Page 27 of Midwinter Wiles & Valerian Dreams
I considered running. Lumi convinced me to stay.
It’ll only look suspicious if you disappear now that everyone’s heard about you. Stay and help clean up. Then we’ll see where we are, shall we?
When I slunk back downstairs, I helped carry everything covered in soap outside where we sprayed them clean with the hose for the stable troughs. I’m fairly sure Daria’s mule was mocking me. By then, they’d shut the whole kitchen down to squeegee the rest of the water and soap out. The tavern will serve rolls and sandwiches from the bakery down the road tonight. Daria still hasn’t spoken to me, but she will.
And then I’ll be out on my ear.
Only guilt over the damage I caused keeps me here. Hope for anything more is pointless.
“You’re here to fix my mess?” I ask.
“Yep. Just your local friendly handyman.” He looks entirely too relaxed about the ordeal.
“You’re a handyman?”
“Right now I am. I’m whatever I need to be to earn a little more time here. Since apparently I need to ‘stay put’ for the kids.”
I exhale. “Well, maybe you can take my job when I get fired.”
A brief flash of fear crosses his eyes before he blinks it away, reminding me of his request earlier. Maybe having me act as his fiancée means more than I realized. But now more than ever, I can’t do that. I’m a complete disaster. I’ve already drawn more attention to myself than is smart for a princess in hiding. He shouldn’t want me anywhere near his family.
That wasmyface on that flyer.
My true face, not this one. Small mercies.
Lark gives me a lopsided smile. “I’m sure Daria won’t kick you out for one little broken pipe. This’ll take no time to fix. I’llhave it good as new before you know it.” He waves toward the sink, which a moment ago stood destroyed, but impossibly looks completely repaired already. Clean tiles gleam around a brand new fixture.
“What—?” My fingers reach out to touch, feeling nothing but smooth metal.
“See, it’ll look better than ever.”
“It already does. How did you do that?”
“Ah, well, looks can be deceiving.” With a wink, he nods to the sink that is a broken mess once again.
“Illusion magic.” I’m as surprised as I am impressed. “You did that so easily. I didn’t even see the magic weaving into place, or notice its edges. I felt it too! How could I feel it?”
“I have my talents,” he jokes. “And I can actually fix this for real too, not just with a pretty illusion to cover it up. Your job is safe.”
His reassuring hand on my shoulder means more than the words, and I soak in the comfort while I can. I can’t believe it will be that easy.
Where I come from, there are no second chances. With my spectacular record of failure so far, I’m way past third, fourth, and even fifth chances.
“I appreciate the thought, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Lark regards me carefully before he speaks. “You know, you might find we Wild Ones stick together more here in the Frozen Forests than, well…where you’re from.”
He says the last part while turning toward the sink, a shiny silver tool in his hand, and I can’t tell if the note ofknowingwas only in my imagination. I back up to lean against the counter opposite the dishwashing station, my thoughts racing.
He can’t know. If he did, he would already have claimed the thousand-purse bounty. Anyone would, and he needs it more than most.
He just means the Sundalands,I remind myself,where I told him I’m from.
When I changed earlier, I double-checked Lumi’s reflections, worried they might have slipped in the chaos of water and soap and torn clothes. Lark is obviously talented with illusions, meaning he might spot imperfections if there are any. But everything was perfect. I still look like one of them.
No, a man with seven mouths to feed wouldn’t pass up the fortune offered on that flyer, so he doesn’t know. Any Point Fae worth their ears would claim that prize whether they needed it or not.
He’s different, isn’t he?Lumi muses, as if reading my mind.
