Chapter Fourteen An Invisibility Spell
Meri
I was having fun.
“Let’s roll a strength check," Aryn decided. Topher gave a nod, and Aryn rolled a two.
Ben made a face.
“Let's see, because you’re exhausted and the item is cursed, instead of picking it up properly, the urn slips from your hand and lands firmly on your foot. You discover that it weighs more than a castle and your foot is broken," Topher told him.
“You didn’t say it was cursed," Aryn challenged.
“You didn’t ask," Topher remarked, a smirk on his face.
I put a hand over my mouth so they wouldn’t notice me trying not to laugh.
“He’s a mage. He can reverse the curse and heal himself. No big deal," San decided.
“Ah, if he weren’t tired and had the proper ingredients, maybe," Ben mused.
“Tell me the urn rolled off my foot and I’m not pinned in place," Aryn dryly said.
Topher looked disappointed that he hadn’t thought about that and I couldn’t keep back a giggle. All the game, Aryn and Topher had slightly antagonized each other with a weird kind of affection.
“Unfortunately, you’re completely free," Topher answered with a sigh.
“This is going to seriously hinder our ability to move," San observed.
“We could ask for the services of a healer. There has to be one in town," I mentioned.
“The townsfolk won’t talk to you, remember?” Ben gently reminded me.
“As if I could forget," I murmured. It had been a bit of a block for my character to get around. I had to have the other characters ask for information on my behalf, but I had the feeling Topher could have given me far worse of an outcome if he had wanted to.
“The urn made a lot of noise when it dropped," Topher let us know. “The metal clanging on the stone floor."
“Well it was heavy," Aryn muttered.
I glanced sideways at Aryn without turning my head fully. He sat beside me, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hair a little mussed from running his hand through it in frustration at Topher’s shenanigans, with his glasses on.
I was trying not to be so aware of him but it was hard. I could smell him, hear when he shifted his weight in the chair, and his fingers brushed mine when he passed the dice.
“Your turn," Topher said, looking at me.
I shifted my attention back to the table. “Is there a way to remove the curse? Perhaps there’s something in the room that can give us a clue."
“You would like to investigate?” Topher asked.
“Yes." I nodded, rolling the dice.
“That is a twenty . With your intelligence of five and three in proficiency, you have a twenty-eight ." Topher revealed with a smile. He glanced down at his notes. “ It doesn’t take you long to find an interesting scroll that talks about the urn, but it’s been torn in half. It’s also a cipher, meaning it needs to be decoded before it can be read. "
“I know what a cipher is," I mentioned. I had put a number of puzzles and ciphers in Ember and Ink to make it more fun for readers. Some of them would figure them out right away, others would have to read on to eventually find out what they meant further on in the novel.
San looked impressed. “I like you, Meri Bennet."
“While you were investigating, the guards moved down the corridor and you can hear their footsteps approaching," Topher warned.
I blinked. I had been too distracted by Aryn to remember the urn had made noise, giving our location away. “Uh, what do we do?”
“I could cast an invisibility spell," Aryn mentioned.
“And have it end up going badly like the urn?” San dryly interjected. “We already established there isn’t any real place to hide."
“Fight or run," Topher suggested.
“Weren’t there a lot of guards? We had trouble getting past them," I commented doubtfully.
“Well, it’s my turn so I’m going to pick up Aryn here like a human log, and we’re going to book it out of there," Ben decided, picking up the dice.
“Wait, we could distract the guards," San suggested.
For a while we all debated the merits of what to do. Eventually, Ben decided to let loose a mystical cat from his inventory, making it run out yowling and scaring the group of guards.
I made a mental note to use this in my next novel. It was slightly ingenious.
“The guards you distracted move toward the far corridor because they are afraid of black cats due to silly superstitions. That leaves this section less watched, but not entirely unprotected. You still have limited visibility beyond the doorway, and there’s a secondary passage branching off to the left," Topher said expectantly.
“Would you like another water?” Aryn softly asked me.
“Sure." I watched as he went to the mini fridge to grab each of us a bottle of water before sitting back down beside me.
He was kind. He had made me feel welcome. I looked down at my character sheet, pretending to study it.
I was becoming dangerously attached to him.
He might be handsome and charming, but he was also funny, intelligent, and kind.
He liked fantasy and games like Dungeons and Dragons.
He had helped at the inn without complaining.
For some reason he seemed to want to spend time with me, judging from how he had asked me this morning.
It didn’t add up.
Guys didn’t like me or try to spend time with me. Most people didn’t enjoy spending time with me. It was a simple fact of my life and I had given up trying to get people to like me. I was blunt, slightly sarcastic, and just too much. I was generally a loner.
It was a great irony in my life that people loved my character Ember who was obviously written neurodivergent, a high functioning autistic just like me. Fans were always saying how they would be friends with her, yet I found the exact opposite to be true in real life.
It was hard to reconcile sometimes.
How many times had I wanted exactly this? A small group of friends to geek out over similarly held interests with? A sense of longing swept over me.
“Hey, where did you go?” Aryn softly asked me.
I blinked, realizing I had been pulling at the edge of the sleeve of the hoodie. How many sweaters of my own had I destroyed doing that? It wasn’t even mine, it was Aryn’s. I quickly let go of the cuff. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, where were we?”
Laughter moved around the table, easy and unforced as Topher groaned over something Ben or San had done.
I had missed it by zoning out. A slight panic came over me and I tamped it down. What would they think? Would they think I was weird for not paying attention?
“Hey, it’s okay. Ben just opened a jar and a bunch of pixie fairies flew into his face," Aryn whispered.
“Pixie fairies?” I echoed.
“Tiny little angry souls with wings," Topher clarified. “They scold you and fly away but one is caught in your hair."
“Why not?” Ben chuckled. “With my luck she’ll pluck me bald."
“Kitty won’t like that," San teased.
“You know you’re already better at this than I was when I started," Aryn complimented me.
“That’s a low benchmark," Ben dryly added.
San chuckled.
My phone alarm cut through the conversation, sharp and immediate. I quickly reached into my pocket, silencing it before it could repeat. I bit my lip, looking at the time. “I’m sorry but I need to go."
“Already?” Topher asked.
“I’m sorry," I said, meaning it. This had been the most fun I had in some time and I wished it wasn’t coming to an end but Tara would flip out on me if I were late. I gathered the character sheet and slid it back toward Topher. “Thank you for letting me play."
“You’re welcome back anytime," he replied.
I stood and Aryn stood as well.
“I’ll walk you out," he offered.
“That’s not necessary," I quickly said.
“I’m going that way anyway," he replied.
I doubted it, but I didn’t argue. I wanted to spend time with him.
We stepped into the hallway together, walking the short distance to my room.
“I’m glad you came," Aryn mentioned.
“So am I," I replied.
It was easier to say that here, before everything shifted back into place.
“You picked up the game pretty quickly," he added.
“I liked it," I said, pulling out my door card. “Thank you for letting me come."
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, as though considering something else, then nodded instead. “I hope you have a good afternoon."
“Thanks."
Opening the door, I went into my room. Shutting the door behind me, I waited a moment, hugging the memory of what had happened today to me for a few minutes before taking a deep breath.
In the bathroom, my costume was waiting for me. Red dress, red heels, glasses, makeup, and wig. The transition from one version of myself to another didn’t require too much thought anymore. I had been occasionally dawning her for the past three years, whenever Tara booked an event.
Mascara, blush, and red lipstick. I studied my reflection briefly, confirming what I already knew. I was Elowyn Ashwood. Even though on the inside I was just plain Meri Bennet.
I had first created a pen name because I didn’t think it would sell under my name. Then it was convenient to hide behind as I became more famous. At least I couldn’t have fans find me and unexpectedly intrude like some of them did to other authors.
Plus, I didn’t want to tell my family. Kitty, Lydia, and Mom would never understand. Mom had always found my obsession with reading to be tiresome.
Now Elowyn had evolved into a character worn to help protect myself. For a few hours I would be her. Yet it wasn’t easy. I was still me, with all my flaws, even if no one else noticed.
I grabbed my Lupe earplugs and put them in, adjusting the noise level so it would help to filter the sound while still allowing me to hear when people were talking to me.
The convention space felt louder when I returned.
It was packed full of people under the fluorescent lights, all of them trying to get to tables to get books signed, pictures taken, games bought, or whatever else was available to do. Part of me wanted to take a tour of my own, the wiser part knew that was a bad idea.
A handler directed me toward the staging area for the photo panel, her instructions efficient and practiced. “We’ll have you with the other romantasy authors. Fans will rotate through in small groups. Quick group photos, then move along."
I nodded.
The other authors were already there, positioned along a low platform, chatting.
They looked comfortable and relaxed. One of them laughed at something a fan said, leaning in easily for the picture.
I stepped up, going to the spot where the handler directed me, self-conscious on the edge of the group.
The lights were brighter here, angled directly toward the mini stage. Cameras flashed intermittently, the bursts of light catching at the edges of my vision.
“Next group," the handler called.
They approached quickly, three people, all smiling and talking at once.
“I love your books," one said.
“Thank you," I replied, managing a smile.
“You’re exactly how I imagined you," another gushed, stepping closer.
I’m not her. I smiled anyway.
They moved in around me, one stepping just a little too close, her arm brushing mine before settling across my shoulders as she leaned in for the photo. The contact was brief and casual but I stiffened anyways.
The camera flashed.
“Thank you!” they said, stepping away.
“Next," the handler called.
Group after group, each chatting, expecting responses, getting close and having photos taken.
One fan lingered a second longer than necessary, adjusting the angle of her phone with her hand still resting lightly against my arm.
“Sorry," she said quickly, though she didn’t move immediately.
“It’s fine," I replied.
It wasn’t.
The handler stepped in smoothly.
“Okay, we’re going to keep things moving," she said, guiding the fan away.
I smiled, my jaw hurting as the time passed.
“You’re doing great," one of the other authors said quietly between groups.
“Thank you," I replied.
“Have you heard?” a voice asked as the next group stepped forward. “They’re talking about adapting your series. I can’t wait for the movie."
I kept my expression steady.
“That’s kind of you to say," I replied, even though a movie wasn’t a sure thing yet.
“I think it’ll be amazing," they continued.
The camera flashed again.
“Next."
By the time the final group stepped away, my shoulders had tightened to the point of pain.
“That’s a wrap. Great job everyone," the handler said. “You have ten minutes before the panels start."
I carefully stepped down from the platform and moved toward the exit without lingering. I headed into the nearest bathroom, shutting the stall door behind me and leaning against it.
I exhaled slowly.