Chapter Ten #3
Rowan snorted. “No. I didn’t. That was part of the world I grew up in. You haven’t seen my grandpa yet, but he never wore a glamour at home. Just like you guys don’t wear one now. Different skin and pointy ears were part of my everyday life.”
The men in the room looked at her in surprise.
“Oh, you will see in a moment. They have taken a time out of scent marking their bed.”
She felt her grandparents come down the stairs. “Oh, duh, they are hungry.”
She got servings of everything, and when they came down, there was a setting for them.
Eleanor smiled and said, “Oh, is this the recipe we made when you were six?”
“Yes.”
The orcs were staring at Vasoric. “Sir, we had been led to believe you had passed on.”
“No, I merely accompanied my wife into the deepest sleep. When our granddaughter began to give me extra energy, I shared it with Eleanor, and here we are.”
Rowan got them glasses of lemonade and returned to sorting the meat.
The butcher bowed low. “Lord Vasoric, it is an honour to be in your presence.”
Her grandfather grinned. “You will see me again Friday night. Write down the questions you want answered. I have returned to the here and now, and now, I just need to learn how things have changed. The phones are three times the size.”
Rowan said, “Yes, Grandpa, but they all have more computing power than the hospital computer systems from when you were working there.”
Her grandmother smiled.
“And now Grandma can do all her shopping from home. We have an excellent courier.”
He snorted. “How far did you get through the trust?”
“Haven’t touched it. I started making barbeque sauce, and I got a day job as a paralegal, and now I have more money than when I started.”
He blinked. “You work at a law office?”
One of the orcs smiled. “She works for Ark, Sern, and with Dante.”
“Familiar names. They will be here Friday night?”
Rowan nodded. “Their price for not writing me up for taking this week off without notice. I specialize in trust and inheritance planning. Folks trust me on sight.”
The butcher took his leave, bowing to her grandfather one more time. The driver had been stuck in one place since her grandpa had come down.
She made sure the truck was gone and headed to the kitchen to start her rubs. She pulled out a stack of metal sheet pans and got to work on the pork; then she wrapped the rubbed roasts in plastic and put them in the freezer.
Ren came up and helped her with the bars of beef, getting the darker rub onto them and then wrapping and setting them in the fridge. He asked calmly. “Rowan, why is there still room in here?”
“It’s an enchanted fridge, Ren. Just put those critters away. I have to work on the chickens.”
“So you are getting steaks for grilling?”
“Yup. Some folks don’t like their food sliding apart and juicy. I haven’t met any, but there are always some who like grilled meat. These two chickens are also going to be chopped up and grilled.”
They got the chickens ready, and then the giant pile of ground beef had to be tackled.
Her grandparents and the others washed up, and everyone started beating the heck out of the meat, adding spices, and making soft balls that would be wrapped up and stored until Friday. Stuffed burgers were strangely fun and filled with cheese.
One of the orcs mused, “I have never had a stuffed burger.”
She looked around. “Anyone else?”
Hands went into the air, and she went outside to start the grill. It was fun having people over, but it was a lot of effort.
Friday at five, Rowan wanted a nap, so she walked to her garden and meditated.
Mell and Norec were greeting folks and directing them in for appetisers while Eleanor kept the baby nice and secure.
Rowan rested in the garden and listened to the people approaching by car and others by gateway. Her cinnamon tree touched her shoulders, and the roses wrapped around her ankles. It was a very nice place to rest.
She heard voices calling for her, and she opened her eyes. Ren and Vasoric were looking at her with concern. She spoke to the trees, and they released her. She staggered to her feet and walked to the gate. It opened as she approached, and Ren caught her in a hug. “Did I miss the party?”
“No. Your grandfather mentioned that your life signs were fading.”
“I just gave them to the trees for a bit. I was tired.” She was being held against him, and he smelled fairly medicinal. She wiggled closer.
He paused. “Unusual reaction.”
“I work with plants and herbs a lot, and Grandpa always smelled like herbs. Sue me. It’s comforting.”
“I’ll take it, even if I have to rub myself with oregano on the way home.”
Her grandfather was watching her with concern. “Are you all right, Rowan?”
“I tried to get in touch with a friend earlier today, but her phone isn’t working. I am worried.”
Ren murmured, “The friend you mentioned yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“Hope?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like her found?”
She looked up at him. “Can you do that?”
He smiled. “We have some hunters that have gone into private investigations, and they are already here. They can find her.”
“Now?”
He hugged her. “Now. Let’s go.”
Vasoric said, “Do you want me to take her?”
“No. I’ve got this. Both of the investigators are mated.”
There was a laugh from her grandfather, and she was walked to the front of the property where the smokers were drawing a crowd, but it seemed that folks were afraid to disturb them.
Ren called over two of the dark elves and explained the situation. They looked at her kindly and said, “Everything you know about her.”
“She’s five eight, pearly pale skin, black hair, rainbow eyes, and if she needs to get somewhere fast, big butterfly wings.”
That surprised them.
One of them asked, “When did you see her last?”
Rowan looked around and said, “It was three years ago. Right after Mell was cursed. She helped me get Mell set up, ran the wiring in the cavern, made sure the Wi-Fi worked, and then she hugged me and said she would be in touch. She never called, and then I got busy.”
The two men talked, focused, and lifted their heads. As one, they turned toward the trees. “She’s there.”
Rowan stepped away from Ren and ran toward the woods. “Hope? Are you there?”
“There is no Hope in these trees,” a familiar voice rang out.
“Hope? Where are you?”
“I am not coming out.”
Rowan used the voice to triangulate the location, and to her shock, there was a nest up in the trees. “Hope. Please. Come down.”
“No.”
“Why not, dumbass?”
There was a snort. “I lost my clothing two years ago.”
“Are you invisible?”
“Not directly. I can be visible if I want. I just don’t want to be naked with a bunch of strangers staring at me.” She paused and mumbled, “My wings are stuck out.”
“Oh, oh no.”
“Yup.”
She looked back toward the house. “I am going to get you some clothing and tear it up the back. Is that okay?”
“Bring me a sheet that you never want to see again.”
Ren said, “We can do better than that. One of the ladies here makes custom dresses.”
“Out of thin air?” Rowan blinked.
“We can start with a sheet.” A woman solidified out of fog. “Hello. My name is Pandora. What kind of clothing do you like?”
“Jeans and tees. That’s it.”
“Well, I will settle for something with straight lines and nothing frilly, right?” Pandora rotated her wrist and held out a dress that was blank, empty, and rough cotton.
Rowan said softly, “She has sensitive skin.”
Pandora smiled. “That is helpful.” She ran her hands down the fabric and asked, “What colour?”
Rowan smiled. “Ruby red.”
There was a snicker from the tree. “Doesn’t show blood.”
Pandora smiled. “Good to know.”
She fussed with the dress for a bit, and then she shook it out. “If you come down here, I am sure I can get this to fit.”
There was a humming in the air that caused the dark elves to tense.
The dress lifted out of Pandora’s hands and began to fit itself to a female body.
When the back was clasped around the invisible form, there was a deep sigh.
“Let me know what I owe you for the dress. If I get the fucking wings to stay in, I should be able to get a job again.”
Rowan covered her mouth. “Oh, no.”
“Yeah, it turns out that my boss was a shadow mage. When he died, the company went under, and his buddies tried to come after me, and they got my accounts and burned my house down, but I escaped with the clothing on my back. It stayed there for five months, and then I ended up nekkid.”
Rowan asked, “Can I see you? Please?”
Hope smiled. “Sure. Can I have something to eat?”
“Of course. You can let me know what my sauce needs. You were always good at that.”