Love Letters and Thirst Tonics (Moonvale Matches Book 1)

25. Redd

After what felt like hours of scooping snow, sweat dripping down our backs, we finally made a path large enough that we could crawl through it and escape the shop.

My breaths were heaving from the effort. The air going down my throat felt smooth and comfortable–a massive relief from the sawing sensation that had been plaguing me the last few weeks.

I was too relieved to be annoyed that my clothes were soaked with melted snow.

As I turned to leave, Fiella headed back to the counter.

“Forget something?” I asked her. Her satchel was hanging by her hip, so it wasn’t that.

“I just need to finish something really quick; you go on ahead,” she called out distractedly.

Huh. Must’ve been an important invoice or something, if it was enough to keep her in the shop for even longer. I shrugged. I didn’t waste time trying to understand the beguiling woman.

I pulled my cloak tighter around myself, braced for the chill, and crawled out into the fresh air. The dual suns were shockingly bright when reflecting off the white mountains of snow. I took a few deep breaths before I could take in my surroundings.

My jaw dropped and my eyebrows raised as I turned in a circle, taking in the massive glittering piles. The stuff looked fluffy and soft, but I knew from my experience digging out of Fiella’s Finds that it was quite dense.

It never snowed back home in Sunhaven. I knew what snow was from the stories I had heard and books I had read, but I had never experienced it firsthand. I decided that snow was the absolute worst.

I passed Kizzi and the other witches, whose names I couldn’t remember, as I headed away from town square. The short, green witch waggled her eyebrows at me.

“So, Mister Redd,” Kizzi asked innocently. “Enjoy your sleepover?”

I waved her off. “Oh, shut up,” I grumbled.

“I bet you didn’t sleep much, huh?” she pushed.

“It wasn’t like that, gods. Don’t go spreading that rumor.” I glanced at the other witches, who were looking around and pretending like they weren’t eavesdropping. “Thanks for the help, by the way,” I said pointedly, looking at the tunnel Fiella and I had dug ourselves.

She turned around dismissively, responding over her shoulder. “Oh, quit whining, I knew you two would figure it out. Or I’d come save you eventually.”

I hurried away before I could hear any more, itching to escape.

The town was sparkling, every inch of it either coated with ice crystals or piled with powdery snow. It would have been decent to look at if it wasn’t so gods damned cold.

Something about this monumental change in weather seemed unnatural. Like perhaps it was… magical. From what I had heard from the townsfolk, Moonvale was supposed to be pleasant and temperate this time of year. This was as far from pleasant as I could possibly imagine.

I thought about tracking down Mayor Tommins for another work assignment, but I figured he had bigger things to worry about today. I could use the break, anyways. My body was exhausted, and the relief of finally satisfying my thirst had my muscles feeling lax and lazy.

Glancing around, I wasn’t sure how Tommins was going to manage this mess. The town was surely used to the cold and the snow, but this amount of coverage would bury even the hardiest of towns.

Moonvale was clearly not equipped for snowfall like this.

The snow was to my knees, and I was tall, so I couldn’t imagine any smaller folk making it anywhere today without staying on one of the melted paths. I stomped toward my destination, raising my feet high between each step, feeling like a fool.

I made my way towards the diner, but a path hadn’t been cleared yet and I couldn’t see any evidence of footfalls, so I assumed it was closed. As a last-ditch effort, I plowed my way over to the grocery store.

I wasn’t the best chef in the world, but I was able to keep myself fed if I needed to. I just preferred when other folk cooked instead. Sadly, though, my icebox was empty.

Luckily, the grocery store looked open. It was set on a bit of a hill, and I could see light coming through the windows. Maybe I had finally exhausted the well of bad luck that seemed determined to drown me.

I knocked on the wood of the front door before pulling it open, just in case.

I waved at the friendly mothman who ran the store and set about finding ingredients for a decent meal. Now that the fire in my throat had eased, I could focus more on my stomach. Fiella’s stash of pastries had been a minor relief, but the tarts only took the edge off my hunger–they hadn’t come close to satisfying it.

“Hey there! I wasn’t expecting to get any customers today, how in the realms did you make it here?” the mothman asked in a chipper voice.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so they say,” I responded with a forced smile. It wasn’t the mothman’s fault that this morning was so strange. We were all having a rough morning. “I just dragged myself through the snow. You flew here, I assume?”

“Yes.” He shivered. “And I almost froze my wings off in the process. But duty calls.” He waved his hand at the grocery shop.

“Well, I’m certainly grateful you did. Thanks man.”

He simply nodded in response.

It was nice to be around other folk again without the urge to rip out any throats. I hardly even noticed his pulse fluttering under his thin skin.

I meandered through the aisles, pleasantly surprised by the variety in the stock. This store had everything. The inventory catered to a wide range of folk–I could see items for humans, for elves, for orcs, for sprites. They even sold bottled animal blood for vampires.

Thanks to Fiella, I wasn’t very thirsty. I smiled wryly to myself. The thought made my body warm. Last night almost felt like a dream, I was so hazy with thirst. Some of the details were crystal clear, though. Like her sweet smell of warmth and berries, and the taste of her on my tongue.

Like the way I tossed her across the room like a sack of flour and pinned her down with my body.

I would have to apologize for that later, I had probably scared her. Hells, I had certainly scared myself. I had never lost control like that, at least not since I was a little.

I could have killed her.

I tucked my grocery haul close to my chest, braced myself to return to the frigid cold, and headed toward my cottage on the edge of town.

This was going to be a slow, cold walk.

When I finally made it to my destination, scraped my door open, and clambered inside, I was shocked to see a neatly folded piece of parchment sitting on my entryway table.

Ignoring the landslide of snow that would certainly cause a giant mess inside, I dropped my groceries onto the counter, snatched the letter, and began reading.

My friend Two,

You missed me, didn’t you? I can’t say I blame you. I would miss me too.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you, I’ve just been busy and forgetful. I’m sorry.

If it helps, you haven’t been far from my mind. I wonder about you often.

Anyways, I hope you have been staying happy and busy, and that you’ve been drinking as much of that disgusting golden ale as your heart desires.

Still here,

One

Whoever this person was, they made me smile harder than I had in a long time.

I grabbed my parchment, sat down, and started writing, the corners of my mouth lifted the entire time.