I removed the metal cap from the bottle and tilted it over the ocean-colored glass, which filled up with a gentle glug glug. Teiren was elated and compared it to pouring a glass of beer at dinnertime. Alcohol certainly seemed to be a source of joy for her.
I let out a sigh—partially out of relief—as I gazed at the little world I’d created. Salamander walked over to the colorful party candle and set it alight with a quick exhale.
“Wow! The flame makes it give off a completely different impression! Thank you, Salamander!”
He chortled and puffed out his chest. “Don’t sweat it! Breathing fire’s as easy as fallin’ off a log!” Then, he nuzzled his cheek against me for good measure—it tickled a bit.
“Mm. I would say that is quite the result for a novice,” Alk said.
“The young lady deserves more praise than that, dragon. This is an excellent spiritorium for a first try. You ought to be more up-front with your opinions.”
“You and your tiresome lectures!” Alk shot back at Gnome.
At least the two of them were having a lively conversation...though I was using the term very loosely. Gnome had one hand on his hip and was wagging his finger, while Alk looked most fed up and bared his fangs. Seeing this was like witnessing a quarrel between a parent and child—though Alk, the larger of the two, was the one being scolded. I had to admit that it was rather adorable...
“There they go again.” Salamander sighed, exasperated. He started to swish his tail. “Hey, hermit! Ain’tcha gonna call the others?”
“Ah. Forgive me, Salamander. I had almost forgotten.” Gnome then turned toward us at last. Putting a bashful hand to his head, he came over to inspect the spiritorium, which was now complete with flame. “Sylph!” he called into it. “Oh, Sylph! If you can hear me, would you mind gracing us with your presence? There is a young lady here who I think you will find quite fascinating.”
“Uh-huh! And the same goes for you, Undine! Come say hi! Or what, ya got somethin’ better to do?”
Gnome’s polite calls and Salamander’s assertive shouts resounded through the cave. Perhaps because of the high ceiling, the sounds bounced off the rock face and echoed for a while before eventually fading away. It was almost like their echoing voices were made up of tiny droplets that let out bursts of glittering stardust with each reverberation.
Meanwhile, Alk sidled up to me and brought his lips close to my ear. “Fran, if there’s anything you wish to order, I would do so now. Undine—and well, Sylph too—are much like Gnome. Once they start talking, it is exceedingly difficult to make them stop.”
“Good idea. Thank you! I probably ought to order something sweet, something savory...and some more alcohol and drinks.”
Such valuable advice! And doubly so if the spirits were really that talkative. I preferred to have refreshments ready ahead of time rather than having to interrupt them. Fortunately, I still had plenty of points left, so there was no need to compromise! And if Sylph and Undine did join us, we’d be six...“people” strong, essentially. I was sure that nothing would go to waste even if I made a large order.
Now that that’s settled—
“Why, hermit, whatever is the matter? Normally you give me some warning before calling on me like this.”
“Yeesh! Did you guys really hafta make such a racket? I could hear you just fine!”
A series of thumps on the altar marked the arrival of my order just as our guests made their appearances. One of them had a gentle, flowing voice, while the other’s was clear and bright.
Could it be?!
The air just above the spiritorium seemed to twist before a graceful figure suddenly emerged.
“Goodness! Were we summoned by a human child? By no means was I expecting that!”
The voice would’ve led me to envision a kindly woman, but instead, a large bird with fluttering, light green plumage was floating in the air. A pair of large, elegant wings were attached to her body. She had long eyelashes and a crest on top of her head. Though her coloring was different, she resembled a long-feathered secretary bird. All of this led me to assume she was Sylph.
After flying one rotation in the air, the bird came down to land on the altar. She had long, slender legs, and I must say that she was rather gorgeous! There was even a dignity about the way she preened herself.
While Sylph had me enraptured, the water in the glass inside the spiritorium started to ripple. The liquid at the center of those circles rose up...
“You called us? Imagine that! Human kids are a rare sight on this island.”
The small glass of water had given rise to transparency in human form. The figure had sparkling eyes and her skin was so pale it was almost translucent. Her long hair started off light blue, but it gradually changed into a shade as dark as the ocean’s most ancient depths.
And this must be Undine.
Undine floated up into the air and circled around me. Her cute, inquisitive face came close to me and tilted quizzically. “It’s like Sylph said. This place is so remote that we don’t see a lot of human beings. Are you the dragon’s bride?”
I couldn’t blame Undine for wondering that, but I really wasn’t sure how to answer her question. After all, in a sense, I was—that was the meaning behind the Flower Offering. But practically speaking, there were no plans for us to be wed, and he hadn’t eaten me as a sacrifice either.
How do I explain this to her? Should I start explaining the festival’s origins?
While I thought things through, the newcomers assaulted Alk with a barrage of questions.
“Nuisances, the pair of you!” he snapped back, and his bellow echoed through the cave. “Can you separate yourselves from your obsessions of romance for one second?!”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, there is nothing quite as exciting as a passionate love story! At least not to us.”
“You got that right! I’d love to hear a good lovey-dovey tale. Otherwise, I might as well not’ve shown up!”
✦ ✦ ✦
The dragon slapped his palm over his eyes. He truly did seem awfully put out by it all.
Either way, a hearty relationship between us would begin with a hearty greeting!
I turned to the squealing pair, lifted up my skirts, and curtsied. “Thank you so much for responding to my call. My name is Francheska.” I could feel their eyes, as beautiful as any gemstones, on my skin. “Meager as they may be, I have prepared some drinks and refreshments. Please feel free to make yourselves at home,” I said before raising my head and motioning to the altar.
“Goodness gracious me!” Sylph exclaimed. “How long must it have been since I have been offered such hospitality by a human?”
“Wow, look at this stuff! Tons of snacks and plenty of water! You prepared all this for us?” Undine cried.
They both sounded even more excited than they had been before.
Does that mean I’ve made them happy?
As I watched the jade-green and ocean-blue spirits press close together in joy, the tension finally began to lift from my shoulders.