Briar kept her attention on the small sprite, watching as it ventured a bit further from its hiding spot. When Sian turned the gate mechanism, water began flowing through with a soft gurgling sound. Most of the sprites rode the current down cheerfully, some even seeming to play in the new flow.
But the small one immediately retreated, pressing itself against the fountain's wall.
"It's alright," Briar murmured, cupping her hands in the water to create a small, calm pocket. "See? Just water moving. Nothing frightening."
The sprite investigated the still water between her palms, and she carefully began moving her hands toward the flow. The sprite followed, more curious than afraid now.When they reached the current, it hesitated, then suddenly darted through her hands and down the channel, its fronds streaming behind it like tiny banners.
"One down," Sian said with satisfaction, already moving to the next fountain. "Only about sixty more to go."
They worked their way down the terraces, each fountain presenting its own challenges. One held a cluster of sprites that had apparently decided they liked the temperature exactly as it was and refused to budge until Sian created a gradual warming gradient they couldn't resist following. Another fountain's sprites kept playing in the ornamental waterfall, riding it up and down instead of moving to the winter pools.
"How long have you been doing this?" Briar asked, helping corner a particularly evasive sprite that kept jumping between fountains.
"Since I came to the Star Court. About forty years now." Sian guided the water temperature with practiced ease, creating invisible paths the sprites instinctively followed. "They reproduce slowly, thank the gods. I know most of them by now."
Briar watched a medium-sized sprite with what looked like a crown of flowing tendrils investigate her shadow on the water. "They all look different."
"They adapt to their fountains. The ones from the rose garden pools have a pinkish tint. The ones near the meditation pools are almost perfectly clear." Sian paused at a large central fountain where three channels converged. "This is where it gets tricky. They have to choose which warm pool to winter in, and they're very particular."
The sprites began gathering at the convergence, swirling in little eddies of confusion. Some darted toward one channel, then changed their minds and tried another. The small one with the feathered gills that Briar had coaxed earlier seemed especially lost, spinning in circles.
Without thinking, Briar reached for it, and to her surprise, it swam into her cupped hands. Its body felt like cool silk against her palms, barely there but definitely present.
"The eastern pool is warmest," she told it, as if it could understand. She walked to that channel and lowered her hands into the water. The sprite hesitated, then brushed against her fingers—almost like a goodbye—before flowing away down the channel.
"You're natural at this," Sian said, but her attention was on a group of sprites that had decided to go upstream instead.
They worked until the sun began slanting low, turning the fountains to gold. By the time they reached the last terrace, Briar's sleeves were soaked to the elbows and she'd forgotten, for a while, about the choice waiting for her at dawn.
"Last one," Sian announced, approaching a small fountain tucked into an alcove. "Usually the easiest since—" She stopped, frowning. "It's empty."
Briar looked into the clear water. No sprites at all, though the fountain was otherwise pristine.
"They must have migrated early," Sian said, though she sounded puzzled. "Strange. The ones here are usually the last to go." She walked around the fountain, examining it from different angles. "Well, that's all of them then. The winter pools should be properly populated now."
She created a small whirlpool in the fountain, just to be certain, but nothing emerged from hiding.
"Thank you," Sian said, wringing water from her sleeves. "This usually takes twice as long with just me, and results in significantly more flooding."
"It was..." Briar paused, realizing she meant it, "actually enjoyable. They're beautiful creatures."
"They're just water given form and thought," Sian said, but fondly. "Simple beings with simple needs. Sometimes I envy them that." She glanced at Briar. "The sun's getting low. We should return inside. You'll want to eat something before…"
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. Before the hunt ended. Before Briar had to choose.
The peaceful afternoon of shepherding water sprites already felt distant as they walked back toward the palace, the weight of her approaching decision returning with each step. The sun cast long shadows across the courtyard, marking time she couldn't stop from passing.
Briar returned to her room, her sleeves still damp and clinging uncomfortably to her arms. The afternoon with Sian had been a welcome distraction, but now, alone again, the weight of the approaching choice settled back onto her shoulders.
She peeled off the wet tunic, draping it over a chair to dry, and moved to the wash basin to clean the fountain water from her arms. The porcelain bowl had been freshly filled, the water clear and still. She dipped her hands in, watching the ripples spread—
Something moved beneath thesurface.
She jerked back, water sloshing onto the floor. There, in the center of the basin, was the small sprite from the fountains. The one with the feathered gill appendages she'd coaxed from behind the lily pad. It spun in a lazy circle, those dark eye-spots seeming to track her movement.
"How did you—" She leaned closer, studying it. The sprite drifted toward her, its translucent body catching the late afternoon light streaming through the window. "You were supposed to go to the winter pools."
The sprite's gills fluttered, creating tiny currents in the basin. It pressed itself against the side closest to her, and she could have sworn it was looking at her expectantly.
