Whoever had cursed me like this deserved a massive kick in the ass. I’d be sure to deliver it personally as soon as I figured out who the culprit was.
The beetles hadn’t seemed to infiltrate any of the other businesses in town–I was the only victim. At least my neighbors had been spared the agony of mass destruction. Goblet-half-full.
It wasn’t even just the money that caused my soul to ache. It was the memories that had been lost. The priceless finds. The one-of-a-kind treasures that could never be replaced. I had traveled far and wide to obtain my inventory, placed orders with the most esteemed of traveling merchants, and every piece was special.
This wound would take a long time to heal.
I said my farewells to Redd before my anger and sadness could boil over or I could take it out on him. I’d already blown up on the vampire a few times more than was polite, if I kept exploding on him, he would stop coming around, and the thought of that left a strangely sour taste in my mouth.
I needed the help.
I wanted the company.
Maybe I needed the company too.
I shoved my hand into the next mailbox I passed, a habit I had picked up over the last few weeks. Relief flooded my veins when my hand found crisp, cool paper. My constant checking had finally paid off.
Dear One,
I have not heard from you in a while. Too long.
Please write to me when you can.
Yours,
Two
Guilt tugged at me. I had completely forgotten that it was my turn to write. I had left the previous letter tucked under my watering jug and neglected to pen a response.
The fact that my penpal wrote me another letter anyway brought butterflies to my stomach.
CHAPTER 19
Fiella
Idreamt of magical mailboxes, fingers stained with ink, and kind, mysterious strangers.
After waking later than I normally would, I bundled up and headed to the shop. I noticed that the air somehow felt even colder than it had yesterday. We were supposed to be headed toward the mild season, not back to the freeze season. Ugh!
If the mild season didn’t hit soon, Moonvale would miss the wave of tourists, and that would be disastrous for us all.
The wind was so frigid it was painful on my face, and the air felt like shards of glass as I breathed it into my nose. I had to blink rapidly so my eyeballs wouldn’t frost over.
I made it to shop as fast as my legs would carry me without actually breaking into a run. It wasn’t snowing, but the air certainly smelled like ice and darkness.
Redd was already waiting by the front door when I arrived, bouncing on his toes and holding himself stiffly.
“Gods, Fiella! Took you long enough, it’sfreezing!”he snapped at me through chattering teeth. I tried to ignore how nice my name sounded in his mouth, even with the chattering. His lips were blue, and he had his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Someone needed to get this man a warmer cloak.
“Don’t worry honey, Fiella’s here to save the day,” I grumbled back as I tried to still my shaking fingers long enough to fit the key into the lock.
I tucked my satchel in closer to my side. I didn’t mention the fact that I had stopped at the bakery for pastries on my way. I figured that the news wouldn’t go over well under the current circumstances. Even this shocking cold wasn’t enough to disrupt my morning ritual.
Redd crowded so close behind me that I could feel his breath on the side of my face. Impatient vampire. I caught a hint of his mint and sandalwood scent and had to stop myself from inhaling more noticeably.
We both rushed inside as soon as the door was opened, slamming it shut behind us to keep the devilishly cold air out.
As we stood there, blowing hot breath onto our fingers and trying to regain blood flow in our extremities, I caught the sight of a snowflake lazily drifting to the ground from the corner of my eye. Weird–it didn’t snow often in Moonvale, and never this late into the season.
