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 cups 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?”
“I played my fair share of pranks in my younger years,” She grinned. “This was one of my favorites. Just add water and you’ve got yourself an instant swamp.”
“That thing better not turn up at my tavern,” Jurgen picked at his teeth with a frown. “Or I’ll know who to blame.”
Nora’s cheeks colored, and she gave a dismissive wave. “Now, just the matter of getting it in the fountain.”
“You sure this is a good idea? I mean, I hate to be the voice of reason, but won’t you be in all kinds of trouble with the baron?” Gretchen puffed out her cheeks.
“Oh no, dear,” Nora turned her grandmotherly smile to Gretchen. “It’s you that will take the rap for this.”
Gretchen’s eyes boggled and her mouth worked, but all that came out was an undignified squeak.
“I meant it when I said you owed me.” There was a glint in Nora’s eye. “And after using my only sunstone for no good reason, I figure that’s double. Besides, don’t you want to help the girl?”
Gretchen’s eyes flickered to the courtyard where Rapunzel had emerged to chatter among the crowd. She was certainly drawing eyes, and Gretchen couldn’t imagine anyone scoffing at the towering beauty. She looked like one of her hotels, with the dress a shining silver to match the pictures of the pristine stone blocks.
“I suppose I owe the pair of you,” Gretchen sighed. “But the prospect of a vacation to the dungeon takes all the fun out of this. How are we going to get it down there?”
Jurgen plucked the box out
