I didn’t recognize the strange pang in my chest I felt at the thought of getting out of here. Surely that wasn’t disappointment.
CHAPTER 25
Redd
After what felt like hours of scooping snow, sweat dripping down our backs, we finally made a path large enough that we could crawl through it and escape the shop.
My breaths were heaving from the effort. The air going down my throat felt smooth and comfortable–a massive relief from the sawing sensation that had been plaguing me the last few weeks.
I was too relieved to be annoyed that my clothes were soaked with melted snow.
As I turned to leave, Fiella headed back to the counter.
“Forget something?” I asked her. Her satchel was hanging by her hip, so it wasn’t that.
“I just need to finish something really quick; you go on ahead,” she called out distractedly.
Huh. Must’ve been an important invoice or something, if it was enough to keep her in the shop for even longer. I shrugged. I didn’t waste time trying to understand the beguiling woman.
I pulled my cloak tighter around myself, braced for the chill, and crawled out into the fresh air. The dual suns were shockingly bright when reflecting off the white mountains of snow. I took a few deep breaths before I could take in my surroundings.
My jaw dropped and my eyebrows raised as I turned in a circle, taking in the massive glittering piles. The stuff looked fluffy and soft, but I knew from my experience digging out of Fiella’s Finds that it was quite dense.
It never snowed back home in Sunhaven. I knew what snow was from the stories I had heard and books I had read, but I had never experienced it firsthand. I decided that snow was the absoluteworst.
I passed Kizzi and the other witches, whose names I couldn’t remember, as I headed away from town square. The short, green witch waggled her eyebrows at me.
“So, Mister Redd,” Kizzi asked innocently. “Enjoy your sleepover?”
I waved her off. “Oh, shut up,” I grumbled.
“I bet you didn’t sleep much, huh?” she pushed.
“It wasn’t like that, gods. Don’t go spreading that rumor.” I glanced at the other witches, who were looking around and pretending like they weren’t eavesdropping. “Thanks for the help, by the way,” I said pointedly, looking at the tunnel Fiella and I had dug ourselves.
She turned around dismissively, responding over her shoulder. “Oh, quit whining, I knew you two would figure it out. Or I’d come save you eventually.”
I hurried away before I could hear any more, itching to escape.
The town was sparkling, every inch of it either coated with ice crystals or piled with powdery snow. It would have been decent to look at if it wasn’t so gods damnedcold.
Something about this monumental change in weather seemed unnatural. Like perhaps it was… magical. From what I had heard from the townsfolk, Moonvale was supposed to be pleasant and temperate this time of year. This was as far from pleasant as I could possibly imagine.
I thought about tracking down Mayor Tommins for another work assignment, but I figured he had bigger things to worry about today. I could use the break, anyways. My body was exhausted, and the relief of finally satisfying my thirst had my muscles feeling lax and lazy.
Glancing around, I wasn’t sure how Tommins was going to manage this mess. The town was surely used to the cold and the snow, but this amount of coverage would bury even the hardiest of towns.
Moonvale was clearly not equipped for snowfall like this.
The snow was to my knees, and I was tall, so I couldn’t imagine any smaller folk making it anywhere today without staying on one of the melted paths. I stomped toward my destination, raising my feet high between each step, feeling like a fool.
I made my way towards the diner, but a path hadn’t been cleared yet and I couldn’t see any evidence of footfalls, so I assumed it was closed. As a last-ditch effort, I plowed my way over to the grocery store.
I wasn’t the best chef in the world, but I was able to keep myself fed if I needed to. I just preferred when other folk cooked instead. Sadly, though, my icebox was empty.
Luckily, the grocery store looked open. It was set on a bit of a hill, and I could see light coming through the windows. Maybe I had finally exhausted the well of bad luck that seemed determined to drown me.
I knocked on the wood of the front door before pulling it open, just in case.
