As she approached, I noticed her, and it was too late to hide the surprise on my face. Her long ears twitched, and she reached up to touch the thick braid draped over her shoulder.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” she invited us, her voice warm and soft. “The tailors will be here shortly.”
Leonardo, with his towering height and deep, intimidating voice, tilted his head and asked, “Are you related to the previous water nymph?”
A blush crept across her pale blue skin, shading it almost cerulean. She seemed to shrink slightly, inching away from him with each passing second, her flustered demeanor a stark contrast to her predecessor.
“Oh-well, it was Noemi’s idea,” she stammered. “I’m Brigida’s sister-one of them, at least. We take turns, though Brigida does the most work here. She cleans and cooks the most, but we each have a role. We’ve all helped care for Noemi. Only Noemi and Graziana know; please, let’s keep it that way.”
I understood her desire for secrecy, especially from Isotta and Marinella, who seemed determined to disrupt things. That future Noemi had shown me-it wasn’t going to happen.
“Your secret’s safe with us,” I promised, nudging Leonardo with my elbow until he murmured agreement.
Her shoulders relaxed, and she offered a small smile. “Thank you. It’s been nearly two thousand years since anyone saw through a water nymph’s weave like that. I understand now why Noemi wanted me to meet you.”
Curious, I asked, “Is that what’s covering you-a weave?” The fine fibers shimmering across her skin, with a faint scent of ocean, gave her an otherworldly look. Emiliano had warned me against revealing my ability to see magical traces, but the words slipped out.
Her seafoam eyes widened, lips parted in surprise. “Oh, my,” she murmured. “I suppose we both have secrets to keep now.”
It turns out Brigida has six sisters, each one beloved by Noemi for a different reason. Although Noemi kept their existence hidden from Graziana, she felt guilty for it, knowing her older sister was just as lonely as she was.
The tailors soon arrived, bustling in with tapes and pins. Leonardo and I were whisked to opposite ends of the room, surrounded by a flurry of measurements and fabrics. Every detail of our clothing was attended to meticulously, though I’d have preferred something simpler, especially since I didn’t plan on staying long.
Among the water court Fae, one tailor stood out. Her golden hair, reminiscent of liquid honey, shimmered as she worked, and her light touch put me at ease.
“Different from the others, aren’t I?” she said, smiling with cloudy blue eyes.
I grinned back. “It’s nice to see someone else a little different around here.”
She chuckled. “My family’s from the Day Court. My sister looks more like the others, but even she envies how easily I tan. Winter has paled the High Fae here over the years.”
Fiorella, as she introduced herself, had been tailoring for seventy years, trained by her mother, a native of the water court. Fiorella’s laughter was infectious, and as we chatted, she shared tidbits about her family and the realm, filling in details about the Day Court and its rolling hills of golden grass that stretched for miles. I liked her instantly, and knew my friends Sofia and Chiara would too.
She spoke of her High Lord, whose power had been waning for over a century. “He’s a shadow of himself,” she said softly, her face marked by hope and worry. “Advisors are holding the court together, but they can’t keep this up forever. There’s always been a successor-until now.”
“Is this… common knowledge?” I asked, worried about her candor.
“Oh, yes,” she assured me. “A particular court wants to use this against us, though.”
I hesitated, feeling an uneasy sense of responsibility. “I’m not sure what you think I can do.”
“Maybe…maybe you’re his successor. You have control over all four elemental magics. That must mean something,” she said, brushing her hair from her shoulder, her voice earnest. “I just want to help my home. The High Lord is an old friend of my father’s, a good man.”
“If that were true, I wish I could help,” I admitted. “I want to help all of you, and my own people too. But I know I’m not who you’re looking for.”
“If you can use your magic at all-” she began, but I cut in gently.
“I’ll talk to someone I trust, see if there’s anything we can do,” I promised, even though I shouldn’t have. I couldn’t help but feel drawn to help her.
She smiled, her expression as radiant as a sunflower in bloom. “Thank you.”
By the time the tailoring session ended, our joints were stiff from standing still for so long. As we left, our steps echoing in the hall, I could feel Brigida’s watchful magic trailing behind us.
A soft grinding sound caught my attention, and I turned to see a stone wall sliding open, revealing Noemi’s white curls as she poked her head out.
“Did I scare you?” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Isotta and Marinella are nearby. Hurry.”
Leonardo and I slipped into the hidden passage, the stone wall sealing us in darkness. I shivered as his breath brushed the back of my neck and swatted him when he tried to tease me.
Noemi led us through twisting corridors with ease, eventually stopping at a grated opening in the wall. “Isotta’s grown comfortable, replacing my mother’s spies with her own,” she whispered, her young voice carrying a dark, old weight. “She doesn’t know I’m always watching.”
“You watch Isotta?” Leonardo asked, his tone unusually gentle.
“Yes. She had a hand in my brother’s death, I’m certain of it.” Her voice was petal-soft but laced with bitterness.
“That was long ago, wasn’t it?” Leonardo ventured cautiously. “Were you even born then?”
“No, but I see things-things from before I was born. My mother may be blind to Isotta’s deceit, but I will protect my family however I can.” She turned toward the grate, her young face shadowed with resolve.
“Now hush,” she murmured. “They’re coming.”