“You know who I am?”
The little man looked at Ashley like he was the worst sort of idiot. “Doesn’t everyone?”
Ashley supposed that was true. “I’d like to talk to you,” Ashley said, as he approached slowly. He reached out a tentative hand. “You’re not going to bite me again, are you?”
“Not unless you make me,” the man said with a sudden jovial grin. “And to think, I thought you were the dangerous one.”
“A misnomer, I assure you,” Ashley replied.
Once Ashley cut through his bonds, the little man clambered into a chair and turned to face Finn. “Tell me your wish, sir, so I can go back to my duties.”
Ashley could think of only one wish he would wish. “A wish?” he asked, as he settled in a chair across from the little man.
“You freed a garden gnome. You get a wish.” The little man regarded him with a slow smile.
“Wait. I should be the one to get the wish. I caught you.”
“Exactly.” The gnome shook his head as though he was talking to an addled man. “You caught the gnome.” He pointed to Ashley. “He freed the gnome.” He pointed to his left ear. “Use these for something other than holding up your spectacles, won’t you?”
“I don’t wear spectacles,” Finn muttered.
“Then you don’t use them for a single thing, do you?” the gnome taunted.
Ashley chuckled into his fist. Finn cursed behind him and pulled up a chair. “The little lad knows Miss Thorne,” Finn reminded Ashley.
“Little lad?” the man said with a snort. “I’ll have you know that I’m two hundred and ten years old.” He snorted again. “Little lad,” he murmured, disgust in his voice.
“What are you?” Ashley asked.
“Is that your wish? To know what I am?”
“Absolutely not,” Finn interjected.
The gnome sighed heavily. “Can you make it go away?” He pointed to Finn. “It makes me nervous.”
Finn bristled at the “it” reference. “Why you little…” But Ashley held up a hand.
The little man grinned broadly and appraised his fingernails closely for a moment. Then said, “You humans certainly are a foolish lot. I am a garden gnome.”
“I never thought garden gnomes were real. Next you’ll tell that the gargoyles guarding my garden gates are real.”
The gnome arched a brow at him.
“Good God,” Ashley swore. “They are?”
The gnome shrugged.
“I have to get back to my post. Sophia can get herself into some serious messes when I’m not around to watch her. I’m her shadow, you know?” the gnome said, his chest puffing out with pride.
“I’m certain you make a wonderful shadow.”
“Until someone catches him,” Finn tossed out.
The gnome stood up in the chair and looked for a moment like he would launch himself at Finn. Ashley was almost ready to let him. But Finn held up two hands to fend him off. The little man huffed and settled back into the chair. “Your wish, Your Grace,” the gnome prompted.
“How long have you known Miss Thorne?” Ashley asked casually.
“Since the day she was born. And her mother before her,” the man said with pride. He narrowed his eyes at Ashley. “You get one wish, Your Grace.”