Page 7 of Lady Tamsyn and the Pixie's Curse
“Oh.” Tuft looked wistful. “That did feel good. Do you think she’ll do itagain?”
“No! For many reasons, but largely because, while that laugh did you a fair bit of good, I believe it didherharm.”
“A pixie’s laugh? Not likely. Now, if I had snapped my fingers at her I could have turned her nose green or marooned her cow inatree.”
“This time the laugh did worse. It might even have cost hertruelove.”
Tuft gazed calmly at him even as he raised a hand and conjured an enormous rose hip. Tossing it over the side to Jump, he asked, “Been spyingagain,eh?”
Paul flushed and ignored the squeal of delight that was rapidly followed by audible chewing. “Well, what else am Itodo?”
“Fairenough.”
“She seems a nice girl. Good-hearted. I was thinking that perhaps you might wish torepayher.”
“Repay her? Ahuman?”
“Yes. You know that laugh cleared that leaching mine in an instant. It would have taken you and the rain and the West Wind decades to render itharmless.”
“True enough,” Tuftagreed.
“Yet it cost herdearly.”
“She cost herself that young man’s regard when she refused toseehim.”
Paul’s brow rose. So the pixie had been paying attention. “She thoughthehad laughedather.”
“Oh.” The curmudgeonly old sprite sent another rose hip over the side and then sat up straight. “Very well, then.” He cupped his hands and began to roll them around a growing ball of light. It spit and sizzled, increasing in size until Tuft lifted it high and blew on it. It drifted off then, still sparkling as it moved in the direction of thecastle.
“Whatwasthat?”
“The payment.Theboon.”
“Whatboon?”
“You said I owed her.” Tuft paused, his focus off in the distance. “There. It’s found her.It’sdone.”
“What’s done? Whatwasit?”
“Exactly what sheneeded.”
“Tuft!”
“I gave a gift—the ability to see the truth in a man—so she won’t make the same mistaketwice.”
“Oh, dear,”saidPaul.
Tuft shrugged. He sprang down from the top of the mound. “Come on, Jump. Time for bed. We’ve got a dragonfly truce to brokertomorrow.”
Paul watched them enter the barrow, then began to drift back towards the castle. He had the feeling things were about to get very interesting around there in the nextfewdays.
