a witch.”
Chapter 15
I n the end, it was the very fact that she’d been able to keep her witchcraft a secret that made me trust Marjit. I told her everything about the list.
Right away, she saw a number of things that I’d done wrong in trying the herbs on the list of Plantes Which Confer Vpon the Wearer Invisibilitie. “You’ve no intentions . You’ve not called on any Holies. There’s nothing to spark the magic. Invisibility en’t a simple quality of these plants, it’s a sleeping quality that must be drawn out, with a rhyme or holy water or sommat similar.”
I understood this. It was like how burdock works best on burns if you say a prayer for frost first. At the same time, I didn’t like it, because it wasn’t very clear or precise. None of this was written down on the list, and Marjit seemed very blithe about waving her hands, chanting a few words, and expecting it all to work.
“And I bet your ferns will work without the seeds,” she added.
“How?”
“Go out and cut some of them. Not all! You’ll want to nurse them along and try to harvest the seeds if this fails. What you cut, fashion into a wreath—or no, a cap. That’ll stay on your head better. You know how to net? You’ve spent all that time with Adina—she’s got to have taught you.”
“I’m bad at netting, but . . .”
“You’ll be good enough. You’ll make up your cap, I think with a prayer to the Big Lady—”
“The Big Lady?”
“Hush, don’t you worry about that.” She stared off into the middle distance, muttering slightly under her breath, before saying, “You’ll need a special needle.”
“A Nine-Brides Needle?” I asked. It was a stupid joke, but she took me seriously.
“No, though that’s a good thought, because of the stealth. No. I don’t have one on hand, and—well, I don’t know of nine weddings happening anytime soon. Sommat else. I’ll have to think on it.” She counted something on her fingers. “Come back in twelve days. The dark of the moon is the perfect time to do a ritual of invisibility.”
“No. It can’t wait that long! By then . . .” By then, Didina’s mother, and maybe the Duke of Styria, too, would be dead, or past the point of no return. “Look, the moon is waning. Isn’t that good enough?”
Marjit started to shake her head, then sighed. “I can’t guarantee anything, mind you,” she said. “Come tomorrow night at midnight. Have your ferns ready. And be prepared for a long night.”
I nodded. “Can you keep this a secret, Marjit?”
Marjit appeared to think about this. “Well, I suppose. . . .”
“Marjit!” I begged. I thought she was teasing, but I couldn’t risk anything.
“Of course I can keep a secret,” she said, and leaned down to kiss my cheek.
It wasn’t until later that I realized that wasn’t the promise I’d wanted.
Pa came with me to help Adina with the sleepers the next day, I think because he felt bad about being so harsh to me. Adina smiled at him and asked him for news of the castle.
“I’ve no good tidings, I’m afraid,” Pa said. “I was at the morning summoning—do you know of this ritual, Reveka? Every morning after they bathe, the princesses are brought before the Prince, to answer for the holes in their shoes. Princess Maricara always steps forward and says that they do not know, because they are asleep when the holes are made.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t Prince Vasile tell they’re lying?”
Pa said, “It takes a liar to spot a lie.” He pinched open Sfetnic’s mouth, dropped in a spoonful of broth, then massaged the boy’s throat. I waited for Pa to give me a significant glance, to make this a lesson about truth for me, but he didn’t. He just added, “Prince Vasile is terribly honest.”
“Honest for a prince,” Adina amended. “He’s not honest for a normal man.”
Pa continued with his news. “Usually, the Prince invites the princesses to sit down for a cup of spiced wine and some
Chapter 15
I n the end, it was the very fact that she’d been able to keep her witchcraft a secret that made me trust Marjit. I told her everything about the list.
Right away, she saw a number of things that I’d done wrong in trying the herbs on the list of Plantes Which Confer Vpon the Wearer Invisibilitie. “You’ve no intentions . You’ve not called on any Holies. There’s nothing to spark the magic. Invisibility en’t a simple quality of these plants, it’s a sleeping quality that must be drawn out, with a rhyme or holy water or sommat similar.”
I understood this. It was like how burdock works best on burns if you say a prayer for frost first. At the same time, I didn’t like it, because it wasn’t very clear or precise. None of this was written down on the list, and Marjit seemed very blithe about waving her hands, chanting a few words, and expecting it all to work.
“And I bet your ferns will work without the seeds,” she added.
“How?”
“Go out and cut some of them. Not all! You’ll want to nurse them along and try to harvest the seeds if this fails. What you cut, fashion into a wreath—or no, a cap. That’ll stay on your head better. You know how to net? You’ve spent all that time with Adina—she’s got to have taught you.”
“I’m bad at netting, but . . .”
“You’ll be good enough. You’ll make up your cap, I think with a prayer to the Big Lady—”
“The Big Lady?”
“Hush, don’t you worry about that.” She stared off into the middle distance, muttering slightly under her breath, before saying, “You’ll need a special needle.”
“A Nine-Brides Needle?” I asked. It was a stupid joke, but she took me seriously.
“No, though that’s a good thought, because of the stealth. No. I don’t have one on hand, and—well, I don’t know of nine weddings happening anytime soon. Sommat else. I’ll have to think on it.” She counted something on her fingers. “Come back in twelve days. The dark of the moon is the perfect time to do a ritual of invisibility.”
“No. It can’t wait that long! By then . . .” By then, Didina’s mother, and maybe the Duke of Styria, too, would be dead, or past the point of no return. “Look, the moon is waning. Isn’t that good enough?”
Marjit started to shake her head, then sighed. “I can’t guarantee anything, mind you,” she said. “Come tomorrow night at midnight. Have your ferns ready. And be prepared for a long night.”
I nodded. “Can you keep this a secret, Marjit?”
Marjit appeared to think about this. “Well, I suppose. . . .”
“Marjit!” I begged. I thought she was teasing, but I couldn’t risk anything.
“Of course I can keep a secret,” she said, and leaned down to kiss my cheek.
It wasn’t until later that I realized that wasn’t the promise I’d wanted.
Pa came with me to help Adina with the sleepers the next day, I think because he felt bad about being so harsh to me. Adina smiled at him and asked him for news of the castle.
“I’ve no good tidings, I’m afraid,” Pa said. “I was at the morning summoning—do you know of this ritual, Reveka? Every morning after they bathe, the princesses are brought before the Prince, to answer for the holes in their shoes. Princess Maricara always steps forward and says that they do not know, because they are asleep when the holes are made.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t Prince Vasile tell they’re lying?”
Pa said, “It takes a liar to spot a lie.” He pinched open Sfetnic’s mouth, dropped in a spoonful of broth, then massaged the boy’s throat. I waited for Pa to give me a significant glance, to make this a lesson about truth for me, but he didn’t. He just added, “Prince Vasile is terribly honest.”
“Honest for a prince,” Adina amended. “He’s not honest for a normal man.”
Pa continued with his news. “Usually, the Prince invites the princesses to sit down for a cup of spiced wine and some
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