“It is fine, Lace I know it looks bad, but the stitches are imbued with magic for faster healing. The wound will be mostly gone in another week.” I glance towards the prince again and he raises an eyebrow at me.I will thank him later.
“Fine. I am glad we are all back together at least. Where are the other villagers?”
“They are resting. This village is mostly nocturnal,” The prince supplies.
“Yes. That is why the cottages are placed in little clusters like this.” Sam points to the closest cluster of cottages. “They tend to stay inside during their waking hours, as the night around here can be dangerous, but that does not mean they are anti-social. Quite the opposite in fact. They use these clusters to stay connected with close friends and host each other. When they are able to get out, play, collect food, and forage for essentials, they etch little drawings into their buildings to stay connected to those they may not be currently hosting and to warn each other of future events.”
Future events?“The person we are going to stay with is not currently hosting friends though, right?”
“Of course not,” the prince mumbles.
Sam rolls his eyes. “Not for a few months, luckily. They rotate.”
“Oh...” My stomach growls a little once more. I decide to shift the subject. “Did you say something about dinner?” I try to keep the hope from my voice.
A smile touches the prince’s lips, but Sam replies. “The family of the little one has been awakening right at nightfall to ensure we have a hearty dinner. We have told them many times it was unnecessary, but they seem to insist, citing their love for guests and gratitude. We are not going to refuse to eat it as that would insult the family and the food is rather tasty.”
“Oh... will they mind us joining? I do not want to intrude, and I have found my encounters with the people of this land thus far have been... not the most pleasant.”
Sam smiles. “Yes, Lace. I had a feeling we might bump into you today. Call it lucky intuition. I asked if they could prepare some extra food just in case and they already have agreed.”
“Oh.”
Sam makes a noise in the back of his throat, a mix between a laugh and a snort.
“Are we going or not?” the prince asks, his form already obscured by the shadows of the surrounding skeletal trees.
“Yes, of course, let’s go,” Sam says, leading us through the village.
We all make our way through the half-constructed walls and through the village, until we come to a cluster of small cottages. The prince and Sam walk up to a pretty pastel blue one and knock gently on the door. Some time passes and a sleepy older woman opens the door. When her eyes land on the prince and Sam’s faces her body language brightens.
“Come in, come in!” she says in a musical tone.
The men smile and walk inside, but Sorin and I hesitate.
She gives us a warm smile. “So, you did bring guests!” she calls out over her shoulder. She beckons us inside. “You are welcomein, please do not just stand out here it is going to get chilly and by the look of your red noses it does not look like you are much built for the cold.”
We give her small smiles but walk into her home. It is a cozy place with a fire casting the living room in a warm glow. A little girl plays by the fire with some carved toys. She is enraptured in whatever story her imagination is conjuring up. So much so she barely notices there are new guests within her home. The girl cannot be any older than six years old. She has deep blue curly hair that is tipped with a pretty silver and thick eyelashes frame pretty teal eyes that are stark against her pale skin. Her tiny voice moves through the room jingling in much the same way as her mother’s.
I inhale. The home smells absolutely amazing. Although I do not recognize the scents exactly, it smells like some kind of stew. My stomach lets out another pitiful growl and I cover it, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.
The older woman laughs, a warm sound. “Looks like someone is hungry! Good thing I made plenty. Hayford is finishing up with the food in the kitchen, feel free to make yourself at home. The boys can show you to your rooms. We have tunnels to two of the cottages outside. I have you in a room with that one over there,” she points her finger towards the prince, then lowers her voice in a conspiratorial tone. “He refused to give me his name that one! But as he had helped in saving my girl Lyza, I figured I would let it slide.” She raises her voice back to a level where everyone can hear her. “He said you two are getting married soon! I hope you don’t mind sharing. The room only has one bed, but I figured it might be better you share it with him than anyone else.” She gives me an impish smile. She goes to walk off before pausing in her steps. “Oh, how rude of me! My name is Sylvie. Make yourself at home. I will go fetch some food.” Then she walks off with a flourish.
My stomach has dropped to my toes at this point, and I spare a minute to shoot my gaze towards the prince, but he is already staring at me with a smirk on his face. When he catches my gaze, he raises his brows at me. Holding back a groan, I look away and watch Sylvie as she starts passing out the bowls of stew with a man I assume to be her husband. After they finish serving us, they scoop the little girl up in their arms causing her to squeal before they leave us to our meal.
We eat. The stew is fantastic. It has many vegetables and meats with the perfect amount of seasoning, and I cannot help but make noises of contentment throughout. Although the fruit and meat Sorin procured throughout our travels had been nourishing enough we did not die, there is not much in the way of seasoning out in the middle of the woods and the flavors had been a bit lacking. Once I am finished scarfing down my food, I look up to see the men’s eyes on me. I blush under their gaze.
“Sorry,” I say a bit under my breath. Before they can reply, Sylvie breezes back into the room and collects our bowls.
“It is getting late for you all and you look quite exhausted,” she says with motherly reproach, giving me a pointed look. “I think it is time you head off to bed.”
We acquiesce and split up to head to our cottages.
Chapter twenty-six
Tiny Beast
Alaceandra
