Land of Smoke and Ashes

It's a Plan

"You know," Jewels said thoughtfully, "if you're just worried about her being reported, we could try something." She stood up, pushing her chair back, and vanished into the back room for a moment or two, before remerging with a flat wooden box.

"I've always wanted to see this do its work."

Sam groaned. "You're not helping. I absolutely forbid—"

"Look at this," Jewels said over him. She was addressing Natalie now, completely ignoring Sam. Natalie looked from the hunter to the curly-haired woman, the corner of her mouth twitching a little. She wanted to laugh, but Sam looked frustrated enough as it was. Perhaps he wasn't as in charge as he seemed to think.

Jewels crouched down beside her chair, lifting the lid of the box back. Inside the box, nestled on a layer of deep blue velvet, was a thin silver ring. The delicate hoop was topped by a large topaz jewel, set in gold.

It wasn't just beautiful. There was something about it, some quality that drew the eye and wouldn't let go. Again, just like the necklace in the market, she was caught and couldn't seem to look away. Though the feeling wasn't as bad as it had been in the market, she felt the urge to reach out and touch it, to smooth her fingers over the pale gem in the center. There was a strange, smoky quality to the surface of the stone. And it seemed like if she leaned close enough, she would be able to see mist swirling in its surface.

"Put it on." Jewels smiled at her, and when she hesitated she nodded encouragingly. "Go on. I promise it won't hurt you. It's made specifically for you. For humans."

Cautiously, she reached out and touched the ring, the slightest brush of her fingertip. It felt smooth and cool, but nothing happened. There was no zap of magic or anything. Natalie felt a little foolish. She wasn't really sure what she'd been expecting, the ring just looked so obviously magical.

She reached out and grasped it carefully between her thumb and finger, plucking it out of the velvet in which it had been set. Again, she looked to Jewels for confirmation, and when the other girl nodded she slid it over her left, index finger.

It was only the slightest of reactions that made her realize anything had happened. Something sparkled over her skin, a cool tingle. Like a breeze, blowing from her head to the tips of her toes. It felt like something stirred her hair, just slightly, and instinctively she reached up to touch it and found it unchanged.

"What...what does it do?"

"Hold on, I'll show you." Jewels sounded gleeful as she bounded across the room, toward the bed, and Natalie realized the others, still sitting at the table, were all staring at her in various degrees of surprise, or in Edward's case, disgust.

When Jewels returned, she was holding a small round mirror. When she paused in front of Natalie and held it up, she looked delighted. "You should see your expression."

Natalie shut her mouth with a snap. The Natalie in the mirror had changed in a way that was both subtle, and incredibly obvious. At least to her.

Her face had lost some of it's roundness. Her chin had become more pointed, her features taking on the same sharp panes and angles of the others around her. And her eyes, that was the most bizarre part. They were no longer their normal dark brown. They had lightened to golden brown, and when she moved her head this way and that, they reflected the light, just like Sam's did.

"Holy crap," she breathed, and Jewels laughed.

"As long as you keep the ring on, no one should be able to tell. Not even us." She clapped her hands together, beaming around at the others. "I've been wanting to use that forever but who could I use it on? Isn't it amazing?"

"It's horrifying," Edward snapped. He sounded angry but his eyes were wide and his face was pale. He looked, Natalie thought, like he'd seen something incredibly unsettling.

"Do you realize with that type of magic, that any number of humans could be walking amongst us at anytime?"

Jewels rolled her eyes, but Gwen, sitting beside her, touched her arm and frowned slightly, and the curly haired girl sighed.

"Don't worry, Ed. This ring is really rare, there are barely any of them left."

Edward pressed his lips together. He didn't look comforted, and he kept darting narrow looks at Natalie. She was too preoccupied with the mirror to really care though. She reached up with a shaky hand, touching her cheek. Her face didn't feel any different.

Jewels grinned. "Don't worry, you didn't actually change. It's a glamour." When she saw the blank look on Natalie's face she added, "It's like an illusion. It tricks the eye."

"How long will it last?" Natalie dropped her hand into her lap, still staring at the mirror. It was a silly thought, but she liked herself this way. And at the same time, it was unnerving. Seeing her own eyes glitter like that, it was both off-putting and exciting. She wondered if the illusion also had the same sharp, needle like teeth that had appeared in Gwen's mouth when she had snarled earlier in the mines. What would that look like, to have a mouthful of shark teeth?

"It lasts until you take it off. You could go into the market wearing this," Jewels said this pointedly, and again Sam groaned.

"Fifteen minutes and that's it."

Jewels cheered, and he added sharply, "But don't think I'm going to let you two go alone. You'll need protection." He got to his feet with a sigh, heading for the chest at the end of the bed, where his long knives were resting in their sheathes.

Natalie watched out of the corner of her eye as he slipped the leather holsters across his chest, fastening the leather belts at each hip. There was no denying he cut an intimidating figure as tall as he was, with the handles of both blades jutting up over his shoulders. She had to admit she would feel better if he was with them, even if he would probably be a pain in the ass the entire time.

When she thought about the woman behind the jewelry stand, and the pendant with the eye in it, she thought perhaps it was best that he did come.

"I assume you're not coming, Ed." Gwen cleared her plate off the table, carrying it to the kitchen.

Edward shook his head, shoving his chair back as he stomped into the kitchen after her. When she turned around to face him his expression actually softened. "No. I'll stay here."

She gave him a bright smile. "Good, you can wash up the kitchen."