I purchased a satchel she could toss over her shoulder to free her hands. I made my way over to where she stood, chatting quietly with a witch selling powdered ingredients.
The market was noisy, but as I neared, I caught the tail end of the conversation.
“—eggs?” Kizzi asked. “I don’t need the whole egg, really, just the shell. But I would love to have the whole egg.”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Come back in a few days, Starla will be working then, she might have some.”
Eggs? Like… bird eggs? Reptile eggs? She had to come all the way to Tidegrove foreggs? That doesn’t make any sense…
Kizzi sighed. “Thank you,” she caught sight of me and startled. “Oh, Tandor! Hello!”
“Enjoying your shopping?”
She didn’t answer—she had clearly not expected my interruption.
Slowly, I reached out and grabbed the bounty from her arms. She looked bewildered, but she didn’t stop me. I dropped her items into the satchel and then reached over to tuck the satchelstrap onto her shoulder. With two pats to her upper arm, I gave her a light smile. “There, that’s better.”
She stared at me wide-eyed.
With a wave in her direction, I left the witch at the stall to go find the metalsmith.
My mind kept circling back to the conversation I had overheard. Why in the realms would she be so secretive about needing eggs?
The metalsmith was tucked in the far back corner of the market, away from the main hustle and bustle. Heat radiated from a small makeshift forge set up in the middle of the stall.
The human woman working the forge had her hair tied back in a tight knot and sweat dripping down her temples. She held a small knife over the flame with care, heating the metal to a glowing red.
I saw a few cast iron cauldrons spread throughout the tables. I wandered over to take a look. The first one was tiny—hardly larger than my hand. The second was not much bigger. The third cauldron, on the ground, only reached the height of my knee. Larger, but not large enough. I kept looking.
Knives, swords, and mallets were laid out in a decorative display. I admired them for a moment before moving on with a shrug.Who needs swords these days? There hasn’t been a war since long before the Old Gods left the realm.
“Can I help you find something?” the human asked as she carefully lowered the knife into a pot of water. The water sizzledas the metal slipped below the surface. She brushed her hands off on her trousers and turned to face me.
“Do you have any large cauldrons?” I asked.
She held her hand out to gesture to the cauldrons I already examined. “We have these.”
I smiled but shook my head. “I’m afraid I need ahugecauldron. Those are nice, but they are far too small.”
She lifted an eyebrow and looked me up and down. “Wow. You’re looking for the serious stuff. Okay, follow me.” She led me around the back of the tent to where a makeshift workshop resided. We stepped inside. “I have these, as well, but I’ll warn you—they’re not cheap.”
I stepped inside to examine the larger cauldrons. They were certainly bigger. One was short and wide, spanning almost my arms breadth. Not right. Another was the perfect depth, but was bizarrely narrow, shaped more like a cup than a bowl. The third was close but it was notquitebig enough. It was also made of copper, which was bizarre for a cauldron. Kizzi would have hated it.
The human watched my face closely. “Not seeing what you’re looking for, eh?”
I smiled at her, flashing my tusks. “Not quite. You don’t happen to have any more lying around? Something this size?” I held my arms out in a vague bowl shape.
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We don’t really make them that big here. Maybe try the mountains?”
I nodded. “Thank you for the tip.” I waved as I left, and the human resumed her work over the forge.
I returned to the center of the market, feeling mildly discouraged but also strangely excited.
The journey was not yet coming to an end.
I found Kizzi purchasing a pouch of sugar-coated almonds. The satchel slung over her shoulder was now bulging to an impressive degree. My cheeks lifted into a smile.
“No large cauldrons here,” I said as a way of introduction as I stepped up behind her. “Well, none large enough.”
