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Bella completes her moccasins. They're easy, but tedious; she's putting tiny parts of the spell on each of the hundreds of glass beads that gets sewn on. Last time it took her a couple of days, but by the end of the process she could do the magic and the sewing at the same time; this time it's an easy rhythm and by an hour after lunch she's got them beaded and pieced and a binding enchantment laid on each of them and the pair together to hold all the beads in a coherent whole. She says her cleaning spell - the castle isn't dirty, but any amount of walking around barefoot leaves dirt on one's feet - and slips them on and gets up and walks around experimentally. Success!
She spends the rest of the time before the delegation is prepared to go sitting outside at the Skyvault, looking at it with various lens combinations and taking fascinated notes, and spending time with her fiancée-and-a-half.
She's ready to leave when the rest of the wizard-visiting party is.
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"...All right," says the wizard's wife. "What does the queen want with us?"
...That is a very good question.
Pity he doesn't seem to have an answer.
Pity he doesn't seem to have an answer.
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The wizard's wife blinks quizzically at him, and then looks past his left arm at bespectacled Bella.
Bella has seen to her satisfaction that they're still not absorbing any but stray, unused magic. She murmurs to the diplomat, "Their staffs are behaving themselves."
Bella has seen to her satisfaction that they're still not absorbing any but stray, unused magic. She murmurs to the diplomat, "Their staffs are behaving themselves."
He looks at her helplessly.
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"Well, what did Her Majesty want you to find out, or tell them?" asks Bella in an undertone.
"...Why... they're here?" he murmurs back.
His eyes dart wizardward.
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The wizards are all holding quite still, watching the visitors. Their wives are mostly hiding behind their wizards, with the children, except for the one spokeswife.
"...My name is Cantha," offers the spokeswife, in apparent hope that this will help move things along.
"...My name is Cantha," offers the spokeswife, in apparent hope that this will help move things along.
The diplomat nods slightly to Bella.
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Bella sighs inaudibly and steps forward and smiles and takes off and hats her spectacles. "Hello again, Cantha, I'm Bella. We're here to find out what brings you to the Enchanted Forest."
"We don't think think the other wizards will think to look for us here," Cantha says.
"And why are you hiding from other wizards?" Bella asks.
"There's been a - a schism in the Society. We're by far the smaller faction. So we're hiding."
"We don't think think the other wizards will think to look for us here," Cantha says.
"And why are you hiding from other wizards?" Bella asks.
"There's been a - a schism in the Society. We're by far the smaller faction. So we're hiding."
The diplomat is a good enough diplomat not to audibly sigh with relief.
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"What's the schism about?" Bella asks.
"P-procedures for choosing new Head Wizards, and some things about magic I don't understand myself, and relations with other - groups, and some other things. We're the Reformists," she adds helpfully.
"How come you don't have a Head Reformist Wizard who's talking for your group instead of you?" inquires Bella.
"We had one. My husband died before we got here," says Cantha quietly. "We haven't elected a replacement yet."
"Oh. I'm sorry," murmurs Bella. "Other wizards?"
"Yes. Orthodox wizards."
"P-procedures for choosing new Head Wizards, and some things about magic I don't understand myself, and relations with other - groups, and some other things. We're the Reformists," she adds helpfully.
"How come you don't have a Head Reformist Wizard who's talking for your group instead of you?" inquires Bella.
"We had one. My husband died before we got here," says Cantha quietly. "We haven't elected a replacement yet."
"Oh. I'm sorry," murmurs Bella. "Other wizards?"
"Yes. Orthodox wizards."
The diplomat also manages to look sympathetic about Cantha's husband! He is such a good diplomat. Someone should give him a biscuit.
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Bella is too busy doing his job to fetch a biscuit for him.
"Shortly before the last time I was here, the princesses and I encountered another wizard. One of yours?"
Cantha shakes her head, alarmed. "We're all of ours that are left. We saw the others fall, and it was more than those few days ago. He was in the forest? They're looking for us here?"
"Well, he was interrupted," Bella says, "and we're not sure if his presence had to do with you or not."
"It must have," murmurs Cantha. "We were the first to risk entering the forest in nearly a century."
"Shortly before the last time I was here, the princesses and I encountered another wizard. One of yours?"
Cantha shakes her head, alarmed. "We're all of ours that are left. We saw the others fall, and it was more than those few days ago. He was in the forest? They're looking for us here?"
"Well, he was interrupted," Bella says, "and we're not sure if his presence had to do with you or not."
"It must have," murmurs Cantha. "We were the first to risk entering the forest in nearly a century."
...Bella is better at the diplomat's job than he is!
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Apparently!
"I can see that the staffs here aren't stealing magic."
"That would have been noticed," Cantha says without thinking, and then she adds, "...And it would be harmful. To the forest."
Bella nods. "Stray wisps like they're taking are fine, I have an object that does something similar, but what are you planning to do if the Orthodox wizards find you?"
"We - haven't thought that far ahead," Cantha says, glancing around at the wizards uncertainly. "It might be that they wouldn't want to be noticed themselves, and wouldn't have any advantage over us."
"But they'd also have plenty of time to charge up and choose the timing," Bella says. "There'd be a massacre, and it sounds like you were already massacred."
"...You're probably right, but we don't have any other options, where were we supposed to go, who were we supposed to get help from? All the kingdoms on the continent kill wizards on sight or are friendly with the Orthodox leadership."
"I can see that the staffs here aren't stealing magic."
"That would have been noticed," Cantha says without thinking, and then she adds, "...And it would be harmful. To the forest."
Bella nods. "Stray wisps like they're taking are fine, I have an object that does something similar, but what are you planning to do if the Orthodox wizards find you?"
"We - haven't thought that far ahead," Cantha says, glancing around at the wizards uncertainly. "It might be that they wouldn't want to be noticed themselves, and wouldn't have any advantage over us."
"But they'd also have plenty of time to charge up and choose the timing," Bella says. "There'd be a massacre, and it sounds like you were already massacred."
"...You're probably right, but we don't have any other options, where were we supposed to go, who were we supposed to get help from? All the kingdoms on the continent kill wizards on sight or are friendly with the Orthodox leadership."
"We can offer you the protection of the Enchanted Forest," the diplomat murmurs, "provided you obey our laws and customs."
There aren't very many of those. Not strict ones, anyway.
There aren't very many of those. Not strict ones, anyway.
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Cantha remembers that the diplomat exists, and blinks at him. "...Is there a list?" she asks hopefully.
"There - er - yes."
He produces a document from somewhere.
He produces a document from somewhere.
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Cantha accepts it and reads it. After a paragraph or two she motions one of the older wizards to read over her shoulder and they confer softly.
It is not a very long list.
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"I think we can do this," says Cantha. "But how are you going to protect us? If one of the Orthodox - at least one - got into the forest?"
"The forest itself can protect you," says the diplomat, regaining some of his confidence. "Now that the royal family knows you're here."
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Cantha swallows. "Do we need to - do anything, to get that protection? Besides abide by the laws and take only wisps of magic?"
"You'd have more magic to play with between you if the women among you were allowed to cultivate witchwells and donate some or do their own spells," comments Bella.
Cantha blinks at her. "...That is in fact one point of disagreement between us and Orthodox wizards, but not one that we've put into practice."
"You'd have more magic to play with between you if the women among you were allowed to cultivate witchwells and donate some or do their own spells," comments Bella.
Cantha blinks at her. "...That is in fact one point of disagreement between us and Orthodox wizards, but not one that we've put into practice."