Lanie was tired; close to exhausted. Her feet hurt, and her throat was dry with thirst. Her gut churned with worry and stress. All of that fell away for a time with the joy of near flight. The wind pushing her made her feel light on her feet. The electric hum of the magic flowing through her made her feel alive.

  She ran, putting distance between them and the woods and the ones hunting them. The forest fell away behind her, but it was a long while before the mountains seemed to get any closer. Her prana lasted just under three minutes. In that time, she thought she’d covered close to a mile. That was better than an Olympic sprinter could manage.

  When her prana ran out, she was again left breathless and had to slow to a walk, but soon regained her pace to a jog. Without the magic flowing through her, she could feel the exhaustion more than ever. She didn’t dare to stop, though. Not out here in the open. Survival meant putting one foot in front of the other, so that’s what she did. Kyma had run for two days to find her brother and return to the tribe, and half of that had been with a spear wound in her side. If a thirteen-year-old girl could do it, Lanie was determined that she could, too. Kyma was her, after all.

  Two hours later, Lanie realized the folly of her earlier thoughts. Kyma had been smart enough to bring food and water. Kyma hadn’t lived her whole life in a city where she could call an Uber or hop on a bus to get around. Pain lanced through Lanie’s side as a runner’s cramp developed, and she had to slow to a walk again. Her prana pool was nearly full once more, but, as much as she wanted to, she didn’t have the energy for another wind-assisted sprint. She hadn’t paid much attention to her stamina, but she checked the bar now and saw that it was bottomed out. She was considering stopping for a rest when Nips called out from her bag, “Um, Lanie? Three people just came out of the woods. They’re too far back, I can’t make out any details, but that can’t be good news.”

  “Well, shit.” Lanie nearly tripped over her own feet as the weight of Nips’ news pulled on her like increased gravity. She was so tired.

  “That’s odd. One of them is walking in a circle,” Nips said, his voice tinged with worry.

  Lanie looked back. She couldn’t see the figures at first, their shapes hidden against the dark backdrop of the woodline, but she eventually spotted them. It was hard to make out many details, but one of them was wearing a gray shirt. Lanie turned away and kept walking. She wanted to run, needed to run, but her legs felt like they were filled with concrete.

  The sea of grass seemed endless. Her mouth was parched. The stitch in her side stabbed at her guts. Sweat ran down her back. Her feet ached. She would have been hungry, but the stress was keeping her stomach roiling too much to feel the hollowness there. When was the last time she’d had real sleep, real rest? Before the heist. Since then, she’d been unconscious twice and had a brief nap, but none of those counted as real sleep. The meat pie from the teddy-baker had been her only meal in three days. It was all catching up to her, and at the worst possible time.

  Then she tripped.

  She didn’t see what caught her foot, and she didn’t get her arms up in time to cushion her fall. Nips let out a yelp. Her chin went into the ground, and the skin split. Her breath was knocked out for a second or two, and it took all of her willpower to push herself up to her knees.

  “Well, that’s twice now. I had my doubts because you don’t look like her, but it seems you are destined to keep falling at my feet whenever we meet.” The voice was both strange and familiar at the same time. It carried an accent that reminded Lanie of a babbling stream.

  She had been looking down, scanning the ground for Nips, but now she looked up. Standing before her was a little man, about three feet tall. His skin was the brown-gold of late Autumn grass, and his hair was the green-gold shade of hay left to dry in the sun. His eyes were the crystal blue of a summer sky, and she recognized him. He was taller than he’d been when Kyma had known him, and his tunic and pants were fine linen instead of the mouse-skin trousers he’d worn then, but she knew him. “Holy shit… T-Tolus? You got tall.”

  He nodded. “Imagine my surprise when I felt a debt that I’d long given up hope of repaying become active again. But I don’t understand how that can be. How is it that you are her, and yet not her at the same time?”

  “Yeah… I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one, myself. Turns out, reincarnation is a thing, apparently.” Lanie dusted off her hands and gingerly touched the split on her chin. Her bag was still on her shoulder, and she pulled it open to look inside. There was no sign of her Brownie companion. She looked around again, obvious concern on her face.

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  “Your small friend tumbled into the grass. My niece is seeing to him.” Tolus brushed aside some of the grass. Nips was lying in the dirt, but he was awake. Another being of the same sort as Tolus, though much smaller in stature, was bending over him, a golden glow around her fingers where she touched the lump forming on Nips’ forehead. “She is a talented healer. Your friend will be fine. It seems existence truly does cycle back on itself.”

  “Because I have a small Fae companion, and I fell at your feet again? Maybe. I, um… wow, it feels weird introducing myself to you when I feel like I already know you. My name is Lanie, but apparently, I used to be Kyma in a past life. All of this,” she swept her arm in a broad arc, encompassing Fairy and all of its strangeness, “is very new to me.”

  “A past life? How inter…” His comment was cut short as another of his people, this one dressed in light leather armor, hurried up to Tolus and whispered in his ear. Tolus listened, his expression growing dark. He nodded, then motioned for the runner to wait. Turning back to Lanie, he asked, “Do you know anything about the three men at the edge of the grassland?”

  “They’re evil assholes who are after me. They want something I’ve got and they aren’t above using their fists to ask for it,” Lanie said, her exhaustion plain in her voice. She gave a wry snort, “It doesn’t seem to matter how far or fast I run. They keep finding me.”

  “Then it is fortunate for you that I felt an old debt become active again and hurried to balance it. There are none better at dealing with those who are unwelcome in the fields than the Polwuch. Besides, my people have no love for summoners. They will have fun bedeviling this one.”

  “Summoners?”

  “You did not know? One of the men is laying out a summoning circle. My scout says it contains glyphs connected with one of the darker realms, though he couldn’t tell for certain which one.”

  “And you’ll delay them for me?” Lanie’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and she breathed out in relief. “Thank you.”

  “Oh, that isn’t all. I have carried this debt for nearly seven thousand years. When Kyma taught me her language, she did me a greater boon than she realized. Others of the Fae were also beginning to make contact with the mortal realm and learn about it, but I was among the first to be able to communicate and trade with your folk. That head start gave me standing. It let me learn and grow wiser as well as richer. I have a position of power among my people now. There are many reasons I hold this position, but one of them is because of what I owe you. Mortals cannot know how heavy a debt like that can become for the Fae. I intend to pay it back with all of the interest it has accrued. Here, sit and rest a bit while we speak. I’ll send my warriors to ensure we have time to catch up.”

  He turned back to the scout and gave some orders. While he did that, Nips came over and sat next to Lanie’s knee. After speaking to the scout and sending him on his way, Tolus said something to his niece in their burbling liquid language, and she vanished into the grass. A few moments later, she returned with a mat, woven of grass, and a basket. She spread the mat and began pulling food from the basket. Tolus sat on the ground on the other side of the spread. The fresh bread, cheeses, fruit, and cured meats looked like a little slice of heaven to Lanie, and her stomach growled out its need. If she’d had the moisture to spare, she would have been salivating.

  “Please, accept my hospitality, and know that you are safe among the grasses. The fields and plains are the purview of my people, and I have spread the word that you are a friend of the Polwuch and are not to be harmed.”

  “Oh! The Polevik!” Nips exclaimed, “The name is a little different in the books I’ve read, but I recognize you now.” He leaned towards Lanie and explained, “Tolus’ people are known in Polish mythology as guardians of the fields. The stories say they punish trespassers and lazy people, especially anyone caught napping in the fields. Of course, you have to remember that mortal stories don’t always get things quite right.”

  “No, in this case, they came close. Just as your folk tend and guard the homes of those they find worthy, our folk do the same for the fields,” Tolus smiled. He waved a hand at the spread of food, “Please, help yourself. You look like you’ve had a rough time of it.”

  Before he’d finished speaking, Lanie was already gulping down a glass of cool water. She could almost feel her parched cells greedily absorbing the liquid. The food was next. Very little was said as Lanie focused on restoring the nutrients and fluids that her body had been deprived of over the last few days. Nips tucked in as well, with almost as much enthusiasm. Hunger truly was the best relish, and, as simple as the fare was, Lanie couldn’t remember a more delicious meal.

  Tolus was patient. It was plain to him how thin Lanie had been worn by her trials. Giving her food and drink and a few moments of relative safety to catch her breath was the least of the boons he could offer to repay his debt, but it was probably one of the most profound in the moment. Seeing her need helped him settle his mind about one of the items he would gift to her.

  Lanie felt like a greedy pig when she finally leaned back from the spread, popping one last piece of sharp cheese into her mouth. She groaned softly in satisfaction, one hand resting on her overfilled stomach. “That might have been the best meal of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever been hungry enough to nearly cry over cheese before.”

  Tolus waved it away. “It was the least I could do. I’ll have Nila…” he motioned to the Polwuch he’d said was his niece, “…wrap up the rest for you to take with you. I have more to give you. But first, I’d like to know your tale. Will you tell it to me while you rest? Knowing your trials will help me find the best way to help you.”