We got a few prime cuts of meat roasting on the spit. It smelled delicious. I couldn’t wait to taste it. While I was cooking, Stefan had gotten the brilliant idea to draw a dick mustasche on Theo’s face with a marker he’d found in his camper bag.
This was who I chose to surround myself with.
Arthur sat beside me on a nearby rock. I began handing out strips of meat, and he took a bite, looking contemplative.
“Something on your mind?” I offered.
“It’s nothing,” Arthur said. “Enjoy your night, Ethan. You’ve earned it.”
He didn’t seem keen to talk, so I distributed the meat. We feasted on the deer while working our way through what was left of the ale— and there was much ale to be had.
A couple hours passed, until it was close to four in the morning. Stefan and Alexei had gone through a few tankards each, until they could drink no more and had passed out on top of Theo. The three of them slept in a pile, snoring and making grunting sounds.
“Don’t they look cute.” I’d gone through a few rounds of ale, and my head was pleasantly buzzing, but I had no desire to drink more. I didn’t wish to sport a hangover from hell like those three would have in the morning.
Arthur was clutching his mug and staring into the flames. His eyes were so haggard it became bothersome. I wasn’t sure he’d heard my earlier comment.
“Arthur, you’ve had that same look on your face since dinner. What’s going on?” I prodded.
He hunched over. “I didn’t want to bring it up at your bachelor party.”
“Party’s pretty much over,” I said, gesturing to the pile of drunken, sleeping shifters on my right.
“That’s true…” Arthur rubbed his chin before he gave a sigh and said, “I’ve been thinking about how we can get to the Spring Princess’s island, and for all my theories, I still don’t have any ideas.”
“Well, what do we know?” I offered. “It’s on an island, right? I’m assuming we’ll have to sail there.”
“Sail there how?” He adjusted his glasses.
“The Spring Princess is a powerful fae, so I’m guessing she has wards around her island. We won’t be able to portal onto it, not even if we find out where it is,” I pointed out. “So we’ll have to take a ship. Crossing the sea is the only way to find the island.”
Arthur gasped, and nearly fell off his seat. “Ethan, you’re a genius. I didn’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“Think of what?”
“All water is interconnected. It has memory,” Arthur explained. “The molecules in water react to human and supernatural consciousness, as well as action. Tears of various kinds have a different molecular structure— tears of sadness are structured differently on a molecular level than tears of joy, because they contain different experiences of emotion and memory. Alchemists in the magical world know that water can transmit and store information, though we haven’t figured out how to harness that knowledge yet, even as supernaturals. But there are some creatures thatcan.”
“I’m not following,” I said slowly.
“Water itself could tell uswherethe island is. All we need is to find a faekin that could summon the knowledge from the water itself.”
“So… you’re looking for a type of faekin that could use her connection to the water to tell us where we might find the Spring Princess’s island. Like a well spirit, a fae-sprite of the water.”
“Exactly. All fae come from Edinmyre, and well spirits are eternal. They brought some of their water here from Edinmyre, and incorporated it into Earth’s water system, thus mixing that knowledge with ours. If there’s a well-spirit nearby, she has memory of the sea in Edinmyre, and probably knows how we can find the island,” Arthur said. “Are there any well spirits in Dolinska that you know of?”
“There’s a well spirit close by the castle, a water sprite. She’s lived there for centuries. She's harmless, an amusement for the royals,” I explained. “My father used to take me there to toss coins in. She’d grant small wishes as a gift. Nothing powerful— things like candies and treats in exchange for gold.”
“Of course!” Arthur adjusted his glasses. “I always thought water sprites were just fanciful spirits for children, but in this case, this one might be able to help us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. But we’d have to give her an offering. Well spirits don’t give out information for free, and the price of what we’re asking for is worth more than a few coins.”
“It’ll take the deer head,” I said, gesturing to it. “Water sprites will do anything for food.”
“What about them?” Arthur jerked his thumb at Theo, Stefan, and Alexei.
“Just leave em. We’ll be back by the time they’re whining for breakfast.”
