Cauldrons and Cat Tails (Moonvale Matches #2)

25. Kizzi

CHAPTER 25

Kizzi

T he carriage bustle was becoming strangely soothing. The rocking, bumping motions, once jarring, blurred into the background. My side pressed into Tandor became a familiar comfort, rather than an irritation. Something to lean into instead of move away from.

The horse walked slower than before, but it wasn’t for lack of energy.

It seemed like a heavy sadness was weighing her down. Guilt had tugged at my stomach when we finally hooked her up to the carriage and tugged on her reins. She had let out the saddest whinny and her head drooped. She was certainly pouting.

We had no other option, though.

The air cooled as we ventured away from the breezy, beachy coast toward the more harsh and rugged climate of the mountains.

My breath fogged out in front of me.

The journey took two days, and we stopped at whatever inn we could find along the way.

And every time, we ended up in the same bed, Tandor helping me to stay warm. Somewhere along the way we stopped feeling embarrassed about it. It became normal. Tandor never pushed it any further than simply sharing body heat, even when I would have allowed him to. Would have begged him to. Would have done so myself.

The thought of the love potion nagged at me. Over and over, I wished that I had never dosed the entire town with the spiked chili. That I had never bent Tandor’s will. That he was himself, still on the journey with me, but because he chose to be.

I didn’t like having to wonder if his kindness, his helpfulness, his generosity, was real, or simply a product of a love-potion-addled mind.

Once I found the dragon eggs and cured Tandor, then I could take a closer look at… whatever was brewing between us. I could examine this strange warmth in my chest, and this bubbling sensation in my stomach.

I let my arm brush against Tandor’s without pulling away. I let his warmth seep into me, let it thaw my frozen bones and soften my nerves.

Hex sat curled up on the orc’s lap, soaking up his warmth as much as I was. Hex had softened to Tandor with annoying swiftness. They still hissed and snapped at me more often than not, but they curled up next to Tandor like a pampered pet. It was fucking ridiculous. Damned familiar .

The winding road to Rockward narrowed as we neared the mountains. The softly bending paths turned into rolling hills, which turned into spiking peaks.

The poor horse struggled with the incline—our journey slowed to a crawl.

We weren’t the only ones entering the mountains, either. A handful of horse riders trotted the path in front of us. A beacon on the horizon. A target to aim for.

The air cooled even further.

I was accustomed to Moonvale’s freeze season, to bundling up in a thick, fluffy cloak, and to hustling indoors as soon as possible to avoid frostbite. Luckily, Moonvale was small enough to walk from end to end rather quickly.

We weren’t so lucky, here. This cold was another beast entirely.

I sank further and further into Tandor’s side, desperate to absorb as much of his body heat as possible. His radiating warmth was delicious—I wanted to curl up and crawl inside his skin.

I settled for curling up against his side instead.

Eventually, when my chattering teeth became unbearable, Tandor released a deep, shuddering breath.

The orc scooped Hex up in one hand and, with the other, tugged me onto his lap. My pulse jumped in my chest. His arms cradled my sides, clutching the reins as his body surrounded me. He set Hex down on top of me, where they promptly settled back into a relaxed pile.

I could feel Tandor subtly shaking.

He was everywhere. His warmth, his smell. Even his cloak surrounded me like a blanket.

“Hang on, little witch. We’re almost there.” Tandor’s smooth voice slid past my ear like a caress.

“If I turn into an icicle and die, please bring a cauldron back to the coven for me. They’re counting on it.” My clacking teeth made my words almost indecipherable.

His arms tightened on my sides. “Oh, hush. You’re not going to freeze. It’s not that cold.”

“Are you j-joking?!” I exclaimed. “My fingers have been numb for hours!”

He released the reins with one hand and swept both of my hands in his grasp. The relief was instant. Tandor stiffened. “Gods almighty! Maybe you are going to freeze. Your fingers are cold .”

“Told you.”

We stayed that way for ages—with him clutching the reins with one hand, and my icy fingers in the other, the cauldron sludge curled up between us.

My numb fingers slowly regained sensation. It started with a pins-and-needles feeling, which faded into a mild burning, which eventually eased into blissful warmth.

I sighed in relief. “Oh Gods, that’s so much better,” I murmured.

He chuckled under his breath. “Stick with me, princess. I’ll keep you warm.”

I ignored the “princess” comment and leaned further into his embrace. The rock of the road and the comforting warmth lulled me into an unexpected sleep.

M y eyes flew open when the carriage wheels dropped into a particularly jarring hole.

My heart rate rocketed in my chest for a moment before it settled and I realized where I was: in the cramped carriage, tucked in Tandor’s embrace, rolling into the mountain city of Rockward.

Frost clung to my eyelashes in icy crystals.

Rockward sprawled in front of us like a painting—impossibly picturesque and beautiful. I scrubbed my eyes with my fists to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

Awe bled through me.

The town was nestled into a small mountain valley, cradled on all sides by snow-capped peaks. The road leading to the city was sloped, and the path overlooked everything.

The buildings looked as small as bugs from a distance. Tiny log cabins were dotted sporadically. Some clustered in groups, some seemed to be miles away. The central town was more packed together. Lingering snow dusted every surface—I could tell it hardly melted here.

The dual suns sank toward the horizon, preparing to slip away for the night. The sky was painted a mesmerizing red color.

Tandor’s body heat kept me from feeling the brunt of the cold, but as soon as I straightened and leaned away from him to get a better look, the cold seeped straight into my bones. I immediately leaned back into the orc again, uncaring of whether I should or shouldn’t. His arms grasping the reins tightened around me.

“Holy fucking shit,” I mumbled through chattering teeth, staring at the scene spread out in front of us.

Tandor snorted. His head dipped slightly so his chin settled on top of my head. “You have such a way with words.”

I nudged him in the stomach. “I’m just saying. It’s stunning.”

“Yeah. It really is,” he murmured appreciatively. He tugged on the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt so we could enjoy the scene for a moment longer.

It really was breathtaking. The way light glinted off the ice, fracturing into tiny rainbows. The way the mountain peaks stretched so high, so far off into the distance that I couldn’t tell where they ended.

Even the air smelled icy and cold, in a pleasant sort of way. It stung my nose but settled with a crisp almost sweetness. Like snow and fresh hay, with a hint of pine.

Hex crawled up onto my shoulder and stretched. They might have been nearly frozen, but they wanted a peek at the scenery too. I curled my hand around them to offer some warmth. I knew how much it sucked being cold, and being a liquid (sort of), they would probably freeze solid if we weren’t careful. Even if they were made of magic.

Hex snapped at me for a moment, but then softened, leaning into my touch.

For some reason, that made me feel strangely accomplished. Almost… warm.

Damn familiar was making me go soft.

An owl hooted in the distance. I wondered what it was trying to communicate. Was it hunting, claiming its territory, or simply calling out to see if another would respond?

After long, peaceful moments, the carriage descended into Rockward. Daisy moved as slow as a snail—every step was a massive effort. The carriage creaked and rattled.

Rockward didn’t have a central inn. Instead, visiting guests could rent a cottage to stay in, or a tent. The portable tented structures were extremely popular due to their ease and convenience. The structures could be placed on top of the rock without the need for any digging into the mountain surface. They were set on wooden platforms, with tarped walls and large central fireplaces.

Heating enchantments were particularly popular in the mountain regions, for obvious reasons. I brewed many of them for my traveling customers.

We left the carriage at the stables and ushered the horse into the surprisingly warm barn. She wandered in slowly, her head drooping in relief, almost low enough to brush the ground. I patted her on the rump as she passed. “Cheer up, girl. We’ll be heading home soon.” I could’ve sworn that her head sank even lower as she neighed quietly.

I t was becoming normal, settling my things into a new space with Tandor. Comfortable. We left our newly purchased items in the carriage (after bribing the stableboy to protect them) and dragged our packs into a surprisingly roomy tent.

We hadn’t even bothered asking for two separate rooms—we told each other it was to save silvers, because we already shared a room together for multiple nights, a few more wouldn’t hurt anyone.

And secretly, I just liked being around him.

I glanced surreptitiously over my shoulder to find Tandor leaning his hands onto the bed, testing the strength of it. He nodded to himself, looking satisfied as the fluffy surface bounced back under his weight. I suppressed a smile.

The room was tallest in the center, the tarped ceiling opening at a point to let the smoke from the fire drift to the skies. Embers smoldered in a brick fire pit, crackling and popping, whispering secrets. We would have to start a better fire before night swept in, chasing away any lingering warmth, but for now it was bearable.

I knelt and placed Hex’s jar on the ground, close enough to the fire pit to feel the warmth but not close enough to burn. It didn’t matter where I placed the jar, really. Hex would simply escape and find a new place to settle. I tried not to think about that too closely.

Hex still made me nervous. Scary, magical bitch. Er, familiar.

“I still can’t believe your slime friend is just… traveling with us,” Tandor mused as he tucked his bag into the chest in the corner and tightened his cloak across his throat.

My eyes caught the movement of his hands, fumbling with the cloak’s clasp. His fingers were strong and sure, but he struggled with the fabric, being too hasty with it. Too hurried.

My own cloak was tied securely over my shoulders over top of my thickest layers of clothing. The hood was even yanked up to protect my ears—my ears were always more susceptible to the cold.

I shrugged. “I couldn’t just leave them behind.” I glanced at the jar of sludge with a strange surge of affection. “Believe me, I tried.”

He hummed in contemplation. “I believe you. I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of the magical concoction.”

Hex simmered at that. I couldn’t tell if that was a bad reaction… or a pleased one. I had the strange sense that they were feeling prideful. Glad to be feared.

My stomach growled, the sound echoing through the quiet room. I patted at it. Embarrassing.

The corner of Tandor’s mouth lifted. “I think it’s about time we wander out into the cold and find something to eat. What do you say?”

I grimaced and tugged my hood tighter around my face. “Are you sure you don’t want to just let me curl up by the fire? You can bring me back something.” I cracked my sweetest smile.

He barked out a laugh. “Not a chance. We’re in this together, princess.” He nodded to the jar on the floor. “Bring Hex too. I think it’s about time you tell me some of your stories.”

I groaned. “Fine. But you’re paying.”