"Did she just lock us in the kitchen?" Blake asked. "Who locks their prisoners in the kitchen?" He sprang up onto the counter for a better look. "There are no windows here."

"I know, I know." Mimi slammed her head against the door. "The room was apparently never built with windows. Can you pick the lock?"

"I can try. Do you think she used magic on the lock?"

Mimi slammed her head against the door again. "Probably. Just try anyway. Please."

"Don't do that to your head." He made a flying leap toward the doorknob, landing well enough. But his paws skidded over the metal and he dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Don't slam your head against the door again."

She stepped back. She wanted to. Banging her head against something seemed to be the best idea she had right now.

Blake sighed. "We'll have to trust Jacob on this."

"Jacob has no idea we're in here."

"We're in the kitchen and it's Jacob. I daresay he'll make his way back here eventually."

True, it was Jacob and Jacob was nothing if not a cook. "And Lavender did say she'd like him to cook her something." The words came out with more bitterness than she expected, enough to surprise her. "I'm sure he would be happy to come up here and cook for her."

Blake stared at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She shook her feathers. She wanted out. Her time of being stuck in a kitchen was supposed to be over. "I don't think he has any idea of what he is getting into with her."

"Why wouldn't he? He has heard what she has done to the two of us."

"It doesn't matter. You don't know her like I know her. She'll dig her claws in, do whatever she wants. I hate her."

"And you have every reason in the world to hate her." Blake climbed back onto the counter. "Where are the knives kept?"

"What do you need a knife for?"

"Do you have any idea how long it has been since I've held a weapon?"

Mimi would never understand how men's brains worked. She banged her head once more against the door. She really was getting a headache from doing that. Nobody was going to come until Lavender came herself. They had to get out.

She curled up on the floor, wings tucked in, and tried to remember a useful spell. There were so few she knew, and her brain was rushing out of control so she could hardly think. She was the daughter of a sorcerer, these sort of things should come naturally to her, but no. Magic had all but spoiled her growing up, her father's spells, those who came to see him, the invisible servants. The ones she had replaced in cooking and cleaning and every other manner of household work. Whatever had happened to them? To Mimi it seemed they had faded away, but it didn't seem like Lavender to completely destroy a spell, if the invisible servants could even be destroyed.

They had always been there, useful charms she had taken for granted. She imagined her father must have somehow summoned them to control them and give them orders. And they were hardly dangerous, so whatever summoned them couldn't be too secret.

She closed her eyes and thought of them. Tiny bits of magic in the air with no purpose but to serve her. How incredible selfish and lazy it had been of her and Weatherbold to keep them. But they were so handy, so useful.

"Mimi?" Blake asked.

"Shh. I'm concentrating." Parts of her childhood, practical spells making sure she was always comfortable, unconcerned about what anyone thought she needed to do. Goodness, how lazy she had been. To think she had always taken them for granted. She continued to focus as the minutes rushed by, trying desperately to keep her mind from wandering…

And suddenly there it was, a familiar presence of nothing in particular right above her. Small, weak, but still ready to serve. Mimi laughed. "Blake! I've got it. We are leaving. Open the door."

"I already tried."

"No, not you." And already the door was being jumped, the lock being prodded. Then, with ease, the door opened.

"Thank-you," Mimi said. "Follow us."

"What did you just do?" Blake demanded as he ran out the door. "Who are you talking to?"

"An invisible servant. I thought they all disappeared, but apparently they were just lying dormant. I managed to summon one."

"Why didn't you do that years ago?"

"Clearly I wasn't thinking."

The hall was empty, but not the painful emptiness of earlier. It was the emptiness of one of those days when there was no one else in the castle but Mimi and Weatherbold.

"She told Jacob and Abe to turn left," Blake said.

So the left turn was made. Another hall, that was it. Except…

"This leads to the dungeons," Mimi said.

"You have dungeons?"

"It's a very old castle. Of course there are dungeons. But we don't use them for prisoners or anything. My father would practice his magic down there."

"This hall leads directly to the dungeons?"

"No, not specifically. But I assume…"

"That Lavender would use the dungeons for their real purposes. Of course. Lead the way."

The dungeon door no longer bore any sign that she had ever set it on fire. It was locked.

"Open it, please," she instructed the invisible servant.

It didn't seem to move.

"Open the door." Lavender must have put some extra spell on it. Well, no matter, it wasn't her castle. "I'm the daughter of Weatherbold, the sorcerer who created you. This is my home, and you will listen to me."

There was a pause, but then the door began to shake in its frame. The doorknob jilted and rattled and finally the door opened.

The place did not smell at all like her father's dungeon. Gone were the always interesting blends of ingredients. Smoke did not cling to the ceilings. All was darkness.

"Father?" Mimi called. He would not be able to understand her, but anyone could hear the sound of a goose honking. If he were down here. If he were alive.

"I don't hear Jacob or Abe."

"Neither do I. Father?"

The dungeon was still. They crept along. The dark was overpowering. She could not see a thing. Only memory kept her going in the right direction. "Father?"

Something moved. Wings fluttering.

"Father!" Mimi screamed.

"Mimi?"

She choked back a sob, spread out her wings, and flew in the direction of Weatherbold's voice. "Where are you? I can't see anything."

"Just follow my voice, then." Weatherbold's voice was desperate but joyful. "I can see you, you're in the right direction. Just stop before—"

She crashed into wire bars.

"The cage."

She climbed to her feet, dazed and thrilled. "Father, what are you doing in a cage?"

"I might ask you what you're doing in that form. Except I can already tell you the answer."

"Lavender did it. Your stupid, awful wife." She put her head against the bars, crying silently. "I thought I wouldn't see you again. Or hear your voice again. Whatever I'm doing right now."

"Mimi, I'm so sorry. I was going out to meet you when she caught me."

"What did she do to you?"

"I'm afraid it's not far from your own result."

She had transformed him, too. She sighed. Of course. "What are you? I can't see."

"An owl. Charming form for me, I suppose, with her sick sense of humor. She forced these seeds into my mouth and forced me into this cage. What a delightful woman. Mimi, can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course. We're going to get you out. I summoned one of your invisible servants."

Weatherbold laughed. "Good girl. I wondered what had happened to them. I had hoped they had just shrunk into the walls or something. Apparently I was right."

"I'll just have him unlock the cage for you."

Already the cage door was rattling.

"It won't work."

"What do mean it won't work?"

"Just watch. Or listen. You may have gotten through the dungeon door but this cage was sealed by Lavender to be opened by herself only. Apparently I'm too much of a prize right now."

"Just give it some time!"

"Mimi, no. It's useless."

She banged her head against the cage, not caring what Blake thought. It was true. The invisible servant was still fiddling away in vain. "Have you tried something? Can you still do magic?"

"Not much," Weatherbold said. "I've tried everything I can. I just wanted to find out where you were. Have you been safe?"

"Yes. Blake… Blake, where are you?"

The sound of a squirrel running up echoed through the room.

"This is Blake," Mimi continued. "The rightful duke of a little duchy in one of those kingdoms you don't care about. He helped me."

"Ah, the squirrel. Pleasure to meet you. I apologize, but this form was rather hungry watching you."

Blake laughed. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Thank-you for protecting my daughter."

"Of course, sir. And now I'm going to help you out."

"It's no use, Blake. I'm sorry."

"But…"

"I'm sorry, but the two of you are going to have to hide. She was down here only recently, with two others…"

Mimi gasped. "They came down here?"

"More friends of yours?"

"Yes. Jacob and Abe. Where did they go?"

"She took the boy with her, I'm sorry to say."

"She took Abe?" Blake swore under his breath.

"Yes. I don't even want to know why. The taller one is… well, she took him further along that way. Deeper into the dungeons, Mimi. I'm guessing she threw him into an old cell. Hopefully."

"All in the short time she had us trapped in the kitchen," Mimi said, shaking her head.

"She's quick when she has the mind to be," said Weatherbold. "Stay out of her way."

"Father, I can't leave you here."

"Of course you can. Clearly I'm not going anywhere."

"I want to stay here!"

"What about your friends?"

"Mimi, I'll look for Abe. I'll find where she's taken him." And then he was off.

"Good man you've found there," Weatherbold said after Blake was gone. "Very brave."

"He is brave. But he's not mine." Such an odd thing to be discussing with her father.

"He came with you, didn't he?"

"Yes. He's a victim of Lavender's, too. And he's my friend."

"But nothing more?"

"Nothing more."

Weatherbold hesitated, thinking. "Good. Now go."

"Father!"

"I'm an owl right now, I've excellent hearing, someone is coming. Now go." And with that something forced against her and pushed her away from the cage. One of her father's spells. "I'll hide you the best I can."

Trying not to cry, Mimi hid herself further down the dungeon hall as Lavender's footsteps approached. Mimi huddled against a wall behind what she imagined to be a pile of her father's books, thrown haphazardly to the ground. And around her she could feel something, warm and shimmering. Glamour, from her father. He was going to hide her.

The light of a single candle barely touched the dimness.

"You'll never guess who came by today, darling," said Lavender's voice in sing-song. "Another guest. Your daughter. She decided to come home."

"What did you do with her?" Weatherbold demanded furiously.

"Do with her?" She laughed. "I did nothing with her. She's loose about the castle. I had her locked in the kitchen, ready to bring to you when the time was right. I'm sure you would have loved to see each other in your lovely bird forms. But she escaped. And when I catch her and you know I will catch her she will be punished."

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"I freed her. She's the one who decided to return, the silly little goose."

"Harm her and I'll kill you."

"Is that anyway to speak to your wife? You're in the cage, my dear. You have no power over me. You never did. In fact, I'm moving your cage."

"What?"

Mimi's heart flipped.

"I want you to see something. What I did to your idiot daughter. I'll be transforming one of our other guests. That boy that came down here. I'm sure you would love to see an example."

Not Abe! Mimi wanted to rush out and bite Lavender's nose off, but she found herself too terrified to move. The cage rattled as Lavender lifted it.

And then Mimi found herself alone in the dungeon.

She fell asleep. The excitement of finding her father, the fear for Abe, all of that rushing through her and she had the nerve to fall asleep. But she came to, rubbing sleep from her eyes, a stark naked human in a lightless dungeon. How long had she been asleep?

Quickly she gathered her thoughts. Lavender was going to transform Abe. Lavender had taken her father to another part of the castle. And Jacob was… Jacob was probably somewhere in the dungeon.

"Servant, I need one of my dresses. Don't be seen. And a candle."

This time the invisible servant moved quickly. Within ten minutes it was back, revealing from invisibility one of her dresses and a lighted candle. Oh, these servants were handy! She thanked it and slipped the dress on, then started down the dungeon hall, calling for Jacob.

As a child she had liked to see just how far down the dungeon hall she could go. She had only made in the entire length once, but it seemed that she was about to repeat the journey when a hand, shadowy in the candlelight, stuck out from a cell. "Mimi?"

She rushed over. "Jacob!"

"Where have you been? That crazy woman locked me in here and then drug off Abe. Where's Blake?"

"He went to look for Abe, whom I think is in trouble. Unlock the door. Not you, my invisible servant."

"You really do have an invisible servant," Jacob said in mild surprise as the door swung open. "And what do you mean Abe's in trouble?"

"She told my father she was going to turn him into something. Oh, dear, it's probably already happened. I kind of fell asleep."

"How can you fall asleep at a time like that?"

"I don't know! I was too scared to follow out Lavender and I guess I was tired. Let's just go."

"So much for whatever we were planning to do here," he muttered as he fell into step beside her.

"Like you were any help. I heard you. Asking how long she brewed her tea."

"What was wrong with that?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because… I don't know." She sped up, the wax spilling from the candleholder. "I thought you were my friend. And then you come in here and have small talk with an evil fairy."

"Yes. Talking about tea is betrayal." He paused. "And she's not just an evil fairy."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she is, but… she said she was Weatherbold's daughter."

"She's a liar."

"I know that much, Mimi. I'm not an idiot. I had heard everything from you and Blake. But there was something so familiar about her and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. But now I'm pretty sure I know who she is. I think she cursed me."

"What?" Mimi stopped. "You told me it was some old hag."

"I know. But the features are the same. Just… younger."

"It's liked she aged backwards. Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure." He sighed. "What are the odds? I was really hoping to get away from all that. Not a pleasant time. Squirrels are the worst animal to be."

"What about the dwarf thing?"

"That actually wasn't all that bad. At least I could talk to people and have a normal life."

"What you were was not normal."

"I know. But it was a heck of a lot more normal than running around some old fairy's house cooking for her. I really could have gone on a long time as Dwarf Long-nose."

"You were honestly happy?"

"I accepted it. I dealt with it."

Mimi laughed dryly. "Like you wanted me to deal with being a goose?"

"You have an hour of humanity. I didn't even have that."

"So you were worse off than me?"

"Actually, you ruined everything."

"What? How did I ruin your life?"

Jacob turned his back to her. "I was fine until you showed up. Then you appeared and you didn't want me to cook you and you needed my help and you needed me to find you a dress when you turned back into a human and you needed to me to get you food unless you snuck out into the gardens."

"I didn't think I had been so needy."

"And I was happy to do all of that. But that was all I could do for you. And then came in that winner of a prince and he was all you could think about. And you would have those clandestine meetings and I would continue to get you things knowing all the while that there was nothing else I could do."

"Jacob," Mimi began. She had appreciated all of that. He had no right to make her feel so guilty.

But he ignored her. "I lost everything to the fairy. Everything. And in return I was given this life I really didn't want but dealt with anyway and everything was fine. Until you showed up and ruined it." He shook his head. "We need to get going since you wasted all our time sleeping."

"Jacob," she began again.

He just took the candle from her hand, kissed her firmly on the mouth for three shocking seconds, and then started back up the hall. "Sorry."