by P. A. Mason
Gretchen took the crystal and held it aloft. It was clearer than any crystal she’d ever seen, but like Nora, they weren’t an interest of hers. That one was about the size of a strawberry, dwarfed by the other composites lining Nora’s shelves.
“Isn’t it a bit small?” She weighed it in her palm and handed it back.
“You’ll find its properties make up for its size.” Nora bustled back to the table and cleared a spot among the forgotten debris. She set it down gently and went to fetch an assortment of jars from a cupboard. “The clearest form of calcite to be found. Costs a pretty penny too. It bends light in equal measure to produce a double image.”
Gretchen sank beside Jurgen to watch Nora at work with keen interest. It wasn’t often that a witch allowed an audience to spell castings.
“Cast the same kind of charm on an inferior crystal and it won't hold up to scrutiny,” she sniffed at a jar of powder and set it aside with a grimace. “From the wrong angle, she’d likely look even bigger. And we can't have that now, can we?”
Rapunzel shook her head frantically and held her knees even closer despite Nora’s warm smile.
“Where did my chalk get to? I must sketch out fairly complex circle, the thick stuff just won't do—”
“Who do I have to scare to get some food around here?” Jurgen held his head propped on the table and his belly gurgled audibly.
“Oh.” Nora’s eyes widened as though she’d forgotten about his presence entirely and she waved toward the door. “Go see the cook. If she gives you any trouble, remind her the spoiling wards need seeing to in the cellar, so I’ll be having none of that gruel she feeds to the rest of the poor wretches around here. If you go through the courtyard—”
Jurgen was already off his stool and halfway to the door. “I’ll find it.”
“Now, what was I saying?” Nora frowned at her assembled goods. “Ah, yes. A circle, the stone, and a good mix of powdered pixie and golden tortoise beetle. Now what did you put in that enlarging potion?”
Gretchen rattled off a list of common herbs and powders and the oil’s infused with some of the more expensive ingredients.
“Really?” Nora snorted. “I’m surprised you made more than a marinade with that! Some alchemist must have given you the top shelf stuff by mistake. Never mind, there’s nothing that should interfere.”
Nora snapped her fingers, and a broom in the corner came to life. It pushed dust across the floor from a clear spot where the only narrow window near the ceiling cast a round pool of moonlight onto the cold flagstones. Gretchen looked to Rapunzel whose eyes peered over her knees as she huddled shivering by the door.
“Perhaps we should get her… somewhere more comfortable.” Gretchen nodded toward the girl.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Her sleeves muffled the words. “If I’m seen by that upstart, she will make my life hell.”
Gretchen pursed her lips and reached into her infinity pouch to produce a small stone. Setting it on the floor beside Rapunzel, she muttered over it until it flared with the kind of cheery warmth one could expect from a crackling fire. Rapunzel held her hands out with a frown and scooted a little closer.
“Thank you.” She licked her lips. “I know you meant no harm, despite all this mess.”
Gretchen clucked her tongue. “You know what? For a noble type, you’ve been a pretty good sport about it. It’s not every day you see someone like you mingling with everyday folks. You had quite the audience at the fair.”
Rapunzel shrugged and gave a small smile. “Truth be told, I’m not used to being a ‘noble type’. I grew up just as regular as the next girl, if a little isolated.”
“I have heard stories about that,” said Gretchen curling her lip, “but I can’t say I put much stock with what’s on public record.”
“The ‘prince is coming to save me’ thing?” Rapunzel rolled her eyes. “That guy was a complete dropkick. I got out of that drafty pile of stones he called a castle as quick as I could and started the Tallest Tower empire. Of course, we’re still technically married, so that comes with its own set of pedigree benefits.”
“Like rubbing shoulders with this lot?” Gretchen jerked a thumb toward the ceiling.
“Precisely.”
Rapunzel loosened up as the warming stone did its work, and Gretchen waved her hand over it to take it back a couple of notches. The sound of a jar hitting the ground drew her attention, and when she turned Nora stood bent holding her head.
“Darn shelf gets me every time.” She waved her broom toward the spilled mess and stepped back to admire her work.
Gretchen wandered over to inspect the patch on the floor. A spreading spiral wound out toward the edges of the moonlit circle with glyphs marking particular spots along the way. It was tidy work, and although the spiral grew, Gretchen had to blink twice to put it in perspective. It seemed like it got smaller, which she knew formed part of the charm.
“Nice work,” she clapped her companion on the back. “That would have taken me hours and as many curses.”
Nora scoffed at that although her cheeks bloomed red at the praise. Settling herself on the floor and setting the sunstone at the center of the circle, she sprinkled the dust in a winding path and closed her eyes with hands hovering over the assembled items. Gretchen backed away hastily as Nora muttered, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling already. There was nothing she detested more than exposure to the magical energy of others.
“How long will it take?” It came as a hushed whisper, and Rapunzel’s eyes were as round as an owls.
“For this kind of thing? Not long. It's more a case of precision.” Gretchen wiped at the tickle in her nose. “I hope so, anyhow.”
Jurgen burst through the door making the pair jump. He juggled a heaped basket of goods and a small cask. The smell wafting in through the doorway was magnificent, though Gretchen waved the troll to silence before he could distract Nora from her task. She took the basket from his grasp and set it gently on the table, and Jurgen mimicked her muted movements as he placed the cask beside it. By the time they had cleared enough room to make for a proper dining table, Nora stood with a hand to her forehead.
“Doing that kind of work after a long day is a sure way to give oneself a thumping headache.” She groaned as she lowered herself onto the only padded chair at the table.
“So, is it done?” Rapunzel crawled closer eagerly.
“Yes. Keep the stone in your pocket, and you’ll be back to your normal self.” Nora held a finger up. “Or look like yourself in any case.”
“What pocket?” Rapunzel reached over to pluck the stone from the circle and Jurgen dropped a drumstick on his scavenged plate.
Rapunzel was indeed the right size. And stark naked.
Chapter 8
Nora held her head in her hands at the screeching as Rapunzel curled up to cover her bare body. Jurgen swung around on his seat—apparently deciding to stare at the wall—and Gretchen’s mouth hung open as she pieced together what had happened.
“The stone, girl! Drop the stone.”
Rapunzel tossed the sunstone across the floor and it skittered to Gretchen’s feet. Rapunzel’s dress returned with a shimmer along with her impossibly long limbs. Jurgen scraped his chair across the floor and gathered an armful of food before striding out of the room without a word, his cheeks scarlet.
“What on earth?” Nora screwed up her face and stood to run a hand along the illusory garment. “I thought that was a charmed dress. Not a dress that is a charm altogether.” She held fists to her hips as she rounded on Gretchen.
“I, ah. Well, I didn’t even think about that. But I suppose it makes sense in hindsight, one illusion countering the other.” She rubbed her chin. “But I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed with that dress. Didn’t even need one crystal!”
“You know for a witch, sometimes you're a real half-wit.” Nora drew a sharp breath through her nose. “Didn’t occur to you to even mention that you’d already fitted the g
irl out with an illusion charm?”
“What am I going to do now?” Rapunzel scrubbed tears from her cheeks with her fist. “The other dress is ripped from one end to the other.”
“Well, I was never much good at stitching spells. If you don’t believe me, you should ask Jurgen about the time I had to take care of a gash on his head.” Gretchen gave a nervous giggle and swallowed when Nora and Rapunzel glared at her. “But we’re at one of the fanciest houses for miles. There’s got to be a dress lying around somewhere.”
“The baron’s daughter,” Nora puffed out her cheeks. “The young chit has as many dresses as days in the season. I can make it bigger. But there’ll be no getting in there with the house so busy.”
Gretchen reached to pick up the crystal on the floor, and Nora and Rapunzel’s heads whipped toward her. Or on a place lower to the ground where they thought she was.
“They won’t even know I’m there. Just tell me which way to go, and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Although unable to keep the smirk from her face, Nora gave her directions through the sprawling house. Taking a last longing look at the food on the table, Gretchen left through a door that led deeper into the lower floors and found a set of spiral stairs to climb toward the populated areas of the house. When she emerged into a hallway, she checked both ways before scurrying to the right to search for the next set of stairs to take her upward toward the bedroom suites. She paid no mind to the servants passing her along the way with tired eyes fixed straight ahead above her level. But once she stepped onto the plush carpets where the family’s residence lay, she slowed to listen out for the sounds of footfalls.
“Third on the left,” she muttered, craning her neck to count the doors.
Creeping close to the wall, she tiptoed along glancing each way to check for those who would apprehend her for intruding. But Nora was right, the baron had made a poor choice keeping his people from their festivities, and Gretchen wagered more than a few had snuck away for the night. When she got to the right door, she pressed her ear to the lacquered timber, and when she turned the handle it swung open without a squeak.
“This is all too easy,” Gretchen wandered in and pushed the door closed behind her. “I could be in here stealing a fat purse of jewels.”
Spotting several armoires set against the far wall, she opened the first and swept a cursory glance over the frills and lace spilling out. Cursing herself for neglecting to ask what Rapunzel liked, she flipped through every shade of violet and pink looking for something… Gretchen stood stumped. At home she kept one fancy dress, and by fancy it looked like all her other black dresses except for the silver buttons.
Giggling in the hallway snapped her out of her quandary, and as the handle on the door rattled, she dived into the armoire and closed the door behind her.
“... I never thought we’d get away. Did you see Liza’s dress, positively—”
The wet smoochy sounds sent a shiver of revulsion down Gretchen’s spine and she batted away an errant strand of lace tickling her chin. Of course, it was too easy. The sound of something hitting the floor, perhaps from the nightstand, and the creaking of timber made her stomach churn. She would not be party to that kind of nonsense. Snatching a random dress from its hanger in the dark, she felt around in her pouch for something that might be useful. Cataloging her items in a magical set of shelves had been tricky to get used to, but she was glad she’d figured out a kind of system, and when her fingers clasped a vial much shorter than the rest a grin spread over her face.
Opening the door a crack, she unplugged the stopper and rolled the cylindrical vial across the floor and counted to ten. When smooching turned to coughs, she took a deep breath and launched from the wardrobe into the smoke-filled room and wrenched the door open to make a getaway.
No longer caring about being waylaid, she sprinted down the hallway, almost smacking face first into a servant carrying a laden tray, and flew down the stairs to the lower floors. She slowed only to a fast walk on that level and heaved a sigh of relief when she arrived at the cold stone steps leading to the underground floors of the house. Paying no mind to the screeching of rats as she made her way back to Nora’s workroom, she swung the door open victoriously and held the dress up as she dropped the stone on the table.
“It’s… hideous.” Rapunzel’s face mirrored Nora’s, both held rigid in disdain.
Gretchen looked the dress up and down and swallowed. Fuchsia-pink lace and bows were sewn into every inch of the bust and sleeves. It looked like a cake gone horribly wrong, and Gretchen dropped the dress to the floor in disgust.
“Well, it was the best I could do. That girl came waltzing in entertaining her male companion. I had a wretched time getting out of there unseen.” Gretchen dropped to the bench and held her head in her hands. “As it stands, that room will have its own special smoke cloud for days.”
Nora chortled at that but the sound of Rapunzel sobbing tore at Gretchen’s heart. “I’m sorry, Rapunzel. You should have never come to me. I can’t do anything right.”
The girl wept openly, not bothering to brush away the tears, and Nora pushed a handkerchief into her palm. “There, there. Now why don’t you clean yourself up and we can talk about how silly you’re being?”
Rapunzel blew her nose and hiccupped. “Silly?”
“I saw you out there on that cart today. Had people flocking to you to admire that shiny hair and pretty dress. But they listened, too.”
Gretchen lifted her head and watched Rapunzel run fingers through her hair.
“You’ve built an empire selling lofty heights as the most exclusive hotels in the realm. The pinnacle of elegance,” Nora waved a hand down her limbs. “Much like yourself. Don’t let some half-rate competitor get you down. In your business, you want to stand out. And in that dress with those long legs nobody can say accuse you of being mediocre. All you have to do is wear a little confidence with that ensemble.”
With the grandmotherly smile and hands folded in front of her, Nora accomplished what Gretchen had been nattering about all day. Rapunzel’s eyes blazed brilliant blue, and she lifted her head in the air.
“I am rather striking.” She ran her hands along her shimmering dress.
“And that ogre is in there snatching up your clients. Why would they want a mud bath when they could have the pristine air among the clouds?”
“That’s right.” Rapunzel sat up a little straighter. “The purity of our rainwater is second to none!”
“It wasn’t just your clothes that got you out of that tower, or even your hair. It was a girl who put her mind to something and did it with whatever she had on hand!” A dose of theatrical dramatics shinned in Nora’s eyes.
Rapunzel twisted her mouth and nodded, her eyes burning with intensity. “And saw a commercial opportunity and climbed right back up there. I can do this. I’ve handled worse before.”
“Go get em, kid. They’ll love you.” Nora clapped her hands together, and Rapunzel crawled with determination toward the door. After wriggling into the night air, she swung around to smile at the witches.
“Wish me luck.”
“You won’t need it,” Gretchen called.
The door swung shut and Nora took up her seat at the head of the table and fetched a slice of ham from the basket. “Truth be told, if she were here any longer, she would have eaten every scrap.”
Gretchen’s belly gurgled in appreciation, and she settled beside her companion to make a hasty meal of what remained. She’d wager that Jurgen had made off with the best bits, but she couldn’t blame the troll from scarpering in the face of girl problems. Although new to human society, he’d picked up the basics of etiquette pretty quickly.
“What a day,” Nora sighed.
“So where do we find the baron, so I can confess to my crimes?” Gretchen chewed on a hunk of bread.
Nora swung around to peer at the window which had darkened since they’d arrived. “His lordship would be busy by now. Too far into his c
ups to remember anything come morning, anyhow.”
“You could lock me in the dungeon overnight and haul me into his presence when he wakes from his stupor?” Gretchen snickered as she took a sip of brandy. She also wagered Jurgen sorely regretted not taking the cask with him.
“I’ve got a better idea.” Nora leaned back on her seat with mischief on her face. “Why don’t we find a nice vantage to watch these preening peacocks and maybe give young missy a helping hand?”
“You don’t think she can manage it herself?”
“That ogre has been peddling her wares around these parts for weeks now. Heard the baron’s wife herself talking about these ‘clay pools’. Says she’s setting up a ‘demonstration’ in the fountain tonight. The gentry are like bower birds, always on the lookout for the next shiny thing.”
“And the Tallest Towers are old hat, I suppose?” Gretchen ran a tongue over her teeth and stood. “What kind of mischief were you thinking?”
“You’ll see.” Nora chortled and heaved herself off the chair to collect a small box from a shelf underneath her crystals.
The witches made their way through the courtyard and collected Jurgen on the way. His eyes lit up at the sight of the cask under Gretchen’s arm and they climbed a set of stairs on the outer walls of the house. Nora produced a key from her belt, slipped it into the door at the top, and they strolled onto the roof admiring the clean open air with the stars shining down.
“This way.” Nora scuttled toward the front of the house where the sounds of merriment accompanied torchlight.
Peering over the edge, they saw people spilling from inside, either squawking with laughter or sitting quietly further into the tightly clipped gardens sharing close whispers. In the middle was the large fountain the estate boasted, its water glimmering in the moody lighting. Nora dusted off the wooden box with her sleeve, and Gretchen snatched it out of her grasp.
“Now what do we have here?” She squinted down at the faded lettering. “Nora Brightstar! Bog-in-a-box? What’s a witch like you doing with something like this?”