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The walls.
Even the mossy floor has a bright orange carpet right in the center.
Rafferty gently sets me on the floor and wraps an arm around my waist to hold me up. “This is lovely, Falcon, thank you.”
He beams at me. “Ye’ are most welcome. And ye’ve come at a great time. We be celebrating tonight.”
“What are you celebrating?” Rafferty questions, mistrust evident in his tone.
Falcon does not appear the least bothered by it. “The return of our Rina,” he says happily.
“Who is Rina?”
His eyes go glossy, his expression wistful. “Rina is our hero. Our rescuer. She gave us this place, and we celebrate her return whenever she comes home.”
“She sounds lovely.”
“She is,” he says, pressing his hands to his chest. “Ye’ will find fresh clothes in the trunk in the corner and fruit on the counter.”
“Were you prepared for a guest?”
“No,” he says. “They readied it for ye’ as we were makin’ our way through the thicket.” Without another word, Falcon turns and zips out through the door, shutting it loudly behind him.
Rafferty and I continue staring at the door, whether out of shock, curiosity, or exhaustion—I’m not entirely sure I can narrow it down to only one. I mean, I’m standing in a cottage.
Inside a pixie village.
“I didn’t even realize this was here,” he finally says as he lifts me into his arms and carries me across the hut and toward a pallet of blankets and pillows in the corner. Then, he deposits me gently and sits down beside me.
“Really?”
“Truthfully, I’ve never thought much of pixies. Pests, that’s what we’ve always seen them as. They do nothing but procreate and steal food.”
“Seems to me they do a lot more than that,” I reply with a laugh.
Rafferty reaches into the waistband of his pants and pulls out the dagger Falcon had given him. Unease churns in my belly.
“Do you need to—” I ask, gesturing to his arm.
Rafferty shakes his head. “I’m feeling rather light at the moment, actually.”
“Yeah?”
He smiles at me. “Lighter than I have in—I don’t even know how long.”
It’s then I notice that the black band around his eyes has thinned. It’s nearly nonexistent now, and happiness blossoms in my chest. “The dark around your eyes, it’s nearly gone.”
His brow draws together. “What?”
“The black band around your irises. It’s gotten smaller.”
“Hmmm.”
“Hmmm? That’s all you have to say?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know how to react. It’s likely only temporary.”
“And that means we can’t be happy?” I ask, sitting up straighter to look at him.
