The next morning brought with it some bad news. It. Was. Cold. Very, VERY cold. The various ponds and small lakes were all frozen over. “Well, that’s not good.” Soot, who was sitting on my shoulder clicked his beak in agreement as we stood on the porch. “Indeed. The last time we got frost this early the winter turned out to be the harshest that century. So if it’s anything like it this time, that’s going to be problematic. However…” He glanced over at Meleri, who was sliding along the frozen pond with glee along with Irane and Irenji.

  “Hmm true, the cold will be necessary for her cryomancy lessons. Bahruun has been great for overseeing her basics, but there is a reason I contracted them to spring at the bare minimum.” Soot nodded. “It will be interesting to see how she takes to that school of magic.” As he said so, a happy hoot turned his attention over to where Winter was hopping along the frozen ground, thrilled about the drop in temperature. For obvious reasons, she loved the colder time of year. “At least some of us are happy about this development.”

  True enough, still the sudden drop in temperature was problematic for more than one reason. “Here’s hoping Nettledale finished their winter preparations in time, as this frost will see all the summer fae sleeping like logs until spring. Not that I can check, as losing their webs so soon will see the matriarch get… cranky.” I could see Soot shudder, and it wasn’t because of the cold.

  I pushed that uncomfortable thought away as I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. “Rathina darling, I'm surprised you’d want to be outside in this weather.” She gave me a beautiful smile. “It gets colder in the infernal realm; besides, I’ve been cooped up in the library for so long I could use some fresh air.” I looked at her. “Hmm, I would ask if you wanted to take a trip through the forest but with this sudden temperature drop I have to get some last-minute things done before the snow arrives.”

  Rathina gave me a curious look. I glanced over at Bahruun and Millid. “Those two have been wanting to move into their own little place to stay nearby. And since I know that the two want some privacy, I have been spending the evenings clearing out a small area for them to build a hut of their own. I would make it for them, but Bahruun knows better than I how to make it fit for the two of them.”

  Rathina tilted her head. “I thought you decided against that?” I glanced over to the entrance, where Bahruun was sitting, patting his pipe, with Millid on his lap. “Yeah, well, I changed my mind. I read up more on Sand Devils, and Millid needs to dig through the soil to remain healthy.”

  Rathina followed my gaze toward Millid and Bahruun. “Ah, I see, with winter coming up she would need a place to do so without having to go out into the cold.” I turned toward Rathina and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Indeed. Even Appleridge has to obey the bitter cold of winter, so no produce will grow even there until spring. And since Millid needs a place to dig, it would be better to give her easy access rather than have her and Bahruun risk their well-being to potential winter storms. Care to join me at the clearing?”

  Rathina looked thoughtful for a moment. “Sure, I could use some exercise.” It was a ten-minute flight as the bird traveled to get to proper ground in the forest between my home and Appleridge. The area itself was a small flat area on top of a small hill to prevent them from getting snowed in once the winter began in earnest.

  Cutting down the trees was simple enough, and removing the stumps was even easier, as both Rathina and I could rip them up from the ground with relative ease. Halfway through the clearing, a sound from behind alerted us to the arrival to Bahruun, Millid, Meleri, Irenji and Irane. Meleri let out a whistle as I casually ripped a tree out of the ground with my bare hands, stump and all, and tossed it next to the others. “Ah Bahruun, great timing, want us to flatten the top of the hill, or should we leave that to you?”

  Bahruun looked around at the small hill. “It’s flat enough as it is, but thanks for asking.” I shrugged. “Alright then. Also, I have a few surprises I have planned for you. So despite that you wanted to build the house I insist on doing the exterior and the basement.” Bahruun glanced down at Millid who gave him a few rapid nods. She was in on it, so she knew what I was planning. I wanted to include her in the surprise, but I needed specifics from her that would make it blatantly obvious what I was planning anyhow.

  Bahruun sighed. “Fine, but let me at least decide how you build it.” Fair enough. “That’s fine.” I wasted no time in starting to transform the trees into planks, as Rathina pulled out several stones from her storage bag and began to set out a proper foundation for the cabin itself. It didn’t take long before she was done, and we set about building the cabin. The planks were magically fused just as I did with Appleridge’s main house. Bahruun kept directing how the exterior should look as we worked, so it took a bit of time.

  As we finished, a rather quaint-looking exterior was set up. The hut itself was still lacking windows, but those would be installed soon, as they were already being made, I could just fit them with magic if the dimensions were wrong. The roof itself was made with turf, and grass was sticking out of it. It would have looked way better if it wasn’t wilted from the frost, but what could you do?

  The exterior contained three windows. A small chimney and a fireplace were in one corner, courtesy of Rathina, which I intended to fill with some flame from my fireplace, as I was curious if that would transfer the enchantment. If it didn’t, then between me, Bahruun, Meleri, and Rathina we could, probably create something similar. Although Meleri was still a beginner, it would be good experience for her.

  “Alright, that’s the exterior; now, if you will excuse me, Bahruun, I have some digging to do.” I walked towards the entrance and entered with Rathina following behind me. She volunteered to help so I wouldn’t mess up what was coming next. “Alright, love, ready?” I nodded, and the two of us began to cast.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  This wasn’t the first time I was using spatial magic, but it was the first time I was using it on such a large scale. Well, it was technically the second, as I used spatial magic without realizing when I made Appleridge, and it was a damn miracle that didn’t blow up in my face when I did.

  The effect on the main room was simple, as the interior seemed to stretch out and increase in size. By the time we were done, the inside of the little cabin was now as large as a three-person home, which would give Bahruun and Millid plenty of space to make the interior. It would even allow them a second floor, should they want it.

  Then we turned our attention to the corner where we would make the cellar, well one of two. The first one would be a root cellar large enough to store whatever food they would need and enchanted to keep things fresh and cold. It was a simple affair to set up even as the dirt slowly drifted up and out of the hole and out the door.

  Thanks to Rathina’s skill with fire magic the walls, floor and roof were exposed to heat so strong it melted them without losing their structural integrity. The resulting slag was transmuted to stone and cooled back down, resulting in a seamless room. She did the same with the foundations earlier. After that was done, planks from the outside hovered inside and began the stairs and shelves. “That’s good for now; let's begin the second one.”

  I was nervous for this one, as it would be the first time I would be attempting conjuration. Still, it would be a good practice. We walked over to the 2nd area set off for a basement and began to repeat the process. This time, however, once the room was turned to seamless stone we began to cast spatial magic, extending the area’s size. By the time we were done, the entire room was about ten meters deep and the size of a soccer pitch. I took a deep breath as I looked around. Then I pulled out the mana potions. This was going to suck.

  Rathina gave me a supportive clap on my shoulders. “You can do it.” I gave her a grateful smile and began to cast. “Oh, magic conjured by my hand, reach out across the land, gather your power in this room grand, and fill this basement with desert sand!” I was too green with conjuration magic to cast it without rhymes.

  The result, however, was more than I hoped, as multiple geysers of sand erupted all over the room, and by the time they abated two-thirds of the room was filled with fine desert sand, just like it would be back in the southland deserts. Millid would love this.

  Then, a bit of casting later and a stairway led back outside. “This looks gooohhh, man, I need the mana potions.” As I spoke, I felt wobbly and light-headed from too much costly magic in a row, especially that conjuration spell. I couldn’t recall the last time I felt this drained. Rathina helped me down onto the sand and gently fed me the mana potions. “Thanks, beautiful.” She gave me a crooked grin and gave me a quick kiss. “Don’t mention it. Feeling better?” The dizziness slowly subsided. “I do, ugh, haven’t been that drained in ages. Let’s see what Bahruun and Millid think, eh?”

  Rathina helped me back to my feet, and after a bit of trial and error I could stand just fine. I picked up the mana potions, I was going to feel the potion sickness later, no doubt. But eh, I could handle it. “Hmm, actually before we go, mind casting a heating enchantment so that the frost from outside doesn’t hit the sand pit?” Rathina looked over it and was calculating mana expense by the looks of things. “Doable, just give me a moment. However, you better make me a tasty dinner tonight for this as I’m gonna be bottomed out afterward.”

  I reached around her waist. “Of course I will. And if I don't, Meleri will.” She gave me a playful slap but began casting. About five minutes later we exited the cabin and found Bahruun and Millid outside. Millid was not looking at me and tilted her head slightly, silently asking if it was done. I gave her a slight, nearly unnoticeable nod. “We’re done with the cellars, come inside and look.” Bahruun looked down to Millid, then picked her up in both arms, much to Millid’s delight, and followed behind us.

  Once we entered inside Bahruun stopped cold. “This is way more space than we need.” I turned and looked at him. “Better with too much than too little. The racket from not having enough is far greater than just making enough to begin with, and it’s not like you won’t have enough planks.” Bahruun grumbled a bit but nodded slowly. I pointed the first of the two stairs going down. “This leads down to the root cellar. I have already put preservation and cooling enchantments down there.” Bahruun then looked towards the other set of stairs. “And that one?”

  I gave him a grin as Rathina skipped ahead. “Why don’t you come along and see?” She waved for Bahruun to follow her. Bahruun took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure why, maybe expecting something like an evil lab or something? The way the stairs were built made it impossible to see the entire thing. Rathina and I deliberately made it a walled spiral staircase with a door to make the surprise complete. I didn’t give Millid an estimate of the size of the “sand pool” I would make, so she was probably just expecting a small little pit or something. Either way, this would be good.

  As we reached the door, I walked past Bahruun and Millid to stand beside Rathina. “Well, here we are. I hope you enjoy the surprise I and Rathina made for you.” Rathina gave a big grin. “Enjoy, you two.” With that, she threw open the door, revealing the large mini-desert. To say that Bahruun and Millid were stunned was an understatement. After a few moments, Millid recovered and squirmed out of Bahruun’s hands. Then she swan-dived into the sand with a gleeful howl. The act shook Bahruun out of his own shocked silence as he watched Millid move through the sand like a dolphin through water.

  Bahruun slowly looked away from the sight and towards me and Rathina. I could see tears at the edges of his white eyes. “I haven’t seen Millid so happy since before we left the desert… Thank you, you two. This… this means more to me than I can properly convey.” He walked past us. “Gah, I got some sand in my eyes.” I glanced over to Rathina, who nodded. “Well, we will leave the two of you to it. Have fun building the interior and furniture.” Bahruun gave us a wave without turning around. While Millid was too busy digging to even notice us leave. It didn’t matter either way. The two would be back for dinner anyway… Maybe.

  As we exited the cabin, the sun was cresting midday. “Well, we have a few hours before that, so why don’t we head to the library to keep looking?” Rathina grinned. “Sounds good to me.” She reached out and grabbed me hand, and as the two of us hopped back on the carpet we flew back, hand—in-hand.