"Where's your word from then?" he asked, with all the curiosity of a child and moving closer as if seeing Rhys up close would tell him all his secrets. "No, she's a pureblood, it's just the ones what are close to the village don't usually talk to the people there."

He shrugged and grinned, indigo eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's actually just that they like playing with kids. Well," he paused, correcting himself, "some of them want to play with the adults too but the adults don't want to be rolling with them and making halfbreeds, whatever that all means."