Page 28

Twenty-Seven

Sass was still abed when Lira slid from beneath the warmth of the blanket and hurriedly dressed. If she was going to prepare something new for breakfast, she needed to be at the market when the vendors were first setting out their wares and unfurling their awnings.

Avoiding the creaky bottom step, Lira made her way downstairs and gave the doors to the kitchen a cursory look before continuing to the great room. The fire had burned out, but the earthy scent of peat lingered, along with what she liked to think was a hint of cinnamon. She plucked up the basket nestled beside one of the massive stuffed chairs and hooked it in the crook of her arm before slipping out the door.

Lira drew in a quick breath as the morning chill hit her, and she tugged the front of her cardigan together at her neck. Her steps were quick as she hurried along the dirt road into the heart of Wayside, sparing a glance at the waterwheel that powered the mill.

The sun was turning the world from lavender to gold as it warmed the sky and gilded the treetops. Lira breathed in the heady aroma of baking bread, another sign that it was early. Even when the rest of the village slumbered, Pip would be up feeding his dough into the ovens for morning buns and crusty loaves.

She passed the bakery with its lights on, but its door closed, and the rest of the shops that sat shoulder-to-shoulder and were dark and quiet. Although the stables were all the way on the other side of the market, she could smell the horses and hear their whinnies muffled by the thick mounds of hay and sturdy, wood plank doors.

She wasn’t the only one out early, though, and her step faltered when she spotted some guardsman posting flyers on the outside of the cobbler’s shop. She paused long enough to squint at the bold letters proclaiming a reward for information about the goblin gang that was roaming the area.

Was this because of the goblin she and Sass claimed had tried to rob the tavern? Was their lie the reason for the notices? She cringed, part of her awash with guilt and another part hoping the goblin gang warning was a result of their tall tale. The idea of a gang of the creatures was not pleasant.

Then a chill tickled the nape of her neck that had nothing to do with imagining goblins. She spun around, her gaze scouring the quiet street, the still windows, and then the roofline. She couldn’t see anyone, but she could feel them. She was being watched. She was sure of it.

Her pulse jangled as she slowed her breath and took in everything around her. This wasn’t the first time she’d felt eyes on her since she’d returned to Wayside. Of course, it could just be curious villagers peeking from behind curtains, but she doubted that would raise her hackles. Most likely, it was Rygor, although she still doubted his need to employ stealth.

Then as quickly as she’d sensed someone watching her, that feeling faded. Lira banished her worry and bustled forward, weaving her way through the village like a thread through familiar cloth, her steps keeping time with the town’s awakening pulse.

She circled the stone monument that lorded over the heart of the square and reached the open-air market just when she intended to, as the vendors were putting the final touches on their displays. Wooden crates yielded up treasures of dew-kissed vegetables, jars of honey caught the newly risen sun like trapped amber, and rows of jam pots sat like jewels against rough-hewn tables.

“Aye, but you’re out early,” the greengrocer said as Lira picked out several glossy apples and a bottle of his cider.

She exchanged a few copper bits with him as she put the apples and cider in her basket. “Morning baking to do.”

He nodded. “I heard they’re serving food again at The Tusk & Tail, and you’re the one making it.”

“Guilty,” Lira said, then remembered she should be drumming up business for them. “You should stop by. We have scones and chai in the afternoons.”

“I might do,” the man said, nodding again but this time with a wrinkle in his brows.

Lira was sure he was wondering what the word chai meant, but she decided she didn’t have time to explain the drink to everyone she met. “The first chai’s on me.”

That got her a grin. He popped an extra apple in her basket. “Then you just might see me.”

Lira managed to gather the rest of the ingredients she needed without much of a fuss, although she did find herself offering free chai more than a few times.

The cost of doing business, she thought. Besides, Sass had been bartering food already, so she didn’t see the harm in tempting new customers to the tavern.

Once her basket was full, Lira headed out of the market. By now, the village was properly roused. The shops were lit from inside and some of the doors were propped open as customers drifted in and out.

She hesitated in front of the apothecary, her hand lingering on the door handle as she steeled herself. She hadn’t spoken to Iris since she’d reacted badly to the woman’s revelation. In her defense, discovering your gran had not only been part of a crew was hard enough to wrap her head around, but learning that she had also been a mage, would have been a lot for anyone.

Lira scowled at herself. She’d faced scarier things than this. Iris had practically been a second gran to her. Not to mention, she was probably the reason Lira was alive today.

Of course, that only reminded Lira that Iris had been a rogue and had never bothered to disclose that to her.

Something you should have figured out yourself.

She pushed the door open and strode inside with a good degree more hostility than she’d planned to bring.

Iris jumped as the bell jangled so shrilly that Lira wondered if she’d broken it. The woman’s face relaxed a touch when she saw it was Lira. Then her forehead crinkled. “You still upset, love?”

Lira looked at Iris, noting all the silver glinting in her hair and the extra lines that marked the passing years. Then she thought of her gran, who was not there to take the brunt of Lira’s anger or answer questions.

All the fight drained from her. “Not at you.”

Iris shuffled around the counter to take Lira by the hand. “It’s no use being mad at anyone. We can’t reclaim the past. We can only try to understand it and move forward.”

“Easy for you to say.” Lira allowed herself to be led to the room behind the shop, ducking under the heavy curtain that Iris held aside for her. “Your life wasn’t based on secrets.”

The book-lined room smelled of tea, and Lira noticed the teapot sitting on the table. Iris poured some of the steaming brown liquid into a cup that sat waiting and handed it to her with a raised brow.

“I was a rogue. My best friend was a mage. My life was nothing but secrets.” She made a clicking sound in the back of her throat, and the bookwyrms fluttered from their hiding spots. “My life is still filled with secrets.”

Lira set her basket on the floor and watched as the tiny, winged creatures circled them overhead. “I guess you’re right.”

Iris snorted. “And these fellows aren’t even really my secret to keep. Your gran was the one who made them.”

Lira had raised her cup to her lips but now she almost dropped it. “She what?”

Iris flapped a hand, and a gaggle of bangles clanged on her wrist. “She was the mage, love. Not me. I forget what she was trying to create, but it wasn’t these.” Iris giggled. “She couldn’t keep them when she took you in, so here we are.”

“My gran cast creation spells?” Even though Iris had said she’d been a mage and had run with a crew, Lira had imagined her doing spells to open doors or start fires. Creation spells were both complex and frowned upon.

“She created that flutter-stoat of yours, although that was less of an accident.”

Now Lira did set her teacup down so she wouldn’t drop it. “My gran made Crumpet?”

Iris shook her head. “Not made so much as enhanced. Why do you think he’s so comfortable in a kitchen—and with you?”

Lira’s head reeled at this, although she’d known there was something special about the little creature, aside from the fact that he had wings.

Iris's skirt rustled as she crossed to Lira and took her hand. “Why are you really here, love?”

Something snapped inside Lira as the woman held her gaze with her soft green eyes. She knew those eyes so well. If there was anyone she could trust it was her gran’s best friend, the woman she’d run with, the woman who’d taken in a flock of enchanted bookwyrms to keep her gran’s secret safe.

“Her book.” The words burst from her as if they were the ones that had been trapped behind the stone wall. “The book where she kept all her recipes.”

Iris's dark brows rose slowly. “The leather one with the moonstone embedded in the cover?”

Lira bobbed her head up and down. “It was the only thing she left me that I wanted to keep safe, so I hid it before I left Wayside.”

Hurt flickered across Iris's face. “You could have left it with me.”

“There wasn’t time. I met up with my crew at The Tusk & Tail and it was either leave with them then or not go.” It was hard to think back to being so reckless, so impulsive, so wracked with grief that she couldn’t think straight. “I hid it where I thought no one would find it and where I could come back and retrieve it when I was ready.”

Iris's shoulder’s drooped. “You came back for your gran’s recipes.”

Lira shook her head. “That’s why I thought I returned, but I came back for more than that. I came back because I wanted to be where I was happy. But I wouldn’t have been happy if I’d stayed back then. I had to go away to become the version of me who can be happy here.” Lira took a breath and realized she was babbling. “Does that make sense?”

“Of course it does, love.”

It finally made sense to Lira too.

“So, you got the book? Your gran’s recipes?”

“That’s the problem. The place where I hid it in the tavern’s cellar is stoned over. That’s why I’m at The Tusk & Tail. I’m staying close until I can figure out a way to retrieve it.”

“Then you need some help.”

Lira started to wave her off, but Iris winked and steepled her fingers. “Two rogues are better than one.”