Page 61 of Tusks, Tails & Teacakes
Iris laughed. “She does veer into intolerable at some points.” She dropped the book on top of a pile then bustled to get the kettle andpour the archer a cup, flicking her gaze to Lira for a beat. “Your friend is quite the reader.”
Lira remembered that Cali loved nothing more than curling up with a thick book, and she’d always wanted to linger longest in villages that possessed a bookshop. “Isn’t your favorite genre pirate romance?”
Cali took the tea from Iris. “I might have devoured all the pirate books that have been written in The Known Lands, so I’ll read anything with rollicking adventure and a bit of romance.”
Iris turned to her shelves, running a finger across the spines of the books and muttering to herself about marauders and maidens. “You onlythinkyou’ve read all the pirate romance books.”
Lira eyed Cali, curious that the archer she’d run with had made such fast friends with Iris. She’d seen them chatting at the tavern, and if Cali had mentioned her fondness for books, Iris would have thought nothing of inviting her into her private library. Especially since she was a friend of Lira’s.
A part of Lira questioned why Cali was still in Wayside. She’d delivered her news. Was there another reason she was hanging around aside from wanting to see Lira?
Then she shook off that thought. Cali had been nothing but a loyal friend. If she’d been charmed by the village, who was Lira to judge?
“While you’re searching for buccaneer bodice-rippers, I’m going to pop into Pip’s for some breakfast and head back to the tavern.”
“See you later, love,” Iris said as she climbed up a wooden step-stool to reach a higher shelf.
“Grab an extra sweet roll for me,” Cali said.
Lira left the apothecary and stepped into the cool morning air, breathing in the smell of sugar. Then the back of her neck prickled in warning, and she swiveled her head. There was nothing but villagers meandering to the market and Tin shaking a rug in front of his shop next door.
“Morning!” the gnome said merrily, pausing his rug shaking as she passed.
Lira returned his greeting. “Good morning! I should thank you for the new coverlets for our beds.”
“You’re quite welcome.” Tin beamed at her. “Quite welcome indeed. There’s nothing like a pop of color or a bold floral to lift the mood.”
Lira smiled at him. To call the fabric a bold floral might have been an understatement.
“You girls are making that tavern into quite the draw. Quite the draw.” Tin tucked the rug under his arm. “One I can’t seem to resist.”
He ducked back into his shop, and she glanced around. The sensation of being watched had been banished by the cheerful conversation, but Lira rubbed the nape of her neck and walked faster.
Thirty-Five
“You know what’s strange?”Sass asked as Lira walked into the kitchen carrying a bag of warm lemon sweet rolls.
Lira eyed the dwarf feeding Crumpet a bit of leftover scone, his wings fluttering behind him as he hovered in mid-air. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”
Sass slid off the three-legged stool and took the bag Lira proffered, sticking her nose inside and inhaling greedily. “The smell of these rolls made me lose track of what I was saying.”
She took out a fresh roll, the lemon glaze slicking her fingers as she tore off a bite. Then Crumpet chattered at her and she tore the bite into two pieces and relinquished one to the wingedcreature.
“Since when are you two friends?” Lira took a roll from the bag and bit into it, her teeth sinking into the pillowy sweetness.
Sass shrugged. “I figure it’s best not to have an enchanted creature on your bad side.”
Aside from the wings and his impressive instinct for baking, Lira wasn’t sure how magical Crumpet truly was, but if it made Sass more accepting of the flutter-stoat, then she wasn’t going to argue.
Sass hoisted herself back onto the stool as she fed bites of sweet-roll to Crumpet between big bites of her own. “An unfortunate run-in with some water pixies in Eldu taught me that it’s better to make friends than enemies.”
“Well, I’m glad.” Lira smiled at Crumpet as he daintily licked his paws and tucked his wings close to his furry body. Then she swept her gaze around the kitchen, noticing several bowls not where she’d left them and one of the lower cabinet doors ajar. “Did you move things around while I was out?”
Sass wrinkled her brow. “Why would I do that?”
“You wouldn’t,” Lira said, telling herself that Crumpet could have opened the cabinet door and Durn could have wandered into the kitchen and moved the bowls, even though she didn’t believe either of those two things happened. She had the strangest sensation that someone had been snooping in her kitchen. “Rygor didn’t happen to visit, did he?”
Sass made a face. “Not when I’ve been here. Why?”
