Peat’s loose-fitting silk, lavender pants slid around his legs, swishing with each step. Peat tried to bury his melancholy. Such feelings wouldn’t do the castle any good. It was pointless. The estate knew Peat better than he knew himself. The very foundation mourned his leaving. Those very same rocks would greet the next home-and-hearth pixie with joy and acceptance.
That was the forgiving way of the Goddess.
“Do you have anything else? Anything at all?” Peat was getting desperate. Three weeks had passed and still, not a single call back to any of his job applications. If something didn’t become available soon, he’d have to move. Again.
Bavaria gave him that same, pitying look Peat had long ago grown to despise. It wasn’t her fault. If anything, as a dryad, Bavaria was truly sympathetic to his plight. She was one of the reasons Peat had chosen this boarding facility to begin with. Having a dryad nearby was soothing.
“I’m sorry, Peat, but…” Bavaria chewed on her bottom lip. Her humanoid form was lovely, her skin a soft, warm butternut squash color. Dryads shed their rough bark while in their humanoid forms and if Bavaria wasn’t careful, she’d chew a hole in her soft lips.
“But?” Peat slumped into his chair. It wasn’t backless like most pixies needed. “No one wants me.” Peat stared off to the side. He didn’t want to see that pitying look any longer.
“I’m sorry, Peat. I truly am. I’ve certainly tried.”
“I know you have.” Peat didn’t doubt Bavaria’s attempts. With a heavy sigh, Peat stared down at his lavender fingernails. They could have just as easily gone light pink. Some magenta-colored pixies tended more toward pinker hues than purple.Peat’s coloration had gone toward lavender. “I think… I’m sorry, Bavaria, but I’ve only got enough to pay for another week, maybe two here at the boarding house. If there isn’t any work in the area for me, then I’m afraid it's time for me to move on.” Peat hated the thought, but he’d done it before. Too many times to count.
“Oh!” Bavaria fluttered about. She was so upset that willow leaves sprouted from her fingertips. “Oh dear.” Bavaria stared at her leaves, shaking her hands as if that would shake the leaves loose. When they fell to the floor, Peat decided that she must know better than him.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Peat said and wondered why he sounded so apologetic.
“It’s fine,” Bavaria assured him. “I apologize for losing control.”
Peat smiled sadly and shook his head. “Nonsense. Your true form is just as beautiful, if not more so, than this one.”
Pink flushed Bavaria’s cheeks. “That is terribly sweet.” Intertwining her slender fingers, Bavaria settled her elbows on her desk and leaned forward. “I’m hesitant to bring this up, but you do seem unfortunately desperate. I just… I never want to send anyone into a situation that might be…unsafe.” She cringed at the last.
“Unsafe?” Peat couldn’t for the life of him think of a scenario where a home-and-hearth pixie’s job would be considered unsafe.
“Not the home itself. I’m sure it’s just fine, but the client…” Bavaria licked her swollen lips and briefly stared off into the distance, as if she couldn’t make eye contact with Peat. “But I suppose you’re a grown pixie and can make your own decisions. It is not my place to do that for you.”
Peat was not considered a young pixie. Not that he was old either. Middle-aged might be the appropriate determination. Peat would even go so far to say he was in his prime. He washardly a freshly weaned home-and-hearth pixie out on their first job hunt.
“What’s the position?” Peat asked as he too leaned forward. His wings fluttered, spreading dust behind him. As a dryad, Bavaria wasn’t as sensitive to his dust, but she was still affected while in her humanoid form and gave a polite sneeze.
“Sorry,” Peat apologized, sitting back and stilling his wings.
Bavaria waved a hand in front of her face. “No, it’s fine. Beautiful even. When I’m in my tree form, I love pixie dust. My humanoid respiratory system is not as appreciative, I’m afraid.” Clearing her throat, Bavaria pulled out a desk drawer and reached inside, pulling out an advertisement. “This came through two weeks ago. I’m not sure if they’ve filled the position or not, but I would be surprised if that were so. I know I haven’t sent any pixies out for an interview.”
Bavaria stretched her arm across the desk, advertisement in hand. Peat leaned forward and snatched it. “What’s the problem? Is…? Oh.” Peat swallowed so hard his throat hurt.
“Now you know why I haven’t brought it up before now. Peat, I know you’re desperate, but I’m not sure this is a good idea. Not with the latest revelations regarding the effect pixie blood has on vampires. Fairy law is on your side, but that will do little good if one of them loses control.”
Fresh rumblings of fear had erupted along pixie communications channels. Pixies already had to deal with ogre addictions, capture, and possible fading. And now this. Vampires. There was a rumor that an American vampire king had bonded with a nature pixie. That wasn’t so bad. The problem was that it was also rumored the pixie’s blood had given the vampire the ability to stand within the sun. If that were true, then pixies could well be in danger from yet another powerful species.
Peat forced himself to read the entirety of the job descriptionand his eyes widened even more when he came to the second paragraph. “Sprites? The forest has a colony of sprites?”
“And, thus, the second reason I haven’t offered this position to any of the pixies in the boarding house. As a general rule, pixies aren’t terribly fond of sprites. It’s interesting, though. This is an updated advertisement. The first one made no mention of sprites.”
Peat wasn’t sure what to make of the advertisement update. The fact remained, there were sprites on the land. “That’s true. Sprites love our dust and tend to swarm.” Peat cringed. “I’ve seen videos. It doesn’t seem pleasant. I don’t think the sprites are really dangerous. They’re more annoying than anything.” Peat kept reading and his mouth slipped open when he got to the bottom. “Sweet Goddess, is that really what they’re offering to pay?” The amount was ridiculously high.
“That’s what it says,” Bavaria answered. “I was suspicious at first, but the more I consider it, the more the compensation makes sense. Most likely it was assumed the temptation would need to be high enough to override a pixie’s sense of self-preservation.” A long, willowy limb snaked its way over Bavaria’s desk, curving around the paper and tapping at the left corner. “I don’t think you’ve noticed the most important bit.”
“More important than vampires, sprites, and a ton of money?” Peat sounded as incredulous as he felt.
“More important than all of that. Look at the address.”
Peat looked but wasn’t sure what it meant beyond a very wealthy section of the countryside. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
Bavaria’s limb retreated, reforming into a humanoid digit. “That’s not just any vampire nest land. That’s the home of the Vampire Council itself. The oldest and most ancient amongtheir species. The strongest and deadliest. A viper’s nest of blood suckers.Thatis the job offer, Peat.”
