Whipping her head around, she saw a figure – a tall, slender,glowingfigure – standing serenely by the pond.
That creature wasdefinitelynot there a moment ago,she thought, trying to urge her crazed heartbeat to slow back down to something resembling its normal pace.
Was it the sprite? It had to be the sprite. She couldn’t think of anything else that it would be.
She studied it more closely. It had long, straight hair that fell to its waist, and was aglow with a faint blue light that gave it an almost shimmering appearance. Its facial features were hard to pin down, somewhere between male and female, somewhere between human and not human. She could understand why Kieran referred to it asit– it was completely otherworldly in both appearance and demeanor, somehow seeming both calm and bashful at the same time.
“That’s right,” said Calvin, the slightest hint of unease tingeing his voice, though he still sounded composed overall. Diana supposed that he had reason to be at least somewhat concerned, given his previous encounter with a sprite. “This is Diana – she’s my mate. We’re friends of Kieran’s.”
The sprite inclined its head slightly to one side, seeming in that one small action to be taking in everything about both of them.
Diana raised one hand awkwardly. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
The sprite brought its hands together in an impossibly smooth motion. “It is nice to meet you, too. I am called Sieval.”
It moved one hand in a gesture that, while small, somehow managed to encompass the entire clearing. “Welcome to my home.”
Chapter 12
Well, I guess this sprite encounter is going better than the last one,Calvin thought. So far, anyway.
The wyvern grimaced.That would not be difficult. Your incompetence was on full display in the previous instance. This time, I shall guide you.
Guide me right into a sprite-versus-shifter diplomatic incident, you mean,Calvin retorted.Or have you forgotten the time you tried to ‘guide’ me when I was discussing those building plans with that architect?
The wyvern reared back, affronted.I maintain that he was misguided. What would he know?
About architecture? More than you!
Out loud, he said, “Thank you for welcoming us to your home, Sieval.”
“It’s very lovely,” Diana added. She wasn’t wrong – the area where Sieval lived was stunningly beautiful.
Was it possible for a sprite to look self-conscious? Calvin wasn’t sure. It certainly seemed that way, though.
“I am glad that you like my humble home,” Sieval said. “Though I cannot take credit for it, I guard and protect it as best I can.”
This sprite was clearly the opposite of the one that Calvin had encountered, and could surely be reasoned with. He felt the first hints of hope beginning to rise within him.
“You clearly do a wonderful job of it,” Diana said.
“This is my rock,” Sieval continued shyly, gesturing to a smooth, shiny black rock at the water’s edge, beautiful in its simplicity. It seemed almost like it was another participant in the conversation, waiting to be introduced – and perhaps to Sieval, it was. “Did Kieran explain the relationship that sprites have to their bonded objects?”
Calvin nodded. “Yeah, he did.”
Now that the introductions were apparently complete, Sieval gestured for them to sit upon a sun-warmed patch of moss at the water’s edge.
“Would you like to cool your feet in the water?” Sieval asked, and Calvin was taken aback for a moment. This really wasn’t anything like his previous sprite encounter.
He hesitated, wondering what on earth he could possibly get cursed withthistime… but then, he decided to trust Sieval. He’d only known Kieran for a day, but he seemed like an extremely genuine guy, and Calvin couldn’t believe that he would have sent him here if there had been any danger.
“Thanks,” he said – even if the waterhadn’tlooked so clear, cool and refreshing, who knew? Maybe it would be rude to turn down Sieval’s offer.
He peeled off his hiking boots and socks, letting his feet dangle in the deliciously cool, crisp water, Diana following suit at his side. Unable to help himself, he sighed with happiness.
Apparently this was enough to fully establish trust, for Sieval walked into the water in front of them so that they were eye level,apparently happy to just…stand there, Calvin supposed. Sieval obviously wasn’t fully corporeal in the way that a human or shifter was, and seemed unbothered by the prospect of standing stock-still in the middle of a pond.
The wyvern twitched slightly in his head, a little unnerved, but it kept quiet… for which Calvin was grateful. Perhaps it finally recognized that there were situations in which it was better to take a back seat.
