He was panting softly when we finally reached the short man in the beard. I looked down at him and couldn’t help but smile. This was a gnome. No question about it.
He wore a soft hat over a bald head. His beard went down almost to his waist. And he barely came up to my waist. Wearing brown linen pants and a green linen shirt, he looked like he belonged in the woods.
He had big bushy eyebrows, and under them, his eyes sparkled with energy. His lips were thicker, and small wrinkles creased his smiling face.
“Sebastian! It’s been so long!” He was out of breath, but his excitement must have been more important than breathing because he didn’t stop talking long enough to catch it.
“The village is doing so well. So very well. And we’ve kept it safe. This whole time.”
“Calm down Enivyn. Catch your breath, friend.” Sebastian smiled down at the gnome as he took big gasping breaths as fast as he could so that he could start talking again.
“Before you begin, Enivyn, this is Rose. She’s a friend.”
Enivyn looked up at me, and his brow furrowed. “But she’s a fairy. With wings. You said no fairies.”
“She’s a different kind of fairy, Enivyn. Trust me on this. One that will help rather than harm.”
Enivyn crossed his arms and glared at me, and I almost giggled. “I’ll be watching you, fairy. I trust Sebastian. I don’t trust you.”
“Come on Enivyn. Let’s get back under the trees. When is your brother coming to relieve you?” Enivyn turned and began walking back to the trees while we followed him, making sure that our steps were shorter than usual so that we didn’t pass the gnome up.
“Morning. It’s Sinivyn. He’ll have goodies. He always has goodies.” He paused and then turned back to look at Sebastian. “Did you bring goodies?”
“Not this time, friend. I was in a bit of a rush to get here this time.” Enivyn sighed. “We don’t get many goodies. And we never get chocolate. Or coffee. Or sugar. Or new silver needles. Cara says she only has two needles left. We need some goodies, Sebastian.”
Sebastian chuckled. “When this is all over, I’ll make sure to bring the village some supplies. Maybe even some chocolate.”
That made Enivyn smile, and his little legs moved just a bit faster. I felt like I should know what was going on a little more than I did, but I didn’t blame Sebastian for that.
It scared me that Sebastian had run from Nyx. After watching what Sebastian could do, I hated to think of how powerful Nyx must have been for Sebastian to decide that running was the better option.
“So what’s new with the village, Enivyn?” Sebastian asked.
“Lots. Kasia had her foals. She had two. A girl and a boy. They’re loud. And rude. But cute too. That’s how babies are. Even centaurs. They like to fight a lot. Thalena always makes Oreus cry. Thalena is the girl. Oreus is the boy. Anyway. That’s the big news.”
He seemed to talk in a rhythmic way, like every word was a tiny piece of a song that only he could hear. His body rocked back and forth as he walked in time with the words.
“You have horses?” I asked, confused.
“Centaurs. They escaped the Court of Light’s war pens. Centaurs are considered a far superior war mount in comparison to normal horses for good reason, so many of them have been enslaved for various ‘crimes’. I helped them find a home here instead of killing them as my contract stated.”
“Yes, Sebastian rescued all of us. Each. One. Of. Us. Except Cara. She was just his friend.”
“Sebastian sure has a lot of lady friends,” I said with a smirk.
“That’s because he makes ladies happy.” Sebastian winked at me, and I had a hard time not laughing. Enivyn was so serious about everything that it was hard to take any of it seriously.
When we got to the edge of the forest, Enivyn led us to a hut that had been made of grass and leaves in a way that it would be impossible to see from the field.
“Won’t Nyx just be able to follow our scent if we stay this close to the portal?”
Sebastian glanced at Enivyn, and Enivyn stood as proudly as the little man could. “I am a half-gnome with all the powers of the gnomes inside me. No one will be able to smell us. Not even a fairy bloodhound could smell us.”
He nodded as if that was that. I glanced at Sebastian and he grinned. “Gnomes have an instinctual ability to cover the magical scent of everyone in their area. Half-gnomes like Enivyn aren’t able to hide as much of an area, but they’re still incredibly helpful. They’re the only reason that the village is able to remain hidden in the Immortal Realm.”
I heard a soft humming coming from somewhere, and Enivyn jumped up. “Sinivyn and his snacks are here!” he announced. “We will eat well this morning!”
Enivyn opened the door to the hut, and Sebastian found himself a spot against the wall to sit. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes as he had done when we’d been at the field with the unicorn.
I sat next to him, watching as Enivyn and another half-gnome walked into the hut. “This is Sinivyn!” he announced.
Sinivyn wore similar clothes, but there was a darker look in his eyes. He had many more wrinkles, and they seemed to cut deeper in his cheeks and forehead.
The other half-gnome was not nearly as outspoken as Enivyn. He seemed more serious, and he dragged a bag nearly as large as himself behind him. “Sebastian, who is the fairy? Fairies aren’t supposed to be here.” He frowned just as Enivyn had.
“Sebastian says that she’s okay,” Enivyn said. “I don’t trust her. I trust Sebastian.”
Sinivyn nodded and walked into the hut, dropping the bag in the center of
