Sprite

Will skirted the area which used to be Earl’s village. The ground still smoked, burned in a wide circle all around. He sent out a couple of scouts to check the next few spots Earl would have gone to ground. Will had no doubt that Earl had moved the village in plenty of time. This was a way of life for the changelings in the forest, even before the damn hunters had started burning everything in their path.

Jordy looked around, subdued but vigilant. He had learned a lot in the few days it had taken their group to travel from the great northern lake. “Hunters did this?” he asked. “From Datro?” No doubt thinking about the friends he had left behind when he followed after Neistah. Will nodded curtly.

Jordy clenched his fists. “It isn’t right,” he said, trotting after Will with a last glance at the blackened stumps of trees.

Will had enough experience with non-mutants from his factory that he knew they weren’t all automatically bad people. Some of the so-called guards that were assigned to watch the mutant workers were just young kids. He had been friends with one or two of them. Even old Avery himself hadn’t been a bad boss. He never treated his workers with overt cruelty, even if he did buy into the myth that mutants were sub-human due to their deviations from the norm. Could Norah really be his grandchild?

Thinking of Norah made him anxious to get to Earl’s new location. From what Neistah had said, Pup would be there guarding her. He put on a burst of speed when one of his scouts reported that Earl’s new camp had been identified. Before dusk, they reached the camp.

“What do you mean she isn’t here?” Will snapped in frustration, when Earl told him the girl, as well as Roselle and her little friends, were all gone. Earl explained the situation, saying that Pup would come back periodically to update them. The Hanan family had offered them a place to stay, but Earl had declined. No matter how well-meaning the normals might be, the changelings preferred their freedom despite the risks it brought them.

“You can’t just go,” Earl explained. “Pup has to escort you, or one of Hanan’s guardlings.”

“Just tell me what direction it’s in,” Will said impatiently. He’d deal with Pup or the ‘guardlings,’ whatever they were, when he got there. Will felt marginally better knowing that Roselle and the other girls were with Norah. It wasn’t just Pup.

They stayed the night in Earl’s village, and planned to start out early the next morning. Will gave the group of changeling sprites who had accompanied him back from the great northern lake the option of staying with Earl’s group, or going with him. Every one of them chose to follow him. The weather had been getting steadily colder, so before they left, Will asked Earl for winter gear for all of them. The man grumbled, naturally, but he supplied fur-lined vests, long-sleeved shirts and trousers, and soft doeskin boots for Will’s group on the condition that they first hunt and supply the village with fresh meat. Therefore, by the time they left, it was closer to noon.

It didn’t take long for Will’s group to be noticed. Will made it easy for them, stomping through the woods with no attempt to hide their passage.

As the first sentry approached warily, gun pointed out, Will understood what Earl had meant. This sentry had unusually long teeth and feral eyes. Both marked him as mutant, changeling. Guardling. Will’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. Was Hanan employing changelings now?

“Pup sent me.” He nodded gruffly to the changeling guard. “Can you take us to him?”

The sentry looked suspiciously at the group that surrounded Will. “You’re changelings?” he asked, looking them up and down. Then, without waiting for an answer, he added, “Wait here.”

He was gone for a long time. Will felt a prickling on the back of his neck, as if they were being watched. “Go check it out,” he instructed one of his Sprites, wishing he’d kept Patrick on his team. Patrick would have sniffed out the truth instantly.

If there were watchers, they didn’t stop Will’s scout. He circled around the area and returned. “They’re coming,” he reported.

A few minutes later, the guardlings returned along with Pup, still dressed only in shorts and his own fur. “You found Earl, I see,” Pup commented, grinning. “Roselle will be pleased.” He eyed Will’s group. “Still have the hunters, too. But you’re missing one?” He raised his eyebrows, ignoring the tensing of the guardlings beside him at the mention of hunters.

“They’re all right,” Will said. Jordy and the others had proved their worth. “Brom is out on patrol with Owen. You are supposed to meet them at Black Rock by the next full moon.”

The sharp-toothed guardling cleared his throat. “So these are yours? Are they coming back with us or not?”

Pup regarded Will evenly. “Roselle has been waiting for this one. Neistah will probably want to see him as well.”

Neistah! How did Neistah get here ahead of them? Jordy looked wild-eyed. Will calmed him with a glance. “And Norah. Earl said Norah is with you too.”

“Yes. There are things you might not know about Norah, but I’ll let her tell you herself.” With those words, Pup gestured for Will to follow him, leaving Will to wonder exactly what he meant. Had Neistah taken up with Norah? Had Pup himself?

They were led through an opening in a chain-metal fence which was so overgrown with vines and branches that Will would have missed it had they not stopped. He’d heard of the forest compound entirely surrounded by metal, part of Avery’s lands, wasn’t it? His eyes widened as he realized what that meant. “Is this where Norah’s family lives?”

“You are well-informed.” Pup nodded. “Although they don’t see eye to eye with Avery. That’s part of why we’re here. You’ll meet Norah’s father,” he grinned suddenly. “We have a lot to talk about. Owen will just have to wait for me a while longer. I don’t think I’m in any hurry to leave just yet.”

X x X x X x X x X x X

Norah sat with Neistah on the broad front lawn, her only concession to the cold a snug woolen jacket worn over her multi-colored gown. Her bare feet were tucked under the folds of her gown. Neistah, as usual, wore only his golden trunks.

“I’ll leave you to report to Neistah while I take these others around back to the bunkhouse. Jim’s off with Valin but they should be back before dark. Then we’ll talk.” Pup broke off, whistling for the changeling Sprites to follow him. They trotted along after him, with Jordy casting worried glances over his shoulder at Neistah .

Neistah made no move to get up, so Will sat down awkwardly on the grass across from him. It brought him within touching distance of Norah. He couldn’t help glancing at her. Even muffled in the jacket, she radiated an otherworldly beauty. How could he have missed it for all those years?

“We went to Earl’s village, and he told us the girls were here. I didn’t know you would get here ahead of us.” Will waited for Neistah to respond, to give some sort of explanation, but the sprite just smiled enigmatically and shrugged his shoulders.

Norah, however, impulsively gave Will a hug. “I’m glad you’re here! Roselle has been so worried!”

If anything, Neistah smiled even more enigmatically.

Just then, the front door flew open and Roselle ran down the few steps towards Will. She and the other girls preferred the warmth of the house while Norah felt more comfortable outside. It didn’t help that her little sister still shied away from her and buried her face in Roselle’s lap every time she came near. Norah didn’t begrudge the girls. Miriam was the mother they’d never had, not even Roselle, who had spent most of her childhood at boarding school.

Roselle flung herself at Will, knocking him back into the soft grass as she smothered his face with kisses. “You’re back, you’re all right,” she murmured over and over again between kisses.

Carefully, Will disentangled himself from Roselle and sat up, a little embarrassed by her exuberance. He glanced quickly at Norah, who seemed a little embarrassed as well. “It’s all right, as you can see, I’m fine,” he said firmly.

Roselle positioned herself in his lap and said, “Good. I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again!”

Neistah laughed, and pulled Norah to her feet, putting a proprietary arm around her waist. “We’ll leave you to your lady,” he said with a quick grin.

“Come on, I want you to meet Miriam.” Roselle dragged Will towards the house.

Miriam was a petite woman with red hair a few shades lighter than Norah’s. Will tried and failed to see Norah in her pretty, even features. The little girl she held loosely in her arms looked like her, but with Norah’s darker red hair. She squirmed out of her mother’s arms at the sight of Roselle, who picked her up with a smile and a kiss on the forehead.

“Miriam, this is Will—my Will,” Roselle said, shifting the little girl to her hip. “He’s finally come.”

Miriam offered him her hand, which he shook politely. “Roselle’s been telling me all about you, how you helped her and my daughter back in Datro. My husband will be happy to meet you when he comes home. Where are you staying—in the bunkhouse with Pup and the others?”

Roselle cleared her throat. “I was wondering if maybe you had room in the house,” she said, but Miriam shook her head, giving Roselle a look. Roselle’s cheek pinked. “We’ll just go up to Norah’s and my room to talk, then. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

Miriam gave a sharp, regretful laugh. “Sorry, dear, but I can’t allow that, either.”

“But Miriam . . .” Roselle’s eyes pleaded with the older woman, to no avail.

Will spoke up. “You and Norah share a room?” he asked, his heart easing a little. Norah wasn’t living with Neistah after all. This woman, her mother, would not allow it. He smiled. “It’s all right. Roselle and I will have lots of opportunities to see each other while I’m here.”

“While you’re here?” Roselle and the little girl both looked at Will with wide eyes. “Are you leaving again? You just got here!”

Miriam took back her little daughter. “Go,” she said, pushing Roselle towards Will. “You can use the front parlor. Jim won’t be home for hours yet, so you have a little time.”

Will followed Roselle into the formal dining room. The little girl, Jenny, tried to go with them but her mother wouldn’t let her. “You can play with Roselle later,” she soothed her daughter. As they walked down the darkened hallway, Will recognized Lou and one or two other girls from Earl’s village. They nodded politely but stepped back, leaving him all to Roselle.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like being with her. He did. Roselle was warm and affectionate and fiercely loyal to him. Somewhere along the line she had lost her fire. It used to be Norah who was the cautious one in their cabal. Now, Norah was a shining star and Roselle was just—ordinary. She cuddled against him on the stiff sofa, holding up her lips for him to kiss. Despite himself, Will felt a stirring inside him. He kissed her like she wanted to be kissed.

Sighing with pleasure, Roselle snuggled closer. “Will, I have something to tell –“

“Norah?” Will glanced up to see Norah glide by the open door of the parlor. Neistah was nowhere in sight. “Come on in. It’s been a long time since the three of us were together. Sit.” He made room on the sofa for Norah.

Norah sloughed off her heavy coat and draped it over a chair before she sat on Will’s other side. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said.

“Don’t be silly,” Roselle said brightly. “It’s like old times. You, me, Will. It’s hard to believe we’ve all come so far and yet here we are together again.” She straightened up but kept her hand lightly on Will’s arm.

“If you’re sure,” Norah said uncertainly.

“We’re sure,” replied Roselle, giving Norah a reassuring smile.

“So this is your home, where you grew up,” Will commented, turning his attention on Norah. “I met your mother and your little sister.” He left it open. Obviously, her family were normals. Obviously, Norah was not. Having traveled through a magical gate with Neistah to his homeland, Will was no longer under the illusion that Neistah was merely a mutated human, but then, what, exactly, was Norah?

Norah nodded, smiling.

X x X x X x X x X x X

Neistah strolled into the bunkhouse, which at this time of day was empty except for Will’s, formerly Pup’s, Sprites. Nobody had noticed, yet, that Jordy and two of the other Sprites weren’t changelings at all. Jordy sat up, hitting his head on the top bunk, when he saw Neistah.

“What are you?” Jordy whispered, edging back in his bunk. He had seen Neistah disappear under the great northern lake, along with Valin and Leane.

Pup cuffed Jordy on the back of his head. “Stop being so dramatic,” he said. “It’s just Neistah, same as always. What are you so afraid of?”

Neistah’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, what are you so afraid of?” he said softly. “I never hid what I was.”

“Leane . . . “ Jordy began. Leane was the same as Neistah, but she was nothing like him. While Neistah could be capricious, he wasn’t evil. Jordy wasn’t sure he could say that about Leane.

Neistah laughed. “Leane would eat you for lunch, eh?” he said, causing Jordy to blanch as his thoughts were easily snatched right out of his brain. “Don’t worry. Leane’s not here, and if she comes, I’ll keep you safe—for as long as you want me to.” His eyes glided over the other Sprites. “These boys don’t mind if Leane eats them up.”

Pup grinned. “I mind,” he said glibly, thinking of Norah. Neistah gave him a measuring look, right before the ground started to shake. Pup caught the edge of the bunk to keep upright. “What was that?”

Neistah darted out of the bunkhouse and was gone before Pup and the other Sprites cleared the building. Continuous rumbles shook the earth. Will, Norah and Roselle ran out of the main house, followed closely by Miriam and the other girls, with the portly housekeeper bringing up the rear. “What happened?” Norah asked.

Neistah stared at the empty meadow directly across the dirt road. Once, it had contained a pond where he had been held in captivity. Against all odds, another pond was forming. The tall, golden grass was gone, and water gushed out of the center of the meadow, quickly overspreading the area and the dirt road. Another rumble shook the ground, causing a fountain of water to erupt several feet into the air. Just as suddenly as it had begun, the rumbling ceased, and the rippling pond, much larger than the original, smoothed over into glass.

The gathered humans heaved a collective sigh of relief. For a little while, it had seemed as if the pond would encroach upon the main house itself. Neistah held his judgment. It was too coincidental, this pond, now, at this exact place. He watched the surface of the water expectantly.

A silver streak shot straight up out of the water to land, dripping, at the edge of the pond. Leane’s chest heaved, and she flung her grass-green hair back as her eyes raked the crowd in front of her. They narrowed as they spied Neistah, and widened to see Will and the other changelings. ‘I thought I’d never get out,’ she sent. ‘Remind me never to follow Valin through another gateway.’ She stalked forward, zeroing in on Will in particular. “Ah, there you are!” she said with a slight purr in her voice. Jordy shrank back behind Pup.

“I spoke too soon,” Neistah commented.