Chapter One: In which I start to shrink.
"Charis, is it just me, or d'you think Evy's shrunk?" Timo's most irritating voice grated against my nerves my feet scuffed across the concrete. Although, when I say scuffed, I actually mean nothing, since I barely make a sound when I move, but you get the point – I was tired and rather gnomishly grumpy. Strange. "Oh shut it Timo." I groaned, and collapsed into Charis' arms. "Charis m'love – would you be a darling and get that ingrate off me case?"
"God Eveleen!" Charis oomphed as I landed indelicately into her arms "Give me a bit o' warning, yeh? And Timo, leave Evy alone, canna ye see she's had a bad day?"
I simply adore Charis. She is my life saver. She's four inches shorter than me (I'm five seven), with the most beautiful rose complexion – dark hair, dark eyes... and then these damn rosebud lips that just beckon men to them. Those lips save me from a hell of a lot of shame most of the time – while men naturally gravitate towards me (a gift, sure), as soon as Charis opens her mouth, there they are like flies to honey. Charis is studying to be a bard with her Aunt Elena, one of the best in the country – and I have to admit – she's pretty good. Charis, I mean. Timo on the other hand, while my other best friend, is something of an anomaly. He's six four (so anyone less than an inch shorter than him is either short or shrinking), and apparently, a squire in King Alstead's army. Or so he tells us. He'll turn up at the stables where we meet everyday, shining with sweat, smelling like wet dog, bright red hair flying every-which-way, and tell us lovely stories about how he hit this target, and that target, and was the best target hitter in practice. It drives me nuts!
"Actually, Ev ..." Charis' voice broke through my blissful recount of my friends. "I fink you have shrunk, love... look... you're my height, yeah?" I pulled away, and look of scorn scrawled across my face. "Char – one canna shrink over the period of twenty four hours. And especially not a whole four - " I stopped with a gasp. I was looking Charis straight in the eye. "No way." I said slowly. Charis' eyes were brown, with tiny little flecks of gold in them – I hadn't noticed before. " Hah! Told ye, Eveleen. You shrunk! You shrunk!" Timo was doubled over laughing – I kicked him neatly in the shin. "Ouch! You shite! Savage little cur! Whaddya do that fer!?"
"You are laughing at her, Timo" Charis came to the rescue. But when I looked across at her from glaring at Timo, I could see her struggling to hold her giggles in too. "Oh," I said kicking her ankle lightly "Go on then." My permission granted, Charis and Timo crumpled to the dusty ground, arms about each other as they sniggered themselves into oblivion. They looked riotous, actually. Charis was moaning and holding her stomach like it was about to burst open, and Timo had tears leaving tracks in his dirt covered cheeks. I felt the familiar warmth spread into my belly, up my throat, tingling on my lips. I laughed. It was rather funny. I laughed until I too had tears running down my face, and was holding my stomach, groaning for the others to stop so that I could catch my breath.
Finally, the hilarity subsided. The three of us were sitting on the ground in a tangled heap of limbs, gaining us many a strange look from passers by. I laid a hand on the tops of Charis and Timo's head. "How the hell d'ye suppose I shrunk four inches over night, huh?" Neither of them replied with anything other than a shrug. Although I did see Charis and Timo glance at each other suspiciously. I knew what they were thinking. They were thinking of Daisy Darlene. "Oh, come on guys," I sighed, exasperated, "I'm no a changlin'! I'm a human being, the same as you."
"We dinna say nothing!" Charis exclaimed, glancing up at me, "Though, you have to admit, Eveleen, it is pretty strange."
"Yeah, Evy. How many people d'ye know that have shrunk like that? The only one I know is Old Widow Haggerty, up on Foxmogul Hill." Timo glanced between Charis and me. "We could always go and see her." I suppressed a shudder. "D'ye think it'll help, Ti? Char?"
"I dinna see as it might hurt, Evy." Charis replied, and the decision was made. Tomorrow morning before our training, we'd go to see the Widow.
The sun was only just starting to rise as the three of us headed up to see Widow Haggerty. Timo looked as if he was still asleep, so I took the chance to rib him a bit. "Timo," I said, trying to keep my face dead serious, "If you were called up to keep Dargavas safe from infidels, it'd be noon a 'fore you could pick up your sword!"
"Rubbish." He muttered back "It'd be evenin'" We grinned inanely together and continued around the base of the hill to where the cottage track was. "Now, tell me some more about the old widow?" I asked. I wasn't altogether familiar with Dargavas gossip or stories, not like Timo or Charis. Definitely not like Charis. The main reason was Papa, who warned that most of the gossip I'd hear as a child would be about me.
"Well," Charis started, "The people say that Tara Haggerty was a Halfling child – part Faerie and part Human. Apparently, the wee folk thought her mam, old Granny Haggerty, was so beautiful that they wanted her to have a Halfling babe, so that they could have a hold not only on their world, but on ours too."
"And," Timo put in, "so Tara was born, but not as lovely as the wee folk had hoped. They're verra vain y'ken. The Fae let her be in the end." Timo paused, and looked over at me. The sudden change in his face made me rather nervous. "What is it, Timo? What's wrong?"
"Just ... stand still will ye?" Ti instructed. "Charis, stand next to Evy." Charis did. To my absolute horror, I was looking up at her. "Ooooh..." I groaned.
"Eveleen, dinna worry." Charis claimed, her arms coming around my shoulders. I was now approximately five feet tall. "I'm shrinking!" I wailed, lifting my hands to my face. The sun was beginning to rise more defiantly now, and lighted by hands till they shone translucently. Timo looked stricken, but pointed up the hill. "Lets go." His gaze was unlike anything I'd seen from him before – tender, worried, determined.
We started our ascent again but before I knew what was going on, I was being flung over Timo's shoulders. " Timo!" I screeched, arms and legs flailing "Put me down! Put me down you... you.... ! Argh!"
"My god, Eveleen – what have you been eating?" Came the reply. I could feel my mouth drop open and my eyes grow dangerously wide. Charis' expression mirrored mine. "Timo! That was so rude! Put me down right now or I'll scrape yer back raw!"
"No, I wasn't being rude, Evy. I promise. Just... ye're as light as a feather!" I choked on my laughter, "Light as a feather? Ti, stop being a toad and put me down."
"I'm no being a toad, Eveleen. Here, Charis." He dumped my unceremoniously into Charis' waiting arms. "My god! You're right, Timo!"
"I ken I'm right Char."
"Could we please just drop the subject of my weight, and get up to the Haggerty cottage, please!?" I interjected, springing lightly out of Charis' grasp. I stormed off up ahead of the others, arms crossed against my chest with determination set.
"Come on Eveleen Eloisa Temple" came a clear voice ... from nowhere. "I don't have all day t' wait for ye t' get here." I glanced around frowning. Where had the voice come from? A movement up ahead caught my eye. The cottage. I looked behind me – Timo and Charis were still struggling halfway up the hill. How the hell had I got up so fast. I shook my head, bewildered. "Hurry up, Eveleen." Came the voice again and I looked to the cottage. Old Tara Haggerty was standing at the door. Old Tara Haggerty was beckoning.