Free Haven 3 Shadow Magic (Haven Series 3) by B. V. Larson Page A

that the charm that kept out the Wild Hunt had no effect upon them.
    Tomkin snarled and crouched, eyeing the brush around him with sudden suspicion.
    “Okay,” said Brand, “you could take Lavatis away right now. That would help the Wee Folk. But still the Wild Hunt would be on your heels. And you would have abandoned us and all hope of a Pact with the Haven. Worse, Herla might well overcome us and the axe would be lost as well.”
    Piskin thoughtfully smoothed out the dent in his top hat. “Sirrah, you make a fine point.”
    “Will you work together with us, to gain our trust?” asked Brand.
    Piskin pursed his lips and nodded. “Agreed,” he said. He replaced his top hat upon his head and twirled his walking stick once. “There is much to be done.”
    “What exactly—” began Brand, but he was speaking to the night air. Piskin had bounded over the walls and away. Tomkin, running in a crouch, followed a moment later.
    Brand lay under the stars and thought about how strange the world had become. Sleep soon overcame him, despite his worries.

Chapter Eight
    The Living Wall

    Tomkin sprang after Piskin and although the other was surprisingly spry, Tomkin managed to catch him as they passed over a thorny mass of blackberry bushes. He grabbed hold of the other’s foot and they went rolling in a squabbling heap.
    “I demand you unhand me, sirrah!” hissed Piskin when they were both standing again.
    “What’s all this then about my losing the Blue Jewel?” demanded Tomkin. He studied the other with narrowed eyes. He’d only just met him, and he had seemed a harmless, overly talkative sort. Now, after having listened to his proposals to Brand, Tomkin was not so sure Piskin was on the same side as the rest.
    Piskin shrugged and straightened his top hat with excessive care. He pushed out each dent and smoothed the creases with rapid, irritated strokes of his fingers. “You can’t be serious about wielding the Jewel yourself, can you?”
    Tomkin’s lips uncurled, showing rows of ice-white, triangular teeth. He was gratified to see mild alarm on Piskin’s face at the sight of them. “I’m serious when I say thou shalt not wield it!”
    Piskin tried to smile, but it was a flickering expression. “Let’s not bicker, brother!” he said. “Now is not the time for squabbles. We shall stand united as a Folk. We shall hold onto this Jewel for all Wee Folk everywhere. Who wields it is immaterial. What matters is that we are now a force to be reckoned with. None shall sneer at the Wee Folk after this day!”
    “I can hold with those words,” Tomkin agreed cautiously.
    Piskin’s manner changed on the instant. He was again wreathed in smiles. He reached to clap Tomkin on the back, but at the other’s snarling reaction, he withdrew his hand like a snapping turtle pulling its head into its shell.
    “No matter!” he said. “No matter at all! Let us head onward now, we are late for the gathering.”
    “What gathering?”
    “Why, have you not heard?” Piskin asked, incredulous. “I can’t fathom it! And you being the guest of honor!”
    “Speak plainly, fop.”
    Piskin’s lips quivered again, but he regained his composure. “Such rough manners! I constantly find I must remind myself of your upbringing. No fault of your own, it was, I know, I know.”
    Tomkin glared at him suspiciously.
    “Well, to continue: the gathering is in your honor, as the new bearer of the Jewel. As Dando sacrificed his whole being, we hope it won’t be the same with you. The gathering is not far from here.”
    “Where is it?”
    “Did I mention there will be ladies there?” asked Piskin turning suddenly with eyebrows riding high. “Yes, many lovely women of our kind are attending. Rare they are in these parts, I understand.”
    Tomkin licked his lips. In truth, he had not laid eyes upon a member of the opposite sex since Dando’s party in the marshes long ago. He felt temptation tugging at him—but still, he was wary.
    “Where