Beauty and the Werewolf fhk-6

by Mercedes Lackey

  “Any King, any Prince, any General commanding an army in war. Any influential priest or other man regarded as holy. It might have taken a magician to create the means, but we are fairly certain it did not take a magician to place whatever brought the change about, which tells us that any ordinary agent could be used. And just imagine how devastating that could be,” the Godmother said gravely. “From your reputation and what your father has said of you, Isabella, you know history, and you are very good at making deductions. The potential for disaster is immense. Right now, we honestly don’t know if this is the result of a single disgruntled magician with a grudge against Sebastian’s family, a magical accident that can never be repeated again, a magical accident that will strike again, some sort of magical plague or someone trying out his new weapon. Until we know — well, we are trying to keep all the variables to a minimum and we have to assume this was the work of someone, or several someones, whose motives we do not know. And if this was the work of an outsider, we would rather that he didn’t know he was successful. Thus we are keeping it secret.”

  Bella digested all of this. It was hard to keep her own thoughts coherent, when they were running off in all directions, with all sorts of possible scenarios, but one emerged above all the others. “This is a lot bigger than just one Kingdom.”

  Elena nodded gravely. “Every Godmother in the Five Hundred Kingdoms knows about this and has been keeping in touch with me about it since Sebastian changed. So far there have been no other instances of werewolf change that could not be ascribed to the three common causes, or to circumstances peculiar to that particular Kingdom. But I have to add that we know of. It is possible that there is another like Sebastian running wild in some remote area who is smart enough to hide his condition and remote enough that he hasn’t drawn attention to himself with killing sprees. Since it has been five years since Sebastian was infected, the situation has become less urgent, but is still no less dangerous.”

  “What does that mean for me?” she asked in a small voice.

  “It means that the odds of you being infected are lower than they might otherwise be,” the Godmother told her. “Yes, you were bitten, but so far as any of us can tell, the only weres that can create other weres with a bite, are the ones that were made that way themselves. But again, we don’t know. Not for certain. And with so much at stake, we can’t take the chance that we are wrong. That is why you must stay at Redbuck for three months, and be locked up safely for three full moons.”

  Bella brooded about this for a very long moment. “And if I am infected,” she asked, finally, “what then?”

  Elena looked at her levelly. “Then we can try cures we did not try on Sebastian, because I am relatively certain that you, unlike Sebastian, will agree to them. He did not feel enough urgency to take the chance with things that were so dangerous. He is by nature a shy and solitary young man, and as long as he is sure that he won’t hurt others, he doesn’t find being confined to Redbuck all that onerous. You, on the other hand, are of a different nature. If you discover you are infected, I think that you will take risks for a cure that he will not.”

  Bella simultaneously hated and admired the Godmother at that moment. Hated her for being so blunt and apparently unmoved by Bella’s plight and the desperation she was feeling. Admired her for telling the absolute truth without any attempts to make it sound like anything other than it was — a life-or-death risk.

  “And if these cures don’t work?” Bella continued. “If I’m still changing at the full moon when you run out of things to try?”

  “Provided you survive all the failed attempts, I believe we will be looking into the remote-island and deserted-castle possibilities,” the Godmother said — though her expression and tone of voice gave no indication that she actually expected Bella to live through too many attempts at a cure.

  Well. There it was. The very worst possible scenario, all laid out. And oddly, that actually made Bella feel a little, tiny bit better. She knew that the Godmother was actually actively working at solving this. She knew that she would be protected, if for no other reason than to serve as someone that dangerous cures could be tested on. At least there would be no mobs with torches and pitchforks in her future.

  “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.

  8

  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.

  I suppose they could be dangerous, she mused. But then, anything can be dangerous. They must like me, since they said they would protect me. Or they could be lying, of course, but it didn’t seem as if the Godmother had any suspicion of that, and all of Bella’s instincts told her that the invisibles were to be trusted. So since the most forthcoming seemed to be Sapphire, that was who she focused on.

  She wasn’t going to be foolish, however. She would try and make her inquiries casual, and put no pressure at all on the creature. If Sapphire answered a question, all well and good. If she didn’t, Bella would let it drop for now.

  After she unlocked her door and put the mirror away, she was pretty certain that rummaging through her closet would make Sapphire appear, especially when she began taking things out and laying them on the bed. The servant seemed very… proprietary …about Bella’s wardrobe. And Bella had gotten the impression that Sapphire would have been better pleased if her “charge” liked to change her clothing two and three times a day, as Genevieve did.

  Sure enough, she hadn’t gotten more than a gown and two skirts out when her door opened and the blue ribbon appeared, bobbing toward her in what looked like an agitated manner. One of the skirts lifted off the bed, as Sapphire attempted to return it to the closet.

  Bella held out a hand, preventing her. “I really do not like these things at all, Sapphire,” she said, frowning at them. “They don’t suit me. I don’t really like this gown much, either. I’d rather be rid of them.”

  The ribbon fled toward the little dressing table and returned with the slate and chalk. “Y not?” was scribbled on the surface. “V prity. V V prity.” The words were erased and others took their place. “U r v prity, shud wer prity things.” Aha. Sapphire did disapprove of her wardrobe choices! Poor Sapphire, if only she’d had Amber and Pearl to dress. I must be a terrible disappointment for her.

  This put paid to any fears she still had about the nature of this one of the servants, at least. Here was a creature who understood and adored female fashions, whose heart, invisible though it might be, fluttered at the sight of ruffles and lace. Whatever else she was, Sapphire was no different than Marguerite, the twins’ maid, whose heart broke every time Bella put on one of the severely plain gowns she preferred, and who nearly went wild with happiness when Bella brought her back a frivolous little bit of frippery from the warehouse for her very own.

  “These things might suit my stepsisters, maybe, but they are not for me. I can’t really do anything in this gown except sit and read, or sit and embroider. I like gowns that let me — well — do things. Nice, plain ones. And I don’t like fussy colors, like pink, or pale blue, or white. They don’t suit me, and I’m not suited to a gown like this. I’m sure I look like a donkey in a bonnet in it.” She took out another gown and laid it on the bed. Sapphire immediately tried to put it back.

  “Sapphire, look at this dress!” she exclaimed. “Tight sleeves — you can’t reach for things, or lift things without popping the seam open. And look here. Lace and ruffles that get caught on everything and tear.” She shook her head. “That just isn’t me. I want clothing that lets me feel like myself, not like a stranger. Even if I don’t actually look ridiculous, I feel ridiculous.”

  Sapphire stopped. “We R sposed to mak U hapi.”

  “Well, these gowns don’t make me happy. They make me feel as if I was being smothered in whipped cream,” she said decisively, and added as if the question was of no real consequence, “Who told you to make me happy?”

  “Duk,” Sapphire replied immediately.

  Well…that was kind of him… “Sebastian might have told you to make me happy, but I know he didn’t order these gowns, so that must have been the King’s doing. Sebastian would probably have figured I could use whatever clothing there might still be in storage here.” Assuming he thought about it at all. And she had brought with her a perfectly good wardrobe. “Hmph.”

  The King had in turn probably just ordered that clothing be sent with her. Whatever underling he had that he trusted with this had found out her approximate size and made a raid on seamstresses. That made sense; the gown she had on now was only an approximate fit. She hadn’t thought about it at the time, but when Sapphire had been putting her into it, she had been adjusting it via tapes and ties and lacings. Ready-made gowns were often put together that way, and if the buyer had the extra money, they would be tailored to fit. “The King’s steward would have taken care of this, and he probably doesn’t have any better sense about gowns than Sebastian, but he sees a lot of them at Court. He must think that every female has to look like a wedding cake exploded all over her or she will not be content.”

  The slate and chalk began jiggling; the ribbon was shaking. For a moment, Bella thought that the poor invisible was frightened, but then she realized that Sapphire was laughing. She smiled. It felt very good to smile.

  “Have we got anyone here that can do something about these bonbons?” she asked. “If you’ll have them altered, I’ll wear them, but not as they are now. I can sew a little, but not enough to make these things sensible. I’ll put up with the colors, but if I see one more ruffle, I might turn into a pillar of sugar.”

  “Yes,” Sapphire replied. “Sho me wut u want.”

  “First, get me out of this thing,” she demanded, and Sapphire hastened to do so. Once the offending gown had been discarded onto the bed with the others, and Bella was back to wearing something she could actually don and remove without help, she showed Sapphire exactly what she didn’t like about the new wardrobe, and how her old clothing was better.

  “Did Sebastian summon an entire ducal household when he started bringing you here? Because that would include several seamstresses.”

  “Just called servants.” Well, that matched what Sebastian himself had told her, that he had just summoned the creatures without being specific about their talents.

  “I rather like lace, but not in places where it is bound to trail on the floor and get filthy, or get caught on things. Why are there more of you than Sebastian remembers summoning?” she asked, at the same time pointing out the long lace ruffles on a petticoat and a sleeve cuff. She had the feeling that she was not succeeding in being subtle, but Sapphire didn’t seem to notice.

  “He neded us. We came” was the reply.

  “I don’t
see any reason why this can’t be made to fasten up the front with buttons instead of lacing up the back,” she said, laying one of her own bodices beside the one with the back-lacing. “You see what I mean, here. This is how I like my bodices to fasten. How did you know Sebastian needed you?”

  “We wached him.” The new bodice levitated into the air and was turned around and around in Sapphire’s invisible hands.

  “And this overskirt. Two ruffles are fine, elegant even. But no one my age looks anything but ridiculous in a gown with a dozen ruffles to it. Why were you watching Sebastian?” Sapphire didn’t answer that one, so Bella acted as if the answer didn’t matter, and continued on. “And this…this is just horrid. I don’t know if it can be picked to bits and the pieces reused, but the only thing that anyone could do in this overdone monstrosity is to sit and look ornamental. How did you all get here, if you weren’t summoned?”

  “Wer alredy here.” Abruptly, Sapphire left the room. Before Bella could wonder if she had pushed the invisible too far, Sapphire returned with several more ribbons trailing behind her: white, pink, pale blue, mint-green and lilac. Within moments, the discarded gowns and petticoats were sailing out the door, presumably to be altered. But since Sapphire went with them, that was an end to Bella’s questioning for now.