The next day Talvi was restless. He and Finn hadn’t returned until very late the previous night. They got back so late that Annika had only vaguely been aware of him curling next to her under their wool blankets. He was now carving a little table and chair set for the fairy house, but he wasn’t making much progress because he kept getting up and looking outside. Dardis and Chivanni weren’t back yet and he was starting to get worried.
“Why do you need to see Dardis and Chivanni so badly?” Yuri asked him. “They’re probably just looking for nearby fairies to come live in that house you’re making. It’s really nice. It’s one of the nicest that you’ve ever made.”
“Hmm…” was all her brother could respond with. She frowned as her compliment fell on deaf ears, then watched as he looked out the window again.
“That can’t be right,” Hilda yawned, trying to get Sedem to take a nap as she rocked him in the cradle. “The fairies left before you even started making that thing.” Talvi folded his arms across his chest and sighed heavily with concern.
“I know.”
That night Annika felt a hand nudge her awake from her dreams. It was the middle of the night and everyone else was deep in slumber.
“Annika, my little dove, wake up,” An urgent voice hissed. It was Talvi.
“Huh? What time is it? What’s going on?”
“Shhh, don’t wake anyone. Let me see your hands.” She pulled them out from underneath the blankets. He picked up her right hand and tapped her huge diamond ring.
“Aside from what’s wrapped around the ring, is the metal and stone very important to you?” he asked. She shook her head.
“Well, it’s worth a lot of money, but I’m not particularly attached to it. I only wear it because it’s so pretty. Why?”
“I wondered if I could borrow it for a while. I promise I’ll give it back, and I’ll be careful of what’s wrapped around it. I just want to show it to Dardis and Chivanni.”
“Right now? They’re back?” she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Yes, they’ve just returned. May I see it?” His eyes were anxious, but he wouldn’t explain himself. She shrugged as she pulled it off. He quickly climbed back down the ladder and walked away with the expensive ring, examining it closely. She was confused as to why the fairies wouldn’t have asked her to see it before three in the morning on this particular day. She cracked open the giant window shutter in the loft and watched Talvi jog back into the house, where Finn was waiting for him at the door. A bright fire lit the main room and blue smoke was puffing furiously outside of the chimney, colored so by the constant moonlight of Badra and Vega. The cold air snuck under her shirtsleeve and chilled her to the bone. She closed the window quickly and went back to her bed, wondering what in the world the brothers were up to in the middle of the night.