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The girl strolled from the northern field, carrying a wicker basket filled with an assortment of small trinkets. She moved up to the fence, taking casual note of the area, and just as Lily let her guard down, Ivy snatched her sunglasses and bounded out of reach.
Lily cursed as she grabbed air, watching her hide behind the tree line in a blur of messy disobedience. Gods, keep me sane, and I swear on my future lives I’ll never complain about Luka again.
In the midst of her irritated grumbles, Ivy returned, lifting her prize high.
“You don’t want them back?” she asked.
“No.”
“But”—Ivy pointed to the setting sun—“you need them.”
Lily shifted so her back was to the star.
“You’re supposed to chase me!”
“Why would I do that?”
“He won’t give me my prize if you don’t.”
Lily frowned. “Which he?”
“Y’know. The green-eyed boy you came with. If I bring you back, he promised me he’d get me a piece of carrot cake from town later.”
A smile she couldn’t help crossed her lips. “In that case, I’m definitely not going.”
“You have to! If you don’t I’ll, I’ll…”
Lily’s frown deepened, though not at Ivy’s behavior. The sleeves of her dress covered her arms, but its ripped edges didn’t reach her calves. Not to mention her bare, red with chill feet, unkempt hair, and dried hands…
“I’ll tell Mistress Ava what you did! She won’t be happy because you made the hoppers unhappy.”
What in Dabria’s name was she talking about? “Hoppers?”
Ivy pointed behind Lily, toward the blackened, withered field. “Even if I fill their bowl up, they’ll be sad, and they won’t glow. I’ll have to—”
“Alright, alright. Slow down a minute.” Glowing animals reacting to an aura reminded her of a certain stalking creature. “What do they look like?”
“They’re small, like rabbits, but they’re gold and have horns on their head.”
Lily rapped a knuckle against her lips. “Horns, huh?” Where had she seen that before?
Ivy bristled as if she took Lily’s musing as disbelief. “I can prove it.”
“How?”
“I have a book with a picture.”
“Can I see it?”
Ivy shook her head hard. “You’re being mean to me.”
Lily snickered. “You’re being mean to me too.” Ivy crossed her arms and turned her back to her. The basket she carried tipped in Lily’s direction, and inside, she caught the gleam of coins jumbled up in the nonsense. “I can trade you something for it.”
Ivy cocked her head over her shoulder. Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out the small bag of copper she earned selling the old-world rifle in Gridian. Ivy beamed, waving her back to the manor. Lily kept an air of kindness returning to the house, giving the girl her jacket when she realized her frustration with Ivy belonged with the egocentric widow.
Rolling up the sleeves of Lily’s cropped leather jacket, Ivy stopped at the corner near the back patio to pluck a weed and a stale dinner roll from her basket. She dropped them into a little silver dish atop other moldy food, dried flowers, and coins.
“What’s all this?” Lily asked.
