In a Brave New World (Brave New World Book 5)

Chapter 19

Sue

Good thing I had sharp reflexes. I managed to pull my hand back towards me right before Edelweiss could land on it. The little daredevil had jumped right onto the cushion between me and her mom, from where she sped up across the clearing, giggling along the way.

A moment later, Tisvali dropped down from a tree to my left with agility I could never get used to, and dashed after Edelweiss.

"Jesus, you're fast," he stated while pretending to not be able to catch her as they ran in circles. "Even the lake lady has got nothing on you... Especially now that motherhood has made her as round as a ball."

"Is that so?" Deidre was on her feet in an eye blink, handing Jasmine her hat and thus letting her waist-long braid fall down over her right shoulder. Her tummy over the brown loincloth with golden threads here and there wasn't very rounded anymore, and I expected her abs to show again in a week or two. "Want to see how this ball rolls between your legs without you even having to spread them apart?"

"I'm not the one who has problems with her legs," Tisvali said through a chuckle while pretending to almost catch Edelweiss' bouncing curls.

"I'm not the one who has to prim himself perfectly in order to juggle three moss partners."

"I'm not the one envious because she is stuck with a single moss partner for life."

"Says the idiot who is going to get kicked in the family jewels." After those words, Deidre finally burst into action, charging Tisvali.

"Deidre!" Jasmine protested. "Edy, stay back!"

Edelweiss ran our way only to grab Deidre's discarded hat and put it on. Thankfully, the girl's skin wasn't overly sensitive to sunlight, but that didn't stop her from wanting to wear all kinds of available protection from the sun any chance she got.

"You are not going to do anything like that," her mother informed her while all of us, including Edelweiss, were watching Tisvali tossing Deidre over his shoulder and beyond.

The she-elf landed on her feet, but her cunning opponent sabotaged her footing with one of his muscular legs. Deidre ended up on her butt in the grass.

"Says the lake lady whose overly exposed silvery booty got all green... right next to the place of her conception." Tisvali had barely managed to say that when he found himself flat on the ground next to Deidre. She had skillfully taken him out of balance. He was grinning, of course.

Deidre shook her head but smiled. "Idiot."

He smirked and got up at the same time as her, probably expecting additional retaliation.

None of them saw Valamir's head emerge from the lake behind them. They did turn around at the sound of splashing, but by then it was too late.

They were soaked.

Boromir appeared to be laughing in his father's arms, but with the baby out of the water one could never be absolutely sure. It was when he clapped awkwardly with his little hands that I knew he was having a blast, just like Valamir.

"Curses! I'm wet again!"

"Jesus! I'm going to have to get changed now!"

Edelweiss giggled at the wet elves. She ran towards Boromir, who had just been placed on his feet in the shallow part of the lake and was walking clumsily like a one-year-old human child.

"Edy," Jasmine called after her, "don't push him over!"

"Val, he's going to fall!" Aly jumped to her feet, acting as if that would be the end of any toddler, least of all of a regenerating half-merman half-werewolf one.