“They’re energy, like the rest of us,” Bermuda answered. “They take on the form of light, but to be honest, I’ve never seen a form behind it either.”
“How bizarre.” Sophia shook her head, worried that they’d put her under a spell again, but thankfully they didn’t. Then her eyes slid to a black goat sitting a few yards from the will-o’-wisp. She was surprised to find such a normal animal in the circus tent. As soon as she thought that, the goat did the most unexpected thing and nearly made Sophia yelp in surprise.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
When NO10JO morphed from his cyborg dog form into an object, it was always surprising. When Ainsley shapeshifted, it was usually very jarring. But watching the black goat spring up into the form of a large black stallion was beyond astonishing.
“Whoa, what’s wrong with that goat?” Sophia’s eyes were wide as she watched the beautiful horse whinny and scrape its hoof over the ground, kicking up dirt.
“Manx isn’t a goat at all,” Bermuda stated.
“No, I see that he’s a horse now.”
“He’s neither a horse nor a goat,” Bermuda imparted.
“Right,” Sophia drew out the word with uncertainty.
“He’s a púca,” Bermuda explained.
For a moment, Sophia thought that the giantess had let out a modest sneeze, but then she recognized the term. “Those are the magical creatures that shift from goat to horse to cat to dog and hares, right?”
“And also raven,” Bermuda added.
Goat, the imp, had strode over to where the stallion stood and held up the heads of green leaf lettuce.
“Go ahead and shift, Manx,” Bermuda encouraged the púca.
The creature looked over his shoulder at Bermuda and shook his head with a defiant expression in his black eyes. He stretched out his neck and tried to nibble on the leaves of lettuce. Goat yanked them away.
“Manx,” Bermuda chided with a warning in her voice. “What did I say? We’re not feeding you in horse form. That will cost more food than is necessary. Remember that it’s about being smart and choosing the best form for what you’ve got to do.”
The stallion tossed his tail in the air and whinnied again. However, Manx appeared to have capitulated. He shrank, this time taking on the form of a shiny black hare.
Goat dutifully laid the heads of green leaf lettuce in front of the hare and Manx began nibbling, his pointy ears high in the air.
“Wow, what a brilliant creature,” Sophia remarked.
“He’s a total pain in the ass, and he knows it,” Bermuda said loud enough for the púca to hear. She sighed. “But that’s what his type is known for. They are very mischievous and prone to pranks.”
“Seems like that’s the theme of your current menagerie,” Sophia observed.
“Well, I don’t know. I think Piper is quite nice.” Bermuda held out her hand to a small set of trees nestled among some bushes. At least, that’s what Sophia had thought it was, but after Bermuda’s words, the tree moved. Sophia watched as a woman’s head untucked from the branches. Her face and hair were green and matched the leaves draped like a garland around her neck, arms, waist, and lower half. Her skin was like a human’s but also held a wood-grain design, and her bottom portion appeared to be a trunk connected to the bushes beside her.
“Oh, my.” Sophia’s surprise deepened. “She’s beautiful.”
Bermuda nodded proudly.
“Why thank you,” the woman said. She looked like a human, and also very much like a tree.
“Indeed,” Bermuda stated. “Piper is a nymph, and has left the sanctuary of her home to help me to educate the masses this month.”
The nymph bowed her head. “It is my pleasure.”
Bermuda turned her attention to Sophia. “Piper is a forest nymph, as you have no doubt discerned on your own. There are also freshwater, sea, and mountain nymphs. I daresay you’ve probably seen all of them dozens of times and not realized it.”
Trying not to stare but finding it hard to pull her eyes away from Piper, Sophia nodded. “I can see how they would blend into their surroundings.”
“They are their surroundings,” Bermuda stated, then turned her attention away. “Well, it looks like we’re set up for refreshments.”
Sophia spun to find that Goat had disappeared after feeding Manx and quietly set up a table with a full tea service by the entrance. It was elegantly done up with a silk tablecloth and real china. On a three-tiered platter were sandwiches, pastries, and cookies. Sophia wished that she was hungry, but the ice cream sundae had done its job.
“This looks fantastic,” Sophia said when she saw Goat by the entrance flap. “Thank you.”
He nodded before disappearing outside.
“It does.” Bermuda pulled off her flower-adorned straw hat and ruffled her curly hair. “And over tea, I will tell you how I made a grave error that nearly cost the Dragon Elite their lives.”
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Sophia didn’t move from her spot as Bermuda, surprisingly gracefully, pulled out the sturdy chair that looked too small for her and perched on the seat’s edge. Of all the things Sophia expected Bermuda Laurens to say, an admittance that she made a mistake that almost wiped out the Dragon Elite wasn’t one of them.
“Is this about the exploding sheep?” Sophia asked, still standing in place.
Bermuda shook her head. “No, but we’ll get to that as well. I heard a rumor about your little problem in Scotland.”
“More of a big problem if you ask the grumpy dragons,” Sophia pointed out.
The giantess nodded while daintily taking a pastry and putting it on her plate. “They do prefer sheep, and I think it offers them the best results based on their physical makeup and dietary needs.”
“What error did you make?” Sophia watched as Bermuda poured steaming hot tea into both of their cups.
“Nevin Gooseman outsmarted the educator in me. At least, that’s who I assume is behind this.”
Sophia nodded. “I’ve recently come to that conclusion too. He appears not to have died as I hoped.”
“Wishing death on your enemies is never acceptable,” Bermuda said with a pursed expression. “We should wish reformation on them. Rehabilitation of ways and flawed thinking. But never death.”
“Is that what you did to the magicians who murdered your husband and threatened you and Rory if you exposed the House of Seven?” Sophia asked boldly. She knew it was a risk and was prepared for the giant’s wrath, but Bermuda’s statement wasn’t fair. No, death wasn’t the first option when facing enemies, but sometimes it was the only one. Sophia had seen that all too often when battling someone who wouldn’t back down from their evil ways.
To her surprise, a spark of amusement flickered in Bermuda’s eyes. “Touché, Sophia Beaufont. And no, I wanted the Sinclairs to pay for what they did to our family and my clan of giants. I believe that what they got was appropriate because there was no reasoning with them. But I think that for the most part, we shouldn’t stoop to the level of our enemies or one day we’ll look in the mirror and find we’ve become the very thing we intended to stop.”