I swear I haven’t!” At least not the plants I was pretty sure he was referring to—the poisonous ones that caused extreme anxiety and solidified skin if ingested. You don’t make that kind of mistake twice.

He squinted at me for a moment before finally relaxing into a more normal posture. “Alright, then. I have no reason not to believe you. Let’s just all go back to normal, okay? I don’t like how the folk of Moonvale are acting out there.”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. Normal sounds great.”

“Alright then. I’ll see what I can do about the crowd outside. Good day.”

“Good day!”

“See you, Tommins!” Fiella called out.

Mayor Tommins waved absentmindedly as he exited. He pulled the door shut with a bang that echoed through the room. My ears shrank back to my head.

“Am I losing my mind, or was that whole interaction extremely weird? What is going on with everyone?” I asked.

“That was definitely weird. Was he trying to tell you that you’re smelly and ugly?”

“You caught that too? It sure seemed like it!” I shivered. “I thought he was more polite than that!”

“He usually is. Maybe it’s the aftermath of the potluck stress, or he ate too much yesterday and his stomach hurts.”

“Maybe,” I agreed halfheartedly.

“Well, I promise that you are beautiful, and you smell like sunshine and daisies.” She stood from her stool. “I better go start my day. If any folk are still lingering out there, I’ll threaten to bite their throats to make them go away.”

“You’re the best.”

She flashed me a fanged grin. “That’s what best friends are for! Moons, Kiz!”

I laughed. “To the suns, Fi.”

She waved as she left, and I heard the muffled sounds of her ferociously snarling through the door. I snorted out a laugh, wishing I could witness that spectacle for myself.

My mirth died quickly. Why was everyone losing their minds? First me, when I almost kissed Tandor against his will. Then Linc, Mayor Tommins, and half of Moonvale?

It was almost like the Josten incident all over again. But this felt different. This didn’t feel sinister—it just felt strange.

Well, hopefully everything goes back to normal soon .

I worked for what felt like hours in tense, charged silence. My skin felt too tight. It itched, and I couldn’t get comfortable.

I refused to leave the shop to make deliveries—I was pretty sure everyone outside had gone but I didn’t feel like risking it.

But I couldn’t handle the silence anymore.

“Do any of you little shits feel like bothering me today?” I shouted into the empty shop, hoping to startle a sprite into revealing itself.

Silence was the only response. My ears drooped slightly. I stood, spreading my arms wide and turning in a circle.

“Good! I’m happy that you’re all gone!” I shouted louder.

Silence again.

“I’ve been trying to get rid of you for ages and I’m so glad it finally worked!” I screamed. My voice cracked at the end.

Nothing.

“I’m so glad you left me here all alone!” My voice crumpled. A wave of sadness and fury washed over me. I felt abandoned. I felt betrayed, even though I had no logical reason to.

I stormed over to the cauldron in the corner. “And you! Fuck you! Fuck you most of all!” I grabbed the edges of the cauldron, not caring if any of the strangely smooth and thick substance got on my hands. I needed to scream, and this was my best outlet.

“Fuck you for ruining my potion. Fuck you for causing a mess. Fuck you for making my shop feel weird. Fuck. You!” I screamed until my voice fragmented like shards of broken glass, and then I started to cry. Tears welled up in my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. They traveled the curve of my jaw and collected at the point of my chin.

Slowly, so slowly, a tear dripped from my chin and landed in the giant cauldron.

The tiny drop settled on top of the sludge for a moment before it began to spread, becoming a thin layer that I could hardly see. Then it began to sink into the sludge. I watched curiously.

Heavy waves of magic shot through my hands, up my arms, into my shoulders. A massive boom resounded, throwing me across the room and shattering my eardrums. Darkness stole my vision. Darkness took over the entire shop.

Faintly, I could hear ringing, metal cracking, and what almost sounded like… laughter?

And then there was nothing.