Cauldrons and Cat Tails (Moonvale Matches #2)

24. Tandor

CHAPTER 24

Tandor

I watched Kizzi as she weaved through the town’s central market, hastily examining the wares at each stall before moving onto the next.

I couldn’t help but notice the way her hips swayed, the way her hair lifted in the gentle breeze.

I was still reeling from last night. She had asked me to lie in the bed next to her. Used me for warmth. We cuddled . My heart sped just thinking about it. She needed my body heat, sure, but I couldn’t help but hope that it might have been more than that.

Tidegrove’s central market was wonderful—full of fragile-looking colorful tented stalls sporting all sorts of things for sale. There were food and drinks, clothing, odds and ends, and even pets. I warily eyed the vendor selling small furry rodents in wire cages, determining if I wanted to set the critters free or go and get one for myself.

The stalls changed every morning and packed up again every night. Some vendors returned daily, but some only returned occasionally. It was like a treasure hunt, finding what you were searching for.

I knew Kizzi was on the lookout for a massive cauldron, but she wouldn’t tell me what else she was hoping to find. It prickled at me, not knowing. It got under my skin. I couldn’t tell if it was the genuine curiosity or the strange ache to help, but something about it bothered me.

I asked her over and over, of course. She never cracked.

I picked up a few items for myself as I wandered through the market, but I never let Kizzi too far out of my sights. I found a lovely herb basket, a few small taster glasses for my cider brews, and some aged peppercorns that would make a great spicy addition to some of my recipes.

Kizzi had her arms full as well. She struggled to hold her items as she browsed, constantly dropping the new pair of soft boots she had purchased.

I couldn’t resist—I had to help her.

I purchased a satchel she could toss over her shoulder to free her hands. I made my way over to where she stood, chatting quietly with a witch selling powdered ingredients.

The market was noisy, but as I neared, I caught the tail end of the conversation.

“—eggs?” Kizzi asked. “I don’t need the whole egg, really, just the shell. But I would love to have the whole egg.”

“Hmm. I don’t know. Come back in a few days, Starla will be working then, she might have some.”

Eggs? Like… bird eggs? Reptile eggs? She had to come all the way to Tidegrove for eggs ? That doesn’t make any sense…

Kizzi sighed. “Thank you,” she caught sight of me and startled. “Oh, Tandor! Hello!”

“Enjoying your shopping?”

She didn’t answer—she had clearly not expected my interruption.

Slowly, I reached out and grabbed the bounty from her arms. She looked bewildered, but she didn’t stop me. I dropped her items into the satchel and then reached over to tuck the satchel strap onto her shoulder. With two pats to her upper arm, I gave her a light smile. “There, that’s better.”

She stared at me wide-eyed.

With a wave in her direction, I left the witch at the stall to go find the metalsmith.

My mind kept circling back to the conversation I had overheard. Why in the realms would she be so secretive about needing eggs?

T he metalsmith was tucked in the far back corner of the market, away from the main hustle and bustle. Heat radiated from a small makeshift forge set up in the middle of the stall.

The human woman working the forge had her hair tied back in a tight knot and sweat dripping down her temples. She held a small knife over the flame with care, heating the metal to a glowing red.

I saw a few cast iron cauldrons spread throughout the tables. I wandered over to take a look. The first one was tiny—hardly larger than my hand. The second was not much bigger. The third cauldron, on the ground, only reached the height of my knee. Larger, but not large enough. I kept looking.

Knives, swords, and mallets were laid out in a decorative display. I admired them for a moment before moving on with a shrug. Who needs swords these days? There hasn’t been a war since long before the Old Gods left the realm.

“Can I help you find something?” the human asked as she carefully lowered the knife into a pot of water. The water sizzled as the metal slipped below the surface. She brushed her hands off on her trousers and turned to face me.

“Do you have any large cauldrons?” I asked.

She held her hand out to gesture to the cauldrons I already examined. “We have these.”

I smiled but shook my head. “I’m afraid I need a huge cauldron. Those are nice, but they are far too small.”

She lifted an eyebrow and looked me up and down. “Wow. You’re looking for the serious stuff. Okay, follow me.” She led me around the back of the tent to where a makeshift workshop resided. We stepped inside. “I have these, as well, but I’ll warn you—they’re not cheap.”

I stepped inside to examine the larger cauldrons. They were certainly bigger. One was short and wide, spanning almost my arms breadth. Not right. Another was the perfect depth, but was bizarrely narrow, shaped more like a cup than a bowl. The third was close but it was not quite big enough. It was also made of copper, which was bizarre for a cauldron. Kizzi would have hated it.

The human watched my face closely. “Not seeing what you’re looking for, eh?”

I smiled at her, flashing my tusks. “Not quite. You don’t happen to have any more lying around? Something this size?” I held my arms out in a vague bowl shape.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We don’t really make them that big here. Maybe try the mountains?”

I nodded. “Thank you for the tip.” I waved as I left, and the human resumed her work over the forge.

I returned to the center of the market, feeling mildly discouraged but also strangely excited.

The journey was not yet coming to an end.

I found Kizzi purchasing a pouch of sugar-coated almonds. The satchel slung over her shoulder was now bulging to an impressive degree. My cheeks lifted into a smile.

“No large cauldrons here,” I said as a way of introduction as I stepped up behind her. “Well, none large enough.”

She glanced up at me and then popped an almond into her mouth. I could hear the crunch as her teeth broke through the sugary coating. “Fates,” she cursed, lifting her hand to shield her mouth from view. “I thought they would have them.”

“Afraid not,” I said. “They suggested we try the mountains.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I had a feeling that would be the answer.” She wordlessly stuck out her hand, placing a few sugared almonds into my palm. She tossed another into her mouth and crunched on it. “We should hang around here for a few more days, I need to try the market again when new stalls open up.”

“Still not going to tell me what you’re searching for?” I asked.

“Nope.” The word popped from her lips with a flair.

I hummed thoughtfully. “Is it eggs?”

Her jaw slackened and the blood drained from her face. She gulped. “No.”

I pointed at her in triumph, my finger inches from the tip of her nose. “Aha! I knew it!”

She shoved my hand away. “You don’t know anything!”

“I still don’t know what kind of eggs,” I said thoughtfully.

“Exactly. Maybe I need… butterfly eggs.”

“You’re lying.”

She said nothing, just gnawed on her lower lip.

I sighed. “Fine, fine. Keep your secrets. I’ll figure it out eventually.”

She mumbled under her breath, so quietly I could hardly hear her, “Gods, I hope not.”

T he next handful of days passed with a pleasant swiftness.

We split our time between Rune’s cottage, the town market, and the beach, walking along the shore for hours and hours, just listening to the waves crash along the sand.

Daisy was having the time of her life. She grazed on beach grasses to her heart’s content, trotted through shallow waves, and soaked up as much attention as possible from Rune’s littles, as well as any passersby.

She loved it here. My heart squeezed at the thought of snatching her from so much happiness, of forcing her to journey back through the Barren Lands, and drag the heavy carriage all the way back to Moonvale. Unfortunately, there was no other option.

The market stalls exchanged, but Kizzi never found what she was looking for—whatever eggs she needed were elusive and hard to track down.

Every day, we tried again.

No luck.

I could see the way she withered as each day passed without finding what she was looking for, the hopeful gleam draining from her eyes.

When the fourth day rolled around and the witch Kizzi was waiting for had no eggs either, we decided to abandon Tidegrove and move on, toward the mountains.