“Jase, should we uncover the outside basement door?” Lily asked.

“The basement has a door leading outside?”

“Yeah. It’s where the arch is opposite the windows.”

“Wait. There are windows too?”

“We need to find a way to improve your eyesight and perception,” Lily grumbled.

“Hey! I’m only your human,” I replied with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah. Oh! I see what you did,” Lily said smiling at me. She kissed my cheek. “Come on. I’ll show you the windows and doorway outside.”

I followed my familiar around the house and towards the back facing the valley. Lily showed me an arch.

“These other bricks and stones were placed here to cover it up and don’t match the rest of the cottage as they should.”

Taking a good look at the wall, I could see what the pixie meant. I smaller stone or brick about eye level caught my eye. It stuck out just a tad more than the rest. I reached for it and tried to shake it back and forth. It moved just a touch.

“I see what you mean. I’m not sure it would be a good idea to have another way for people or creatures to enter our home though. That’s probably what whoever did this was thinking too.”

“Uh huh. But think about it. If we restore the inside of the cottage to as good of shape as we can, which is my plan.”

“And what I want,” I added. Lily nodded her agreement.

“Then having others enter the house to buy things or just visit would be bad.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” I agreed after a moment. “Having to explain how we did it would be hard, but possible. The ruin tech and other things would make people jealous and possibly violent.”

“I agree.”

“But if we let people into the basement, what do we do with the generator and other tech?”

“Good question. I suppose we could build a wall with a hidden door and hide the tech behind it.”

“Can we do that and make it match the rest of the basement?”

“Hmmm, yes. You’ll have to help do a lot of the construction though. Then we’ll take care of the blending or matching work.”

“Alright. We have a plan. Going to show me the windows now?”

“So, you do want to open the doorway?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok! Let’s see those windows,” Lily cheerfully said leading me around on the narrow path that circled the cottage. I swallowed and slowly followed her. “You really don’t like this slope, do you?”

“Can’t say I do. It’s a long drop,” I replied.

“It’s not the falling that gets you, it’s the landing,” Lily quipped coming to a stop under the porch. She pointed to three spots on the wall. “Those are covered up windows.”

“Huh. I can see the outline of the window frames. How come I didn’t notice them inside the basement?”

“Probably because you haven’t spent a lot of time in there yet and when you have been in the basement, it was doing stuff I asked you to do.”

“Good point. Let’s go inside and see if we can find the doorway and if anything is blocking it and the windows there.”

“Ok!”

*

The windows were easy enough to find in the basement after I turned on three of the camp lanterns, we had taken from the lab ruin. They lit up the whole basement except for corners.

“Well, that explains why they were boarded up,” I said after prying a board off the window. There were only broken shards of glass. “That sucks. I guess we’ll have to leave it boarded up.”

“No, we won’t. Just leave the glass work to me and the other pixies. We’re going to use the remaining glass in all the windows to make more that won’t be broken so easily.”

“Really?” I asked intrigued by the idea.

“Yeppers.”

“Care to tell me how or is it pixie magic?” I asked wiggling my fingers at Lily.

“You already know the answer,” Lily replied grinning at me.

“Figures. Well, I think I should go stake out the land we want,” I said changing the subject.

“I’ve already gotten Yam and some of the others to do that,” Lily replied dragging her left foot in the air as if she was stirring water with her toes.

“Really?”

“Uh huh.”

“And how much have you guys claimed for us?”

“Including the cottage?” she asked. I nodded. “50 acres…”

“What am I going to do with that much land?”

“Have one big herbal garden!” Lily cheekily replied.

“Lily, be serious.”

“I am being serious. We can use part of the land for a garden for your alchemy and to grow some food. This also gives us some timber and hunting grounds.”

“Neither of us hunt,” I pointed out.

“True. That land is also where the local pixies have their homes…”

“Ah. That makes sense then.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course not. Telling me what you wanted to do would have been nice though.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Does that mean the beehive is on my land?”

“Uh huh.”

“Is there anything else I need to know about what you have claimed for us?”

“Um…the cows,” Lily squeaked out.

“Cows?”

“Yep.”

“The villagers don’t know about the cows, do they?”

“Not according to the other pixies. They’re even partially fenced in!”

“Predators haven’t eaten them?”

“According to April, the predators leave the cows alone because of the bull. Oh yeah, all of them have horns too.”

“Are they big?”

“They are to me!”

“Almost everything is large compared to you.”

“Hey!”

I laughed and sent as much love as I could over our bond. “Just joking my little sweet one.”

“I know and I love you too. Want to see the cows?”

“Sure. Let me guess, we have to go north to their pasture since the villagers don’t know about them.”

“Good guess, but you’re wrong. We have to go east through some dense forest.”

“Ah.”