"I don't know why it's true, I just know it is."

Isabella is seized by the sudden impulse to pet his hair. She sees no particular reason to quash it.

How about the adorable face he makes when she does it?

Definitely not a quashing reason. She carries on petting him. Path coos in a minimally owly manner.

"Okay," says Isabella comfortably.

Path giggles. He probably couldn't peck back without hurting her when she's so small.

Petaal likewise giggles, and zips back into the warmth of Kas's coat.

"Something fun!" chirps Petaal.

"That's still not specific enough to let me pick something," laughs Isabella. "I'll just wind up teaching you the snow-circle. Do you want to just learn the snow-circle?"

"The snow-circle's fun," Petaal says happily.

"Okay then. May as well start going over the words then. Repeat after me..." She goes through the Svaaric words of the spell, one at a time.

Petaal learns them! He is better at it than Kas is at French, perhaps because he's trying harder, perhaps because he has to learn fewer things.

"I plan to actually learn Svaaric at some point, but only after I have enough magic basics to strike off on my own and maybe only after I get an alethiometer," remarks Isabella after Petaal has the words down. "Now, that particular spell does invoke Yambe Akka, so if the goddesses-just-won't-listen-to-you hypothesis is correct, it's particularly unlikely to work. We can pick a spell that doesn't refer directly to a goddess in that case, but that could easily not work either."

"We'll see," Petaal says cheerfully.

"Yambe Akka does winter," explains Isabella. "Among other things, most notably death."

"Yeah, you mentioned that before," says Kas.

"I suppose I did, didn't I. I don't know if, theologically speaking, she is actually involved with death in general or just with witches' deaths. I only know enough religion to get good results with my magic."

"Well," says Petaal, "hopefully she won't kill us for trying to cast her nice pretty spell."

"That's not really her style. I mean, she is a death goddess, but that doesn't mean she kills people - well, it does, but - another portfolio item is mercy. Witches call for her when they can't bear whatever they have to face if they stay alive. She's the alternative to suffering. I think she'd happily retire if suffering ceased to be. My ultimate goal in life is for Yambe Akka to spend the rest of eternity sitting on a beach sipping interesting cocktails. So to speak."

"Thanks," laughs Isabella.

"Good luck with your adorable ultimate goal. What do witches die of, anyway?"