“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 girl 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
