The response came quickly.
Tara,
Thank you for letting us know what happened. I did come looking for you, but as Casey was kind enough to point out, I did so in the guise of a police officer. I presume you hid from me. It did not occur to me that you wouldn’t be able to see through my illusion, as I believed Granny Hazel had trained you better than that.
She made a face at the passive-aggressive comment. Her Sight was next to useless against the power of a true elven mage, and Libby should have known that, but the elf had never paid her much attention. The next paragraph confirmed her worst fears. She didn’t to them.
I understand you wish for our help. If Todd has cast a spell of transformation upon you, there is little we Adrials can reasonably do. I will not risk my people on a dangerous trip to a land that would see us dead, Tara, and it is not within our power to safely change you back. I am very sorry if this is unpleasant to hear, but you are not my responsibility, and, in any event, it seems as if you have found friends who are eager to help.
Casey Osbourne has more than sufficient power to open a portal with Nadria’s assistance. He wishes to have the geas on Simon lifted, and Nadria has advised that she won’t remove them unless he stops Todd, so I expect he’ll agree to assist you.
Please keep in touch, and please let me know if there is anything that the Adrials can help with.
With respect,
Lady Libeza Adrial.
She closed her eyes as hot tears threatened to spring forth. They didn’t care about her at all, a rejection made worse because she knew she’d done nothing to earn their dislike except exist. At least Libby could have been more sympathetic and offered to visit and provide moral support, or sent Feric — her grandson had always been more friendly than Libby herself. Even if Feric couldn’t transform her back to human, he most certainly could have lifted the geographic binding that trapped her at the Riley house.
Granny had taken her to so many gatherings as a kid. She’d grown up around them. Granny had to get them to accept her as at least a friend, if not a clan member.
Her great-grandmother had even mentioned, more than once, that the best outcome would be for Tara to find a partner among the clan and marry into it — but none of the elven boys (or girls, though that was a secret she had shared with no one back then) had ever shown interest in too-tall, fat, dumpy Tara. They’d been pretty, slim, and elegant, and they’d laughed at her clumsy attempts to join them in dances and songs and elven games. Once, the elven children had even deliberately left her behind in a moonlit forest when she'd attempted to follow them to the circle of stones for the Harvest Festival's feast and the Telling of Tales that would follow. She had spent half the night stumbling through the rough, rocky woods around the ranch until she'd found the way on her own. When she'd finally arrived, all the food was eaten, and the tales nearly done.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Granny hadn't noticed she was missing. However, upon hearing what the other children had done, she had insisted they be punished, even though Tara had begged her to let it go. Tara had planned to deal with it in her own way, and with Nadria's enthusiastic help, she knew she could make their life miserable with illusions and clever charms. Elves tended to appreciate a skillful prank that harmed no one; it might have earned her respect.
Instead, they'd all been grounded for a week and required to write apology letters. That had firmly cemented their dislike of her.
But still. She needed the elves now, . They knew her personally, and they weren’t willing to help. It .
Tara was still trying not to cry when her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Half-hoping Libeza had reconsidered, she swiped it open. The caller ID said ‘Casey Osbourne.’
Hey, Tara, Casey here. Do you mind if we come by? It’s okay to say no.
Suspiciously, she replied,
Who’s we?
Had that been rude? Probably. She was feeling all out of sorts,
Avery, Simon, Shana, and me. Shana is our best friend and business manager. You probably know more about construction than she does. We’re hoping you two can work together.
He wrote in complete sentences when texting. She wondered what that said about his personality. Or, was he using Grammarly or something along those lines to fix his messages?
From what she recalled of Casey, he wasn’t the sharpest tack. Even though she was a few years younger, they’d shared multiple classes in high school. He’d had to retake Algebra a couple of times before he passed it, and she’d read a few of his English essays when the teacher had paired them up to critique each other. The “C” he’d earned on one paper had been rather generous of the teacher.
Then, his words registered. They were thinking of treating her like an employee. That was more terrifying than anything else. How could she possibly interact normally with people when she’d look like a monster to them? She felt so inside her own skin.
She responded,
Okay.
Then she realized that she had been both curt and vague. Was she okay with them visiting or okay with the idea of working with this ‘Shana?’
She added,
We can talk.
Casey’s response came quickly.
Great! Is 7 PM okay?
She responded with a simple ‘yes’ and received a thumbs-up emoji from Casey — the first one he’d used.
Then, after a long hesitation and fully expecting a ‘no,’ she typed,
Can you bring the Book of Needs? It’s mine. Legally. It was part of my Granny’s will. And I want to talk to Nadria, to see if she’ll help me.
It took Casey a long time to answer. He finally said,
You considered her a friend, according to Avery?
Nadria had always been difficult, but Tara knew she’d been loved by the old spirit. She answered,
Yes.
Casey’s answer came quicker this time.
I’ll bring the Book if you agree I can keep it when you’re not using it. We have a stake in this, too. Nadria cast a spell of binding upon Simon and me, so you have to understand I don’t want to let it out of my possession.
That was far more reasonable than she’d expected, given her impression of the man. And Nadria had done what? That seemed... out of character. Nadria was normally fiercely protective of elves in general. Why would she bind her own son to an unpleasant man like Casey? She said,
That’s fine. I just want to see if she’ll help me.
Again, he responded with a thumbs up.
After waiting a few minutes for other messages from him that didn’t come, she set the phone down. Her hand was shaking. What had just happened? The exchange had been so .
She sat on the bed, tucked her knees to her chest, and stared at her oversized, clawed bare feet. She didn’t even know what to feel.