Wood Sprites

“You should be able to find a place that cooks that kind of thing in the morning. He gives you money enough to buy breakfast at a restaurant. You should be getting proper amounts of protein.”

“I hate eating out alone.” Tristan slumped down onto the table. “Always getting the same questions. Where are my parents? Why am I there alone? Don’t I have someone to take care of me?”

“The monkeys are too damn curious,” Celine muttered.

“Why can’t I have a cook? I could say that they’re my guardian.”

“We can’t afford for the monkeys to learn our secrets,” Celine stated.

“I mean one of us!”

“To live away from the manor is a slow death sentence. You are young enough that you do not suffer from the lack of magic. The rest of us grow sick without it.”

“I know, I know, supposedly I will grow up faster. I wish it would just hurry up and happen already. Everyone else grew up already. Lain. Esme. Adele. Bethany. Chloe. Felicie. Danni.”

“Shh!” Celine hissed loudly. “You’re not to mention the inbreeds in this house.”

“You said my mother was still asleep.” He was unrepentant.

“You must always be vigilant with our secrets. It is the only way for us to stay safe.”

“Why can’t one of them be with me? They all grew up.”

Celine went to the door and glanced down the hall before whispering. “Your half sisters are all wholly human, and they will die before you are even adult. In a very short period of time, you will be the caregiver, not them. You will grow up. You must be patient.”

“I’m tired of waiting.” He kicked at the table leg again.

Half sisters? He’d named at least six or seven girls. Louise only recognized Lain and Esme. Who were the others? How were they related? Lain and Esme were his half sisters because they shared the same mother. Ming was Tristan’s father, and he was an elf. If the girls were true humans, it meant that the other girls couldn’t be Ming’s children, so the parent that they all shared had to be Anna. But at the gala, Anna had said that she had two daughters. Did this mean that somehow she wasn’t aware that the others existed? And who was their human father? Why had Celine called them “inbreeds?”

He kicked the leg again. “Where is Bethany? No one talks about her anymore.”

“I told you, do not mention them in this house.”

A clock chimed somewhere in the house. Someone was walking through the house in long, solid strides.

“When does mother come down for breakfast?” He sounded slightly afraid.

“She has been sleeping heavily lately.”

“He’s been giving her saijin to make her dream more?”

“Her visions are vital to our success.”

Tristan growled slightly.

Celine scolded him for his anger. “For thousands of years we’ve had to hide ourselves among these savages, huddling over fissures in the earth. We who were gods of paradise were forced to this. But it soon ends.”

The footsteps grew louder. Louise huddled under the table, growing more afraid. It was Ming. She was sure of this. Celine turned toward the door and Tristan stood up.

“Sire,” Celine murmured, her voice full of reverence.

“Father,” Tristan said.

“You were not to come here today.” Ming’s voice was deep and menacing.

“I want to see her. I haven’t seen her for over a year.”

Ming continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “You’re to go to Cranberry.”

“Cranberry?” Tristan cried as if it were a death sentence. “Why?”

“There are some more crows for you to find. I want them found before the next Shutdown. Once you’ve done that, you’re to go to Elfhome.”

“For how long?”

“You will not be coming back.”

“Ever?”

“We have what we need to pull the bastard’s teeth. More importantly, the Eyes have seen that Feng’s people have a dragon.”

“Malice?”

“No, not one of the ones Feng cobbled together out of pieces of the Stone Clan’s holy dogs. A true dragon. With it, they can preempt our strike. I need you with Lucien on Elfhome.”

Tristan panted harshly, as if he had taken a deadly wound. Louise ached for him; to love his mother enough to desperately want just a few minutes with her and to be told he would never see her again.

“Shutdown is not for another week or so.” He scrambled for a delay. “There is no reason for me to rush away. Can I at least have a few hours? Just this morning?”

“She is too distracted after seeing you.”

“Please.” It was a horrible, heartfelt plea.

“No. Here is a list of our people in Cranberry. Here is money. Go now.”

He went, slow and dejected.

Ming took the orchid from the table and handed it to Celine. “Throw this away.”

* * *

Nikola was sitting on Jillian in the middle of the floor when Louise returned to the bedroom.

“Where have you been?” Jillian cried. “What did you tell Nikola to do?”

“She said I shouldn’t let you go!” Nikola stated.

“Food!” Joy scampered across the carpeting to climb up Louise’s leg. “So hungry! Smells wonderful!” She danced across Louise’s shoulders, patting her on her head. “Gimme!”

“I almost got caught by Ming.” Louise tugged at Nikola’s scruff to get him off Jillian. “He’s horrible. I hate him!”