The Hob's Bargain

an attempt to obey the wishes of the mountain. The mountain who wanted him to mate so his race would continue and she wouldn’t be alone. Motives I understood, both the mountain’s and Caefawn’s. I understood about loneliness.
    I stood by the too-shallow grave as the men piled half-frozen dirt on Quilliar’s body. He’d always wanted to be buried in the winter because winter graves were heaped high with rocks and stones rather than the sunken places where those buried when the earth was soft rested.
    Warm lips touched my mouth gently. “No, Aren, don’t go away.” I was wrapped in Caefawn’s arms, cuddled against his warmth. His skin felt soft against my hands. The warmth of his tail, still curled about my ankle, made me want to smile.
    I opened my eyes and saw stark dread in his. He loves me , I thought.
    And I was dying.
    In my haste to regain control of my body, I’d ripped the ties between my spirit and my body. Nahag had already broken the bindings holding my soul. With Caefawn and Kith safe, I lacked the strength to hold myself together anymore. And, like Nahag, soon I would just drift apart.
    â€œIf you go,” Caefawn said, “Kith won’t live. He needs you to mend his spirit.” His hands moved subtly on my back and neck, giving pleasure. He was doing it deliberately.
    â€œNot just any emotions,” he said with a speculative look, as if he could read what I’d thought about him. “Only things that make your spirit want to stay with your body.”
    The soft, fluffy end of his tail caressed my cheek playfully. Faran take it, he knew I’d used the half-frightening desire I felt for him. It hadn’t worked as well against the fetch as it had against the ghost. But it left me feeling things that were frightening, embarrassing, and…wondrous.
    â€œAren.” He crooned my name in a husky voice that spoke of dark nights and shared passion, calling me back. But his eyes were desolate. He believed I was going to die, too.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” asked Merewich’s voice.
    I knew I was dying. And I was.
    But…what if it was like with the fetch? What happened if I didn’t believe it? What if—I thought, settling peacefully into Caefawn’s lap—what if I was too stubborn?
    Caefawn tucked my head under his chin, presumably because his tears weren’t something he thought would hold me, body, spirit, and soul. Listening to his shuddering breath, I decided he was wrong. I would not die and leave the hob alone. Slowly, because it was all I could manage, I pulled a bit of magic from the land and began repairing the damage the bloodmage and I had done. It surprised me how little time it took.
    â€œSo,” I said diffidently and a bit hoarsely, “How can I help you with Kith?”

AUTUMN
    H ARVEST

FINIS
    A t Merewich’s insistence, Fallbrook held a festival to celebrate the peace between the raiders and the villagers. It was outside the town near an old snag the children decorated with brightly colored scarves.
    Tolleck the priest opened the celebration by hailing the rich bounty the land had brought to us and our ancestors. The people caroused, danced, and sang to convince themselves that they’d survived. Wandel sang a lot of old songs praising the earth. The innkeeper played a fine fiddle, and the smith drummed. Poul danced with me.

    I COULD STILL HEAR THE MUSIC, THOUGH THE FESTIVITIES were hidden by a rise in the land. After happening upon Kith and Danci holding their own celebration, I avoided the private places and walked in the open with a silly smile on my face.
    Kith, it turned out, had known from the first that Nahag had not been killed with Moresh because of the connection binding him to the bloodmage. When he’d kissed me in the stables, he’d meant it for good-bye because he knew Nahag was coming. With Nahag dead, Kith’s body and spirit mended quickly. He’d been loosening up quite a bit, though I hadn’t known how well Danci had been doing with him—hence my silly smile. The hug Poul had given me when we finished the dance added to my light mood. There were still a lot of people looking askance at me, but the death of the bloodmage had done much to raise my status—and that of the raiders. Besides, I had Caefawn.
    â€œâ€™Tisn’t exactly what I had in mind,” commented the earth guardian, striding beside me as if he’d been there all