Page 20 of The Night Prince 2

Rhalyf held up a hand to stop Finley’s protests. “While I would have quite a good time being ostracized, I do not wish to adversely affect your shopping adventures in Hope.”

“We’re not going to let their discrimination stand, Rhalyf! If they discriminate against you then they don’t get our business,” Gemma said firmly as she linked her arm through his and looked meaningfully at Finley to do the same.

Finley slowly, reluctantly put his arm through the one Rhalyf offered him. Rhalyf squeezed both of their hands. Finley sighed. Gemma beamed.

“I so appreciate this support, but there really is no need. Look!” Rhalyf requested as he cast the amended glamour on himself.

“What? What are we supposed to see?” Finley asked with a frown as he studied Rhalyf minutely.

“Uhm, are you supposed to look different?” Gemma asked.

“My ears! I have rounded ears!” Rhalyf glanced between both of them.

They were both squinting.

But then Gemma brightened and said, “Oh! Yeah! Your ear points normally stick out of your hair, but now… now they don’t!”

Finley sighed. “Pointed ears or no, no human could mistake you for one of us. You’re just too… too…”

“Too?” Rhalyf lifted his right eyebrow.

Finley ground his teeth. “Handsome. But you know that! You clearly know how attractive you are, which is why you used a powerful spell to only change your ears rather than the rest of you. Because you’re vain.”

Rhalyf blinked. It was true. A little bit. Maybe more than a little bit.

“Finley, you’re being mean to him again,” Gemma said with a shake of her head.

“He has all this power to make himself look like anyone, Gemma, and he rounds his ears? That’s all he does to fit in? So when it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it is a duck. A very vain duck.”

Rhalyf narrowed his eyes. “Really? Would someone who was vain do this?”

He let a pulse of magic flow through his entire being. He suddenly took over a foot from his height. His back curled forward. His dark hair went white and thinned. Well, it didn’t go his natural white but more steel gray from age. His nose went from attractively patrician to much longer, thicker and hooked. His chin also extended and a few long, white hairs sprouted from a large mole at the tip. He then hollowed out his cheekbones and made his skin bloom with age spots. He developed a paunch and bowed legs to boot.

But it was not just his body that changed. So did his clothes. His attractive tunic, leggings and boots all in a deep blue with gold embroidery turned into a shapeless black dress with small white flowers and a lace collar. A tannish-brown cardigan flowed over his stooped shoulders. A cane appeared in one, shaking hand. And a pair of small pince nez glasses perched on that prodigious nose. The look was complete!

Gemma let out a gasp. “R-Rhalyf?”

Finley had gone very still. He was blinking hugely behind his glasses. His first action was to reach forward and poke Rhalyf’s cheek. He jerked his hand back and held it against his chest.

“It feels… feels real?! Is this just a glamour or… no, no, it isn’t!” Finley shook his head wildly as Rhalyf tapped his shins with the very real cane. “It’s real. You transformed yourself!”

He had. It took quite a bit more magic use than a simple glamour, but when one was changing height, body shape, etcetera, the glamour would fail rather spectacularly if anyone simply reached out and touched him. The difference between his usual form and his “Aravae” version was a simple change of hair and eye color. Everything else was the same, but this was far different. Touch him and he would feel how he looked. No one except a very powerful Mage would know he wasn’t a human grandmother.

“Do you still think me vain now, young man? Would you say that of your dear Gran?” Rhalyf’s voice was now that of a creaking elderly woman instead of his own laconic tone.

“Wow! You don’t look–or sound–like yourself at all!” Gemma laughed, completely delighted with his use of magic.

But Finley appeared stunned. “You did that without any use of rune circles, meditation, vocal spellcraft or an enchantment!”

That wasn’t quite true. His Adiva helped him to anchor the transformation spell much like it did the glamour he usually wore. And, of course, it still provided him protection against sunlight. But, all in all, yes, he had done it with little to no help.

Take that, you foolish Aravae! Only Aquilan could likely do as much, he thought rather smugly.

It was only then that he realized he might have made a mistake by doing it so easily. Because unlike Gemma, who had no understanding of the power or skill it took to cast such a spell, Finley did know exactly how rare what he did was.

“You must be a very powerful Mage,” Finley murmured as he stared hard at Rhalyf.

“Yes, of course,” he answered and fussed with his dress.

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