A moment of awkward silence settled over the elders’ table. Though we were all clearly expecting an important conversation, everyone hesitated to be the first to speak.

  I wasn’t surprised when it was Hyel who broke the stalemate.

  “As good as it is to see you more often, Thorn, may I ask why you sought us out? What do you need?”

  The elf looked better than the last time I’d seen him. He hadn’t been physically suffering at the time, but he had been worried about Grafton, and it had showed.

  I briefly wondered what sort of relationship bound all of the elders before I shook my head and replied, “Why do you assume we need anything? We could be here just to visit.”

  “Thorn, in all the times you’ve entered this Hall since you left it to stay with Alys, not once have you come ‘just to visit.’”

  The elderly elf didn’t sound like he was criticizing me, but his observation did give me pause, especially when I realized he was right.

  Before I could respond, Yora spoke up. “There is also the matter of the new young one here. And all these worried looks Nasha has been giving us.”

  I felt my lips twitch into a half-smile. The beagle possessed many talents, but she was certainly not adept at concealing her emotions. At the moment, she truly looked like she was waiting for her own execution.

  Prompted by Yora’s attention, Nasha gathered her courage and blurted, “I-I’m here with Penelope to ask you to let her live here!”

  Her wide puppy eyes darted from one elder to another in an effort to gauge their reactions.

  Hyel let out a little sigh. Grafton opened his mouth, only to be poked in the side by Ferlis.

  “We would like a little more than that, dear,” Yora said gently. “And you should let your friend make the request herself. It is tradition.”

  “Oh. Um…”

  Nasha floundered. Pen did not.

  “Want stay,” the feline declared, then proceeded to hug Nasha’s arm and the blankets to her chest.

  The elders looked caught between confusion and amusement. Most of them, at least. Grafton was busy glaring and shoveling stew into his mouth, with no supplements in sight. I could only assume he’d eaten them all already.

  It was Kiri, of all people, who interceded.

  “Penelope is not yet adept at speaking our language,” the Winter fae explained. “She is learning quickly, though, and she understands everything that is said to her perfectly well.”

  How does she know that, exactly? I wondered, side-eyeing my fellow fae.

  She had helped Nasha hide Pen’s existence. She hadn’t hesitated to come into town and vouch for a stranger. And now, she was taking unusual initiative.

  I found the whole matter… interesting.

  “Is that so?” Hyel hedged. “And what skills would you propose to bring to this town, Penelope?”

  The lynx shrugged, then grinned, showing off all her deadly teeth and flexing her hands to let sharp claws peek out. “Hunt. Fight. Defend.”

  “Those are valuable skills indeed, but we already have quite a few people who can do the same,” the elf mused. “Is there any other way you might contribute?”

  Pen’s ears flicked back, close to her skull. Her eyes narrowed in displeasure as her grip on Nasha tightened.

  I felt the need to interject.

  “That is a fair question,” I began. “Yet, considering recent events, I believe everyone must agree that having more battle-ready townsfolk would be a boon. Furthermore, Alys and Kiri and I will all vouch for Pen’s acceptance. Nasha has already promised to take responsibility if the allowance is made.”

  I cringed a little on the inside for having slipped into Courtly speech once again, but I kept my attention squarely on Hyel.

  “That’s true,” Alys chimed in. Her tail tightened around my waist as she leveled a mild glare at the elders, like she was daring them to say no.

  Kiri nodded. “It is.”

  “I-I know it’s sudden, and unusual, but I promise you won’t regret it!” Nasha rushed to add, her hand gripping Pen’s. “Pen is going to be helpful, you’ll see! And she’s going to learn how to do a bunch of things soon, too!”

  “Mrrr. Food. Clothes. Make.” The feline poked the clothes she was wearing. She seemed rather proud of her outfit as she grinned happily at Nasha.

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  “That is certainly ambitious.” Yora sighed. “I don’t mean to offend anyone, but you must understand that we cannot make a decision like this lightly. We must ask for the details of how you met, at least.”

  Nasha stiffened and looked ready to panic. I was about to speak when Kiri’s voice rang out yet again.

  “I am in charge of this town’s security. You can trust me when I say that Pen is not a threat. She lost her family and her entire community quite recently, and wandered over to our part of the forest. In spite of this tragedy, she is both kind and generous. She has often shared her food with my familiars.”

  Hyel nodded. “I see. However —”

  “Here we are!” Arandel’s arrival cut off her grandfather’s comment. Beaming, the elven cook placed a large bowl of fresh cookies in front of Pen. I shifted in my seat as the scent of honey wafted through the air. “I hope you enjoy these! Oh, the fox says he’ll need another twenty minutes to finish cooking.”

  She didn’t look happy to be relaying messages for Ritsu, but her expression of this unhappiness was contained to a single haughty sniff, as if to say the superior cook had clearly proven her mettle by delivering her cookies first.

  The speed with which Pen snatched the bowl, put it on her lap, and stuffed a cookie into her mouth was impressive.

  “Hmph. Perhaps I’d feel inclined to let you stay if you shared, brat,” Grafton drawled.

  Pen’s only response was to stare straight into his eyes as she swallowed the first cookie and started devouring a second, her ears twitching happily all the while.

  I barely held back a snicker at the human elder’s expression as several cookies vanished in swift succession. Pen only took a break from delivering this solid impression of Grafton to offer a cookie to Nasha, pressing it against her lips until the blushing beagle accepted.

  Grafton suddenly resumed eating. His spoon moved so fast, I wondered if he considered himself in direct competition with the lynx.

  Hyel tried again. “Ah… as I was saying…”

  “Just let her stay,” my dragoness rumbled. “We can afford one more mouth to feed, and she’ll be useful. I think she’ll be staying with Nasha, too, so no need to worry about housing.”

  “I do believe my contributions to the town have given us a bit more flexibility with our resources,” I pointed out, watching as Pen paused her nibbling to press another cookie to Nasha’s lips. “We are not likely to starve. Besides…”

  I smirked and looked directly at Nasha. “Aren’t there allowances for spouses of current townsfolk?”

  The beagle was absolutely consumed by a blush. She managed to mumble something incoherent before turning and burying her face into the lynx’s shoulder.

  Hyel froze for a moment, then another sigh escaped him. “I… yes. Very well. Penelope can stay, provided that Nasha takes responsibility for her and that she causes no disruptions to the town.”

  “Won’t,” the lynx purred.

  Any lingering doubt that she did understand us fully was squashed when I saw the brilliant smile she now wore.

  “What a perfect resolution!” The voice came from directly behind me, which almost made me do something rash. “And I am here to make it a little more special.”

  Leaning down next to me, pressing so close that it might have been suggestive if I didn’t know he was already pining after Kiri, Ritsu laid a plate in front of me and another in front of Alys. My dragoness glared at the kitsune, but was swiftly distracted by the plethora of meats arranged beautifully on her plate.

  I was startled to see what he had prepared for me. Instead of the meat dishes I’d grown accustomed to while living with Alys, the plate contained only mushrooms and vegetables. I felt a pang of worry when I spotted some that could be toxic when prepared incorrectly. I wouldn’t have put it past the kitsune to hint in such a manner that he had discovered my background…

  Then I recognized the dish.

  It was something I’d eaten only a few times, on the rare occasions when my mother decided to prepare a meal for me herself. I could smell the rich wine wafting off the plate, mingling with the aroma of herbs, vegetables, and mushrooms to become almost intoxicating.

  This was a traditional Summer recipe, designed to celebrate the Season. The wine gave everything a red tint, as if fire had raged across the plate. Or like it was soaked in blood.

  For a moment, all I could feel was relief. My cover story was holding! The kitsune actually seemed to believe I was a Summer fae.

  Then a tide of memories bubbled up from deep within me, drowning all other emotions in a brief, startling wave of loss.

  I fought to stay focused. What if this was a test from the kitsune, to see if I would recognize the dish? With that thought fueling me, I reached for my fork, determined to control myself.

  Yet my hand shook ever so slightly as I took my first bite.

  I looked up slowly. My eyes, currently a very unflattering yellow, met the observant golden orbs of the kitsune. There was a spark of recognition in his gaze for the emotions he’d brought to the surface. Then he ducked his head and vanished, leaving me to glare at nothing.

  He returned quickly with more dishes and began doling them out to each member of our little group, but I didn’t notice the details of anyone else’s meal. I couldn’t pay attention. Rarely had I felt so disconnected from the present moment, at least since arriving in Swiftband.

  It was a silly thing. An inconsequential thing. A paltry collection of memories that really should not have shaken me so severely.

  Yet my posture remained stiff. My contribution to the conversation was minimal, coming mostly in the form of random sounds of acknowledgement made purely on instinct.

  Alys noticed. Of course she did. The odd sensation of loss waned significantly when she pressed herself against my side, and faded further once our plates were clean and her hand gripped mine under the table. Thanks to her, I gradually found myself able to insert myself into the conversation.

  The suffocating feeling in my chest gave way a little more in the face of Nasha’s positively radiant happiness.

  I don’t think anyone could have done anything to ruin the beagle’s mood as she sat there, pressed against Pen. The lynx, too, seemed utterly blissful as she rubbed her face against Nasha’s shoulder.

  The adorable sight was enough to put a bit of a smile on my face. I listened intently as Nasha gushed about her plans for the future. She couldn’t wait to learn more about Pen’s favorite foods, and get some proper clothes made for both of them, and share all the innocuous details of everyday life.

  Pen just listened contentedly and hugged Nasha a little tighter every few minutes.

  In spite of the warm atmosphere, however, I still wasn’t fully invested in the moment. So, when I saw Kiri stand up and head quietly for the Hall’s entrance, I whispered to Alys that I would be back in a minute and then disentangled myself from the dragoness so I could follow.

  I found the Winter fae standing just a few steps outside the Hall, looking up at the cloudy sky that heralded the arrival of her Court’s Season.

  “Kiri, may I have a moment? I was hoping we could talk.”

  She turned. The look in her eyes betrayed a trace amount of resignation, but she nodded.

  “Very well.”