Wood Sprites

“This is my husband, Edmond.” She touched them each on the shoulder as she introduced them. “This is Jillian and Louise.”

He studied each of them without so much as a nod to acknowledge the introduction. “What do you know of your real parents?”

“Our real parents are George and Mackenzie Mayer,” Jillian stated with Peter Pan’s bravado.

Ming frowned slightly. “Your genetic donors.”

“Our parents never told us who donated the stuff they used to make us,” Jillian stated firmly since it was true.

“They didn’t tell us anything. We figured it out,” Louise added cautiously. “Our blood types are wrong to be their naturally conceived children.”

“The paperwork only has lot numbers on it,” Anna murmured as if it were something the twins shouldn’t hear. “I suspect Esme pulled material from a sperm bank.”

“I am interested in who she selected to father her children.” Ming didn’t lower his voice; he acted as if the twins weren’t present. “The DNA scans were interesting. I’m having more detailed tests run on them.”

“I can’t imagine what Esme was thinking. Why go through all that pain and angst if she wasn’t going to stay on Earth? Was she afraid she was going to have an accident like Lain and be stuck on Earth, unable to bear children? It breaks my heart that she never told me that she was afraid. And to think, that she sat right here, a week before she went into orbit and never breathed a word about what she’d done.” Anna gave a sad little laugh. “After she left home for that last time, I had several vivid dreams about her hiding babies in a cabbage patch. Every night, a different woman would come to the garden and steal away a baby.”

Ming looked at her sharply. “You did not tell me about those dreams.”

“I thought it was utter nonsense.”

Ming breathed out what might have been anger. Whatever it was, it didn’t touch his face, but his eyes were ice-cold. He motioned to Celine, who was hovering by the door. “We’ll eat now.”

They sat at a round table with exactly four seats. Even if Tristan had stayed for breakfast, there wouldn’t have been room for him. A female that Louise hadn’t seen before rolled a cart into the sunroom and produced plates out from under silver covers. She had lush red hair woven into a long braid. Like Celine, her beauty marked her as an elf even though there was no sign of elf ears.

“This is Nattie, our cook,” Anna introduced the female.

The dishes were identical in content. Each had a split-grilled fish with a poached egg, a small mound of cooked spinach, a dark slab of bread, a wedge of lemon, and a yellow flower of something. The skin and head were still on the fish, and it stared up at Louise with reproach.

“This is breakfast?” Jillian didn’t like runny eggs, and the yolk glistened like a drop of honey in the morning sun, ready to burst open.

“Yes, dear.” Anna picked up her silverware and started to dissect the grilled fish. “The skin comes off easily and the filet is exposed. But be careful — there are bones underneath.”

The yellow flower proved to be a very nice buttercream. The dark bread had a strong sweet flavor to it, some odd cross of rye and molasses, which was acceptable, but Louise would have liked toasted wheat instead.

“The lemon is for the spinach.” Anna demonstrated, squeezing the juice onto the mound of rich green. “It’s very good for you. It’s a very balanced breakfast.”

Was this a typical elf breakfast or some kind of weird take on breakfast for immortals? Every part of it was well-cooked and tasted fine but was just too strange after a night in an unfamiliar bedroom. Louise nibbled at it, thinking of the contents of the pantry. Everything in the kitchen had been strange and unappealing. It did not bode well for future meals. They might starve to death here.

* * *

In the end, it had been smart to leave Nikola in their room. Anna took them straight from the table to clothes shopping. Louise felt he’d be safer and happier in their room than dragged through dozens of new places, unable to ask questions or comment on their surroundings.

“I want to change into my regular clothes first!” Jillian obviously wanted to warn Nikola that they were going to be gone for a long time.

“You both can change into the first dresses that you like.” Anna had a hold of Jillian’s wrist when she announced her plan. She used her hold to gently but firmly tow Jillian toward the front door. “It will make it easier to deal with the sales staff if you’re wearing something better than your normal clothes.”

Celine appeared in the foyer, blocking the stairs back to their room. Louise had little choice but to follow behind Anna.

It was still raining outside, a downpour that well reflected Louise’s state of mind. The limo waited under the shelter of the portico with two elves in black suits pretending to be men. Considering that the car could drive itself, two drivers was extreme overkill.

Louise tried to get a better idea of the neighborhood where the mansion was located, but the rain smeared the windows.