Whatever Maleficent’s reason, Nanny felt safe having Circe on her side.
“Of course I am on your side. I love you,” Circe said, reading Nanny’s thoughts.
Nanny looked at Circe with a sad smile. “Let’s hope that never changes. I’ve had young girls tell me that and they later regretted it.”
Circe didn’t think that was true. She was sure Nanny felt that way only because the daughter she loved most no longer loved her. And the loss of Maleficent, the loss of her daughter’s love, made Nanny feel like she was a disappointment to all those around her.
“I’ve never regretted loving you!” Princess Tulip said, bounding into the morning room and giving Nanny a kiss on the cheek.
Nanny suddenly felt very happy having the two wonderful young ladies with her. It reminded her of a time when her adopted daughter had loved her just as much as Circe and Tulip did now. Nanny’s stomach lurched at the thought of her seeing Maleficent and having their inevitable confrontation. So many years had passed since they had seen each other. And their last encounter had been devastating.
“Tulip, my dear, can I get you to do some research for me?” Nanny asked, distracting herself from her thoughts. “Could you please go to the library and look up any creatures in Morningstar that are plant- or earth-based? Other than the Tree Lords and Cyclopean Giants, of course, since you have already read everything there is to know about them.”
Tulip looked at Nanny suspiciously. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
Nanny shook her head. “No, my dear, it’s very important. I know this subject interests you, and I happen to be in great need of the information.”
Circe could see confusion on Tulip’s face. “I’ll go with you to the library and explain. She’s no longer a child, Nanny! She deserves to know what’s happening,” Circe said as Nanny shot her a concerned look.
As Circe and Tulip headed out of the room, Circe turned. “I’ll be right back. Don’t worry; I’m not leaving you alone for long.”
Nanny’s head was spinning and her heart raced. Reliving one’s many lifetimes—for truly, that was what Nanny had lived—was like a gift that brought only heartache. It was easy to look back on past mistakes and wish better choices had been made. But to remember all past transgressions at once, to have them tumble down in great succession, was like nothing Nanny had ever experienced. Failing her adopted daughter was the gravest mistake of her lifetimes. And now Tulip was caught up in the mess, with her mother and father stuck in the kingdom, enchanted by a sleeping curse. Everything was in ruins. Nanny seemed to be surrounded by nothing but grief and impending disaster. She didn’t know where to begin.
But she did. She had already begun.
Tulip was researching the local creatures, old and new. Nanny needed to know if there were any creatures in Morningstar that would pose a threat to Maleficent. And she would have Circe look for a spell that would wake her sisters. The witches’ house was still resting on the cliffs by the sea. Surely there was some spell hidden away in their many volumes that could help them.
Circe came back into the room. “I have explained everything to Tulip. She understands and isn’t afraid. She’s changed so much since I first met her; she’s changed a great deal since yesterday. It’s wonderful to see her becoming such a remarkable young woman. I’m sure you’re proud of her.”
Nanny smiled. “I have always been proud of her. I’ve always seen her as the woman she would become. I never doubted Tulip would someday become the extraordinary young woman I knew she was.”
“Did you see who Maleficent would become?” Circe asked.
Nanny nodded. “I did. But I tried to change her future. I tried to steer her in another direction. And in my attempt to save her, I gave her all the tools she needed to become the mistress of all evil.”
That was Nanny’s greatest failure, although Maleficent likely saw it as Nanny’s greatest gift to her. It felt like a knife in her heart to say those words aloud to Circe.
Mistress of all evil.
Nanny knew Circe had been listening to her thoughts as she had recalled her past with Maleficent. She’d made no effort to keep her thoughts secret. Allowing Circe to listen in was far easier and less painful than repeating her mistakes aloud. Nanny knew Circe didn’t judge her. Circe was like Nanny: she could see time in ways others could not. She knew that Nanny had never tried to hurt Maleficent, that Nanny had done all she could to save her little green fairy. Circe was able to rewind and play the recordings of time. Nanny felt Circe likely knew more than she had shared. She probably knew everything. And one day, Nanny thought, Circe might be able to experience all time as one time without going mad. Nanny knew that for now, Circe could visit places in time individually, especially when they were emotionally charged. But it came at a cost: it was exhausting. And Circe needed all her strength to help her sisters. Besides, it was too soon to point Circe on the journey her life would take after she’d settled the matter of her sisters. It was too soon for Nanny to tell Circe of her great destiny, so Nanny was careful to keep these thoughts from Circe until the time was right.
“I will not let you meet Maleficent alone. I just have to do a quick protection spell on the solarium, and I will be right back at your side,” Circe said. She gave Nanny a weary look before she kissed her soft, powdery cheek. Circe could feel her heart being pulled in two different directions, between Nanny and her sisters. She knew Nanny could sense it, too. Her sisters’ home still sat on the cliffs above Morningstar, and she was certain the answer to waking her sisters lay inside. But her sisters’ spell books would have to wait. Her childhood home would still be there when she was ready. Circe couldn’t bring herself to leave the castle quite yet. Not while Maleficent’s threatening forest of tangling vines drew nearer.
The odd sisters lay on the floor of the solarium under its massive glass dome. Nanny and Circe had decided to leave them where they had collapsed for fear of harming them, though Circe wondered how they could be harmed any more than they already had been; she couldn’t detect any life force in them. To her, they looked like broken, lifeless dolls. Their eyes were still open wide, slightly bulging from their profoundly darkened sockets. She was saddened to see their white cheeks deeply stained with black streaks from long hours of crying before their collapse. Their red lipstick was smudged and settled into the lines around their mouths. It made Circe upset to see her sisters in such a state. Even though she could no longer feel their presence, she knew in her heart that somehow they were still in the world.
Just not in this world.
Muttering a quick incantation, Circe fixed the odd sisters’ makeup, curled their onyx ringlets, straightened the feathers in their hair, and righted their beautiful voluminous dresses, made of black silk with a cascade of silver stars, resembling the night sky. If Circe had to delay finding the spell to wake them, the least she could do was give them their dignity. They would have looked peaceful if she just could have closed their eyes. But Circe thought perhaps it was better that they were open. She didn’t want to forget her sisters required her help. Circe only wished she could wake them as easily as she had made them look presentable again.
I hope they’re okay, wherever they are. Do you think they’ll ever wake up? It was Pflanze. The feline had been watching Circe silently as she’d helped her sisters. Seeing her witches motionless on the floor sent a chill through Pflanze’s heart. She was afraid she would never speak to them again. Never feel the touch of Ruby’s hand or the soft brushing of Lucinda’s lips on the top of her head, or feel Martha tugging on her ears.
“Stop fretting, Pflanze. We will find a spell to wake them. I am sure of it.” Turning from her sisters, Circe looked at Pflanze. She took in the cat’s beauty, dazzled by Pflanze’s golden eyes, flecked with green and rimmed with black. They were striking against the vivid patches of orange, black, and white on the cat’s face. “You really are a beautiful creature, Pflanze. Keep watch over them. I’ll be back.”
Are you going to enchant the door? I feel uneasy with my witches so defenseless, especially if Maleficent is on her way.
“Of course. Don’t worry,” Circe said. She quietly closed the door behind her so as not to disturb her sleeping sisters and their loyal guardian. With a wave of her hand, Circe created a powerful barricade around the room. Only those with a pure heart and noble intentions would be able to open the door. No one who intended to harm the sisters would be able to enter the solarium. And no magic would be strong enough to break the spell—not a spell woven in love for the protection and safety of her beloved sisters.
Owls, crows, pigeons, and dragonflies were arriving at Morningstar Castle in siege numbers. Messages from every kingdom and every corner of the magical realms were still flooding in. Many were inquiring about the great magnitude of power that had erupted from Ursula’s death and whether it had been taken care of. Some of the messages were simply offers of condolences for Ursula’s passing. Nanny had time for none of those. She would reply when she had dealt with Maleficent. But one message would not wait. It was from her sister, informing her that a group of fairies was on its way to help her handle “the odd sisters situation.” That was the last thing Nanny needed: a bunch of fairies descending upon Morningstar while Maleficent was there!