Cauldrons and Cat Tails (Moonvale Matches #2)

31. Tandor

CHAPTER 31

Tandor

K izzi and I stood in the Rockward stables, perplexed.

We found ourselves in a sticky situation.

She stood with her arms crossed, her foot tappingly rapidly against the ground. Her head was tilted, and her brow was furrowed in concentration.

The carriage, the ugly wooden thing we had dragged from Moonvale, was completely full. To the brim. It had slowly filled up throughout the weeks of the journey, becoming more cramped with every purchase, but now it was ridiculous.

The cauldron took up almost the entire bench, and our bags and parcels filled every remaining gap.

There was no way we would be able to fit in it to journey home. Kizzi might have been able to squeeze, but no way in Hell’s Realm was my frame fitting in there.

I ran my hand over Daisy’s back, scratching at her smooth mane and digging my fingertips into her taut muscles. “We’ll get you home soon, girl,” I said to the horse quietly. “You’ll be back home with your friends!”

Instead of perking up, the horse seemed to slump slightly, as though she could understand my words and wasn’t happy to hear them.

I thought about how lively she had been in Tidegrove. How she happily stomped through the waves, grazed along the shore, accepted pets from any folk passing by.

I knew we were supposed to bring her back to Moonvale, but what if we found her a new home?

Rockward’s stables were full of horses; there were at least twenty. The beasts were large, strong, and powerful, built for hiking mountains instead of strolling through forests and fields.

They looked like they could easily carry an orc or two.

The solution solidified in my mind.

We needed to rent a horse from Rockward to carry us and help drag the carriage. I glanced at Daisy’s thin legs. She had pulled the carriage here just fine but, with any additional weight…

And if we needed to drop her off along the way…

We needed to rent two horses. One to haul the carriage, and one to carry Kizzi and me. I glanced at Kizzi from the corner of my eye. We could each rent a horse—there were plenty, of course—but I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I was looking forward to journeying home with the little witch in my arms.

A fter some rearranging, reattaching of saddles and harnesses, and some finessing, we were on our way. Our traveling party was certainly a sight.

Two folk, three horses, a hideous carriage, and a living pile of purple slime.

Hallow’s Eve was days away. If we kept a brisk pace, we would make it with a sleep or two to spare, even accounting for the detour through Tidegrove.

I was looking forward to getting home—to getting back to the pub, seeing the local folk, sleeping in my own bed. But I was going to soak up every single moment of this journey.

Kizzi and I had been getting along, and we had connected irrevocably last night, but I wasn’t sure how things would be when we returned home. When things went back to normal.

Would she forget about me? Was this just a casual thing for her? It certainly didn’t feel casual.

Kizzi was bundled in front of me on the giant black horse (alarmingly named Nightmare). Her cloak was tucked tightly around her body to fight off the wind, and she clutched my arms with quivering fingers.

Her hair tickled my nose, smelling of apples and honey. I brought my elbows in, squeezing her tighter. She was always so cold, the little witch. It was a wonder she was able to regulate her own body heat at all.

There was probably a potion she could brew for that. But I would never make that suggestion. I liked being her personal heat source.

When night eventually fell and the moons were high in the sky, we pulled aside to make camp. We set up a small tent we had purchased from a supply shop, along with a small mat to lay on. Our bodies barely fit inside, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hex was left in the carriage, tucked inside the cauldron with the dragon eggs. They spent a lot of time around the eggs—squishing around them, poking at them, simply sitting near them. It was strangely endearing.

Kizzi and I laid there, face to face, legs entwined. Our faces were close enough to share breaths, but neither of us moved.

Our eyes locked in the dark. I reached out a hand, brushing an errant lock of hair from her face. I allowed my fingers to linger there, tracing idly over the pointed shell of her ear.

I just wanted to touch her.

“Your eyes are so pretty,” I murmured. “Like fresh grass.”

She cracked a smile. “Are you flirting with me?”

“I’ve been flirting with you for years.”

“Really?” She looked perplexed. After a long moment, she snorted out a laugh. “You’re not very good at it. I thought you were just being nice.”

“I’m nice to everyone,” I agreed.

“Exactly!”

“But I’m extra nice to you.”

“Are you?”

“You never noticed?” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I hadn’t thought I was being subtle.

“Well… no I didn’t.”

I picked up another curl, rolling her soft hair between my fingers. “Would it have made a difference? If you had known?”

She considered this. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.”

I hummed in contemplation. “The fates have a way of pulling our strings,” I mused.

Her eyes dipped to my mouth, and then bounced back up to my eyes. “They do,” she agreed.

My blood warmed. “I’m glad you invited me on this trip with you.” I flexed my arm obnoxiously. “Thank the Old Gods you needed my muscles so badly.”

Her mouth spread in a wide, sweet grin. “I’m glad too,” she agreed. “It would’ve been a drag by myself.”

I slid my hand down to her waist, tugging her closer. “Admit it. You like having me around.”

Her smile became shy, her cheeks warming. “Fine. I like having you around.”

Warmth flooded my chest. “I knew it,” I joked.

“You like me more, though,” she insisted.

“I’m not going to argue with you there.”

And then I pulled her into a kiss, pressing my mouth to her impossibly soft lips.

W aves crashed against shore in a soothing rhythm, spraying a fine mist of salty water into the air.

My boots crunched against sand as I dropped from Nightmare’s back. Kizzi was already wandering to the shore, yanking off her boots and pulling up her trousers so she could dip her toes in the water.

Rune looked confused when she emerged from her cottage to find me, but she definitely wasn’t upset.

“Tandor! Kizzi!” she called out as she pulled me into a hug. “What are you doing here? I thought you were headed back to Moonvale?”

She gripped me by the shoulders and examined my face. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but apparently, she found it. A sly smile spread across her cheeks. “How was Rockward?”

I fought to quell the warmth that seeped into my cheeks, but I couldn’t hide the way my ears twitched. Her smile grew.

“It was fine.” I coughed once. Twice. “It was nice.”

She laughed. “I’m sure it was. What are you doing back here?”

I extracted myself from her grip to turn back to Daisy. She was trotting in place, practically buzzing with excitement. I grabbed her reins and led her over to Rune.

“I thought you might be open to another family member?” I suggested hopefully.

My sister crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh?”

“She just loves it here so much… I can’t stand the thought of dragging her back to Moonvale.”

Rune considered this. “And will we get in trouble for stealing a horse?”

I shrugged. “Probably.”

She barked out a laugh. “Fine. You’re right, she’s got sea legs, she should get to live where she’s happy.” She took Daisy’s reins from me and stroked the horse’s broad cheek.

“You want to stay here with us, pretty girl?” she cooed.

Daisy let out a high-pitched trill, stomping her hooves.

“I thought so. Here, let me get this off you.” Rune pulled the reins from the horse and gave her a gentle nudge. “Go play. I’ll find a spot for you in a barn to sleep.”

Daisy glanced at me for a moment, as though seeking approval. I held my hand out in invitation. She wandered over to me for one more scratch on the neck before she neighed and plodded off toward the water’s edge. She passed Kizzi on the way, splashing the witch with sandy water.

Kizzi squealed, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her face was stretched in a gleaming smile.

Rune followed my gaze.

“Be good to her. She seems like a great match for you.”

I started to argue. “Oh no, we’re not, that’s not?—”

“You don’t need to explain. I have eyeballs.” She pulled me into another hug. “But I hope you bring her with you next time you visit.”

I squeezed her back. “I hope so too,” I mumbled under my breath.