Page 23 of Snowspelled
We steppedout of the knot garden over an hour later, laughing and triumphant and enclosed in perfect bubbles of warmth. My cloak was steaming nicely within my bubble, and my chest felt even warmer as I watched Miss Banks dance ahead of me down the narrow path, perfectly untouched by the snow that fell aroundher.
It wasn’t the easiest spell for a beginner to learn. But by the end, she had managed it perfectly...and neither of our bubbles had a singleleak.
If the Great Library didn’t allow her in, I would eat myhat.
...And then I would eat their hidebound old selves, too! They might imagine that they could get away with accepting one woman student and then being rid of females forever, but they were wrong. Iwouldn’tbe the last of us! I swore that now as I reveled in Miss Banks’sdelight.
I was finished with hiding. If the Great Library tried to turn her away—a girl with this much overflowing magical ability—I would talk to all of the same newspapers that had reviled me before, and I would shout and scream about the injustice until it became a story to enrage theworld.
I would do whatever it took to allow a whole stream of laughing, bright young women to follow in my path and take it further than I had ever managed, and then Iwould—
*Pop!*
The bubble of spellcast warmth wasgone.
Snow swirled around me as I came to a halt, frowning. Had Miss Banks’s spell broken?Or—
Wait.
I jerked around, sudden panic thrumming through myskin.
A familiar silhouette stood in the distance.Watching me.I couldn’t see his expression, but I didn’t need to. The popping of that bubble had been more than messageenough.
It said,You have no protection fromme.
Everyone knew that elves liked to play games with their prey...and more than one bubble had just beenpopped.
Miss Banks danced on ahead of me, unaware, just as bright and hopeful and full of potential asever.
But as I looked after her, I felt the weight of reality settle heavily around my shoulders. Anything that I wanted to do for her or for the future of other magical girls would all have to be done within the next sixdays...
Because after that, I might not have any future of myown.
9
Iknew exactlywhom to consult when it came to politicalstrategizing.
Unfortunately, Amy wasn’t alone when I foundher.
“My dear.” Lady Cosgrave’s eyebrows rose as I stepped through the doorway of the small, cozy parlor where nine ladies sat gathered in a semicircle around the fireplace with teacups and newspapers in their hands. They all looked up with bright interest as she asked, “Have you finally discovered some interest in politics after all? Your late mother would be sopleased.”
I bit down a bright flare of irritation and smiled tightly. “Actually, I was coming in search of Amy, but if you’re allbusy—”
“This shouldn’t take too much longer.” Amy spoke up from the other side of the semicircle, her voice soft but her gaze intent as she studied my face. “Why don’t you take a seat, Cassandra? Pour yourself a cup of tea. You can drink it while youwait.”
Wait?I could feel my last six days of freedom slipping away from me, minute by minute, like snowflakes melting against myskin.
I had toact.
But charging furiously around without information would be worse than useless. So I drew a deep breath and nodded, keeping my polite smile pasted to my face. “If you don’t mind meoverhearing...”
“MindMiranda Harwood’s daughter overhearing our discussion?” Next to Lady Cosgrave, an older woman with dark brown skin and grey curls, Mrs. Seabury, snorted out laughter. “My dear, if you only knew how desperately your motherwishedyou had any interest in suchmatters—!”
My teeth set behind my smile. I was grateful for the excuse of the tea urn in the corner, to turn my back on the semicircle of ladies and the cracklingfire.
Before anyone in the semicircle could add to Mrs. Seabury’s store of recollections, Amy said smoothly, “So there’s still no confirmation of which representatives the elven court might send to this year’s solsticecelebration?”
“If any!” said Lady Cosgrave. A rustle of newspapers behind me signaled several of the ladies straightening to attention as she continued, “And when you add this dreadful weather to the equation—! It might almost have been designed to make our ceremonyimpossible.”
