Miles, a modern cook, discovers a World Tree glass orb on his attic desk—and on the other side lies the Silverleaf Court. Briar, a tiny pointy-eared elf princess obsessed with food, keeps slipping through the glowing portal to steal his cocoa, cupcakes, and tacos. Miles goes from terrified to fond, lures her into the human world with a roasted chicken skewer, and they pinky-swear a secret pact. When Briar's mother falls deathly ill with "iron mist" and the healer insists on bloodletting, the little elf races through the orb begging for help; Miles's asthma inhaler saves the elf queen's life. In return, the elf family showers him with silver and amber, and even her older sister Vesper sneaks through to bake cake together. The two worlds finally agree to meet once a month—Miles warms the oven, and the little elf comes bursting through the light, already hungry.
