Page 249 of Fallen Nocturne

He chews slowly.

Nothing happens.

He does not choke, collapse, or turn an alarming shade of green. Svenn watches him with narrowed eyes while I wait for some sign that the mango from Nimue’s pond was a mistake.

Landon takes another bite. Then another.

“This may be the best thing I have ever tasted,” he says.

I stare at him. “Truly?”

“Truly.” He reaches for a second slice before he has finished the first. “You should open another bakery in Avalon. People would cross the kingdom for this.”

Warmth rushes through me. “Do you really think so?”

“I would purchase a loaf every day,” Landon promises.

“You never pay for the bread you eat here,” Svenn points out.

Landon ignores him and takes another bite.

A faint clicking sound comes from the open window. One of Jessica’s spiderlings crawls over the sill, its body already as large as a house cat. Eight bright eyes fix upon the plate.

The spiderling darts forward, snatches an entire slice between its fangs, and retreats beneath a shelf.

Several tiny winged forest folk emerge from behind the jars of flour a heartbeat later. One seizes a piece of crust while another grabs a mango slice that has fallen onto the table. They disappear through the window before Svenn can stop them.

Landon watches them go. “Do they always do that?”

“Yes,” Svenn says. “That is why the bakery is losing coin.”

“We are not losing coin,” I say quickly. “Some of them pay.”

“With rocks.” He points toward a shallow bowl near the door. It contains three smooth stones, a bundle of yellow leaves, and a blue feather.

“That one is pretty,” I mutter.

The forest folk have taken a liking to my bread and pastries. They linger around the cottage throughout the day, peering through the windows and waiting beneath the tables for crumbs. Some bring proper coins. Most leave whatever they believe has value.

Another of Jessica’s spiderlings lowers itself from the rafters on a strand of silk. It stops beside Landon’s shoulder and studies him while he eats.

“You’re cute,” it says in a high, clicking voice. “When I grow up, perhaps I’ll marry you.”

Landon nearly drops his bread, and a faint blush rises across his face.

The spiderling taps one sharp leg against his metal arm. “Then I’ll eat you to the last crumb.”

“That is considerably less flattering,” he says.

Two more spiderlings crawl through the open window and begin exploring Svenn’s workshop. One scampers across the workbench with a small wrench clutched between its fangs while the other disappears beneath a cabinet.

A shadow sweeps across the cottage. Dorcha lands outside with enough force to rattle the cups on the table. Coral bounds after Dorcha, chirping as she tries to catch the larger wyvern’s tail.

The tiny fae scatter instantly. Jessica’s spiderlings race toward the forest, their stolen bread and tools clutched tightly in their mouths. Coral charges after them, vanishing between the trees in a blur of pale scales and flapping wings.

“Coral!” I call.

Her cheerful chirp echoes back through the forest.