“Where to?” Tandor asked when we came to an intersection in the path. We hadn’t discussed our next destination, simply continuing in the direction further away from Moonvale. “Left will take us toward the coast, and right will take us toward the grasslands, and eventually the mountains.”
I hummed in contemplation. The shopkeepers at Sunhaven spoke of whispered rumors of a dragon egg being seen in Tidegrove many years ago, but I had heard of them historically originating from deep within the mountains of Rockward.
I made a leap.
“Let’s go left.”
Tandor glanced at me over his shoulder but tugged gently on the reins, guiding the horse toward the beach. “That’s not the answer I expected,” he said. “Are there a lot of smiths that way? I thought the largest cauldrons came from further inland.”
I shrugged. “It’s just a hunch.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Are you going to tell me what mysterious ingredient you’re searching for?”
“Nope.”
“Not even so I can help?” he pried.
I shook my head. “I can’t. It’s highly confidential.”
If I told him I was searching for the mythical dragon eggs, he would think I was insane and abandon me, surely. And if I told him what I needed the dragon eggshells for… That I had drugged him and the entire town with a love potion and this was my only hope for a cure…
He would never forgive me.
Tandor sighed in exasperation. “Fair enough. Keep your secrets, I like unraveling them.”
Daisy’s hooves clopped against the stone in a steady rhythm, joining with the grinding whir of the carriage’s wheels.
“Let’s go to Tidegrove—you can visit your sister while we’re there.”
Tandor smiled at that, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I like that idea.”
The air thickened and warmed as our carriage neared the coast. The scent of brine and salt was heavy on the wind drifting past my face.
I was miserably hot under the weight of my clothes. Crammed in the small carriage next to Tandor, it was almost sweltering. Sweat beaded on my skin and dripped in tiny rivulets.
I had long since removed my cloak and corset to don my lightest tunic and skirt, but I was still uncomfortably warm, even with my hair pulled off my neck and fastened into a knot on top of my head. I scrunched my sleeves up as high as they would go and tied a knot in the length of my skirt, baring my shins to the flowing air. It helped, but only slightly.
Tandor was handling the heat much better than I was. He hardly broke a sweat—his forehead glistened with just a kiss of moisture. He made me look like a hot mess in comparison.
His short-sleeved tunic kept his muscled arms exposed. His forearm muscles flexed and bunched as he guided the horse by the reins. I resisted the urge to stare, to trace my finger down the veins I could see hidden below his skin.
The heat was clearly making me delusional.
Tandor flinched violently, rocking the carriage. “Woah!”
I grasped the wall with one hand, my other gripping onto his bicep for support. “What! Gods!”
“What isthat?!” he asked, horrified. He was staring down at his feet, and his face blanched to a sickly pale color.
“What are you talking about? Fucking fates, is there something in the carriage? Is it a spider?!” I leaned over, bracing myself, to catch a glimpse of the monstrosity that had made Tandor react with such horror. My heart thundered in my chest.
A startled chuckle burst out of me, which quickly turned into a full-blown belly laugh. I cackled wildly, the mixture of relief and adrenaline flooding my system and making me feel vaguely delirious.
Thank the Old Gods it wasn’t a spider—I would’ve had to jump out of the moving carriage, damn the consequences.
“Kizzi!” he shouted. “Stop laughing and do something!”
Tears of mirth sprouted from the corners of my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. My stomach ached from the power of my laughter.
