As the three of you wander the bright streets of the fae city, you begin to wonder how wise a decision it was.
“Anybody have an idea where we’re going?” You absent-mindedly brush your short black hair. “Or where we are?”
“Nope,” Carly responds. She squats by a bed of pastel flowers, rocking on her heels. “Not the slightest clue. I like the scenery, though.”
“I don’t think they sell AAA maps to places like this,” Cory smirks. His attention turns back to his twin. He reaches out and tugs at her arm. “C’mon, sis, let’s go.”
“Gimme a minute, will ya? I want to stop and smell the…um…whatever these are.”
Cory looks to you, his blue eyes pleading for backup.
You shrug. “This is a vacation, man. It can’t hurt to relax while we figure out what to do.”
You see a protest forming on Cory’s face. Just as quickly, it subsides. “Five minutes.”
“Make it ten,” Carly coos, leaning deep into the flower bed. Her delicate fingers caress the petals of a bright green perennial. A faint dust circles the air near the
flowers, and Carly closes her blue eyes and inhales it with a blissful look on her face. She twirls a short lock of blond hair and smiles mischievously at you.
You sigh. “Think one of the locals might be persuaded to give us the guided tour?”
“Probably not. Haven’t seen a local since we got here. They’re probably scared to death of us.”
You lean against a speckled mushroom, propping your foot against it James Dean-style. “If we had a landmark…”
“Sure,” Cory says, smoothly condescending. “Which odd-colored giant mushroom should we use?”
You grimace. “What if we mark it somehow? Maybe stick a rock in front of it?”
“And if it gets moved, then what?”
“If you have a better idea, say it.”
Cory smirks as he reaches into his pocket. “Just a more permanent mark.” He removes his hand, grasping his pocket knife as he easily flicks it open.
Carly snaps to, twirling on her heels as her gaze locks on the glinting blade. “NO!” Her arm is out in an instant, slapping her brother’s flesh with surprising force.
Cory curses as the knife bounces from his hand into a hole in the dirt.
“You will do no harm to anything in this city!”
You look at Carly with astonishment, but not because of her outburst.
As she stares you down, a nimbus of deep green surrounds her, clinging like a second skin. Flecks of light swim amidst the aura, filtering through her skin and
settling into the pupils of her emerald eyes.
“C-Carly?” Cory stutters the words out.
The young girl cocks her head to the side, letting long brown hair ripple through the air. Your jaw drops as her own angles slightly toward her face, raising her
cheekbones and bringing her face to a slant.
“If you wish me to guide you further, you will respect my home. By the Goddess, we haven’t even reached the Crystal Cliffs, let alone the Fields of Gossamer, and
you humans are already plotting its decimation!” Her attention turns to the flower she had admired. “I suppose you wish to cut this Sparkling Wild Rose for a
souveneir?”
You blink. Her home? By what Goddess? Carly’s home is Orlando, and she’s Catholic!
The nimbus shrinks in size, reducing Carly with it! Her T-shirt and jeans morph themselves into a brown surcoat with a satin sash and a pair of billowing breeches.
Her sneakers stretch and mold into a pair of soft-soled black traveling boots as a deep green cloak appears around her shoulders. Her purse attaches itself to a
loop on the sash, becoming a tied burlap sack. Her other hip shimmers, producing a thin scabbard. A decorative hilt rests at the apex of the scabbard. Her height
stabilizes, and she now stands a mere four feet ten inches! Her figure becomes well proportioned and athletic, graced with firm breasts and a rich outdoor tan.
Cory asks the question on both your minds. “You humans? Carly, what in hell’s happening to you?”
“I know nothing of this ‘Carly’ you speak of. I told you, my name is Ciandra of the Elven Protectorate. Your honor would benefit from remembering it.”
She has just finished speaking when you notice her thick hair parting by her ears. You can see the tops growing, the ridge of cartilage extending and pulling itself
into a subtle point. Her ears slowly stretch, pushing her hair aside to expose the pointed tips. They twitch subtly and lengthen until they have nearly doubled in
length. They don’t appear ridiculous, but very attractive and exotic.
You and Cody exchange dumfounded looks.
The nimbus subsides, settling into her skin. Ciandra raises her hand, opening her palm and closing her eyes. A wisp of emerald energy appears in her hand, curling
into several animal shapes before forming the image of a hawk. Its right wing points in some vague direction.
She nods, and whispers something in a melodic language you do not understand.
“If you will observe proper decency, we shall continue on our journey.” The elf turns with impossible fluidity and walks further into the city, her footsteps silent.