CHAPTER 213

She worked with Suly for a couple of hours, the two of them cleaning out the hedge maze with the centaurs. Kisa was under the porch with Tink, doing something involving the frame, when Asterion came out of the house. His huge shoulders barely fit through the front door, and when he stepped down onto the yard, he sniffed the air and grunted.

"Asterion, how are you feeling?"

The minotaur had lost one of his horns and his head was bandaged. The rats had found him buried in the rubble of the Labyrinth, and he had accompanied Ratu out of the Labyrinth. The naga was currently with the centaurs, being treated by some of their best healers. If Asterion was here, it likely meant that she was currently out of danger.

"Hmm." Asterion flexed his fingers, which were also bandaged. "My head no longer hurts. I am restless, and wish to help."

"Fat cow help by getting off Tink!" Tink squeaked from beneath the porch, and Asterion stepped away from the door and down to the ground.

"Tink, be nice," Beth grumbled at the goblin. "I'm glad you're feeling better. The centaurs could use some help patching the yard, and we still have some trash that can be taken down to the curb, we have a dumpster coming later."

"Indeed." Asterion gathered up some of the broken furniture and carried it down toward the end of the walk. Beth noticed that the minotaur gave Suly a suspicious look as he passed, but said nothing else as he continued to work.

They continued cleaning up, and almost twenty minutes later, Beth heard Asterion drop his load on the yard, his head cocked to one side as he looked around. The centaurs were affected next, and they shifted about nervously, searching the skies.

Beth finally heard it.

It was the sound of a woman in mourning, her song seeping into Beth's very soul and carrying with it the misery of loss.

A golden circle formed in the yard, and for a brief moment, she caught the sight of a mysterious shoreline on the other side. Her breath caught in her chest as two figures emerged, their fingers entwined.

It was Mike. He had brought Cecilia home.

The magical portal shimmered as Cecilia's song came to an end, and then it vanished. Mike, whose back was still to the house, let out what sounded like a sigh of relief when he saw Beth.

"I'm so glad to see you," he told her. "I heard there were problems here."

"Um...yes. Yes, there were. How did you know?"

"The queen told me that the shit had hit the fan and she would send me home to help out. She didn't expect me to leave you with all the heavy lifting, and—" he had turned to look at the house, his voice trailing off into a mumble. When he looked back at Beth, he had gone white.

"Please tell me everybody is okay," he said with a slight tremor in his voice.

"Everyone survived," Beth told him. "The house, not so much. I'm so sorry."

Mike bent over as if gasping for air, then stood to his full height and brushed his hair out of his face. It was a simple gesture that somehow looked sensual when he did it, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"The house can be rebuilt," he said. "The people in it, not so much."

"It...might take some time." Beth moved closer to Mike and realized that he smelled of peaches and cream, the scent luring her in. "There's water damage, and the Labyrinth needs rebuilding. Oh, and the roof needs to be replaced. The centaurs offered to let us stay with them in case it rains."

Mike chuckled, then rubbed his jaw. "I guess I'd better—"

Tink slammed into him hard enough that he tipped over, and she straddled his hips with her short legs.

"Husband make Tink worry! Now house broken and Tink too busy for proper welcome," she groused.

"I can see that." He patted the goblin on the head, then sat up and kissed her nose. "Well Cecilia, as much as I would love to just sit with you and relax for a bit, there's work to be done."

Maybe I can help.

The voice came from everywhere at once, and a golden archway appeared in the front yard. A tall figure adorned in radiant light stepped through, revealing the speaker to be none other than the faerie queen herself. Her wings unfolded behind her like a magnificent cape caught in the breeze, and her shining eyes looked over the scene with disapproval.

"Your Majesty." Mike bowed his head. "I appreciate your offer, but we have plenty of helpers here."

"I'm sure you do, Caretaker." She moved closer to him and then grinned. "Consider this a gift, freely given."

Behind her, the archway filled with something that looked like flower petals. The swirling foliage burst out of the arch and surrounded the house like a swarm of bees, and it wasn't until Beth got a close look at one that she realized that the petals were actually tiny fairies.

"This is a magical home, Caretaker. Your goblin may be able to fix it, but it will take her months to do so properly." The queen knelt down and stuck her hands in the dirt. "But many hands make light work. Let's see if I can't arrange for some of the heavy lifting to be done for you."

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, and then dozens of large trees tore the soil, their branches reaching toward the sky. The swarm of fairies tore into them, showering the ground with sawdust as they toppled them to and fro, causing the centaurs to scatter. Before the branches and trunks could hit the ground, they were caught and cradled by a glowing mist that now swirled around the faerie queen.

The fairy swarm got to work. Beth watched in amazement as the tiny fae worked en masse to manufacture siding, lumber and boards for the roof. Thousands of tiny wings carried the replacement parts to where they needed to go, then hovered there, waiting.