Ursula's Beginning

16. My dear, I'll look divine

"Breakfast, Barry!" Ursula whispered into the storage pod. She had learned from yesterday's mistakes. With some trepidation, she slipped her hand past the door. "It's all fresh," she said of the meat resting on her palm.

There was momentary stillness in the pod, followed by rapid movement and blinding pain. Barry had decided that the section of Ursula's hand between the base of her pinky finger and her wrist was the finest thing on offer. "I should kill you!" she howled, slamming the door shut.

By the time she had finished restoring her hand, Ursula had decided she didn't want to answer questions from Amoret or the cuttlemaids about Barry's disappearance. Moreover, she didn't want to show up at Siddikah's tonight without her "guard." For these reasons alone, she would let him live.

"I'll fix you, you treacherous beast," she muttered as she left to find Amoret.

A short while later, Ursula returned with her friend, who looked fresh and pretty and perfectly groomed in the early morning light. Ursula marveled at this, thinking of her own wily mane.

"So you'll do it?" Ursula asked.

"Yes, but I'm not sure how well it will work. A friendship spell is like any other love spell—there has to be some kind of pre-existing foundation to work from. Some warmth, or respect, or a shared experience that has bonded the parties to some degree..." Amoret trailed off.

"We've had some good stretches of training together. You were there!"

"Yeahhhh," Amoret answered vaguely.

Ursula sighed. "Alright, tell me the worst that will happen if we lack a good foundation. Will the spell hurt him?"

"No. At worst he'll be like a zombie for the duration of the spell. And the magic may wear off sooner than the usual twenty four hours of a love spell."

"Fine. I can handle zombie Barry for a day. I just need him to calm down so...so we can bond more. He's just so spirited, you know?"

"Yes, he is!" Amoret chirped as she cracked open the door. "And that's exactly what love spells are for—to give someone a better shot at bonding with the object of their affection. Then when the spell wears off, the bonding that has happened can lead to that affection being reciprocated in a genuine way. At least, this is the only kind of love spell I do."

Hearing Amoret's voice, Barry strained mightily to push his head through the door. Once freed, he placidly ate breakfast from Amoret's unmolested palm. It was the same food Ursula had tried to feed him only minutes before.

While he ate, Amoret cast the spell over Ursula and Barry. It was subtle; just some waves of her free hand, coupled with words, and occasional finger positioning to accent particular words. The barracuda never looked up from his food.

"Why don't you try to feed him now?" Amoret asked softly, petting the fish's sides.

"Okay." Barry ate gingerly from Ursula's trembling hand, and relief washed over her. "Good boy," she said flatly. She half-grinned at her friend. "This is encouraging. Thank you for helping us! Except...why don't I feel any differently toward him?" she asked.

Amoret smiled, revealing adorable dimples. "Give it a couple hours!"

***

Barry was so different after the spell that Ursula allowed him free run of the temple while she worked. He never strayed too far from her, though. Like the day before, she encountered many odd injuries from animal attacks; the merfolk she treated were wary of the barracuda that lingered by the healer's side at intervals.