“I think that’s probably enough spells for the day,” said Evie delicately.
“But we’ll need the spell book to get through the barrier, and then to call up the trident,” Mal reminded her.
“Need what to do what?” a voice called, just as a bright light shone upon them on the shadowy dock, temporarily blinding all of them.
Mal frantically motioned to Jay to cut the engine, and the four of them froze in place, barely daring to breathe.
“Who’s there?” called the increasingly familiar voice. “Show yourselves!”
Mal shielded her eyes and looked up past the light to the person holding the spark. She knew that wand.
“Oh no! It’s Fairy Godmother!”
Uma had worked at the Fish and Chips Shoppe her entire life, from when she was so little she could barely see above the counter, until she was old enough to wear an apron, carry a tray, and take an order. She recognized most of their regulars, and when new customers walked in, Uma always paid attention. So when the Sorcerer’s Intern entered on Gil’s arm, Uma spotted her right away.
She and Harry were whispering by the counter when they arrived. Uma nodded to Gil, who waved back and signaled for Uma to come over. She shook her head. She wanted Gil to talk to Sophie for a little bit, soften her up before Uma went in for the kill.
Harry slunk away and Uma went back to work, slamming down trays and yelling at patrons who dared not to tip, pointing to the sign—TIP OR ELSE!—that hung by the exit. After an hour, Gil sidled up to the counter that Harry was leaning on and Uma was wiping with a rag. “Are you ready to talk to her yet?” he asked Uma, a desperate tone in his voice.
“Why, are you out of conversation?” Uma asked.
“Almost! We’ve been sitting over there forever. I did what you said. She thinks we’re on a date. Keeps asking me about my hobbies and whether I enjoy long walks on the beach. I’ve seen a lot of pictures of her cats,” he groaned. “I told her you wanted to chat now.”
“Fine. Harry, stay close in case I need you.” Uma squared her hat on her head and walked over to the table, to where a young woman in a red wizard’s robe was seated, sipping bilge and snacking on a side of fried clams. “Hi, Sophie?”
“Hey, Uma,” said Sophie. “These are great! What do you guys put on them?” she said, motioning to the plate of clams and wiping her mouth with a napkin.
“You don’t want to know,” said Uma frankly. “I mean…Cook has a fabulous recipe.” She realized that buttering up the clams, so to speak, was the way to get what she wanted from this girl. “Did you guys have a nice dinner?”
“We did,” said Sophie. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Come back again,” said Uma. “On Fridays we have the weekend special.” The weekend special was everything that didn’t sell over the week, but Uma didn’t say that.
“Okay, I will,” said Sophie. “I don’t really get to go out too much.”
“The sorcerer keeps you busy?”
“Yeah, there’s always papers to grade and research on his experiments. But I have nights and weekends off. It’s just a bit far from where we live.”
“I see,” said Uma. “I heard you’re not from here, like we are.”
“Yeah, I’m not. My family’s from Eden, actually,” said Sophie. “We live in the middle of the forest.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes. It’s so green back home and so…well…not green here.” Sophie shrugged.
“You don’t have to say,” said Uma. “We know what the Isle is like.” She whistled to a server. “Bring us two pints of the best swill.”
“Oh wow,” said Sophie.
“My pleasure,” said Uma. “Gil is handsome, isn’t he?”
Sophie’s eyes flicked to Gil, who raised his bilge glass to her with a goofy smile. “Yeah, I guess, if you like brawny.”
“Who doesn’t?” said Uma.
Sophie giggled self-consciously. “Belle, I guess. Although she married Beast.”
Uma decided it was time to get down to business. “Anyway, you have a second?”
Sophie nodded and put away her napkin. “Gil said you had something magical for me,” she said, in a professional tone.
“He did?” Uma was confused for a moment until she remembered it had been her idea to tell Sophie that she had something for her. “Oh, right, I do.”
“You really have it?” Sophie asked, her neck tensing at the question. Whatever it was that she thought Uma had, it was clear it was incredibly important to her.
Like Gil, Uma decided the best answer was a definitive “Yes. I have it.”
“Oh, thank wizards!” said Sophie, smiling in relief. “I’ve been looking for it everywhere! Where’d you find it?”
“Around,” said Uma vaguely.
“I mean, I can’t believe the shop gave me a witch’s hat back!” Sophie grumbled.
“Right…”
“I just took it there because the brim was fraying,” said Sophie. “I should have just fixed it myself. I’m sure they sold the sorcerer’s hat to someone else.”
“The hat! You’re looking for the sorcerer’s hat!” said Uma.
Sophie was suddenly not as friendly. She frowned. “Yeah, and you said you had it.”
“Pointy blue one? With all those stars and moons on it? What’s so special about it?” asked Uma. She would never understand the ways of wizards.
“Nothing!” said Sophie abruptly.
“Nothing?” said Uma suspiciously.
“The professor doesn’t like to be without it,” Sophie finally admitted. “He’s a little sensitive about his bald spot.”
Uma raised an eyebrow. “That can’t be all it is.”
“Fine! Whoever wears the hat is able to use his power, except there’s no magic on the Isle, thankfully,” said Sophie. “But I still need to get it back. So, out with it. Do you have it or not?”
Uma slammed a palm on the table. “Of course I have it! And it can be yours if—”
“What do you mean if?” asked Sophie.
“If you give me something in return,” said Uma with a wicked smile. “Can’t get something for nothing, you know. Ursula’s rule. And you’re on our turf now.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want for it?”
“Tell me where Yen Sid keeps my mother’s necklace,” said Uma.
“You want Ursula’s necklace?” asked Sophie.
“Are you deaf? Yes, I want her necklace—the seashell one!” growled Uma.
“But it’s broken; what would you need it for…?” said Sophie.
“I don’t care, I want it. It was my mother’s, and I want it back,” said Uma. “Sentimental value, shall we say.”
“You? Sentimental? As if!”
“It was my mother’s!” said Uma. “It’s rightfully mine.”
Sophie stuck her nose in the air. “Be that as it may, it’s the property of the kingdom now. It belongs in the museum,” she said in a superior tone. “The only reason it’s still on the Isle is—”
“The embargo,” said Uma. “I know.”
“I’m not telling you where it is,” said Sophie.
“Fine, then no hat,” said Uma.
“You don’t have it,” said Sophie.