The Sage's Vow

6.3 || A Little Secret

Josh was wrong. It wasn't exactly a tiny person. As he looked at the person—creature?—longer, he noticed distinct differences. Aside from the size, there were a few other obvious variances. Small horns jutted out from under thick, moss green hair. Their face had an angular structure that would be unnatural on a human, but somehow, for the creature, it looked normal. Perhaps because of the way it led into long, pointed ears. Their eyes were similarly angled and long, as well as large, made to look even more so by the way their eyes were a single, solid color rather than separated into parts. This creature had eyes the color of a deep autumn orange. A smaller nose seemed to make up for the largeness of the eyes.

As the creature shifted further forward, detaching from the green background, they revealed two silky, leaf-like wings resting against their back.

Something about the creature's appearance tickled a memory, but Josh couldn't reach it until Boomer's voice whispered through his mind.

A sprite, he said. Why does your friend have a sprite in her garden?

It took most of Josh's willpower not to crouch down right then and gape at the tiny humanoid. A sprite, of course. They weren't one of the five original Elementals, but he'd heard of them in one of his lessons. Many of the Elementals existed in the Energy Realm, having gone there when it was formed, and those that remained here interacted mostly with the Sages. Paladins rarely, if ever, got to meet an Elemental, yet here one was, right in front of him.

"You're not freaking out."

Hannah's accusatory words slammed into Josh's wonder at the Elemental like the strike of a hammer, leaving him similarly disoriented. A lightness filled his chest first. He'd hated lying to her, and now he didn't have to, because she knew, and because of that, she could truly know him again.

But she knew. Normal, everyday humans weren't supposed to know. Had he ever even found out what happened to those who discovered the truth? He felt like he should, but the seal situation had thrown his education off the rails early on. Was it possible she could exist normally while knowing?

Unease trickled through the bond. I'm not very familiar with this situation either, but I don't think it works that way.

Josh hated it, but Boomer was likely right—no. Boomer was right. The memory of his conversation with Mateo before heading to Wellington surged forward, and with it came a wave of anger. His parents were protected by a barrier because their knowledge put them at potential risk.

This sprite had done that to Hannah.

He opened his mouth to demand answers, but at the same moment, the sprite hopped into the air, their wings buzzing behind them. They stopped when they were level with Josh's face.

"You know many things, but don't speak them before Hannah. She is in enough danger for what little she knows." Despite the sprite's high-pitched voice, they managed a stern, unwavering tone.

Josh clenched his fists. "If that's true, why would you expose yourself?"

"Hey!" Hannah inched forward, forcing herself to stand in front of Josh and beside the sprite. "Be nice, Josh. It's not like Eytia meant to. I found her on accident."

Eytia's shoulders drooped, and she fell a few inches as her wings slowed. "No, Hannah. It is fine. Josh has every right to be upset. I do regret even the slight danger you now face, but as you say, I did not intend for this."

She lifted her gaze so that she stared directly at Josh. Now that he looked closer, he noticed there was a dark line forming a circle that may have been some form of an iris. He wasn't sure if he preferred an entire slate of color or if having an iris made the sprite's eyes even more uncanny.