Page 199 of The Knucker King

Avice rewarded him with a dazzling grin. She wrapped the egg in linen and managed to squeeze it inside her satchel. It bulged heavily at her side and made her dip with the weight of it. She let out a chuckle as she mounted Trewoofe, wriggling into her accustomed seat behind his horns.

“Would you care to share your amusement?” he asked, turning towards the tree line.

“I think that Faeries must have descended from Mother Eostre,” she replied. “She told us she required ‘more’ of us. We thought it was the bargain we struck. But there was, quite literally, ‘more’. She must have left the Drake egg here for us to find.”

“And Faeries are tricky with their bargains too,” he chuffed happily, perfectly content with being tricked by the Goddess of Spring. Nothing would stop the joy that hummed under his scales as he felt her thighs press against his crest. “So, it is time to go home?”

She ran her hand down his horn and jingled his amulet. “Yes, home.”

74

Chapter 74

Avice

Three Moon cycles later.

Bramble scratched excitedly at the cottage door. Avice! he whuffed. Are you ready? Everyone is waiting!

“Then they can wait a moment more,” Ashling retorted, zooming around her head. “She is nearly done.”

She spun on her toes, tossing up the fresh petals woven into the hem of her skirt, and spreading her arms wide. “How do I look?”

Much had changed in Lamorna-of-Avalon for Avice, her family, and her friends. Many of the villagers had left, Lucille amongst their number, while others – the ones who had spoken out in her defence the day she was brought to trial – had remained. Joan adopted Epona and became the official messenger for the village. Avice learnt half the Wulver alphabet, held two clinics at her cottage, and taught four lessons to Hati and Nell. The human parents finally met their Faerie marked children, who had been brought above by their adoptive Good Neighbour families. It had been a tearful reunion, but the children would have the benefit of two families, and – happily – all the parents and children would be in attendance today.

Today was a special day for Avice and Trewoofe.

“You look perfect,” Ashling explained.

She beamed back at him. “Thank you, my darling.”

Avice looked down at the off-the-shoulder emerald gown she wore. It was secured at her collar bones with delicate ribbons. The dress dipped low on her front and back, hugging her curves, and trailed down to her bare feet. Her pendant sat proudly just above her cleavage, her raven tresses framed her face, and she wore a lush wildflower crown of lavender and primrose on her head. Everything had been prepared for them by their friends, so Avice only had herself to prepare for their Tail Tie ceremony. It was all rather excessive, but she knew they deserved it.

Avice! Bramble barked.

“Yes, yes!” she responded. “I am coming.”

She threw open her cottage door.

Everyone Avice cared about was there.

Humans, Good Neighbours – who allowed themselves to be seen by those without the sight today – and the changed children milled around chatting, playing, and generally having a fantastic time. They had dragged logs into Avice’s garden and placed boards over stumps for makeshift tables and chairs. The darting Pillywiggins had woven flower garlands through the trees and scattered petals on the ground. A small choir of Caps and Knockers gathered at the base of a fruiting and blossoming apple tree. They crooned joyful melodies that mingled with the happy sounds of her guests. Her garden was a cacophony of scents: cooked meats, baked bread, honey cakes, and more fruit than they could possibly eat.

John and Nell sat together, without Treth, as he was still waiting for his Morgowrling to hatch. Joan let Epona loose to graze on a crop of grass nearby. Matilda, Emma, and Catherine mingled with their husbands and children, and braved chatting to the friendly Wulver. All thirteen of the Wulver had come, and Boarden bounced between his adoptive mothers, and his birth mother, Matilda. The Piskie Prince Consort brought up Hope and Mary. Mary’s transformation was the most drastic. The skull that hampered her breathing was gone, but her skin was still green, and her hands and feet were now webbed. None of their mothers cared how their children looked. They simply embraced and loved them just as they were.

Bramble butted her hand, breaking Avice from her study of the motley gathering. She knew she was so lucky to have them. Each had – in some way – changed her life since Hope had been marked.

Trewoofe had not yet arrived, and her chest tightened at his absence. She insisted that they spend the night apart so she may get ready and surprise him with the gorgeous gown Catherine had made for her. He pouted about it, of course. These days, he never wanted to be more than a few strides away from her.

As though sensing her anxiety, Ashling drifted over and perched on her head. “Do not fret. He will be here.”

Avice curled her fingers into Bramble’s fur. “I may have upset him when I asked to spend the night apart.”

His love is not so fleeting. It is more likely he got his horns stuck in his clothing as he dressed, Bramble interjected.

Avice suppressed a snort at the observation. Trewoofe did remarkably well in his human skin, but he much preferred his Knucker shape. Bramble froze under her hand, his nose twitching, before he pointed into the woods.

He is here! he whuffed excitedly.