The Pillars Of The World

too far into Brightwood?”
    “No jesses,” the small man said. “That one belongs to no one but himself.”
    “Why would a wild hawk bring his kill so close to a cottage?”
    “That’s something you’ll have to ask him .” The small man paused. “Best to leave the hulking wee beast here. No use having him killed before you have a chance to be annoyed with him.”
    “But. . .” Ari looked at the hawk. “Surely it would just fly away if the puppy ran after it.”
    “If it was only a hawk, it might do just that.”
    A chill ran through her. It deepened when she saw the small man pull a sling and a couple of stones from his pockets. The Small Folk were as skilled at hunting with slings as they were with bows.
    “You’d best go out and see what the Fae Lord wants. The sooner his business here is finished, the sooner he’ll be gone.”
    “Fae? If he’s ... If he knows . . . Surely he can’t mean me harm. I mean, the Fae Lord I’ve met was friendly.” More than friendly. Just remembering Lucian’s kisses made her knees weak. Or, perhaps, it was remembering his anger the last time she saw him that was producing that effect.
    “Oh, they’re always friendly when they get want they want. It’s when they don’t that you have to take care. The Fair Folk have a streak of meanness in them. They have that in common with humans.” His smile was grim and malicious. “Go on out now. I’ll see you come to no harm.”
    Setting the puppy down and hoping he would understand somehow what stay meant, she wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her tunic and walked slowly toward the chopping block.
    “Blessings of the day to you, brother hawk.”
    The hawk stared at her, looked down at the rabbit, then back at her.
    “That’s a fine rabbit you have.”
    The hawk ruffled its feathers. Waited.
    What was it waiting for? Ari wondered. If this was a Fae Lord, what did he expect of her? He couldn’t.
    .. Oh, Mother’s mercy, he couldn’t think she would open her arms to any of them simply because Lucian had been her lover. Could he?
    After a long pause, when neither of them moved, the hawk released the rabbit. Waited.
    “You brought the rabbit for me?” Ari asked. Why would he do that? Not that the meat wouldn’t be welcome, especially with the pup.
    Moving slowly, stretching her arm as far as she could to keep her face away from the beak and talons, Ari’s hand gripped the rabbit. She stepped back, still holding the rabbit out, ready to drop it if the hawk seemed angry.
    It just watched her.
    Finally, when it lifted its wings, Ari said, “You did the work, so you should have part of the bounty. Wait a moment, if you please.”
    Hurrying into the kitchen, she pulled the largest knife she owned from the wood block, put the rabbit in the kitchen basin, and cut off a hind leg. Grabbing a towel to hold under the leg and catch the blood, she went back out and set the leg on the chopping block.
    She almost thought she saw surprise in the hawk’s eyes.
    “Thank you for the rabbit.”
    Another pause. Then the hawk sank its talons into the rabbit leg and flew off.
    Ari sank to the ground, her legs suddenly feeling too watery to hold her up.
    The puppy barreled out of the cow shed, yapping frantically.
    She looked at the small man walking toward her and wondered what magic he had used to keep the pup quiet and contained.
    “You did well, Mistress Ari,” the small man said.
    “It could have been just a hawk.”
    “And I could be a giant.” His expression was grim. “This friend who gave you the pup. What’s she look like?”
    “She’s fair-haired, has light brown eyes, and,” Ari added, attempting to smile, “she’s fairly useless in the garden. I thought even gentry ladies knew plants wouldn’t bloom in a handful of days. She does have some fine horses, though. Especially the gray mare she was riding this morning.”
    “She rides a pale mare.”
    Puzzled at the odd phrasing, Ari said, “Yes. At least she did today. Do you know her?”
    “I’ve seen her.” He didn’t seem pleased about that.
    As if it knew who they were talking about, the puppy whined and climbed into Ari’s lap.
    “I’d best be about my business,” the small man said. “Take care, Mistress Ari.”
    Ari watched him walk across the meadow. Despite watching, she lost sight of him long before he reached the woods. But that was the way with the Small Folk. They were never seen unless they chose to be seen.
    Had he been right about the