“Hmm? Oh, yes.” The sprite waved her hand airily. “Go on, then.”
Diana could hear the light sound of Calvin swallowing before he answered. As ridiculous as this whole situation appeared on the surface, it really could change the course of his life if it went badly.
“Tree,” Calvin said clearly. “The answer istree.”
“Welldone,” the sprite sneered, her eyes narrow. “It only took you two days.”
Calvin gave a deferential little bow of his head, though Diana could see that her needling was getting to him.
It’s okay,she thought, trying to somehow project a feeling of calmness in his direction.We’re almost there. And then we can go home and do whatever we like for the rest of our lives, and never have to think about this again.
She would’ve sworn that she saw his shoulders relax a little, though maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part. Still, when he spoke again, his voice was strong but calm, sounding like he was ready to take on any challenge with a clear mind.
“I wanted to take the time to make sure I brought a fitting tribute,” he said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to bring something that was not befitting one of your stature.”
Or,Diana thought, fighting to keep a mischievous smile from breaking out over her face,we ran out into my back yard at three in the morning wearing nothing but the sheets we’d pulled off the bed, and searched around frantically for something that we thought a nature spirit with a superiority complex might like.
“Oh, yes, my tribute,” the sprite said, with what she probably thought was a nonchalant air… but in reality, she practically hadHand it over!written all over her face, her hands reaching outwithout her seeming to realize they were doing so. “I suppose I shall allow you to present it to me.”
Diana stepped forward, willing her hands not to tremble as the sprite seemed to move faster than should have been possible, seeming to disappear and then reappear right in front of her, getting up in her personal space. “This is the tribute that Calvin has chosen for you.”
The sprite examined the tribute closely, seeming to be confused. “A small tree,” she murmured, the condescending tone gone from her voice for once.
“It’s a birch sapling,” Diana said, trying to cover the slight shake in her voice. “I know that there aren’t many birches in this particular section of the forest, so we thought you might like something a little different to look at.”
She had taken a bunch of cuttings from her overgrown birch tree a month or two back, with the intention of selling them to fundraise for the playground once they were a little more established. She and Calvin hadhopedthat the sprite would like one as a tribute, given what Sieval had said about how she would probably want something linked to the riddle’s answer. But could a creature as friendly as Sieval really know what a self-centered sprite like this one would like?
The sprite looked the sapling over from top to tail, inspecting every inch of it. Diana held her breath. The sprite seemed interested, at least, which Diana supposed was a good start. Some of the snootiness had melted away from her expression, replaced by what seemed to be genuine curiosity.
And maybe she realized at some point that she’d let her façade slip, because suddenly the haughty veil dropped once more, and she straightened up, tilting her chin upward.
“It will suffice,” she snapped, pointing over to the other side of the glade. “Place it over there.”
Diana’s knees trembled.Phew!
Next to her, she heard Calvin let out a slow breath.
“Where should I plant it?” she asked, as she walked around the pond. She didn’t want to just go digging about, and cause a whole new situation to erupt.
The sprite looked confused. “Plant? It is already a plant.”
I guess she might not be used to deliberately cultivating plants. Everything here looks like it just sprang into existence through Mother Nature’s touch.
“To take it out of the pot and then place it in a small hole in the ground, so that it can grow,” Diana explained.
The sprite shook her head in a surprisingly human gesture. “No. Leave the – thepot.” Her voice softened infinitesimally. “I desire to keep it.”
Diana looked down at the pot in confusion. It was just a cheap terracotta thing – she and Ash had spent a weekend decorating a bunch of them with mosaics made from broken tiles and plates, with the intention of selling them with the tree and plant cuttings she was cultivating.
This one had jagged squares of various colors – deep reds, blues, greens, and golds – and was obviously one of the first ones they’d made, if the wobbliness of the mosaic was anything to go by.
But, Diana supposed, looking around the glade, it was something that the sprite would have likely never seen. Certainly it broke up all the different shades of green! It was hardly high art, but, well, if the sprite liked it, Diana wasn’t going to complain. And itdidcatch the sun nicely.
She placed the pot down, glancing up at the sprite to ensure that it met with her approval. The sprite nodded shortly.
Relieved, Diana made her way back to Calvin, who was watching her with an appreciative expression. She reached out and touched his fingertips, reassured by the mate bond when he squeezed back.
The sprite gazed at the birch tree in its pot, looking satisfied. Diana wanted to ask her what she was going to do when the birch tree outgrew the pot, given that sprites apparently couldn’t touch solid objects, but decided that it would be best to refrain. No point in introducing a potential annoyance!
