Novel Jumper

Chapter Thirteen

Winfrith's face folded with sorrow. "Oh, son, I am so - "

"Don't." The word ripped harshly from Connor's lips. He stared at the forest floor, chest rising and falling. Up until now, he had been holding it together, likely for Lilia's sake or just to keep moving forward. Now, he was obviously starting to unravel, and fast. She couldn't let that happen. She stepped forward and took his hand, pulling him closer to Winfrith.

"Please, we need some fresh supplies and a place to rest," she said, Connor silent behind her. "Just for one night. Please."

Winfrith studied her face for a second before replying, "Never let it be said that I didn't help friends in need. You're both welcome in my house for as long as you need."

"Thank you," Connor and Lilia said in unison. Winfrith smiled and turned, beckoning for them to follow. Lilia grabbed their bags, made sure she was still supporting Connor - "You thought you could hide how you were still favoring that one leg," she muttered to him as they started to walk - and followed the older man.

They trekked through the woods for the better part of an hour before finally arriving at a quaint cottage that looked like it had built with the intention to disturb as little wildlife as possible. Lilia instantly remembered the house, much faster than she had its inhabitant - she had loved the idea of it.

The cottage curved around several tree trunks so they could continue to live and thrive. Its roof was low and had many perches where birds and their nests resided, and the surface in fact had a tree growing out of the middle of it. In the backyard, a vegetable garden existed purely for feeding the animals - it had no fence and easily accessible food. The cottage's windows were shaded, possibly to alert their presence to any flying creatures passing by or to keep the animals from seeing inside. The door, solid wood and tightly locked, was the only thing that didn't welcome the wildlife.

Winfrith led them straight into the house. A few animals started toward them and Connor had to grab Lilia's arm to keep her from petting a deer with fluorescent antlers and a lavender pelt. It watched her sadly with golden eyes as she entered the house.

"It's poisonous to humans," he explained when she glanced angrily at him. Lilia looked out of the tiny window next to the door at the sweet, unsuspicious deer. For God's sake, why couldn't it just be a cute little fawn?

Winfrith closed the door behind the group. "Make yourselves comfortable," he said, as if it was an order and not a friendly welcoming phrase.

Lilia drank in the sight of the adorable house. There were only a few walls blocking off sections of the house, and she had the feeling that those were bedrooms or bathrooms. Otherwise, the house had a completely open floor plan. It had a few intricately woven rugs placed at random over the floorboards. Its furniture was large, puffy, and looked extremely comfortable. The large windows that Lilia had noticed outside were not tinted in the inside, but rather were the sources of all of the light in the open, airy cottage.

Lilia recalled with some difficulty Winfrith's tragic story. His wife had been a wonderful druid, known for attracting and calming even the most savage of the forest's creatures. Winfrith was a bartender at the local bar. He quit his job for her and moved into her home, helping her care for the forest and the animals. But she had been attacked by one of the creatures she so loved when it was under the influence of disease - and she had become infected. As she worsened in condition, Winfrith soured in disposition. By the time she died, he was a steely, merciless, unloving man. This made him an indispensable tool for the rebellion, however.

Lilia was disappointed with herself for not remembering his story earlier. But then, he couldn't have made more than twenty pages of appearance - and he certainly hadn't worked with Whitters or any other creatures, for that matter, at the time of Star of Winter.