“Now to be fair, again, I personally do not think you are infected,” Elena continued. “By logical deduction, your odds are very good.”
Bella considered that, and then suddenly remembered what Sapphire had said to her, which now seemed even more important. “Did anyone tell you that Sebastian’s servants, some of them, anyway, are talking with me?” At the Godmother’s incredulously raised eyebrow, she hastily amended that. “Not talking actually, writing to me on a slate.”
“Very interesting. They had not. And what did they say?” The eyebrow was down, but the Godmother leaned forward, intrigued.
“They’ve mostly been telling me about the situation here, but one of them told me that I shouldn’t be unhappy because I wouldn’t change. Then it said that they would keep me from changing. Or protect me from whatever had changed Sebastian.” She leaned back, waiting to see how that particular dropped hornet’s nest would affect the Godmother.
“Oh, really.” The Godmother was clearly struck forcibly by these revelations. “Now, isn’t that interesting… I would wager that when you pressed it for further information, it told you that it could not give you any — yes?”
“Exactly.” She nodded vigorously. “Which makes me think they know something and are being prevented from telling anyone.”
The Godmother nodded agreement. “And that argues for it being the work of a particular magician. And the fact that the invisibles know what happened, yet are being kept from telling… Hmm.” She fell silent for a very long time, then said, “This may be the most valuable thing that I have learned since Sebastian was changed. It certainly gives me a new line of investigation to pursue. Especially since they told you that they can keep you from being changed.” She pursed her lips. “Don’t tell anyone else, please. Not even Sebastian. Especially not Sebastian. I do not for a moment suspect him of lying to us but this suggests that whoever did this to him may still be about, and Sebastian might inadvertently let fall that the invisibles know about him. I would not like to see them harmed.”
Bella shook her head. “Nor would I. They have been very good to me.”
Again the Godmother raised her eyebrow. “Have they, now? Another interesting development.” She again pursed her lips in thought. “Well, this changes things. I will need to consult with — well, quite a number of sources. Before I dismiss this spell, is there anything more you would like from me?”
Bella hesitated a moment. “I was going to ask if I could talk to my father…”
The Godmother gave her a long and penetrating stare. “Do you really think that would be a good idea?” she asked.
Bella sighed. “Not really,” she admitted. “All we would do is try to pretend we are being brave and fail terribly and make each other miserable. I’d like to write to him, but how would I get the letters to him?”
Now the Godmother smiled. “Oh, well, if that is your only concern, I can easily arrange that. Give me a day or two.”
“You can?” For the first time since all this began, she actually felt like smiling. “You really can?”
Elena laughed. “Of course I can! I am a Godmother! And this sort of communication is very Trad — is not that difficult for a Godmother to arrange.”
“I think it will make a world of difference to both of us,” Bella told her, gratefully. “And please… I do understand now why you have done what you have done. I can’t see that I would have made any different choices, or that I could have. It must be awful for you.” She wasn’t sure why she had added that last, but she knew when she said it that it was both true, and the right thing to say.
“Thank you for being so understanding.” Elena sighed, and for a moment, looked very sad. “You are correct. It is often very difficult to be a Godmother. Most of us are only human, and far too often our only choices are between bad and worse, and no matter what we do, someone is going to suffer.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Bella asked hesitantly.
“You can keep talking to your invisibles,” the Godmother said immediately. “They might be able to drop you some hints. And if you get anything, no matter how insignificant it seems, tell me or my Mirror Servant immediately.”
“I can do that,” she promised, although she really hoped she would not have to speak too often to that uncanny face.
“Very well, then. My dear Alex and I do have other issues to deal with, but I hope you will keep in mind that we have not forgotten you even if we might not have answers for you quickly.” The faint smile when Elena said “dear Alex” gave Isabella the tiniest twinge of jealousy. She knew who “Alex” was — the Godmother’s Champion and also her husband. To be a Godmother with all that power and to have a truly beloved partner seemed… a little unfair.
Don’t be ridiculous. She probably earns it twenty times over.
“Take care, Isabella. And be ready for my next gift very soon.” The mirror fogged over, and the Godmother was gone.
BELLA SUCCESSFULLY RESISTED THE TEMPTATION TO SIT and look into the mirror for the rest of the afternoon. Instead, she decided to follow the Godmother’s orders — they couldn’t be called “advice,” given how they were delivered — and find out as much as she could about the invisibles.
One thing was certain — the Godmother knew something about these creatures, and what Bella had told her had taken her completely by surprise. For a Godmother to be surprised, something quite unusual was going on.