The Wall | Seblos

Part 12: The Sprites

Seb's POV

As the village fades from view, Carlos starts asking questions. 

"Aren't we warning the village?"

"Yes," I reply, "but first we need to tell the sprites."

"The what?" 

I push down on Sunny's neck, and she understands the direction, diving headfirst for the coast of Spirit's Bay. It's clear to tell where the sprite houses are on the rocks, for shimmers radiate through the water nearby. Waves ripple out from where fish and kelpies break the surface in leaps. 

Clearly, Sunny's not familiar with landing softly. Carlos clings to me for his life as the animal clunks down onto the grass, landing on all fours. Carlos takes a moment to catch his breath before dismounting the griffin with me. 

I look out to where the grass stops and the giant rocks begin. The nearest house flick its lights on. My arrival wasn't exactly quiet. I'm sure I woke its occupants. The door opens, and I see a sprite I know, Nini's cousin, step out of the structure. Sharle rubs her eyes and looks at me in confusion. 

"Seb?"

I start walking over, but pause when I hear Carlos behind me. 

He has his hand on Sunny's beak, saying, "Stay here for me. Okay?"

The griffin sprawls out on the ground, and Carlos smiles. 

"Good girl," he says. 

He runs to catch up to me, and the two of us go up to Sharle. 

"What is that thing?" she questions, pointing to the Sunny. 

"That's a griffin," I reply, "but that's not why I'm here. I need you to round up all the sprites. The humans in Salaecity are going to try to burn the forest sometime tonight, and we need a defence."

"Slow down," she says. "How do you even know this?"

I glance back at Carlos then reach for his hand to pull him up beside me. 

"This is Carlos," I say. "He's my human boyfriend."

Sharle eyes him with skepticism. 

"Didn't you say the humans were the ones who were going to burn us?" 

"He's the one who warned me about it," I tell her. "He's a good one."

"What does he have to gain from warning us?" 

"Uh," Carlos speaks up, "I am his human boyfriend, so...trust?"

She contemplates for a moment, trying to make sense of everything I just told her. 

Eventually, she says, "You're being serious?"

I nod. 

She takes in a breath, now becoming worried. 

"Okay," she says. "I'll tell the other sprites."

"Thank you," I say. "You're a lifesaver—literally."

She gives me a faint smile, but I can tell she's too nervous to respond. She heads back into her house, and a few minutes later, she returns with her parents. Her parents both seem utterly baffled as Sharle drags the half-asleep sprite and fairy out of the house. They both look at me and Carlos for a second before being pulled again by their daughter. 

While Sharle is hard at work banging on doors and gathering the neighbourhood, Carlos sees something off the shore that captures his interest. His eyes seem to gloss over, and he starts walking forward toward the bay. After a second, I hear what's so enthralling for him: a melodic voice projecting from nearby rocks in the water. I grab his arm and pull him back, which snaps him out of his daze. 

"Carlos," I say, "be careful."

"I—" he stutters, "I thought I saw a mermaid."

"That's not a mermaid," I tell him. "Mermaids sleep at night. Sirens are nocturnal."

"What's a siren?" he asks. 

"The thing that was drawing you to almost drown yourself," I reply. "They look like mermaids, but they can hypnotize humans with their singing."

"And I am a human," Carlos puts together. "Thanks for not letting me die."

"You're welcome," I say with a little chuckle. "Now we need to get going. There are many more people to warn."

"Of course."

Carlos and I clamber onto the griffin again, and she takes off, flying us up over the trees and back to Dandefield. 

We land at the west end of the village, and Carlos and I begin knocking on doors, warning everyone we can. Many of them are grumpy due to being woken up, but they all become alert when I explain the direness of the situation. Pretty soon, we have a herd of people all helping us with waking the village. 

By the time we reach my neighbourhood, its already rumbling with worry. I see Big Red and Ashlyn at the end of the path by my house, and Carlos immediately runs up to hug his friend. Sunny squawks at the noisiness of the neighbourhood, and I pet her neck to calm her down.

"We've told everybody over here," Ashlyn updates us. 

"Are the sprites aware?" Big Red asks me. 

Suddenly, the moonlight above disappears, and we all look up to see a giant mass of water floating across the sky, guided by sprites, some flying, and others riding kelpies. They're getting their defences ready. Any moment now, the humans should be arriving. 

"Wow," Ashlyn and Carlos breathe in unison. 

Movement to my left steals my attention, and I turn to see my parents rushing toward me. My mom smothers me in a hug, while my dad stands back, eyeing Carlos with caution. 

"Did Big Red tell you what's going on?" Mom asks me as she lets me go. "The humans are coming for us."

"I know," I say. "Carlos warned me first."

"Who's Carlos?" 

She looks over to my boyfriend who gives her a smile, fear apparent in his eyes. 

"Carlos is my boyfriend," I say. "I went to the human side, and I met him, and he's really really nice, and—"

"A human?" my dad exclaims. 

"I am too," Ashlyn says then backs out, adding, "not that you care about me."

She steps back to Big Red, and the two of them head off to continue aiding the villagers in preparing for the invasion. 

My parents just look puzzled. 

"Who is she?" Dad asks. "Also, did you ride the griffin?"

"Yes, and that's Ashlyn," I answer, "Carlos's friend."

"So you're dating a human," Mom restates. "How do we know we can trust him?"

That's when Carlos's smile turns genuine, and his eyes look to mine, staying there and making me feel fuzzy, even while he responds to my parents. 

"Well, you raised one amazing son. I wouldn't ever want to hurt him."

He breaks his eyes away from mine to see my parents' reactions. They simply stare at the boy with soft expressions. 

"A human who actually wants magical folk around?" my dad huffs. "You must be crazy."

"Just crazy for him," Carlos replies. 

That makes me grin wide, and I lace my hand through his. My parents nod, accepting the answer, concluding it to be either rational or just young love, something so irrational that it cannot be explained.

A/N: Okay, so this is a really short one, but oh well. Only two more parts! Let's see if I can write them tonight! I'm up for the challenge.