After years of searching for someone brave enough, Tupper Meadowsweet finds her at Pennyflax & Quince.
Tupper Meadowsweet is a young man by Flox reckoning, but he no longer fits in with his own people. Wild hair, stealthy grace, and foreign fashions make it obvious that he's lived with Pred since boyhood. In his own quiet way, he's been on the lookout for someone willing to follow him onto the legendary Moonlit Mountain. The last place he expected to find her was in his own hometown. Meanwhile, Master Freydolf faces the challenge of shaping his masterpiece while the Statuary's close-knit community deals with new additions, cross-cultural courting traditions, magical meddling, mixed ancestry, and kidnapping.
Excerpt:
Aurelius's eyebrows slowly arched. In a last ditch effort, he pressed into the girl's personal space and grumpily said, "Boo."
Freydolf knew from experience that this tactic usually sent women and children screaming, but the lass folded her arms over her chest and eyed Aurelius skeptically. The sculptor begged, "Stop trying to frighten the child!"
"Does she look frightened?" With a put-out expression, Aurelius demanded, "What's wrong with her?"
"Perhaps you're losing your touch?"
"Impossible. You may be considered a lesser evil, but I still possess the necessary charisma to send these simple folk skittering!"
"That's hardly something to be proud of," Freydolf muttered, giving the young lady an apologetic nod.
