Page 8 of Howls & Harvest

“I... okay,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “I’ll help.”

Suzette squeals with delight, pulling me into a hug. “I knew you’d say yes. This is going to be amazing.”

Before I can process what I’ve agreed to, I’m swept out of the shop and into the bustling town square. Grizelda chatters excitedly about the feast’s history and traditions, but my mind is spinning too fast to absorb it all.

We arrive at the town hall, a grand building that seems to shimmer and shift when we approach. Inside, a crowd has already gathered. I recognize a few faces from my brief time in Evershift Haven, including Bella from the coffee shop, and Throk, the charming orc mechanic.

As we enter, a hush falls over the room. An elderly man with a long white beard and twinkling eyes steps forward. “Ah, Suzette, and this must be your sister, Candice. Welcome, my dear. I am Ambrosius Spellbinder, the mayor of Evershift Haven.”

I nod, suddenly feeling very small and out of place. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

He smiles warmly. “I understand you’ve graciously agreed to help us with our Thanksgiving feast.” News travels fast here...supernaturally fast, I guess. “We’re most grateful for your assistance.”

“I’ll do my best,” I say, my voice sounding small in the large room.

“Excellent.” Ambrosius claps his hands, and a scroll appears out of thin air. “Now, let’s go over the details. The feast is in three days, and we have much to prepare.”

As Ambrosius begins to outline the various aspects, my event planner instincts kick in. I pull out my notebook and start jotting down ideas and questions. Despite the magical elements, many aspects of planning this feast are familiar.

“We’ll need volunteers for various tasks,” says Ambrosius, scanning the room. “Ah, Ronan. You’ll help, won’t you?”

My head snaps up at the name. Ronan, the handsome lycan lumberjack I met yesterday, steps forward. He nods at me, creating a flutter in my stomach.

“Of course, Mayor,” says Ronan with a faint growl that’s always there. “I’d be happy to help.”

Ambrosius beams. “Excellent. You and Candice can work together on the sourcing the ingredients before handling decorations and setup. Caelan will handle the food preparation, of course.” He nods to a man with flaming red hair and literal flames in his eyes.

I wonder what kind of creature Caelan is. I swallow hard, suddenly very aware of Ronan’s presence. He nods at me with a small smile. “Looking forward to working with you, Candice.”

“Likewise,” I manage to say, hoping my voice doesn’t betray my nerves.

As the meeting continues, I can’t stop stealing glances at Ronan. His powerful frame stands out even among the other magical beings, and there’s an intensity to his gaze that both unnerves and excites me.

Suzette sidles up to me, a knowing grin on her face as she nudges me with her elbow. “Looks like planning this feast might be more interesting than you thought.”

I roll my eyes but can’t prevent the smile that spreads across my face. “Oh, hush. We’re just working together.”

She laughs. “Sure, sure. Just remember, in Evershift Haven, anything is possible.”

Leaving the town hall, I’m looking forward to all this with excitement and nervousness. Planning a magical Thanksgiving feast with a handsome lycan lumberjack is certainly not how I expected my visit to Evershift Haven to go, but as I look around at the twinkling lights and the smiling faces of the townspeople, I’m more excited than scared.

LATER THAT AFTERNOON, I meet Ronan in the center of town. “Throk’s latest creation. He calls it the Hover-Hauler. Shall we?” He drives us in his strange truck without wheels that mostly seems to drive itself, heading out of the town proper. I roll down the window, and the autumn air carries the scent of ripe apples and freshly turned earth.

“Where exactly are we going?” I ask, clutching my planning notebook in my hand.

He glances at me. “We’re visiting some of the local farms to gather ingredients for the Thanksgiving feast. Thought you might like to see where our produce comes from, and the mayor asked...”

I nod, taking in the scenery. The path is lined with trees whose leaves are a riot of reds, oranges, and golds. As we drive, I notice strange, shimmering patterns in the air, like heat waves on a summer day. “What’s that?” I point to the distortion.

Ronan follows my gaze. “Ah, that’s the magical barrier between farm plots. Keeps the different energies from interfering with each other.”

I blink, still not quite used to casual mentions of magic. “Right. Of course.”

We approach the first farm, a sprawling field of pumpkins stretching as far as the eye can see. The vines seem to move slightly, even though there’s no breeze.

“Welcome to Gourdian’s Patch,” he says, gesturing to the field. “Best pumpkins in Evershift Haven.” He laughs. “You should have seen the chaos last month when Grizelda accidentally enchanted them, and they ran wild.”

“Sounds...” I trail off, not sure I want that adventure.

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