Nothing natural could cause such abrupt destruction, such total devastation. Those beetles weren’t just mortal wood mites, they were something sinister. Something dark.
Who couldpossiblywant to destroy my shop, my entire life, and maybe even the entire town? What if I wasn’t the last victim, what if I was just the first? What if Kizzi was next? What if the entire town was slowly crumbling to bits?
I was spiraling.
Maybe I gained an enemy somehow. I might not have been the nicest vampireallthe time, but I always gave kindness a decent effort… at least when it was deserved. I wasn’tthatbig of a bitch; Kizzi was a way bigger bitch than me.
I could only think of a few folk who might have a vendetta against me. There was that other vampire girl from back in school, I’d accidentally (on purpose) drank her bear blood lunch, and I just knew she’d never forgiven me for it. There was also the older witch woman who sat in the park and watched everyone all the time, she was always giving me the evil eye.
It could’ve been Josten. Fuck Josten, that asshole cheated on me and still threw a fit when I dumped him. Or maybe that book vendor from the town over. He always hated when I haggled for a better price.
The more I thought about it, the more folks I came up with. The possible enemies were everywhere. I could’ve made an accidental enemy out ofanyone. Fuck, this wasn’t good.
I finished my goblet with a heavy swallow and a deep sigh before Tandor immediately set another one in front of me–no questions asked and only a slight nod thrown in my direction. Good man.
I was halfway through my second goblet (and only beginning to descend into a mental breakdown) when I started daydreaming about food. The shop catastrophe had happened only a few hours ago, surprisingly, and it was now midday. And I’d left my extra pastries tucked under my shop counter. They were surely smashed to dust by now.
Another tragedy in itself.
At least I’d taken my dose of thirst tonic this morning–adding thirst to the mix would have sent me plummeting over the edge.
My pondering was interrupted when the barstool next to me was pulled back with ascreeeeeeechagainst the sticky stone floor. Ginny really needed to mop this place more often.
My head a bit swimmy from the booze, I glanced over my shoulder where my elbows were propped onto the bartop to see an angel sitting next to me. Velline was newer to town, and I had only spoken to her a few times in passing. She was quiet, but kind, in a gentle sort of way. Her presence was soothing. She seemed to keep to herself. I respected that–folk were exhausting sometimes.
She let out a sigh as she plopped onto the stool. “You went blue?” Velline asked quietly. “Cute.”
I simply nodded in acknowledgement, threading my fingers through my roots and tugging lightly. I was not in the mood to explain the magical mishap that I’d swallowed this morning.
Velline had been working at the healing clinic in town, Moonvale Medical, ever since Old Man Wilbur had gotten too old to run the place by himself and found an apprentice. The elfwas so old that nobody could keep track of his age anymore– it was likely somewhere around seven hundred.
As non-human folk of Aldova, most of us weren’t necessarily immortal, but we were pretty gods damned close to it. It wasn’t abnormal for folk to live to see a thousand turns of the seasons. Some races lived longer than others, of course, but with the advancements of magical tonics, lifespans were becoming longer and longer.
In Old Man Wilbur’s case, I had a feeling he was just ready to move on to something new. Like my Ma and Pa had been.
I shivered at the reminder that I would eventually have to let them know what had happened to Fiella’s Finds.
Velline politely ordered a bright wine, and immediately swallowed a massive gulp when the goblet was placed in front of her, delicately coughing when the liquid rushed down her throat. She must have been having a tough day. Relatable.
“That delicious, huh? I’m more of a cider or dark wine lady myself but I might have to order one of those,” I joked, trying to lighten her mood. I was also trying to distract myself from my own glum thoughts.
Velline glanced over at me while her silver cheeks flushed a deeper gray. “Excuse my poor manners, Fiella. I don’t usually guzzle wine like a fish, but I needed to take the edge off today.” She took another impressive swallow, her hands gripping the goblet so tight I feared it would shatter.
I nodded at her in solidarity. Sad girls had to stick together. “I hear you there. I’m having the same sort of day. Something bad happen?”
She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before answering. “You could say that.” She had hollows under her eyes, and her usually bouncy white hair was flat around her face. Her tunic was wrinkled and stained with a few mystery substances. It was shocking to see her looking so noticeably frazzled.
Even her wings, usually fluffy and bright, hung limply off her back.
“Wanna talk about it?” I asked gently. I didn’t want to talk about my own situation yet. With the alcohol in my system, I was positive that I would start weeping hysterically. I was surprisingly holding it together so far and didn’t want to push my luck.
She shook her head and held out her goblet. We clinked them together, chugged them down, and set about drowning our sorrows out together.Misery loves company, or so they say.
Drinking with someone else was certainly better than drinking alone.
Eventually, after two more goblets and a few subtle tears wiped on the back of hands, Velline started talking. She explained how the clinic was having a strange influx of sick patients who had mysterious illnesses. Her hands were full, and she was exhausted.
I bought us another round of drinks. She needed it almost as much as I did. I didn’t have many silvers to my name, and I would certainly be completely broke by the time I figured out what to do with my shop, but this moment felt essential. My coffers were already hurting, they wouldn’t notice this expense.
