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It turns out that there was really not much point to making a schedule. Kas and Helen visit the witch clan whenever Helen feels like it, and stay as long as she wants, and go when she wants to be somewhere else, and it all adds up to plenty more time spent with the clan than away.
After the aquarium jaunt with Ranata, it's a little more than a month before they visit the clan again.
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truthwright
"You'll always be taken care of. And the clan can protect you from the bad witches."
"I know, sweetie." Ranata is out of the cityscape now and doesn't need both hands to steer; she strokes Helen's hair.
"I love you too."
And on they fly.
It's a long trip. They land in the clan grounds, and Ranata cuts the ropes to detach Kas from her cloudpine rather than go through the complicated rigmarole of avoiding Petaal again.
"I need to speak to the queen, and then start asking the best cursebreakers what they can do," Ranata says. "Do you want to come with me or do you want me to bring you to Charlie's house to wait?"
And on they fly.
It's a long trip. They land in the clan grounds, and Ranata cuts the ropes to detach Kas from her cloudpine rather than go through the complicated rigmarole of avoiding Petaal again.
"I need to speak to the queen, and then start asking the best cursebreakers what they can do," Ranata says. "Do you want to come with me or do you want me to bring you to Charlie's house to wait?"
"Okay."
Queen Narida Memma is not in her house, but she's not too hard to find once that's ruled out; she's with her sister.
Ranata goes up to her. "Helen and I need to speak to you alone," she says.
The queen looks between grandmother and grandchild, then makes her excuses to her sister and goes aside with them.
"Can you tell her everything that happened?" Ranata asks Helen gently.
Queen Narida Memma is not in her house, but she's not too hard to find once that's ruled out; she's with her sister.
Ranata goes up to her. "Helen and I need to speak to you alone," she says.
The queen looks between grandmother and grandchild, then makes her excuses to her sister and goes aside with them.
"Can you tell her everything that happened?" Ranata asks Helen gently.
carillons
Kalavar turns into a fluffy bunny. Helen hugs her.
"I was in the park and I went to look for Kas across the street and he wasn't there," she says, "and some witches were there and they asked if I was lost, and I said no, I was just looking for my daddy, and they said they'd help me find him, and I looked in the bathrooms first but he wasn't there so I went out and asked the witches their names and they said Kana Setira and Loviisa Lerandi, and I asked if they could find him with a spell and they said yes, so they took me to their little house far away from things and did a spell but I didn't understand the verse because it was in Svaaric, and they gave me books and tea and snacks and told me to wait, and then Petaal came in the window and they looked really surprised and kind of started whispering at each other and didn't say anything while Petaal took me out to fly me back to the hotel."
She takes a deep breath.
"And on the way back the cloudpine fell a little bit and I looked at Petaal and she was fire, and then she wasn't and she was a witch again and she made the cloudpine work, and I asked her what happened and she said somebody tried to kill her, and that's why those witches were so weird, they were kidnapping me only I didn't even know until I was almost back at the hotel! And when we got back I cried a lot and Kas called Ranata and I went to sleep and when I woke up Kas and Petaal were all frozen! I think the scary witches cursed them again! I tried to melt them but it didn't work so I called Ranata with some magic and she came and got me. And I'm scared and I want my mommydaddyspinach. He is not a mommydaddyicecube."
"I was in the park and I went to look for Kas across the street and he wasn't there," she says, "and some witches were there and they asked if I was lost, and I said no, I was just looking for my daddy, and they said they'd help me find him, and I looked in the bathrooms first but he wasn't there so I went out and asked the witches their names and they said Kana Setira and Loviisa Lerandi, and I asked if they could find him with a spell and they said yes, so they took me to their little house far away from things and did a spell but I didn't understand the verse because it was in Svaaric, and they gave me books and tea and snacks and told me to wait, and then Petaal came in the window and they looked really surprised and kind of started whispering at each other and didn't say anything while Petaal took me out to fly me back to the hotel."
She takes a deep breath.
"And on the way back the cloudpine fell a little bit and I looked at Petaal and she was fire, and then she wasn't and she was a witch again and she made the cloudpine work, and I asked her what happened and she said somebody tried to kill her, and that's why those witches were so weird, they were kidnapping me only I didn't even know until I was almost back at the hotel! And when we got back I cried a lot and Kas called Ranata and I went to sleep and when I woke up Kas and Petaal were all frozen! I think the scary witches cursed them again! I tried to melt them but it didn't work so I called Ranata with some magic and she came and got me. And I'm scared and I want my mommydaddyspinach. He is not a mommydaddyicecube."
"How did you try to melt them?" asks the queen.
"You called Ranata with magic?" asks the queen next.
carillons
"Yeah," she says. "I don't really know how. I can do a thing, where I can listen far away, and I can put my voice far away too."
The queen contemplates this.
"This was in Toronto," Ranata adds.
"I'll speak to the queen of the Ontario clan. Consult Rinda about the curse. Helen shouldn't leave clan lands until this is settled."
Ranata nods.
"This was in Toronto," Ranata adds.
"I'll speak to the queen of the Ontario clan. Consult Rinda about the curse. Helen shouldn't leave clan lands until this is settled."
Ranata nods.
"Come along," Ranata murmurs to Helen, and she leads her away to look for Rinda. Castarilan splits off to cover more ground.
carillons
Kalavar turns into a dark red dragon with bright orange spines, and climbs up onto Helen's shoulder, and preens Helen's hair with her nose and her bright orange claws.
Rinda takes longer to find than the queen did, but eventually she's located, and brought to see Kas.
"Hmm, don't know," she says, after looking him over, tossing some celery seed onto him and muttering a verse, and looking him over some more.
"Hmm, don't know," she says, after looking him over, tossing some celery seed onto him and muttering a verse, and looking him over some more.
"Deep curse, very fast, very permanent," says Rinda, mostly to Ranata. "Might be able to unravel it with the sacrifice they used but they'll have burnt it, yes?"
"Probably," says Ranata softly.
"Probably," says Ranata softly.
carillons
Kalavar curls her tail around Helen's arm and arches her wing around Helen's head.
Ranata puts her hand on Helen's other shoulder. Castarilan hums in patterns around girl and daemon both. "Is it worth finding a second opinion?"
"Oh, if you must, call the allied clans, ask them what their cursebreakers say, but I think they'll tell you the same," says Rinda, shaking her head.
"Oh, if you must, call the allied clans, ask them what their cursebreakers say, but I think they'll tell you the same," says Rinda, shaking her head.
carillons
Kalavar becomes a viscacha and flumps into Helen's arms, and Helen hugs her and cries into her fluff, leaning on Ranata.
"I'm so sorry," Ranata murmurs to Helen.
Rinda makes an apologetic gesture and departs.
Rinda makes an apologetic gesture and departs.
carillons
Kalavar buzzes bee-shaped up to Castarilan, and Helen hugs Ranata and cries on her instead.