As her mom pushed open the door of the little hut, she looked over her shoulder at Sally. “I am truly sorry I’ve waited so long to tell you this. I hope you will understand why I did.”
Sally followed her mother into the house and pushed the door closed behind her. The inside was warm and cozy. There was nothing magical about it. It was just a house with furniture, a kitchen, a warlock queen, a set of stairs— Her head froze and then slowly moved back to the right of the stairs. There, sitting in a comfy recliner, was Lilly Pierce, wife to the warlock king. She was just a human, though, not a warlock. At least, Sally thought she was merely a human. She’d also thought her mom was as clueless as a blind and deaf duck when it came to the supernatural world. Look how that had turned out for her.
“Mrs. P?” she asked dumbly.
“Hi Sally,” Lilly said with a smile that Sally knew all too well. “And no, you’re not asleep.”
“Thank you for clearing that up. Now, what the heck are you doing here? How are you here? Why are you here? Does Jacque know you’re here? And where is here anyway?”
“Slow down, Sally,” her mom said as she motioned for her to take a seat on the sofa.
She did, but it was more of a plop than a sit, as though something heavy had landed on her shoulders.
“You know that I was adopted,” Lilly began.
Sally nodded.
“I’ve never known my birth parents or even my true last name. I was always different, but I didn’t understand that until I realized no one else could do what I could do. It wasn’t until Jacque’s father came into my life that I realized that a supernatural world existed and that I might be a part of it somehow. With me so far?”
She nodded again.
“Since I met Cypher and moved into the warlock kingdom, I’ve had access to records, supernatural records. It was in those records that I found the answers to the questions I’ve had for so long. Who am I really? What am I? Is there anyone else like me? Peri thought I was simply a seer, and yes, I am, but I am more than that. You see, in those records I found two names that are important to me, Lillianna Nyx and Cindira Nyx, both of the forest sprite clans. It seems these two sprites went missing long ago.”
Sally looked at her mom. “Nicks is your maiden name.”
“It is, but spelled in a human manner. It has allowed me a sentimental tie to my former life,” her mom explained.
“I knew that was your mother’s maiden name,” Lilly continued. “So, I did what any sane person would and called your mom to ask her if she was a sprite.”
Sally couldn’t help but smile. “That doesn’t sound like what any sane person would do.”
“I did feel a bit awkward,” Lilly agreed. “I will let your mother take over the story from here.”
“I confirmed Lilly’s suspicion, about myself and her,” Cindy said.
“Does that mean I’m related to Jacque somehow?” Sally asked. “Since you both were Nick’s or whatever?”
Lilly smiled but shook her head. “From my understanding of what I read, different clans have different sur names, though they are not all related. So while both our sur names were Nyx, it is only because we are from the same clan.
Sally’s mom continued. “I’d known since I met her who and what she was. But I assumed, like me, she was simply trying to have a normal life away from the dangers of the supernatural world.”
“How’d that work out for you?” Sally asked as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in the sofa.
“About as well as it’s worked out for your mother,” Lilly said.
“Sally, I am a forest sprite. Those are words I truly never wanted to say to you, because as I’m sure you well know, the supernatural world is incredibly dangerous.”
Sally’s eyes snapped to Lilly. The words ‘as you well know’ made her heartbeat faster. “Did you tell her?”
Lilly shook her head. “I did not. I did not think it was my place to share with her your story.”
Sally let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
“It seems, no matter my desire and attempt to hide you, the supernatural world has found you anyway. Of course, I didn’t know that until about four months ago when the magic your fae friend cast on us was broken. I was able to think then about what had happened. I mean, you’d run off to Romania with people we barely knew, and we’d been okay with it. Obviously, we wouldn’t have ever let that happen in our right minds. It was clear to me then we had been bewitched.” Cindy shook her head as though she was scolding herself. “Since the spell broke, I’ve debated contacting you so many times, but your father and I decided to remain silent. I didn’t want to risk drawing the attention of the Order, which might focus their attention on you.”
“Too late for that,” Sally mumbled.
Her mom’s eyes grew wide. “The Order knows about you? They know you’re a gypsy healer?”
“You could say that.”
Lilly huffed. “Sally, duct tape your inner Jen and join us at the grown-up conversation.”
“Ouch, Ms. P,” Sally said but then nodded at her. “You finish first and then I’ll tell you all about my happy experience with the Order.”
Her mom stared at her, shock and fear in her eyes, but then finally began speaking again. “There are different kinds of sprites. Lilly is a seer sprite. There are elemental sprites, mentalist sprites, luminous sprites, and healer sprites. I am a healer sprite, though I have not used my ability in decades. As I’m sure you have learned, magic leaves behind a calling card, and I didn’t want to share mine with anyone. We are in the sprite realm now, and this is the home I occupied before I moved into the human realm permanently. As long as we are here the Order can’t detect us, which is why I brought you here to tell you all of this.”
“How old are you?”
“I am older than I look, though I don’t remember the exact number. My best guess is around one hundred and seventy. And before you ask, in the human realm, I am able to age as a human does if I do not use my magic.”
Sally blinked several times as she tried to wrap her head around what her mom was telling her. She wasn’t wigged about the whole sprites are a thing. By now she knew that all kinds of supernatural creatures existed besides just werewolves and fae. But the fact that her mom was a supernatural? Kind of a tough pill to swallow. “What about Dad?” she asked suddenly.
“He’s human, though we know the gypsy healer DNA in your blood came from him. The locket that was somehow left in the care of my family actually belongs to his family. Coincidentally, the locket is how we met. I was wearing it, and he recognized it as the one in his old family photos. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Sally could feel Costin’s worry for her coming through their bond loud and clear, and she knew it was because her own emotions were probably doing a chorus line for him. Without opening the bond further, she tried to send him reassuring feelings that she was okay, though that wasn’t strictly the truth.
“Does Jacque know?” she asked Lilly.