by Lauren Quick
The nymphs were witches who dedicated their lives completely immersed in nature. They slept outside under the stars or in hammocks strung from trees. In the cooler months, they traveled to more temperate southern climates and found shelter in small mossy dwellings. They spend their days frolicking, talking, lounging in the woods, and swimming in the streams and ponds all over Everland. They often congregated in small groups and took care of the animals of the forest, such as deer, rabbits, foxes, and fowl.
“How do you think they can help me?” Vivi asked. “What would they know that Bear’s or Honora’s methods couldn’t find?”
One side of Priscilla’s mouth cocked in a grin as if she expected the question. “The nymphs aren’t hermits. In fact, they’re very social. Witches and wizards often forget that the forests are alive with animals and other beings. The nymphs hear things while in the woods. They also frequent many of the businesses along the fringes of the forests to obtain food, supplies, and medicines that they can’t procure in nature. Plus, they talk—a lot. Their network spreads news in a flash.”
“I guess I never thought of them in that way.”
“You and most everyone else. They’re underestimated. No one pays them any serious mind, while they drift in the background, soaking up details of life.”
“You seem to have developed a close relationship with them. They must really trust you to share their ways with you,” Vivi said.
“I respect them and want to learn as much as I can about them. They enjoy company and welcome questions about their lives and gossiping, of course.”
“I can see why their life in the forest would be appealing. No cares, no worries, no stressful responsibility. But I’m not sure I could give up my apartment no matter how small it is. Sleeping outside isn’t my thing.” Vivi nudged Priscilla.
“Nor could I. Books don’t do well in the elements.”
Four nymphs, dressed in flowing pastel gowns, lounged in a meadow near the stream. A huge quilted blanket was spread on the ground with bowls of fruit, plates of honey cakes, and goblets of what appeared to be wine. The nymphs were laughing, talking, and sunning themselves. The oldest of the nymphs with long gray curls saw Priscilla and stood, catching the others’ attention. Two of the nymphs raced toward them and swept them up in a circle, holding hands, and pulling them along.
“So good to see you again, Priscilla.” A statuesque nymph with flowing black hair, wearing an apricot-colored dress glided up to them.
“And you also, Rose,” Priscilla said. “I’ve brought a friend who wanted to meet you and request your wise council.”
Rose motioned to an outcropping of rocks next to the stream. The youngest nymph, with white blonde hair and a pale pink gown, draped pieces of tapestry fabric over the rocks so they could sit more comfortably.
“A Mayhem,” Rose said, her dark brown eyes seemed to absorb Vivi’s image.
“The middle sister,” the oldest of the group wearing a crown of ivy on her head said, joining them. “The one who sees things but fights her gift.”
“How did you know?” Vivi asked, surprised at her candor. Her reputation didn’t precede her that much.
The eldest spoke again, “Your sister Clover lives near the old oak portal in the Meadowlands. It’s a lovely place. You visit her in the old Mayhem house often.”
Vivi blushed. “I had no idea anyone was watching.”
“Hardly anyone does,” a third nymph with strawberry blonde curls said with a sly smile. “But we’re there. We’re all around the woods and clearings.”
Priscilla addressed the elder nymph. “That’s why I brought Vivi to speak with you. You see what others are blind to, you know things no one takes the time to notice, Daphne.”
Daphne accepted the statement with a nod. “What can we help you with?”
Priscilla glanced at Vivi.
“Thank you for speaking with me. I’m looking for a wizard who I think might be in hiding. His name is Devlin Strange. I know it’s not much. And unfortunately that’s all I know about him.” That wasn’t entirely true and Vivi added quickly. “I’m not the only one searching for him. The Darklander asked me to find him.” She felt her cheeks redden at the admission.
The nymphs gathered in a circle and chatted excitedly to each other. The elder, Daphne, spoke to the excited witches in a hushed tone. She raised her hand and silence fell over the group. She nodded her consent to the strawberry blonde, who stepped forward. “Petal has something to share with you.”
“I’ve been to the edge of the Dire Woods a few times.” She twisted a long strand of hair around her finger. “Against my mother’s wishes,” she added. “I just wanted to see what went on in the dark woods and there I met a bothersome goat wizard who works at the Darklander’s mansion. He chased me for days until I let him approach. He drank our wine and talked on and on for hours. He spoke of a wizard named Strange. They’re desperately searching for him.”
Excitement raced up Vivi’s spine. She shifted, sitting up tall. “But why? What makes him so important?”
The nymph’s lips were rosebud pink. “Wizard Strange has something that the Darklander wants,” she said.
“What? Is it a magical artifact? Is it dark magic?” Vivi swallowed for that was what she feared the most. She imagined if the Darklander wanted something, then it was powerful, remembering the elemental spheres he procured from Hex Division a year ago.
Petal shifted, brow lifting in contemplation. “No, it isn’t dark at all. It’s a coin.”
“A coin,” Priscilla said. “What kind of coin?”
Petal shrugged her thin shoulders. “I don’t know, but they wanted it very much. We don’t care for money or gold. We have no use for it. We barter for what we need, so I wasn’t paying much attention when he spoke about it.”
“Do they have any idea where Devlin Strange is? Where can I find him? Do you know where he is?” Vivi peppered the witch with questions.
“He’s everywhere and anywhere,” Rose said with a smile and they all giggled.
Not helpful. But the nymphs didn’t seem to take events with a serious attitude.
“I’d check with the goat wizard. Maybe you could ask him,” Priscilla said.
Vivi remembered one of the Darklander’s minions had magically altered his head adding the goat horns. “I still come back to the same question. Why would the Darklander bother asking me, if he and his minions can’t find Wizard Strange, what makes him think that I can?”
Daphne addressed Vivi directly. “That’s the real question then, isn’t it? Why you, Vivi Mayhem? Maybe you need to look inward and ask yourself. He asked you for a reason. Wizards like him don’t make requests lightly.”
Vivi sensed the nymphs knew more than they were saying and asked directly. “Have you seen Devlin Strange in the woods?”
Rose nodded. “I saw a wizard who called himself Devlin. I didn’t ask anymore. He passed through the forest once on foot and stopped to drink from a stream I was swimming in.”
“That seems odd. If he were in hiding, why would he tell you his name? Even his first name is telling,” Vivi said, hoping not to insult Rose.
“I gave him food and drink. He was famished and exhausted. A little wine on an empty stomach and a wizard says many things. Plus, we are nymphs. We do not judge and we don’t criticize. And so witches and wizards tell us things.”
Rose made some good points.
“When and where exactly was this? He could still be close,” Vivi said, but she doubted it. He was probably on the move with so many witches and wizards after him.
“It was about two weeks ago at the stream a few miles north of here.” She gestured to the stream over her shoulder.
“What does he look like?” Priscilla asked.
“Dark hair, green eyes. He had a mustache. A
bushy mustache. I hate a wizard with a mustache. Too tickly.” Rose’s eyes twinkled and she covered her mouth as she smiled.
Vivi’s heart raced. The wizard in her dream who warned her about the Red Queen had a bushy caterpillar mustache. Maybe her dream did have connections to what was happening and the two wizards were one and the same. “Did he mention a Red Queen?” Vivi burst out in excitement, and all the nymphs went silent.
Rose shifted on the rock where she was sitting. “When I saw him, he was on the run from someone, but not the Darklander, someone else. A dangerous witch, he said. But that’s all I know. I didn’t question him and that’s all he said before leaving.”
Vivi sat stunned. The information washed over her in an unexpected rush.
“Maybe that’s enough for today,” Priscilla said. “You’ve been very helpful. Even more so than I suspected.”
Vivi stood. “You’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you so much for talking with me. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
Daphne nodded and motioned to the others who drifted back to the meadow, swinging their arms, and spinning and laughing, seemingly in a perpetual good mood. They didn’t give a second thought to the information they shared. Maybe they had it right and living far from the maddening world gave them no cares. But Vivi lived in the real world.
“Are you okay?” Priscilla asked.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“I had no idea the nymphs would know so much,” Priscilla said.
“Neither did I. Now, I have a picture of Devlin Strange in my mind, and I know the Darklander is after him and a dangerous witch could also be after him, potentially for the coin too. That’s why the Darklander said that Devlin was in trouble. It’s all about the coin and a Red Queen.”
In a way, what Vivi’d learned from the nymphs was a relief. She’d never gotten the impression that Wizard Strange was dangerous and now she believed that even more. “I wish I knew why this coin was so important.”
“I have a feeling you’ll figure it out. I can’t wait to tell Bear what luck we had. Maybe now he’ll take the nymphs more seriously,” Priscilla said as they stepped through the portal and returned to Willow Realm.
6
A shopping bag from The Glass Slipper banged against Vivi’s leg as she hurried into The Potion Garden. Neither she nor Priscilla made it out of the store without buying a pair of shoes after their afternoon spent with the nymphs. She was back in time to relieve Pepper for the day, clean up, and restock the shelves. Vivi brewed up a quick batch of a new vibrant honeysuckle and peony potion she’d created called Spring Fling that was part mood lifter and shyness squelcher. Wallflowers beware—one sip and the witch was the life of the party. While stirring the fragrant brew over a bubbling copper cauldron, Vivi noticed a parchment envelope had been left on the counter. From the curly handwriting and gold wax seal, she knew instantly that the note was from her sister Clover.
She snatched it up and wedged her thumbnail under the wax seal. Inside was an invite to a family dinner that night, including a note indicating Clover had a colossal surprise for them. Vivi wondered what it could be. With Clover, a surprise could be anything from a new vegetable she found at the farmers market to a weird magical device she found in the attic. Nothing was off-limits.
Vivi slipped into a spring dress and her new sandals and set the security ward to the shop as she headed out. She decided to take a different portal, one tucked down a crooked alley, rather than go through The Glass Slipper again. One pair of new shoes was enough for now. That witch must make a killing in sales. Jokingly Vivi thought about adding a portal to the back of her shop to suck in customers, coming and going. But even if she wanted to it would never happen since there hadn’t been any new portals created in over two decades, ever since the Magical Transportation Guild started regulating them and limiting their construction. Maintaining the portal system was a huge magical undertaking, and Candy had to maintain her portal up to their high magical standards.
Vivi greatly appreciated the magical ingenuity that went into them as she stepped through the green door portal and out the other side of the old oak near Clover’s house. She glided through the gate and up the path lit with tiny glowing illuma lights. Clover had gone all out on dinner and set up a table in the garden in her backyard. She’d decorated the table with wildflowers and a tiny mushroom display. With the purple glow of dusk in the air, the table setting was enchanting.
“It looks like magical fairies have invaded your garden,” Vivi said, handing her sister a bottle of wine.
“Thanks. I’m so glad winter is over. I couldn’t resist setting the table outside. I hope it’s not too chilly.” She pulled a light cardigan around her shoulders.
“If it is then I’ll use a warming spell to heat this place up,” Honora said, floating down to the ground with her typical dramatic entrance. “Looks delicious.”
Clover waved them to the chairs. “Sit down and eat. Derek is teaching me how to cook. I made chilled cucumber soup, asparagus and spring pea salad, and a baked ham with apricot glaze.”
“What’s that?” Vivi pointed to a large charred object in the center of the table.
“That’s the ham,” Clover said. “It’s a little well-done.”
Honora poked the blackened lump with a pronged-fork. “Are you experimenting with fire elements again? I thought I told you not to torch your food.” She smiled and gave Clover a good-natured wink.
Clover passed Vivi a basket of rolls. “Culinary conjuring is harder than it looks. But at least I was able to whip up the soup and salad without burning them. I call that an accomplishment.”
The three sisters settled around the table and Honora poured them all a glass of wine. “We’re just teasing you. Your cooking has come a long way. Good for you for trying. I can hardly talk. I rely mostly on take-out.”
“Thanks. But Stargazer City does have the best take-out around. We’re on our own out here in the sticks,” Clover said, draping her napkin on her lap. “What’s up with you two? Anything exciting happening that I need to know about?”
Honora not so subtly motioned to Vivi. “The middle sister is stirring up trouble.”
“What’s going on?” Clover asked. “Did something happen at the potion shop?”
Vivi took a long pull of wine before spilling the story about her visit to Maybelle’s tower, the Darklander’s request, her dream, and her visit to the nymphs.
“Wow. When things happen in your life, they’re never simple,” Clover said.
“I’m glad the nymphs were able to help you. I’m actually impressed. I never would have thought to contact them,” Honora said, biting into the last stalk of asparagus on her plate.
“It was Priscilla’s idea, and I’m glad I listened to her because we really struck gold. Now I need to figure out what’s so important about this coin. I think it’s the linchpin to why the Darklander thinks I can find Devlin Strange for him.” Vivi swirled her wine around in the glass. “I can’t shake the feeling I know Wizard Strange from somewhere. I just can’t remember where.”
“It’s not like you know a ton of wizards,” Clover said. “Maybe Mr. Mustache is an old professor you had at the academy. Maybe you knew him then and he’s taken on a secret identity so you don’t recognize him as this Devlin Strange wizard.”
“Taking a different identity is also probably why he has a blank page.” Honora propped her elbow on the table. “If he’s not really Devlin Strange, then who do we think he is?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know.” Vivi thought back to her academy days. “I can’t think of anyone I knew who might want to go into hiding.”
“Do you know any overly ambitious wizards who might have landed themselves in trouble?” Clover probed.
“Not that I remember. There was that one weird wizard from the potion club who w
as obsessed with strange potions. He tried to create an invisibility potion and ended up getting caught when he materialized in the witches’ locker room. He was kicked out of the academy,” Vivi said, shaking her head. “I think he went into dental hygiene.”
“Sounds like a winner.”
Clover waved her wand and the dirty dishes paraded across the lawn and through the open kitchen window. Sudsy water splashed as they fell into the sink. “I’m learning how to clean up a little too,” she said as commentary.
A wry smile crawled across Honora’s lips.
Vivi knew something devious was about to come out of her mouth. “Oh, no. She’s got the look.”
“It’s time to revisit the yearbooks and investigate Vivi’s sordid past!” Honora jumped to her feet and raced inside to Clover’s library.
“Yes!” Clover made a fist pump and grabbed the bottle of wine to bring with her. “I have all six humiliating volumes!”
Vivi raced after her sisters, screaming protests that went completely ignored. By the time she caught up with them, Honora was already sitting on the sofa, flipping wildly through one of the yearbooks. Clover grabbed the other volumes and balanced the stack on her lap as she settled down next to Honora. Vivi sighed. “You know you two didn’t look so hot in your pictures, either.” But really they did. Honora was born looking effortlessly cool and Clover had the good sense not to experiment with hair dye and magical eye shadow in changing shades during her youth.
The three huddled on the sofa hunched over Vivi’s junior year Haven Academy yearbook. The tenure for graduation was six years and Clover kept all of their yearbooks. Probably for blackmail material.