surefooted moccasins

[thaumobabble]

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.

Comments

[thaumobabble]

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."

[pythbox]

...Bella is better at the diplomat's job than he is!

[thaumobabble]

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."

[pythbox]

"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.

[thaumobabble]

Cantha remembers that the diplomat exists, and blinks at him. "...Is there a list?" she asks hopefully.

[pythbox]

"There - er - yes."

He produces a document from somewhere.

[thaumobabble]

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.

[pythbox]

It is not a very long list.

[thaumobabble]

"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?"

[pythbox]

"The forest itself can protect you," says the diplomat, regaining some of his confidence. "Now that the royal family knows you're here."

[thaumobabble]

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."

[pythbox]

"If you abide by the laws," says the diplomat, "and take only wisps of magic, the royal family will protect you."

[thaumobabble]

"All right," says Cantha, rolling up the scroll. "Do we - sign something, or anything of that nature?"

[pythbox]

"Not any more than any other properly recognized resident of the forest," says the diplomat, "which is to say, no."

[thaumobabble]

"Welcome," Bella adds.

Cantha turns back to her. "You're a witch," she says.

"Not exactly."

Cantha's eyes narrow. "Sorceress?"

"Same answer."

Cantha purses her lips. "Magician."

"Yes."

"So you could help us with the witchwells so we wouldn't be so collectively powerless."

"Possibly," demurs Bella. "I'd need to think about it. I have other projects and I'm staying at the castle, which is some days' travel away."

"We would be interested in - exchanging knowledge," Cantha says, "if you happened to have the time for it."

"Thank you," says Bella, noncommittal but smiling.

[pythbox]

...That seems to be the end of that, really.

[thaumobabble]

Cantha shakes Bella's hand, and then looks dubiously at the diplomat and offers him her hand too.

[pythbox]

The diplomat shakes hands with Cantha.

[thaumobabble]

Bella thinks to ask, "Are you Reformists in immediate need of anything?"

Cantha shakes her head. "We've been able to find everything we need, thank you."

And that really does seem to be it.

The delegation turns around and starts tromping home.

Bella feels pretty pleased with herself.

[pythbox]

Bella has every right to be pleased with herself!

The dragon representative (who turns out to be somebody's princess) takes the time to congratulate her on their way out.

[thaumobabble]

"Thanks," says Bella. "I hope the dragons will be happy with the results."

[pythbox]

"I think they will!"

[thaumobabble]

"Are they going to object if I teach a bunch of wizards' wives how to kindle witchwells so they can supply the wizards with spellpower? Even Reformist wizards?"

[pythbox]

"If it keeps them out of trouble, I don't see why not."

[thaumobabble]

Bella grins. And castleward they go!