Page 23 of Tusks, Tails & Teacakes
"That's my new assistant. Apparently he’s not a normal stoat.”
“I’d say not.” Sass eyed the creature warily, taking in his distinctivemask-like markings. “Beasts in the kitchen don’t seem right. Flying beasts in the kitchen are asking for trouble.” She finally released a grudging breath. “I suppose he does look the part of a bandit though. Fits right in with us, doesn't he?"
Lira opened her mouth, but Sass held up a hand. “I might be from The Ice Lands, but I’ve seen a rogue before. You were too good at creeping into the tavern to be anything else.”
Lira’s cheeks warmed as she tossed the animal one of the carrot tops and he caught it deftly in one paw. "I've decided to call him Crumpet."
Sass put a hand on her hip as her eyes flared. “We’re naming him?”
“He’s a flying stoat. Of course, I’m giving him a name. He also has a real instinct for pastry.”
“Magic?” Sass whispered the word as if the creature might transform into a dragon at any moment.
“Well, he does have wings.”
Sass waved a finger at him. “And those things aren’t normally winged?”
Lira had forgotten that The Ice Lands had very different animals. “I’ve never heard of one with wings.”
This made Sass suck in a quick breath. “You don’t suppose your apothecary friend made him like she made those baby book dragons?”
“The bookwyrms?” Lira shook her head. “If Crumpet was the result of one of Iris’s spells gone wrong, why is he running wild? Besides, Iris hasn’t cast any spells aside from the one that made the bookwyrms. She isn’t a mage.”
“If you say so.”
The stoat nibbled away, unbothered by the two females discussing him.
“As long as you don’t make up a pallet for him in our room.” Sass held up a stubby finger. “I refuse to share close quarters with a beast, even if he is wee and even if he can fly.”
“Agreed.” Lira suspected that the tavernkeeper would also object to a wild animal sharing their room. That was fine. She had a feelingCrumpet was good at fending for himself, although she worried about him being seen by those who weren’t as open to enchantments. “I’ll make up a place for him in the kitchen.”
Sass turned her attention fully to Lira. “While you were welcoming woodland creatures into the tavern, I was scrubbing those tables to within an inch of their lives. The floors have never been cleaner either, although I draw the line at mucking out the fireplace. There’s soot in there from previous generations.”
“Maybe that’s where the dead troll went,” Lira suggested, gaining her a dark look from Sass as the dwarf shuddered.
Lira wiped her hands on a dishrag and followed Sass from the kitchen and into the great room of the tavern. True to her word, Sass had scrubbed the tables until every sticky, congealed splotch of ale was gone and every stain buffed out. The floors gleamed and even the windows had been washed clean of the layers of grime and muck. No cobwebs hung in the corners and even the chandeliers had been polished. Gone was the pervasive odor of what Sass insisted was troll, replaced by a blend of soap and fresh air that wafted through the open windows.
Lira put a hand to the dwarf’s shoulder. “Sass, the place is almost unrecognizable.”
Sass shifted from one foot to the other, her cheeks mottling red. “Can’t exactly serve food in a place that’s filthy, can we?”
“Not if we want tips.”
Sass grinned at her. “Tips? I hadn’t thought about tips.”
“I’ll bet this job isn’t looking like a bad deal now, is it?”
Sass bobbled her head from side to side. “I’ve had worse.”
Lira gave her a teasing punch on the arm. “No time to rest on our laurels now. We have a dinner rush coming, well, hopefully one day.”
As she bustled back to the kitchen, she hoped Sass’s cleaning and her baking wouldn’t be for naught. Maybe a rush was too much to hope for so soon. Truth be told, she’d settle for a trickle.
Then she pushed through the swinging doors and her stomach dropped.
Fourteen
“Burningone batch of pies isn’t so bad.” Sass reassured her as they both stood staring at the pan of charred meat pies, the freestanding sides golden brown but the tops as black as the belly of a cauldron.
