Page 32 of Knight's End
Connor quickly interjected. “Donaloo, we formally invite you to become a citizen of Evaness.”
“I accept!” Donaloo shouted, his eyes watering.
Diniharumphed. She unwound herself from Donaloo’s body and her flower settled around his ankle. I thought that was the end of it, but then her flower disappeared under his trouser leg. Donaloo kicked and shouted as the flower wriggled her way up his body.
“Rain down, wash away, this blight that—” he yowled and couldn’t finish his spell. I didn’t even want to know what Dini’d done to cause that yell.
The flower wriggled across his belly, his chest. He smacked at himself, trying to crush her. She wriggled up his neck and her roots traveled over his face, jutting underneath his skin like spider veins. She stopped when she reached his forehead. She clung to his face, her flower bouncing up and down on the side of his head like a feather in the cap of some ostentatious courtier.
Donaloo swung at her again, but she merely wiggled away so that he punched himself in the face.
My hand flew to my mouth, and I couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped.
Dini preened, her leaves smoothing her feathers down. “Yes, I think this is an excellent spot.”
“I’ll rip you stem from limb,” Donaloo threatened.
“Try it,” she shot back. “I buried my rootball in your nuts.”
Behind me, Quinn and Blue erupted in laughter. I turned to watch for a moment as my silent knight laughed with sound for the first time since I’d met him. It made a little smile form on my face.
But then I turned back to Donaloo. “Can you please transform me?”
Donaloo muttered one last curse at the pink flower bobbing on his forehead but then he complied. He muttered some words and threw a pinch of something on the ground in front of me. Seconds later, my body changed shape and my boobs returned. I clutched at them.
Thank heavens! I’m myself again, I thought.
I’d spent enough years in disguise spells; I never wanted to do so again.
I turned around in relief, ready to hug Ryan once more and get a proper kiss in return. I turned too soon; however, because my rabbit face hadn't fully restored itself. All of my knights give me an odd look when they saw my massive smile. Only Blue’s thoughts about the disjointed man’s face on my body clued me into what they saw. I nearly shuddered myself as I saw Blue’s view of my face. My skin slid around like bread dough. Watching someone transform after a disguise spell was equivalent to watching a doctor set a broken bone. It made one cringe automatically in sympathy.
Most of my knights looked away. Only Blue maintained eye contact with me the entire time.
I've seen worse,he thought at me.
Well, don't think about it right now,I told him quickly in my mind.I’m trying not to puke over how my face looks as it bubbles and reforms. In fact, maybe you should stop looking at me.
Fair enough,he thought. But then Quinn tugged on his sleeve and wrote something in the dirt. Blue leaned over to read it. He laughed. Then he immediately put my transformation on replay, sending it to me. Only, he modified it, so that my head changed to a lion’s, then a crow’s, then a squirrel’s. I walked over and smacked Quinn across the back of the head. "That's not nice."
Quinn grinned up at me, his devilish smirk erasing my irritation. I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky you’re adorable.”
Ryan came up behind me and lifted me up in the air. He gave me a giant bear hug from behind. Then he twisted me around in his arms and wrapped his hands under my thighs. He kissed my nose. "I’m so glad it’s finally you.”
I traced his giant biceps and the veins that popped along his arms.
Ryan grinned when I squeezed his arm, but my hand didn’t even fit a quarter of the way around his massive muscles. I smiled back at him and resisted pressing closer. If I pressed against Ryan, I’d want to do naughty things. And we didn’t have time for that now. Plus, we had an audience.
Ryan’s eyes grew hooded, as if he could read my thoughts via my expression. He gently set me down and said, “The wizard did think to bring you a dress, so that you wouldn’t have to walk up to the castle like this."
"That was thoughtful of him," I turned surprised eyes over to Donaloo. The wizard seemed to enjoy torturing me, so this bit of thoughtfulness seemed a bit off for his odd personality.
"The people of Evaness need to see their queen is alive and well. They need their spirits strengthened before we rebel." Donaloo’s wise words were undermined by the fact that Dini had decided to form a flower crown on his forehead.
I walked over to the wizard and took his hand, ignoring the fact that his shirt was untucked, and his green vest was misbuttoned. I definitively ignored Dini, who fluttered her petals at me. She needed to see what Donaloo meant to Evaness. "Thank you, Donaloo. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you for helping my people." We exchanged a long look.
And I wondered if employing him might further strengthen Dini’s inability to pester him.
"Don't even think of asking that. I’d rather transform into a rat," Donaloo said, yanking his hand away and turning sharply. He strode toward the door.
