“I didn’t have one, clearly! I’ve been ignoring it!”
She snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Knock. Knock. Knock. A gentle hand rattled the front door. “Kizzi? Are you in there?”
Shit! “Depends who’s asking,” I responded.
“It’s Mayor Tommins.”
“Oh… Yes, I’m here. Hang on.” I pulled the door open and let the man in, hastily shutting it behind him. “What can I do for you, Mayor?” I hoped he couldn’t tell how tense I was.
The tall gryphon waltzed into the room, his fluffy, golden hair smoothed back into its usual ponytail at the nape of his neck. His tunic was a bright blue color that reminded me of Fiella’s hair.
Mayor Tommins looked at me strangely for a second. His pupils dilated and his nose scrunched. He shook his head, as though trying to clear his thoughts. Then he stepped backwards, putting as much space between himself and me as possible.
Tentatively, I sniffed my underarm.Do I smell that bad? Rude.
Mayor Tommins cleared his throat. “It seems there is some sort of… situation going on here. Care to explain why so many folk are camped outside?”
I shrugged. “Truly, I have no clue. Can you ask them?”
“I tried that. They didn’t seem to have an answer for me.” His gaze traveled from my face, down to my feet, and then back up again. He hastily looked away, his expression strained.
“Can you demand that they leave, as mayor? I don’t want to deal with them.”
“I suppose I could.” He glanced around the shop suspiciously. “What have you been up to in here?”
I gulped. “Why do you ask?”
“Something feels strange…” He slowly walked around the room, examining jars and shelves at random. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “When I look at you, I feel this—this unpleasant sensation.”
Fiella snorted from where she sat across the room before drowning her laughter with a swig of tea.
“I’m… sorry? There isn’t much I can do about that. I didn’t realize I was so unpleasant to look at.”
His cheeks flushed. “That’s not what I meant. You’re a lovely lady, Kizzi. It’s just… he glanced at me again and shuddered. “It doesn’t usually feel like this.”
I shrugged helplessly. “Well, I didn’t do anything, I swear! Just business as usual!”
“You haven’t been making potions withthoseplants again, have you?”
“No! By the Old Gods, I swear I haven’t!” At least not the plants I was pretty sure he was referring to—the poisonous ones that caused extreme anxiety and solidified skin if ingested. You don’t make that kind of mistake twice.
He squinted at me for a moment before finally relaxing into a more normal posture. “Alright, then. I have no reason not to believe you. Let’s just all go back to normal, okay? I don’t like how the folk of Moonvale are acting out there.”
I nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. Normal sounds great.”
“Alright then. I’ll see what I can do about the crowd outside. Good day.”
“Good day!”
“See you, Tommins!” Fiella called out.
Mayor Tommins waved absentmindedly as he exited. He pulled the door shut with a bang that echoed through the room. My ears shrank back to my head.
“Am I losing my mind, or was that whole interaction extremely weird? What is going on with everyone?” I asked.
“That was definitely weird. Was he trying to tell you that you’re smelly and ugly?”
