Sprite
Chapter 46

Neistah was gone when Norah woke up. She blinked sleepily and stretched, feeling rough cotton slide as she moved. Oh, that’s right. The neatly folded bundle of her silken parting gift from Anais rested at the end of her makeshift bed. She was home, or as close to home as she was going to get. She rubbed her bare arms and let the material of the nightgown she had borrowed from Roselle slide back into place.

Her breath frosted in the early morning chill. When was Neistah going to take her swimming? With a sigh, she stripped off her nightgown and pulled out the spare set of practical clothes from the satchel Roselle had thoughtfully saved for her. Something clinked and fell from the bag. Norah grimaced as the small jewelry box containing her razor sprang open. She gently closed it. That part of her life was over.

“You’re finally awake!”

Norah looked down through the loosely woven branches to see Pup grinning up at her.

“What do you mean?” she called as she swung down and jumped lightly to the ground. Despite the chill, her feet, with their winged fins on either side of her ankles, were bare. “I woke up with the sun.”

Pup didn’t remember her. Norah supposed she had looked different that summer when she rescued him from a band of hunters where he’d been trussed up to be taken in for bounty. Norah, traveling with her grandfather, had sneaked into the hunters’ camp and cut the ropes that bound Pup. Of course, it had been dark, and she’d looked like an ordinary human girl then.

Norah stared at Pup appraisingly. Pup had grown, too. He still had the short, puppy-dog tail which gave him his nickname, but the rest of him had filled out quite nicely. He was easily as tall as she, if not a little taller, with the broad shoulders of maturity that neither Neistah nor Breyan would ever have, for all their latent strength.

“Well, come on.” Still grinning, Pup beckoned for her to follow.

“Where are we going?”

At the top of the next small rise, Will waited with his arms folded. Beside him waited Patrick and some of the other ‘sprites’ Norah recognized from the day before.

“Where’s Neistah?” she asked, not seeing him with the rest of the group.

“We’re to take you to him,” said Will. He eyed her bare feet. “Can you keep up like that?”

Norah glanced down, then nodded. “Boots bother my—webbing.”

Will reddened. “Sorry,” he mumbled, as he stepped forward to take her arm. Pup took her other arm, ignoring Will’s exasperated ‘tsk.’

Patrick leaned forward until he was on all fours. “This way,” he said, bounding off quickly. The others took off after him, with Will, Norah and Pup following along at a slower pace.

They didn’t go far, although Will was right. The terrain had been rough. The small river Neistah had promised her gurgled happily by, but Will’s group did not stop. They followed the river for perhaps another half-mile until it widened out and moved sedately around a gentle curve. Norah’s feet ached to touch it.

“Just ahead,” Will promised, guiding her elbow. Pup abandoned her to leap ahead with the rest of Neistah’s Sprites in pursuit of Patrick’s fast-disappearing hind quarters.

Will dragged Norah to a stop. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I’m glad you came,” he said softly. “I’ve missed you.”

Norah had longed to hear those words! She gazed back at Will and tried to quiet her racing heart. This wasn’t right. Will was Roselle’s. He leaned forward, and Norah thought he was going to kiss her. She didn’t pull back.

“Are you his lover?” Will whispered into her ear.

Now Norah pulled back. “What?”

“Are you and Neistah lovers? Even if you are, it doesn’t matter. I still—“

Norah pushed Will with all her strength. “Who do you think I am?” she hissed indignantly. “I’m no one’s lover!”

Will’s face cleared, and he smiled tentatively. “That’s good,” he said, taking her arm again as if nothing had happened. “I was afraid for a moment that I had lost you.”

Norah stared at him, then wrenched her arm away. Will was confusing her. She walked on, with Will just a pace behind her.

Past the bend in the river, Neistah awaited her, surrounded by his changeling Sprites. Neistah was an exotic flower in their midst. He looked up, and grinned at her. ‘Your river, my lady,’ he sent, giving her a sweeping bow.

With a happy squeal, Norah ran to the water’s edge, casting off her scratchy clothes as she ran. Deep red hair trailing behind her, she disappeared under the water, as swift in her element as Patrick was in his.

On shore, Will, Pup and the rest of Neistah’s Sprites looked on in astonishment. Neistah laughed. Norah would be embarrassed once she remembered her clothes.

Will kept glancing at the river, where Norah had yet to surface. “Did you doubt what she is?” Neistah asked ironically. Will shook his head.

Norah tested the new river, swimming deep, since it was not that wide, up to the rapids where the river became too shallow to navigate, then back the other way, reveling in the feel of the cold water on her bare skin. Although the clear lakes and ponds of Neistah’s world were lovely, there was a sameness about them that was missing here. Mortal waters were just as enticing in their own way. That was what Neistah had wanted her to see, she realized, sending him a quick burst of appreciation. She could live here, knowing there would be places for her to swim.

Underwater, Norah sensed other presences besides just Neistah, and she headed back to the bank where she’d left the changeling boys behind. Slowing, she hung just below the surface. She recognized Valin, but not the female sprite who accompanied him, who wore her long green hair with seeming nonchalance as she listened to the conversation flowing around her. Amazingly, except for Patrick, who gawked openly, none of the other changelings seemed all that surprised to see her.

Norah scanned the beach to see if any other sprites had come. Breyan, she thought wistfully, her hand coming up to gently enclose the blood-red teardrop stone he had given her.

Neistah explained sub-vocally to Valin and the female sprite about the burning of the forest, and their faces turned grim. For this, they would help the human changelings. Norah listened, too, as he assigned Will and Pup to the woman, Leane, and Patrick and the rest to Valin. They were to spread the word throughout the forest to as many of Neistah’s Sprites as they could reach—one of them must be summoned if the hunters start a fire. They would handle it, to the hunter’s sorrow.

Valin’s group started out, melting into the woods behind Valin until they were lost to sight. The sprite woman, Leane, walked slowly to the beach and picked up Norah’s discarded clothing, donning it with a wry smile. ‘I’m borrowing these,’ she sent, her eyes unerringly going to where Norah hung below the water. ‘Your changelings won’t have eyes for anything else if I don’t.’ Flipping her light green hair over her shoulder, Leane walked back to Will and Pup, crooking her finger for them to follow her.

Norah swam in a tight circle and arced out of the water. Neither of the boys noticed as they moved out after Leane. Norah dripped water, fuming, until she became aware of Neistah’s amused smirk. ‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Neistah’s eyebrow rose. ’Go back to Earl’s camp. Or you could come with me—hunting.’

“How am I supposed to go back there like this?” Norah pulled her rapidly drying hair around her. It covered her, but not enough.

“Very carefully,” Neistah answered in kind, grinning widely. “Don’t get scratched.”

He accompanied her back to the village, perhaps making sure she didn’t get scratched, until she climbed the tree trunk to their sleeping quarters. Still upset, Norah pulled on the gown Anais had given her. She would wear that, then. It suited her better than her scratchy old clothes, anyway. Let Leane have them.

She felt Neistah’s laughter in her mind as he moved away from the village. ‘I’ll be back in a few days,’ he told her. ‘In the meantime, if you want to swim, take Roselle with you, and listen with more than just your ears.’ Still laughing silently, Neistah took off.

“Don’t worry about it,” Roselle said later when Norah told her Neistah had gone off to hunt the hunters. “That’s what Neistah’s Sprites do. They are gone for long stretches of time. You’ll get used to it.”

Norah glanced at her in surprise. “You don’t mind? Don’t you miss your old life? Your family?”

“Not really.” Roselle smiled. “Once you get used to it, living the way we do is easy enough. And when Will comes home, it’s all worthwhile.”

Norah smiled back uneasily. “What happened to the Roselle who used to sneak out of school to go on adventures? Are you really content just waiting here for Will to return?”

Roselle’s lower lip trembled. “She lost her partner in crime,” she said with a little laugh. “When Will is away, I’m by myself. Even Lou found new friends, but everyone here is suspicious of me. I don’t have a mutation.”

“Well that’s going to change,” Norah said, and Roselle shot her a funny look. “We’re going on an adventure. Right now.”

Norah didn’t change her silken gown, and by the time Roselle had washed her face and packed them a small lunch, they had gained a following. Lou and a few of her friends wanted to come along on their adventure. Earl protested loudly, but the group of girls, which Roselle had dubbed ‘Norah’s Sprites,’ paid little attention.

“The village may not be here when you get back!” Earl threatened.

“All right, follow me,” Roselle ordered, taking charge. “Norah is going to show us how to be Sprites like her.” She marched into the forest, with Norah at her heels, the rest of the girls trailing along behind.

“The first thing is not to get scratched,” Norah said, remembering Neistah’s advice. It made sense if they did not want to leave a trail for hunters to follow. She remembered to listen with more than just her ears, more advice from Neistah. Other than that, she had no idea what to do, but that was all right because Roselle was full of ideas. Color blossomed in Roselle’s cheeks, and her eyes sparkled again. Norah smiled, and for the first time since she and Neistah had returned to the mortal world, she felt she might just belong here after all.