Chapter 10: Don't Let Go

Perhaps the gods had considered Marion’s deal quite tenderly. A week passed, turning into another. A second week passed, and it was the dawn of the final day that Jacket would emerge from the woods on the edge of the farm. She approached in the shape of a hound, a pouch held firmly in her mouth. The fey sat patiently at the door of the farmhouse, waiting for it to open that morning.

For the last two weeks, Arthur had always been the first one out, with Marion shortly behind, and this morning was no different. The farmer tripped on Jacket as he came through the doorway, the older man yelping in surprise as he toppled over the fey. The elf had to catch themself in the doorway to prevent tripping on Arthur as he fell. “Damn dog!”

A moment of realization struck Marion, though they moved to help the man to his feet. “That’s not just any dog,” they commented softly. “That’s my horse.”