Page 29 of A Drop of Venom

I was in the garden gathering the last of my outdoor herbs when the first snowflakes of winter fell.

Since I was nearly finished, I abandoned my task for the moment, sat back on my boot heels, and held out my hand to catch snow on my glove. The flakes were large enough for me to marvel at their delicate lacy patterns.

If I were capable of making my own lace, I would love to replicate these lovely designs. Maybe Aluc could find a card of lace in a draper’s shop that came close. It would be a frivolous purchase, maybe, but it would bring me joy to add it to one of my simple dresses. Terolon would probably like it too, either because it made me happy or because he genuinely thought the pattern was beautiful.

The temperature had hovered around freezing for days. I was bundled up snugly from head to foot against the cold in layer upon layer of thick wool, and even so Terolon had hovered uneasily by the passage leading from our winter cave while I wrapped my scarf around the lower half of my face. He didn’t argue when I’d stated my intention to venture into the garden, but his tail had vibrated nonstop from the moment I’d begun lacing up my boots.

I couldn’t tell him not to be anxious because he loved me too much to not worry, but I’d promised to only stay out as long as necessary. With his deep love of heat and need to stay warm at all times, he couldn’t fathom why I enjoyed the winter or understand the appeal of inhaling cold, crisp air, especially now that the changes to my body meant I was more susceptible to frigid temperatures.

In addition to reassuring him that I wouldn’t dally too long, I’d promised to let him warm me up very thoroughly when I returned. That had at least distracted him enough that he stopped frowning and gave me a long, smoldering kiss before sending me on my way with a pat on my well-wrapped bottom.

The day was gray and overcast, with no sun to provide even the illusion of warmth. But I loved being outside in all seasons and always would, even with shimmering scales on my face and body and the need for more warm woolen layers.

Every day was a gift from the Goddess, whether it was a cool spring evening, a hot summer night, a crisp autumn morning, or a gray and snowy winter afternoon. And perhaps it was appropriate that I’d fled my cousins and found a new life with Terolon just as autumn was turning to winter and the trees were demonstrating the beauty of letting go.

The soft sound of a bell ringing startled me out of my reverie. The bell was a spell created by Stosior the wizard to alert us that someone was at the garden doorway.

I turned to see a familiar red-haired man setting a large market basket on the ground just inside the garden. He wore an enormous pack on his back.

“Aluc!” I scrambled to my feet and hurried across the garden. “I didn’t know you were coming today!”

“Hello, Miss Hazel.” He gave me a nod instead of a bow because of his heavy pack. The tall, slim apprentice was bundled up too, though not as much as me. “Stosior says there will be heavy snow beginning tomorrow, so I’m bringing you extra supplies and fresh meat for Terolon.”

“Really?” Frowning, I looked up at the sky, blinking as swirling snowflakes landed on my eyelashes. “Heavy snow, this early in the season?”

“My master has yet to be wrong in these matters, so here I am.” Aluc grinned and handed me the basket, which weighed more than I expected. “The pack is big and very heavy,” he added, indicating what he carried on his back. “Should I carry it into the cave for you, or do you want to separate the packages and carry them all yourself a few at a time?”

My first instinct was to carry it all piece by piece as I’d done on his previous visits. But there were a lot of packages, and Terolon had gently admonished me just this morning for refusing help when I was trying to move a heavy trunk by myself and had nearly dropped one corner of it on my bare foot.

“I would appreciate your help very much,” I said. “Thank you for offering.”

I led Aluc first to the herb garden so I could pick up my other basket, and then he took the lantern since my hands were full and we made our way into the mountain through the narrow passage and into the summer cave. I unwrapped my scarf as I walked, leaving it draped around my shoulders.

“Terolon, Aluc has brought us supplies,” I called as my companion took his pack into the food storage cave and began separating the parcels. “Stosior says there will be heavy snow tomorrow.”

Terolon appeared from the direction of the winter cavern before I’d finished speaking. He must have heard our footsteps and come to investigate.

“Go back,” I chided immediately. “It’s too cold in here for you.”

“I am fine, my shelshi.” With a few elegant undulations of his long body, he crossed the short distance and swept me up in an embrace, wrapping his coils around himself so I could stand on his body and bring my face to his for a kiss. He was wonderfully warm and smelled of the hot springs. “I can bear a chill if it means not having to wait to have you in my arms again,” he murmured into my ear.

I smacked his chest lightly. “I’ve been outside less than an hour, silly serpentae.”

“An eternity.” He nuzzled my hair. “You’re chilled to the bone.”

“I am not.” I sighed. “I couldn’t possibly be cold dressed like this.” I dropped my voice to a whisper and added, “If you help put away what he brought, I’ll go back to the winter cave and start taking off all these layers. Unless you’ve lost interest in joining me in the pool⁠—”

He silenced me with a kiss that stole my words and my breath and made my knees wobble for reasons that had nothing to do with the weather or the fact I was standing on his body.

When the kiss ended, he picked me up by my waist, turned, and set me gently on the cave floor. “I’ll help you so you can return home before the snow worsens, Aluc,” he said, nudging me in the direction of the winter cave with his tail. “And please give your master our sincere thanks for the snow warning and for sending you with supplies. If you’ll tell me the cost, I’ll pay you now, plus extra for your time.”

“I don’t need anything extra,” Aluc said, his voice drifting out of the storage cave as I headed for the much-warmer inner caves. “I know how important it is for you to know your mate has all she needs with winter setting in, and how important it is to Hazel that you have plenty of food too.” After a pause, he added, “I’m very glad to see you so happy, my friend. So is Stosior.”

“I am greatly blessed,” Terolon replied, his tone surprisingly solemn. “With my shelshi at my side, I want for nothing. Every day I give thanks to the goddesses for smiling on me.”

My eyes filled with tears as I made my way carefully down the passage that led to the winter cave. Years of Terolon’s passage had worn a smooth path in the center of the rough rock floor. Whenever I saw it, I thought of how long he’d lived alone in these caves with only his books and garden for company and visits from Stosior or Aluc to break up the monotony of the passing days.

I’d worn my own lonely paths too, first in and around my family’s cottage and then at my cousins’ home. I’d never left a mark in stone like Terolon’s powerful body had carved into this rock, but my life with my parents and then with my cousins had felt just as inevitable and inexorable—until the day they weren’t. I’d been turned out of my family home by the landlord, and then I’d chosen to leave my cousins and forge a new path that I thought would lead to Coldspell and the riverfront.