A Surprising Spring

Chapter Eleven

second upload of the day (yay!) so if you haven't read chapter 10 don't read this one yet! :)

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“Okay,” Katy whispered, “Shall we go knock some sense into him?”

Bastien chuckled at her violent tone. “Sure… just a second, someone’s trying to get in contact with me.”

She looked at him. “Do you have Batman-style gadgets or something?”

“No,” he shook his head, “I can just feel it up here.” He tapped his temple. “Just give me a second.”

She nodded, going back to watching Nicholas, where he still hadn’t moved from his seat by the water. She began to wonder where there was something actually physically wrong with him, or if he was just being an idiot and denying his feelings as Bastien predicted.

A voice in her ear shocked her. “Slight change of plan,” Bastien said, his forehead creased.

“What is it?”

“That was Zekiel…” He sighed. “He went to see the High Table - you remember who they are right?”

Katy nodded.

“Well anyway, he told them that he was, you know, in love with Nicholas and couldn’t be his Messenger anymore.”

“That’s great!” she whisper-shouted. “That’ll give Nick some motivation to get off his lazy ass and go get him!” She paused, looking at Bastien’s unsmiling face. “Why aren’t you happier about it?”

He shrugged slowly, not meeting her eye. “It might work with Nicholas, sure… but it might not. Zekiel’s really hurting, I could hear it in his voice. Maybe it’s just easier if it’s a clean break. If we don’t interfere so much.”

Katy shook her head. “What’s happened to all the ‘they belong together’ stuff you were spouting earlier? And anyway, did the High Table agree with Zekiel?”

“He’s got to go back tomorrow to see them,” Bastien told her, still feeling uneasy and worried about his friend.

Katy rubbed his arm, shocking them both with the sparks that jumped between them. “Look, I know you’re concerned, but I really feel like this could work. What’s the harm in trying?”

“Zekiel could hate me forever?” Bastien replied, but he was weakening.

She rolled her eyes. “Or you could end up being best man at his wedding.”

“Our kinds don’t get married,” he said, starting to smile.

“How idiotic. I’ll marry them myself.”

He rolled his eyes. “Alright then, Major, after you!”

They walked slowly into the clearing, Bastien in his visible form, so that, as Katy had said, ‘Nick doesn’t get scared and think I’ve come to rape him or something’. Lost in his own thoughts and confusion, the Sprite didn’t hear them until they were almost upon him.

He span around, his eyes looking a little damp. “What are you doing here?” He glared at Katy and looked at Bastien curiously, recognising him as a Messenger.

“We’re here to sort you out,” Bastien said with a grin, reaching down and pulling Nicholas up by his arms and brushing the dirt off of his trousers.

“Uh, excuse me!” Nicholas started, his eyes flickering between the woman who had pursued him and the stranger who had his hands dangerously close to the Sprite’s no-go area.