She raised her eyebrows, pulling a cloth from her apron to dab at her damp forehead. “The biggest? You sure? That’s a lot of cauldron to work with.”
I nodded again. “The biggest. Huge. I run an apothecary over by the Greenwood Forest,” I said by way of explanation. “Moonvale.”
That jogged her memory. “You’re Kizzi, ain’t ya? I’ve heard of ya. Good brews, you make. The witches talk about how crisp they are. How effective.” She looked at me through slightly squinted eyes. “I think I’ve got something that’ll get the job done.”
The air rushed out of my lungs in a huff. “Thank you.”
She ushered me to the back corner of the shop, where boxes and crates were stacked up. She shoved some of them aside.
An involuntary gasp escaped my lips. Even Hex stirred where they were tucked in my hair, slipping forward for a peek.
The cauldron was glorious. It was massive, maybe even bigger than what I had before. The material was a smooth, luxurious coated cast iron. I could feel the magic humming off it in gentle waves, as though it had been made with great care and intention.
It was perched on a wooden slab that protected the four short feet from touching the ground. And it probably weighed as much as five adult witches.
It was perfect.
“I can see the light glimmering in your eyes,” the witch laughed. “I take it this’ll do?”
I schooled my expression into something less embarrassing. I didn’t want to drool all over myself. “This’ll do. How much?”
She tilted her head. “Five hundred silvers.”
My joy quelled. That many silvers could buy an entire cottage in Moonvale. It would entirely drain my coffers.
But I had to do it. I gulped down the bile rising in my throat. “Five hundred it is. Can I come pick it up in a bit?”
“Sure, hon. You going to be able to get that thing back to the Greenwood? That’s across the realm.” She skeptically eyed my arms, which clearly weren’t laden with muscle.
“I brought a friend.” I pulled my coin pouch from my satchel and counted out the coins. By the luck of the fates, I had exactly five hundred. After this purchase, I would only have two silvers left—the two that were still resting in my cloak pocket.
I silently prayed to the Old Gods that the dried dragon eggshells wouldn’t be too expensive. If they were, I would have to figure out a backup plan. Returning to Moonvale without them was not an option. Perhaps I could get a loan of some sort.
I felt nauseous as I handed the pouch to the witch. “Don’t spend it all in one place,” I joked.
She gave me a tight smile. “Just come back to pick it up before dark—I lock up when the suns start to sink.”
“I’ll make that happen. Thank you!”
As I turned to flee, the witch held a hand up. “Oh, miss, you’ve got a little—” she gestured to her neck, indicating I had something there. I reached toward my throat. My fingers brushed against Hex, in their more solid form, where they were entirely visible. And looked like… like purple slime. Stuck in my hair, sitting on my shoulder. This witch probably thought I was nuts.
“Ah, right. I’ll take care of… this situation.” I slipped out of the shop without another word, letting the cold mountain air shock me back to my senses.
CHAPTER 28
Tandor
The critters in Rockward were entirely different from the ones in Moonvale. They were different species, of course, with completely different appearances and lifestyles. But their attitudes were different, too.
In Moonvale, they scurried around without a care in the realm. They weren’t necessarily brave, they still spooked easily, but they were carefree. They didn’t notice the folk much.
Here, they were slyer. Savvier. They were certainly harder to catch.
The small fluffy squirrels seemed to warm up to me as I continued to feed them. I had snagged a cookie for myself, and had grabbed an extra for Kizzi, but she clearly needed her space today. And I would give it to her, no matter how much it bothered me.
So, half of her cookie ended up being a bribe to lure the critters closer. And the other half was about to become a bribe as well.
I still hadn’t been able to pet the sneaky critters, no matter how close they darted to my boots to snatch the crumbs. They always scurried away before I was able to scratch their soft-looking backs.
