“Come back to bed,” murmured Julian. “The sun is out. We can wait for it to melt. I’ll help you with the cakes when we get back. There’s no hurry.”
He had a point there, and the idea of spending a few hours with him under the blankets in the cozy cabin wasn’t exactly unappealing.
Charlotte crawled back into bed. There was no need to hurry now that she had help.
They awoke again hours later to the sound of thunder.
No, not thunder. The thundering sound of footsteps.
“The spriggan!” said Charlotte. “He can help us make it down the mountain.”
“The what now?”
“It’s a tree monster of sorts. It’s friends with my brother. Well, it tried to kill him. But only the one time. Come on, get dressed.”
Charlotte attempted to explain more as they dressed, but Julian remained fairly skeptical until they were outside.
“Mr. Spriggan! Mr. Spriggan, sir!” called Charlotte. Keir hadn’t told her how to address it; she didn’t want to be rude.
She couldn’t see it, but she could see the shaking branches and the snow and ice falling from trees where he walked. He was very close.
“Ah, humans. Or something like them,” he said when he approached, sensing Charlotte’s magic. “What do you need from the forest?”
“We need your help getting down the mountain. We’re making the cakes for Keir and Alison’s wedding. Or we’re meant to, but Julian’s hurt, and we need a lift. Can you help us?”
“Ah yes, the wedding. I’m going there too. Come along, little humans.”
The spriggan was already taller than Charlotte had expected, but he grew even taller until reaching down to pick up Julian was nothing.
Julian yelled as the spriggan threw him over his shoulder. “Oh Gods! Please don’t eat me!”
“This human is strange, sister of Keir,” said the spriggan. “He thinks I am carnivorous.”
“He’s just frightened. Julian, it’s okay! Are you okay?”
It took Julian a little time to respond, but he finally yelled down something that was sort of like a “yes.”
“Would you like a lift too?”
“Yes, please,” said Charlotte. She would have been fine walking in the melting snow, to be honest, but it just seemed like great fun to ride on the spriggan’s shoulders down to the village.
And it was.
Chapter Nineteen
STAG NIGHT
Keir
Keir had just found out Charlotte had been missing when she returned.
The entire town had come out into the street to see the arrival of the spriggan, and Keir had almost missed her in his rush to get up the mountain after her.
“She’s there, Keir, look!” Alison was pointing to the spriggan’s shoulder, and sure enough, there was his sister, smiling and waving down at the crowd like royalty.
“And is that…Julian?”
Julian was clinging to the spriggan’s neck, a branch wrapped around his waist, holding him upright.
