The next few weeks were spent working on the house and gathering supplies, mostly mushrooms as the villagers loved them. Sadly, most of them didn’t know how to tell a poisonous mushroom from an edible one. The storage device made keeping the plants I gathered a breeze thanks to the stasis effect it had. When I questioned Lily about that, she just told me that in simple terms it meant time stopped in the storage device and that I lacked the education to properly understand. I couldn’t argue with that.

The house was finished and even had a fresh coat of paint making it look new on the inside. When questioned where the paint and other materials came from, the pixies gave Lily’s favorite answer of the getting place. But since none of the villagers had complained about things being stolen, I didn’t worry about it.

Moving the old appliances out of the house had been a pain in the butt but had let me master my telekinesis. There was no other way that I could have moved those heavy old machines by myself. The pixies had refused to help move the appliances after Lily said moving things was beneath them. Privately, she had told me it was for my own good and I needed some tough love, whatever that meant. But it had worked, and we even had power with the generator and solar system installed. The pixies had done that since the roof is so steep. Lily and I were quite pleased with the way the cottage had turned out. Even things with the village were looking up.

*

“Jase, I see that you have brought some more mushrooms,” Mitch, the butcher observed as I walked into his shop and sat a sack on the floor.

“Yeah, we have. I even have the laxative for your father-in-law. Though, he could just eat some prunes or drink tea made from chamomile, peppermint, or dandelion,” I answered pulling a small jar out of my satchel and setting it on his counter as Lily flew out of my shirt pocket and landed on the counter. She waved at the butcher. The pixies still gave the silent treatment to most of the villagers and wouldn’t talk to them.

“Hi Lily. That’s good. Did you bring any of the teas too?”

“We did,” I replied sitting a tin on the counter. “This is dried chamomile. It has other healthy properties too.”

“What kind of properties?”

“Well, it can help reduce menstrual pain for one.”

“I’m not a woman.”

“Well, duh,” Lily muttered to me. I smiled.

“I can see that,” I told the butcher. “But it might be good for your wife, sister, or other women in your life.”

“That’s true. Anything else?” Mitch asked.

“It’s good for relaxation and sleep.”

“That’s nice. I could use that.”

“Chamomile can also help with inflammation, skin conditions, and even helps treat colds.”

“All that from a flower?”

“Yep,” I replied as Mitch shook his head. “Find it hard to believe?”

“Yeah. So, do you want coin for all this or some meat?”

“Let’s do some of both,” I answered. “Not everybody is willing to trade like you are.”

“Fair enough,” Mitch replied. We spent a few minutes haggling before coming to an agreement.

“Jase, ask Mitch about dressing a cow,” Lily reminded me as we concluded our business.

“Mitch, how much would you charge to butcher or dress out a large animal?” I asked.

“Depends on the animal and how big it is,” the butcher replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I’ve seen some tracks on my land while gathering mushrooms and such,” I replied.

“Bear or mountain lion tracks?”

“No. It’s something with hoofs.”

“Could be a cow. We’ve caught a few over the years wondering around the area.”

“Could be,” I agreed.

“I’d want at least a third of the meat and the hide to dress one out. The rest would be yours,” Mitch told me.

“I can live with that.”

“How are you going to catch the cow or whatever it is and get it to the village? I’m assuming you won’t be killing it yourself.”

“No, I won’t be killing it,” I agreed. “As for getting it here, well, Lily has a way with animals.”

*

“Looks like trouble,” Lily said as we exited the Shepards’ home. Ama was waiting with a smile on her face.

“Ama,” I said in greeting as Lily stuck her tongue out at the older woman.

“Jase, I have good news,” Ama said ignoring my greeting and Lily entirely.

“Oh?”

“I have found someone else to assume the alchemist role for Stonecroft. You are no longer needed, and I’ll have Mohe and some of the boys come and take the village’s equipment from your house in a few days,” the woman smugly said.

“That is not good news for me,” I replied. I was more worried about losing the equipment than being replaced. I would put my wares up against anyone’s that would move here considering how long it had taken her to find someone else.

“I never said it was,” Ama retorted before spinning on her heel and starting to walk away. Lily threw a tiny dirt clog at her. Ama stopped and her familiar screeched above us.

“Try it you feather duster, and I’ll pluck your feathers!” Lily threatened the hawk shaking her fist at it. Ama turned and glared at Lily and me.

“She’ll do it and have help,” I warned.

“You would dare attack my familiar?”

“If it attacks my Lily, I would,” I replied. “But I’m talking about others, not me.”

Ama looked around and noticed the pixies that had gathered around. She snorted and walked away.

“Thank you, my Jase,” Lily said flying up and kissing my right cheek.

“At least we have the house,” I muttered. “And you’re welcome.”

“We have more than the house. You have money as well as things you can trade or sell to buy your own equipment,” Lily replied.

“Plus, there might by some stuff we can use in the storage device,” I said.

“Now you’re using your head!” Lily said cheerfully.

“Let’s go home and see what we have.”

“And make a list of what is needed,” Lily concluded for me. The other pixies cheered.

“Right. Carla said there should be a caravan arriving in a couple of days.”

“Don’t make the villagers lives more difficult,” Lily warned the others.

“We won’t!” one of the pixies said.

“Except for Ama and Mohe,” another pixie added to laughter from the others. Lily laughed as I smiled and shook my head.