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“Go ahead. We’ll pay the extra. I don’t want to deal with changing anything now.”
I signed off on the change. Pleased, she immediately called her supplier and told them to go with the crab. I finished off the two rolls, melting at the smooth yeasty flavor, and—saying goodbye—headed out.
* * *
We wereat Rowan’s promptly at six-thirty, rolls in hand. Killian had spontaneously decided to buy an apple pie, so we had that as well. Tarvish let us in.
He was big and burly, with horns that looked like they could gore any opponent. He was also a soft-hearted lout who had done his best to learn proper manners, and he made Rowan laugh—andfrom what I understood—gave her the best sex of her life. I didn’t ask for details about that, but it made me happy to know that he kept her engines running.
“Come in,” he said, stepping aside so we could get through the door. “Oh, that smells good,” he exclaimed, taking the bag with the pie and rolls in it from me. He peeked inside. “Yum. Are those croissants?”
I shook my head. “Really good dinner rolls.”
Tarvish set the bag on the table, then he and Killian promptly retired to the basement where he had managed to convince Rowan to install a pool table. I joined my grandmother in the kitchen, giving her a peck on the cheek as I entered. As much as I knew Rowan cared, she wasn’t effusive with her affection.
“The guys went down in the basement,” I said, picking up a piece of celery from Rowan’s cutting board and biting into it. “We brought rolls and an apple pie.”
“Good. I’m making potato sausage soup for dinner, so the rolls are perfect. I didn’t have time to make biscuits. I also made a cucumber tomato salad and I bought ice cream for dessert, which will complement the pie.” She handed me the spoon. “Make sure the sausage doesn’t burn while I run to the bathroom, please.”
I watched over the sausage, onion, and herb mixture. The potatoes were already boiling, and Rowan had already grated the cheddar cheese. Everything smelled wonderful, and in the cozy kitchen, it smelled even better. I stirred the meat, watching it caramelize along with the onions. A few moments later, Rowen returned and took over the cooking again. I sat on a stool next to the center island.
“So, what did you need to tell me?” I asked.
She glanced over at me as she turned off the burner and set the skillet to the side. As she drained the potatoes and added half of them to a blender, along with a quart of half and half and a quart of milk, then hit the puree button, she sighed.
“First—and the biggest problem—is that I received a sobering notice from the Order of the Moon.”
I stiffened. “They have a problem?”
“Oh, there’s aproblem,but it’s not just theirs. At first they thought it was just a rumor, but their spies checked it out and it turns out, it’s more than a rumor. The Covenant of Chaos has sent one of their more dangerous agents to Moonshadow Bay, to work undercover in rebuilding the organization here.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“His name is Mills McFarland. He’s a powerful chaos magician, and the Order of the Moon has charged us with finding him and…either capturing him or eliminating him.”
I sat very still. “Eliminating him? Are you joking?”
“No,” she said. “He’s extraordinarily dangerous, January. And he’ll take any advantage to destroy as much of the Crystal Cauldron as he can. He’s killed before, and he’ll kill again.”
Rowan poured the puree into the potato soup pan and added the sausage, and then she began dicing and adding the remaining cooked potatoes. Finally, she added the cheese, a big dollop of butter, and some paprika and lemon pepper. She set the flame under the pot and began to leisurely stir it as the soup heated.
“Does Millie know about this?” I asked, thinking about what we were facing.
“Unfortunately, this is too important to leave up to the police. You know that we answer to the Order of the Moon. We—the coven—watch over Moonshadow Bay. We’re the only line of defense between the Covenant of Chaos and the townsfolk.”
I thought for another moment. “Why can’t they send in a spy? What about Marquette—you told me she’s back working with them. Wasn’t she a spy for them?”
“She was,” Rowan said, nodding. “But if she shows up here, he’ll immediately recognize her. I can guarantee that anyone higher up in the Covenant of Chaos knows who she is.”
“So we have to tread carefully on this. What do you plan on doing? What should we do?” It would be up to Rowan how we dealt with this.
“I don’t know yet. I’m still formulating ideas,” she said. “Can you call Killian and Tarvish up for dinner?”
I poked my head down the stairs to the basement. “Dinner’s almost ready. Get up here if you want food!” Then I helped Rowan carry the soup to the table. It was already set with soup bowls and bread plates. I brought in the butter and popped the rolls in the microwave for a few seconds to heat them up again.
As we sat down, waiting for the guys, I asked, “What’s the other issue, if the Covenant of Chaos is the first problem?”
“Second issue: Something’s up with Daya.”
