Page 11 of The Lone Wolf Café
My throat immediately went dry. Not only was I unsure if I was allowed to go into the ice elemental’s domain, there was still rapidly melting snow sprayed all over the floor from the earlier storm.
“I see you found my portal,” Rowena commented. Her tone was so flat and her face so neutral I couldn’t tell if she was upset.
“I… uh… yes, I did.” I held up the stick of butter in my freezing hands. “I needed butter for the scones.”
Rowena nodded, though her face was still hard as stone. There wasn’t the slightest hint of a smile or acknowledgment that what I did was okay.
“The uh… ice elemental was nice,” I continued, scrambling to break the tension. “He was very helpful with finding the ingre–”
“She.”
I froze, my train of thought derailed by the interruption. “Sorry, what was that?”
“The ice elemental is female. Her name is Fritzi. Did you give her a treat after she led you to the ingredients?”
A… treat?
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean. Were there—?”
My voice trailed off as Rowena briskly walked past me and tossed open the portal door. Fritzi was still waiting on the other side, wagging her tail like an eager puppy.
“Mount Katahdin has been unusually snowy for October,” Rowena remarked, peering out at the freezing white landscape as if it were an enchanted forest.
Mount Katahdin?I didn’t know much about the mainland, but I did know Katahdin was the tallest mountain in Maine.No wonder it’s so freaking cold.
Rowena turned around, and I noticed there was a shelf on the interior part of the door. I watched as Rowena grabbed a dog-bone-shaped piece of ice from a box and tossed it to the little elemental, who happily devoured it in a few crunching bites.
I felt like crap. Fritzi had been waiting, expecting a reward for her hard work, and I’d shut the door in her face.
“It’s fine,” Rowena said nonchalantly as she closed the door. I noticed she’d hardly flinched at the cold, despite wearing less clothing than me. “Just remember next time. Anyway, I came in here because I forgot to give you this.”
Rowena walked over to me, stopping so close I could smell the lavender perfume radiating off her. It was intoxicating, and I leaned in closer as she opened her closed fist and a bright burst of light shot out.
Her hand… it’s on fire.
I gasped, and Rowena chuckled faintly at my reaction.
“Relax.” She curled her fingers inward, and the flame that danced in her palm began to take shape. It twisted and turned,molding itself like clay, until the formless flames became a vibrant, curious little weasel.
A fire elemental.
It let out a low, guttural squeak, sniffing the air with its little glowing nose. Like Fritzi, this elemental had no eyes, yet I could practically feel it peering into my soul.
“His name is Mavro. You’ll need him to help you bake.” Rowena gestured toward the wood-burning stove. “There’s charcoal in the bin under the counter. Make sure you keep him fed.”
He eats charcoal?Between the portal and the elementals, I was learning so many new things it made my head spin.
Rowena extended her arm, gesturing for me to do the same, and Mavro leapt from her palm to mine.
I flinched at first, expecting him to be scalding hot. Instead, his flames were a pleasant, soothing temperature, like a warm blanket on a cold autumn night. Even as he sat still, curled up in my palm, his flames were ever-moving – glowing and dancing and flickering around his weasel form. Like Fritzi, he was enchanting to watch.
“He’s beautiful,” I remarked. I offered Mavro a finger, and he nuzzled his tiny mouse-like head against it. “But what do I do with hi–”
I heard the faintswishof a door closing. I looked up from the little fire elemental and realized Rowena was gone. She’d walked back to the front of the café without so much as a goodbye.
Weird.It seemed Rowena wasn’t one for social niceties.
I shrugged and turned around to face the woodstove. Mavro’s flames immediately burned brighter, and I could tell he was excited.
