Page 176 of First Light

“I don’t know what that is.”

She took his hand and dragged him toward the steps leading up to the deck. “My ceilings are normal-sized. You’re not going to hit your head, but you’ll probably have to duck through the door. They’re taller inside.”

He halted in his tracks. “Oh.”

She spun around. “Oh my God, did you think the height of the door was the height of the house? No wonder you haven’t wanted to come inside.”

“I don’t know anything about Brightkin dwellings.” He looked a little embarrassed.

“It’s fine.” She squeezed his hand. “I know everything is new. You can stay on the deck when they get here if you want.”

It was going to start raining though. Kiersten and Laura might have questions.

“I will adapt.” He set his face into a determined expression. “Let us go inside.”

Carys suddenly realized something else. Kiersten was going to hit on him. He was exactly her type, and he was almost a foot taller than her. Her tall Scandinavian friend would be in raptures.

“Why are you smiling?” Cadell asked.

This was going to be hilarious. “Nothing. I’m just really looking forward to you meeting my friends.”

“Very well.” Cadell eyed her with suspicion, looked at the door, then took a deep breath. “I will go inside the human dwelling now.”

Oh yeah. Laura and Kiersten were going to have alotof questions.

“Great.” Carys opened the door. “Okay?” She crossed the threshold. “Come on inside. It doesn’t bite.”

Cadell ducked his head and walked inside, looking around the kitchen with suspicion. “It is not as small as I imagined.”

“It’s cozy.” She stepped to the side and leaned against the counter. “Go ahead. Look around. You can go anywhere you like.”

“I don’t want to violate your privacy, Nêrys.” His words belied his curious staring. Cadell ran his hands along the fridge and pressed them to the side as the machine hummed. He walked to the sink and moved the lever around until the water came on, and then he moved it again until it shut off. “An indoor well.”

“Wait until you see the toilet.”

Cadell muttered, “So much metal.”

“And this house is made of wood.”

He frowned. “What else are houses made of?”

“Brick. Stucco.”

“Brick I know. I don’t know what stucco is.”

“You’ll find out.”

She watched him wander through the house until he came to the wall of paintings her mother had finished. She’d just finished hanging them in a beautiful arrangement on the largest wall in the living room.It was a mix of large landscapes, smaller portraits, and fantastical botanical studies.

Cadell froze when he spotted the wall of paintings. “Where did you get these?”

She walked over with a smile. “Those are my mother’s work. They look like the Shadowlands, right? Duncan thinks maybe she dreamed?—”

“This is Cair Goch.” He pointed at a painting of a stone fortress high on a snowy mountain. “This is Gareth’s Ring.” He pointed to another painting of a stone circle.

“That’s cool.” She smiled. “Gareth was my dad’s name.”

Cadell turned to her with wide eyes. “These are places in Cymru. Specific places.” He looked back at the wall. “These are cliffs in Kernow.”