She snapped her fingers dramatically as she cast the spell. Nadine shrank, her dress billowing as it dropped to the floor. Nanette picked the dress up, revealing a tiny goldfish flapping its fins desperately. She scooped Nadine up, held her above the fishbowl for a long moment and then dropped her in the water. The experience of being trapped in another form would probably do the brat good. And if it didn’t… Nanette shrugged. It would keep her out of mischief for a few months, which was all she needed it to do.
“And if you manage to break the spell,” she said, “it really will kill you.”
She carried the fishbowl into the next room, weakened the glamour and cast a slight confusion hex before releasing the maids. Their eyes glazed, just for a second. Their memories would be a little confused, but they shouldn’t have any reason to think something was wrong. They’d probably blame the whole thing on their mistress’s pranks and jokes. Nanette was no stranger to cruelty — she was all too aware that children and teenagers could be very cruel indeed — but there were limits. Nadine’s father should have hired a strict governess or done something before sending his daughter school.
“Princess,” one of the maids managed. “I…”
“Lay out my clothes for going to school,” Nanette ordered. She braced herself. She’d done everything in her power to make herself resemble Nadine, but if she couldn’t fool the brat’s maids, she couldn’t fool anyone. “And I want you to take good care of my fish.”
She placed the fishbowl on the mantelpiece and issued strict orders. The maids would feed the fish, but otherwise do nothing. The enchantments on the bowl would clean the water, ensuring there was no need to take the fish out of the bowl. Nanette didn’t think Nadine could break the spell from the inside — she’d used the strongest spell she could cast without making it blindingly obvious — but Aurelius had taught her there was no point in taking chances. Nadine would stay a fish until Nanette saw fit to release her.
Or someone comes to investigate, after I’ve been and gone, she thought, as she changed into her new dress. The maids fussed around her, pinning her hair into an elaborate hairstyle that felt oddly uncomfortable. I wonder if they’ll blame everything on the little brat.
She glanced up as there was a knock on the door, then snapped her fingers. A maid hurried to open it. A young girl stood outside, looking nervous as she dropped an unpractised curtsey. The innkeeper’s daughter, Nanette guessed, wearing a fancy dress that was probably older than she was. Nadine would have sniggered, Nanette was sure. The girl’s dress was so outdated that it would have been passed down from grandmother to mother and then to daughter. But… Nanette decided not to laugh. She didn’t need the girl doing something stupid while she was at the school.
“Yes?”
“Your Ladyship, the school’s carriage has arrived,” the girl said. “They’re waiting for you downstairs.”
“Then it will be my honour to join them,” Nanette said, grandly. She indicated the trunk with one hand, subtly casting a lightening spell. “Take the trunk down to the carriage. I shall join you in a moment.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship,” the girl said.
Nanette watched her go, then gave the maids their final orders before wrapping her cloak around her dress and promenaded down the stairs. Nadine wasn’t as important as Nadine had thought, she noted absently; Nadine only had a handful of servants, rather than the small army a real princess would have. She smiled inwardly as she reached the bottom of the stairs, waving grandly to the innkeeper before stepping into the open air. The carriage — it was more of a gig cart — was waiting for her, a grim-faced woman holding the reins. The innkeeper’s daughter stood beside it. Nanette made sure to tip the girl before she clambered into the carriage. Nadine probably wouldn’t have bothered, but Nanette knew what it was like to serve. She just hoped the girl was smart enough to make the money vanish before her father or siblings saw it.
She leaned back in her chair as the cart rattled into life, the driver steering through the streets and up a narrow road that led up to the castle. Magic flickered through the air, traces of wild magic mingled with more controlled spells… she frowned as she saw another castle on a further peak, clearly in ruins. She wondered, idly, who’d built the twin castles… and who’d destroyed the second one. The records didn’t say, not with any certainty. There was no shortage of stories, from the believable to the absurd, but nothing was known. She tensed as the cart passed through a ward, one that sent odd little tingles down her spine. It reminded her of something, something she’d seen before, but she couldn’t place it.
The driver glanced back at her. “If you happen to be smuggling any boys into the castle,” she said in a disdainful tone, “now’s the time to let them go.”
Nanette blinked. Now she knew why the ward felt familiar. It was a sex-detection ward, akin to the spells protecting the female dorms at Mountaintop. And yet… she’d never encountered a ward so sensitive. It might not stop any boys from continuing up the road, but it would alert the castle’s wardmasters they were coming.
“I’m not carrying any boys,” she managed. The thought was absurd. “Does that happen often?”
“You might be surprised,” the driver said. “There’s always someone who thinks they can break the rules.”
She lapsed back into silence. Nanette stared at the back of her head for a moment, then lifted her gaze and stared at the school. The castle looked vaguely ominous, as if it were wrapped in darkness and shadow even though it was late afternoon. She could sense magic pulsing around the building, feel flickering spells dancing through the air. They didn’t seem hostile, but she had a feeling that could change at any moment. The school had enemies. Some of them were powerful enough to do real harm.
Yeah, she reminded herself. And I’m one of them.
The wrought-iron gates, runes and sigils carved into the metal, swung open as they approached. The courtyard within was empty. There were no students, no staff… not even any other horses. Nanette wondered, just for a moment, if they’d come to the wrong castle. A shiver ran down her spine. The magic was strong, but…
“Down you get,” the driver ordered. She waved a hand at an open door. “Penny will take you to the Deputy Headmistress.”
Nanette’s eyes narrowed as she saw a young woman — the same age as herself, she thought — step out of the door. The woman — Penny, she assumed — held herself like an aristocrat, but so rigidly that Nanette knew she wasn’t that highborn. Her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun, her face schooled into an expression of such bland unconcern that it had to be an act. She kept her hands clasped behind her back, probably to keep them from shaking. Nanette hid her amusement with an effort. She knew the type. They were easily manipulated.
“Nadine?” Penny’s voice was aristocratic enough to put the other aristocrats to shame. “I bid you…”
“That’s Your Ladyship to you,” Nanette said. It was what Nadine would have said. “I…”
Penny glowered. “The Deputy Headmistress wishes to speak with you,” she said. “And then I’ll show you to your room.”
“I want to speak to the Headmistress,” Nanette said. “My father…”
“The Deputy Headmistress wishes to speak with you,” Penny repeated, a hint of impatience entering her tone. “Come with me.”