Chapter 7
Tully
I t’s the night of the New Moon, so only the stars illuminate our walk to the Goat and Dragon, the tavern where we’ll dance the night away. It’s tradition to douse even the gaslights that normally dot the town. Laini and I wear the required owl masks, complete with feathers made of silk and wool. The midwinter festivities are headed up by Grumlin, but the rituals involved are older than anyone can remember.
Laini tightens her arm around mine and shivers. “Tell me the plan again.”
Her little dragonfox, Spark, and his dragonfox girlfriend, Moonpetal, fly overhead, their green dragon wings blocking the starlight. Their furry fox tails flutter in the cold wind and they each let out a flirtatious spark of flame at one another.
“We do some shots,” I explain to Laini, adjusting my mask. “We dance and enjoy the night just like we do every year. And then…” I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
Laini pulls the hood of her cloak over her golden hair. “I need more than the eyebrow wiggling.”
I roll my eyes and blow the end of an errant fake feather out of my mouth. “I will get him into a corner or dance close with him, and then I’ll steal his little magic rocks.”
“You shouldn’t make out with someone just to thieve their possessions. You do know that’s super wrong, correct? I have at least given you a semblance of an ethical compass, haven’t I?”
I snicker. “You’ve tried.”
“Tully,” she whines.
“Yes, yes. I am definitely a better person because of you. No lie. Honestly, I’d never do what I’m about to do except this is for the entire town’s, maybe the world’s, good! The minotaur is going to hurt someone if we let him keep on.”
“Rustion won’t take the stones?”
“No. I asked him again via letter and he quoted some stupid town bylaws.”
The snow crunches under our boots, and Spark and Moonpetal flit into a tree that stretches over the tavern.
Laini releases my arm and lifts her masked face to the dragonfox duo. “You two will be okay out here, right? It’s awfully cold.”
Spark coos and huffs a cloud of black smoke.
“All right then. I’ll see you in a few hours,” Laini says before turning back to me.
She looks at the tavern door like she’s trying to muster up the will to enter. Already, the conversation inside is loud and raucous. The large bells the males wear clang into the quiet night.
“Come on. You can leave early if you want,” I say. Laini isn’t the party type. This feral night isn’t really made for quiet folks like her. “I only need your backup for the first part of the plan. Rom is going to sit with him, right?”
“He said he would, yes. I didn’t tell him what you were up to.”
“Good. He would probably try the nice way and that would only alert Argos and make my job harder.”
“I don’t like this, Tully.”
“Did you see the market today?” I ask.
“Yes, Argos was putting on a show again with his illusions of an estate where unicorns galloped near a waterfall.”
I pretend to gag.
“So over the top,” Laini says.
I cut my eyes to her face, and even though she’s wearing a mask, I can tell she is fibbing to save my feelings.
“Look, if he keeps on, I will go out of business, Laini. I’ll have to move. Because I refuse to settle for selling to the customers he leaves for me like crumbs.”
“I know. He needs to stop. I agree with that…” She stares me down, her earnest eyes glittering through the holes in her mask. “You promise not to use your magic on him?”
I hold up a hand. “I swear it on my grandwitch’s grave.”
She nods. “I still don’t like this plan.”
“Well, I like it enough for the both of us. Now, come on.” I take her arm again and tug at her.
When we walk into the cacophony of folks singing and the heavy bells clanking from the backs of all the males, I see a set of bull horns and I grin. I’m going to get the best of this arrogant minotaur if it’s the last thing I do.