Oh the fate of a sprite who can be summoned. Nixie rues this word some days.
The summons was clear, and Nixie paused in her morning ablutions to cock her head to the side.
Aretha glanced over at her sister, her wings glistening in the morning air. “You will answer?” she asked, her tone as patronizing as it ever was. She gave her wings a flick to get the precipitation from the morning rain in the rainforest off, ready for flight.
Nixie ignored the tone of voice, as she always did. Alone of her sisters, she would never miss a summons. “It is who we are,” she reminded Aretha gently. “We must stop ignoring the calls.”
Before Aretha could respond, Nixie twisted the air and water around herself, vanishing and following the summons as only a sprite of aeternum could. It was the only time they could travel to the human world without using the portal itself to travel, and it brought her right to her destination.
The human world was always a shock, more because of how it changed each time she was summoned than anything. The size she was prepared for; no sprite stood over four inches in height, the fire sprites were the closest to that. Nixie’s wings vibrated once, and she alighted on the edge of the book used for the summons, the glow of the summoning magic fading away from her.
Brown eyes full of tears stared back at her, wide at the sight of the small sprite the summons had brought forth. Nixie waited patiently as the young girl, no more than twenty in her estimation, recovered from the realization that the summoning had worked.
“I am Nixie,” she introduced herself, as she always did. “Why have you summoned me?”
Hundreds of summonings in the past left her prepared for anything that might happen. Many times, she was brought forth to heal the dying or restore the poisoned waters of war. It was her reason for creation, along with guarding the flower of gold.
The girl’s face was framed by dark hair, and it bobbed as she shook her head in surprise. “B-but you… you’re real? Really real?”
Nixie did not deign to answer, merely watching the area around her with a curious eye and taking in the objects used to summon her. The circle could use some work, but the symbol in the center was well-drawn.
“Okay,” the girl pulled herself together and straightened. “I want you to make me the prettiest girl in school. That way they stop making fun of me! I’m not a geek!”
Nixie sighed at that. “Child, do you not know who you have summoned?” she asked gently. “I am a sprite. Wishes I do not grant. What you want is beyond my power.”
“B-but…”
“You should ignore what others say,” Nixie said firmly, thinking of Aretha and her constant dislike of what Nixie persisted in doing. “All that matters is who we are to ourselves. Letting their words bother you gives them power over you.”
She let her wings vibrate again, and lifted off from the book, whipping the pages and the girl’s hair into a mess. The girl opened her mouth. “No, wait!”
With a twinkling, Nixie severed the summoning and vanished back into aethernum.
Nixie’s affliction is caused by a dissonance in her mind. On one side, she is forbidden to do anything to stop Ilyana, or any other sprite. Technically, this stands for them as well, they cannot interfere with anything Nixie does. Because Ilyana was already on earth, working towards her own ends, this makes her purpose come first, or ‘primary.’ The bond with Sam was all that prevented Nixie from turning on both boys like the rest of the fire sprites. Surrendering to it – so completely that even her mind was lost to the bond – was all that kept her magic from dissipating.
They may be sprites in name, but a more fitting description would be to call them elementals. Their power was too much to have on the earth, so each of the four were sequestered to Aeternum upon their creation, to wait for when they were needed by either the gods or any mortals to discover their summoning. They do have the ability to leave Aeternum on their own via the portal used in the first story, they simply don’t see any reason to. Probably for the best for all involved, as passions can run high when the different sisters encounter each other.
Another reason they are technically forbidden to interfere with each other… can you imagine the power of a sister squabble if she has the power of a tidal wave or an earthquake at her beck and call? Humans call a fight like that a cat fight, Aeternum sprites call them Armageddon.
One last important note: Aeternum sprites are all female, and call each other ‘sisters,’ regardless of element. They are also asexual, by and large with a few exceptions, and have no desire to seek out intimacy the way humans are drawn to each other. This does not, however, prevent them from seducing a person. This isn’t a form of sexual attraction for them. It is a different style of manipulation, and the sprites are well-versed in the art.
Wonderful artwork of Nixie under her affliction commissioned from Mogadeer (tumblr –
mogadeer). If you ever want a picture of your character, she is highly recommended! She’s done such a wonderful job on all the ideas I’ve had.
Brothers Apart 