Page 197 of The Knucker King

There was a Goddess on the bank.

Eostre had come.

73

Chapter 73

Trewoofe

Agreat pulse of magic awoke Trewoofe from his slumber.

He immediately noticed Avice’s absence. Trying not the jump to the worst possible conclusion, he flicked his tongue out, tasting the air for her. Her honey and lavender scent were still fresh, so he followed it out and down from the great oak’s hollow.

He squinted through the glaring sunshine, his eyes adjusting to the change in light. He watched as his soul-bound clumsily swam back to the bank and tugged on her chemise. A towering, human-shaped figure loomed over Avice as she approached it. His raging need to protect fired his limbs.

Like lightning, he crossed the glade. Trewoofe stood protectively over Avice, tucking her beneath his chest despite her squeaking protest. He glared at the figure before him, blinded by his determination to protect his soul-bound. He had not realised he was face-to-face with a Goddess.

“My Lord,” Avice began, stepping out from underneath him. “This is Mother Eostre. The Goddess of Spring.”

“I knew you would recognise me.” Fine lines creased the edges of her lips and eyes. She offered them a brilliant smile from her round, cherubic face.

Trewoofe flicked his tongue out and used his senses to assess the deity before him.

Was she friend or foe?

He would find out.

She matched his height, and her skin was green. She smelt of spring shoots, apple blossoms, and new life. He twitched his ears at the hum she emitted; the sound reminded him of the ward he had set around Avice’s garden and on Knucker Hill. The warm spring light twirled around her. It bounced off her in a variety of colours and formed a dress around her in a shifting rainbow. The gown flowed down in a long train, mingling with the wildflowers that popped up around Eostre’s toes. Her emerald hair was long and tightly curled, reaching to her ankles. A crown of bright yellow daffodils kissed her head; Trewoofe scented their bittersweet aroma as she reached to cup his scaly chin. He initially bristled at her calloused fingers. His red crest flared threateningly, until Avice rubbed a soothing circled on his leg.

“I see you, King Trewoofe of the Underneath, and the love you have for your witch. I mean neither of you any harm.”

Her voice was a songbird’s: sweet, light, and like honey to his ears.

“What we can do for you, Mother Eostre?” Trewoofe asked.

Her deep brown eyes met his. She had no pupils or irises; there was only the colour of the earth.

“I wish to thank you both,” she replied, releasing his chin, and dropping her gaze to Avice. His little witch smiled back up at the Goddess. Trewoofe let the red drain from his crest as he saw how at ease Avice was. “For waking me from my slumber. If my Winter sister had to serve the Earth much longer, she would have perished, and all would be frozen forever more.”

“You are welcome,” Avice said brightly.

“It was the least we could do,” Trewoofe added.

“And I must ask more of you.”

He glanced down at his little witch, who dipped her head at him to continue. “What is it you would have us do?”

“I am in need of a safe place to put down my roots when my seasonal work is done.” She nodded at Trewoofe. “And I need someone with knowledge of herbs that will make me sleep and then awaken me again.” She beamed down at Avice. “But, depending on how you view it, there is either a boon or a curse that comes with this responsibility.”

“What is this double-edged sword?” Avice asked.

Pride stirred in Trewoofe’s chest. Her turns of seasons dealing with the slippery bargains of the Good Neighbours meant that it was not easy to trick her with sleight of word or silver tongue.

Eostre chuckled at Avice’s shrewdness. “A Goddess’ Kiss,” she replied. “It will mean you and yours will live for as long as I need you to do your duty, which may mean until the Sun goes out. You and your descendants will be granted this gift.”

Trewoofe blanched at the offer. While he had lived a long time compared to the lifespans of humans and some Good Neighbours, he had never heard of an endless life. The time would not be lonely if he had Avice and their Knuckerlings by his side. But what of the rest of his family? The ones bound to Avice. Surely, they were as much his kin as any of his descendants would be.

“I would be willing,” Trewoofe said, “as long as my soul-bound’s Wisp and Grim are included in this boon.”