I woke to an unusually bright blast of light from between the curtains. Had I overslept? Next to me, Seraphina still slept. She looked beautiful with her tousled hair half covering her face as she lay on her side. I rolled out of bed and dressed quietly, not wanting to disturb her.

The night before, it had begun to snow, and a passing caravan had become stuck in the drifts. At least a dozen men and women had put on warm gear and gone out to help them get unstuck. I knew this because I had been one of them. The group had decided to stay the night, so we had been open late, serving hot meals and plenty of drinks.

I quietly got up and peeked outside to see why it was so bright. I discovered that the entire village of Everspring was blanketed in at least six inches of snow. After stretching and shaking off the soreness about to sink into my muscles, I leaned over and kissed Seraphina's head, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla and lavender.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she mumbled, "Coffee. Stat."

I grinned. "Anything for my lady."

She smiled sleepily, and we shared a few tender kisses before I headed downstairs to make a strong cup for the both of us. In the tavern's main room, I found Lady Churl sitting at a table, staring at her special murder-chef knife with a forlorn expression.

"Morning, Lady Churl. Is everything okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Nah. Ain’t nothin' important. Old stuff," she muttered, not meeting my gaze.

"Old stuff? What do you mean?"

Lady Churl shrugged.

"It was him, wasn't it? What did he do?" I asked Lady Churl.

"Ain’t nuffin to get worked up over. Goblins used to have a tradition on this day. Like I said. Reckon ain't nothin' important."

"Come on, Lady Churl. At least tell me what this tradition was."

Lady Churl shoved her murder-chef knife into her beat-up sheath and stood up from the table. "The tradition what’s called The Festival of Words and Bones. Got banned a long time ago by you know who. It's ancient history. I’ll get some hot water on the stove."

“Lady Churl, when was the last time you participated in this festival?"

“S’been a long time, boss. Right long time. I'll be okay. Just caught me a case of the melancholies. I'll make me some mushroom tea."

"Relax. I'll get it. I need to make coffee for me and Seraphina anyway."

"Fine. Good. I'll see 'bout that cat. Morth's probably up to no good."

“Probably." I nodded

After procuring coffee, I went upstairs to see how Seraphina was doing. She had refreshed herself in the bathroom and was putting on clothing.

“Caught you with your pants down. Lucky me,” I said and closed the door with my hip since I was carrying two mugs of hot coffee.

"Did you see the snow out there?"

"I did. It's beautiful."

Seraphina finished slithering into her trousers and took the coffee. I gave her a quick rundown of what I had just learned downstairs.

"That is unfortunate. Lady Churl is a kind soul. I wish we could help her in some way."

“I agree. She has a little bit of a sweet tooth, and there is a new recipe I’ve been wanting to try, in case we do any morning events.”

“You had me at anything to do with breakfast.”

My answering smile was genuine. "I’m glad you enjoy my cooking. You might like this dish a lot, and maybe it will cheer up Lady Churl."

Seraphina picked up a wooden hairbrush, sat on the edge of the bed, and ran it through her hair while she sipped coffee from the mug with her other hand. "What's the dish?"

"Something I’ve wanted to try for mornings just like this.”

"Okay, Mr. Mysterious," Seraphina said, her head turned to the side while she brushed her hair a few more times.

"How does a plate of gingerbread pancakes sound?"

"Oh, my goodness. That sounds absolutely delightful. Let me finish getting ready, and I'll meet you downstairs in a few."

I leaned over, kissed Seraphina, and moved a lock of dark hair from across her forehead.

"See you soon." I headed back downstairs.

This recipe called for a flat griddle. I opened the vent and added a little more wood, then waved a plate in front of the flames to get them roaring before gathering up the ingredients.

First up were six thick slices of bacon. As the griddle warmed, and the bacon began to sizzle, it would be my cue that the flat top was hot enough for the pancakes.

The bacon cooked as I began mixing the ingredients for the gingerbread pancakes. I combined roughly a teaspoon of ground ginger and cinnamon in a bowl, followed by a quarter teaspoon of powdered cloves and a pinch of salt. To this, I added a few cups of flour and whisked everything together until the spices were evenly distributed.

Next to the griddle, I placed a separate bowl and dropped in a few teaspoons of butter, allowing it to melt. Once the butter had liquefied but wasn't too hot, I poured in a generous helping of dark molasses I had picked up at the market a week ago. The rich, earthy aroma filled the kitchen as I cracked four eggs into the mixture and added the milk. I sprinkled in a few teaspoons of dark sugar and whisked vigorously until all the ingredients were well incorporated and the liquid looked like a milkshake. Smelled like heaven.

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As the griddle continued to heat, I gradually stirred the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, being careful not to overmix. From experience, I knew leaving a few small lumps in the batter would result in fluffier pancakes.

With the batter ready, I added a pat of butter to the hot griddle so it could melt. As it foamed up, I used a ladle to pour the batter onto the surface, forming large, round pancakes—the kitchen filled with gingerbread's warm, comforting scent as the pancakes cooked.

I flipped the pancakes with a spatula, revealing golden-brown undersides. Now crispy, I set the bacon on a plate lined with a cloth to absorb the excess grease.

As I continued to cook the pancakes, Seraphina descended the stairs. "Varix, this smells incredible," she called warmly. "It reminds me of other times."

I looked through the doorway and smiled at Seraphina.

Lady Churl emerged from the back room with Morth cradled in her arms. The little cat's nose twitched at the aromas. "Well, ain't that a pleasant smell. What cha makin’, boss?”

I stacked a pair of pancakes on a platter and added bacon. "Seemed like you needed a little comfort food," I said. "And I figured gingerbread pancakes might hit the spot."

Seraphina helped me set the table as Lady Churl went to mix up the mushroom tea I hadn’t had time to make yet.

I returned to the kitchen, took down a small pitcher of maple syrup, and brought it to the table.

We sat down and dug into the gingerbread pancakes. The molasses, ginger, and cinnamon flavors melded with the maple syrup, and the bacon added the perfect amount of salt to offset the sweetness.

"Boss, these are fine and delicious," Lady Churl said between bites. "Thank ya."

Seraphina nodded in agreement and said, “This brings back happy memories.”

I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. I wished I could spend the rest of the day with my two ladies, but fate had other ideas. The door burst open, and Milo, my sous chef in training, poked his head inside. He wore a wool hat, and his head was sprinkled with snow.

"Mr. V. Another caravan got stuck out on the road. Can you help? They mentioned your name."

"They?" I asked.

"Just come, Mr. V." Milo pulled his head back and closed the door.

We were done eating, and Lady Churl had bussed the plates back to the kitchen. She poked her head out the window, looked at Milo, shook her head, and returned to the kitchen, muttering, "S'too cold for my bones."

“Alright. Give me a minute,” I said, and wondered why me. After the gingerbread pancakes, I only wanted to go back to bed with Seraphina for an hour.

With a sigh, I went upstairs to tell Seraphina the news, informing her that I needed to lend a hand again.

“If you need any help, come back and get me. I have a few gems that may assist. In fact…" Seraphina picked up her leather pouch, unsnapped the top, and dug around inside. Gems rattled against each other like marbles. She pulled out a small red gem streaked through with orange and cupped it close to her mouth.

Seraphina closed her eyes and muttered a few magical words. The gem glowed warmly through her hands. She held it out to me and said, "Put this in your pocket. It will keep you warm out there."

"Thank you, Seraphina." I grinned and took the glowing gem. As soon as I held it, a warm glow enveloped me. "This is amazing."

"Enjoy it. The spell won't hold for long, unfortunately. I'm still perfecting it, but we have so few winter days here."

"You'll make a fortune if you perfect them. Smart, talented, and gorgeous. How did I get so lucky?"

"You can cook, and you make comments like that." She laughed.

I was glad for the added heat, so I put on my thickest jacket and comfortable waterproof boots before setting out. After one last kiss, I headed back downstairs.

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I tromped through the freshly fallen powder, following the furrows left by a few hand carts that had already passed this way.

As I made my way to the palisade, I quickly spotted the problem. A pair of wagons were stuck on the main road, now blanketed in snow. To my surprise, a group of goblins were already working hard, trying to dig them out.

Doan, the apprentice blacksmith, a burly former warrior from the recent war, was also helping, along with some other townsfolk and a few town guards.

I approached them and asked, "What happened?"

Doan looked over his shoulder and waved at me. My other friends did the same. "Morning, Varix. One of the wagon's wheels broke," Doan explained. "We need to clear enough space to remove and fix the wheel."

"How can I help?" I called back as I stomped through the snow toward them.

"Just need a hand digging this out, is all. Appreciate you coming out. Someone was asking about you."

Suddenly, a familiar face popped up. It was a goblin with short dark hair pasted from the snow to the side of his head. He was dressed in warm leather outer garments and thick boots. The goblin exclaimed, "Oi! Is that Varix? Reckon it is you!" His voice was raspy and barely deeper than Lady Churl's voice.

I realized who it was and shouted out a greeting, "Bleek! Good to see you! What brings you to Everspring?"

Bleek grinned, displaying his sharp teeth. "We was just passing by. Didn't expect no snow. Ain't had any like this in years. Wagon wheel broke. Left us good and stuck."

I went to greet Bleek, and I was happy to see him. He'd been one of the first customers to try my spicy stew, and had even set up a wagon to sell it. I had agreed to allow it as long as he kept my name on it as my signature dish. I'd hoped it would be a form of viral marketing, but to the best of my knowledge, no one had ever come to Shadow's Respite seeking out my food due to the referral.

I chatted with Bleek while we helped clear a path for the wagon repair. He was in good spirits, and his friends were, as well. I asked him about the festival Lady Churl had mentioned as we worked.

He stopped, leaned against the shovel's handle, and said, "Is today that day? Reckon‘tis. Been a long while since we had that kinda cheer."

"I understand the tradition was banned long ago, and I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me more about the Festival of Words and Bones?"

Bleek gave me a rundown of the process. I listened and took mental notes. The festival had several distinctly goblin customs, but Dark Lord Morthisal had banned it, feeling that goblins were meant to work, not to have fun. I felt like it was my duty as Lady Churl's friend to bring back the festival.

"So, Bleek, how would you and your friends feel about having the festival at my tavern if I got the items together? It's just a few minutes walk from here."

"Wossit? Really?" he asked, scratching the side of his head.

"It would be my honor."

"Reckon it'd be fun. Ain't done nothin' like that in a long time. Let's see what them others think."

Bleek called out in goblin, and a couple of his friends popped up from the other side of the wagon where they'd been moving snow into piles. They chattered together and came to a consensus based on their smiling faces.

"Yeah. Reckon we're in, but there's a few things we gonna need. Can they be got in the village?"

"I don't see why not. Please give me a list. Oh, and one other thing, Bleek. Let's keep this a secret from Lady Churl, okay? She's one of my best employees and one of my best friends, for that matter. I would like to surprise her with the festival."

"Oh, Churl's gonna be surprised." Bleek chuckled. He turned and pointed at an older goblin. She stepped forward and spoke in her guttural language. Bleek pointed at her and translated. "That's Churl's cousin Crilla. She ain't seen the old goblin in a long time."

Crilla chattered and nodded at Bleek.

"What did she say?"

"She said she ain't sure we can pull this off. Lookin' like things is about to get real dark soon. It's the shortest day of the season, and look," Bleek turned and pointed at the sky.

I followed his finger and blanched. The sky was indeed growing darker as huge, plump gray clouds rolled toward us.

"More snow," I muttered.

"Ain't just more snow. 'Bout to be a proper blizzard."

"Then we don't have much time left." I blew out a sigh. "We're going to have to work fast if we want to pull this off."