by K. M. Shea
Angelique lingered in the showroom with Elle while she delivered her speech. Quinn had gone ahead with Gabrielle—probably to hurriedly rearm herself so they could make a quick exit.
Nefari picked up the pouch of money and poured it out on the table, examining the gold coins. “Yes, the payment appears to be in order. It was a pleasure to do business with you, er…with Mademoiselle Mystrim.”
He stayed behind to caress the coins as Elle and Angelique beat a hasty retreat into the hallway. But after a few moments, he joined them as the group waited for Angelique to hurriedly swipe up the few extra weapons she’d shed and for Quinn to put away the last of her arsenal.
Hurry, hurry, hurry! We need to get out of here before his curiosity overcomes his greed!
“I hope the pendant is a help to you—and that you share the news of your patronage with friends…like Acri,” Nefari said.
Gabrielle stood like a statue so Elle could adjust the hood of her cloak for her. The way Gabrielle stood—with her arms hidden by her cloak but folded at her waist—made Angelique suspect she was cradling Puss.
When Elle finished, Gabrielle glanced at Nefari and ever so slightly nodded.
“Of course—should your spell prove as powerful as you claim,” Elle said.
Nefari puffed up. “It’s held up against Angelique before.”
Angelique was again thankful for her helm as her eyebrow involuntarily twitched.
It did…but it didn’t matter once I used my core magic.
Elle made a noise in the back of her throat, but Quinn opened the door, cutting off the need for conversation.
“We take our leave. Thank you for seeing to the pendant for Mademoiselle,” Elle said.
“Yes…of course.” Nefari sounded vaguely distracted as he glanced at the door of his study and frowned briefly.
Oh, no. Did he have a spell set up that we didn’t know about?
Sweat—cold and clammy—dripped down Angelique’s spine.
We need to get out. NOW.
She stomped through the open door. Her heart thumped so painfully in her chest, she didn’t even notice when she stepped into the blustery cold wind. She snatched up her sword and belt and tossed Quinn hers.
“Good day to you, Mage Nefari.” Elle stoop-curtsied, but Gabrielle didn’t bother—she was already walking away.
Angelique and Quinn followed after her, and Elle scrambled to catch up.
“Walk slower,” Elle hissed.
“We need to get away from here,” Gabrielle growled above the howl of the wind. “He was starting to question our cover.”
“That’s why we have to slow down!” Elle said. “If we run now, we’ll look as guilty as sin!”
Angelique made herself walk slower. Quinn did a better job at it—she kept herself in a guarded stance, but her steps looked measured rather than haltingly slow and edgy like Angelique’s.
Nefari never came after them.
Elle made them walk all the way back to the city, and no one chased them down.
They’d follow the detailed plan Elle had made them all memorize: once they reached the Arcainian city, they would go back to their inn, pay their bill, and leave, crossing the border to Loire and head south.
Or so it would appear. Speaking not a word of what they’d discovered, they’d shed their disguises in the wild and then travel north, making their way to a Loire Count’s lands that Elle knew. There, they would establish their new base, discuss what they’d seen, and Angelique would be free to once again use her magic.
And then, Angelique told herself, then the real search for Evariste will begin!
“Take more of your core magic and remove the two rapiers hanging above the fireplace while organizing the push pins into orderly columns and rows,” Puss ordered. His white fur shone in the flickering light of the banquet hall’s massive fireplace and the candlelight sconces fastened to the wall.
Sweat trickled down Angelique’s temples as she used her magic to lasso the flashy rapiers while re-organizing the push pins—which had tiny gobs of gray, white, and black wax stuck to their tops to differentiate them. “Why can’t I just grab all the weapons in the room in one go?” she grumbled. “Adding them in like this is hard.”
“It’s hard because it’s making you split your concentration, which is what we’re working on!” Puss picked his way across the rectangular banquet table that stretched the length of the room. “There will be times when you’ll need to add to your arsenal—whether it’s because more foes with more weapons appear, or because after starting with a smaller amount of power to limit the possibility of hitting your price, you discover more force is necessary. Now, take one dagger off Quinn’s belt.”
Angelique made a choking noise.
Quinn absentmindedly held her left arm up—giving Angelique easier access to her belt—as she scribbled notes on a piece of parchment Elle had procured for her.
“What if I accidentally hurt her?” Angelique asked.
“You won’t.” Quinn diligently scribbled away, not looking up. “You’d never hurt me.”
Angelique pressed her lips together.
“There’s going to be a war, Angelique. There might come a time when you need to take an ally’s weapon to use or give them one instead. If you practice it now, it will make you that much more of a force to be reckoned with when the fighting begins,” Puss said.
He’s right—though I can’t let him know that. He’ll be insufferable all day.
Incentivized, Angelique reached for her core magic—which seemed to resist for a moment, possibly a result of the practice session passing the hour mark. While she had plenty of power, she’d come to learn she severely lacked stamina.
Irritated, she tugged harder, and was immediately swarmed with the ocean of her powers. It filled her senses so completely, she could feel every weapon in the Count’s country estate, from the ones clutched by the guards, to sharpened axes all the way out in the barns.
Stung by the myriad of sensations that came with her magic touching so many points, Angelique abruptly dropped her magic.
The pins fell to the ground, the rapiers joining them with a clatter. And then Angelique’s stomach flopped unpleasantly. Nausea slammed into her, and Angelique gagged as she dropped to her knees, clutching her belly.
“See? That’s why we’re practicing this.” Puss’s words were muffled as he’d picked up a small cotton pouch in his mouth and dragged it across the table. He hopped to the ground and dropped the pouch by Angelique’s knees. “Have a candy.”
Angelique uncurled long enough to pull a hard candy out of the bag—this one was peppermint flavored. Quinn—who’d bought the little bag—had gotten her a mixture of ginger drops and peppermint candies.
While neither banished the sick feeling in her gut, they did take the edge off. After a minute, Angelique was able to stand again.
“I think it’s safe to talk. I just finished checking the premises, and we’re alone, and Puss and Angelique already confirmed there are no spells present.” Gabrielle strode across the banquet hall, looking just as beautiful in her leather doublet and breeches as she had in the fancy dress she’d worn for her disguise. She smiled at Angelique, then raised her face to the ceiling and called in a louder voice. “Unless you’ve found something, Elle?”
“Nope!” Elle’s cheerful reply came from the wooden beams that supported the high ceiling. “We’re free to speak.” She daringly jumped from a rafter, landing on the banquet table into a crouch.
It’s a good thing Severin is unflappable, or surely he would have aged twenty years by now since marrying Elle.
“Before we begin our exchange of intelligence, I must express my wish for Angelique to continue some minor magic drills,” Puss said.
Quinn finally looked up from her notes, her forehead wrinkling with worry. “Are you so concerned about this war that you think she needs to use every moment to practice?”
“Not at all,” Puss said. “Rather, it is that I belie
ve using her core magic must become second nature to her, so practicing its use—however minor—while holding a conversation with her companions is a wonderful opportunity that should not be missed.”
He’s not wrong, but do I really want the use of my core magic to become second nature?
Angelique glanced at her companions, but none of them seemed alarmed by the idea.
“Sounds good to me.” Elle plopped down on one of the wooden benches pulled up to the banquet table, then brightened. “Oohh, could you make pictures with the pins, again? My favorite was when you reenacted King Themerysaldi meeting Quinn as a mouse.”
“I might have been a little spiteful in my portrayal of the Elf King.” Angelique felt her core magic—eager to be used—twine around her fingertips.
Quinn made a noise of disagreement. “I love him, and I have to say it was a fitting portrayal. He was insufferable as a mouse.”
“Very well. Angelique, the public demands it—give us a picture of King Themerysaldi as a mouse.” Puss hopped up on the banquet table and curled his black tail around his white paws.
“I want to see a depiction of Pegasus with his wings, next,” Gabrielle piped in. “He is glorious to behold.”
“I’m glorious to behold.” An angry meow escaped Puss as he glared at his mistress.
“You don’t have wings and look like the night sky,” Gabrielle pointed out.
Angelique hesitantly rubbed her fingers together as she took in the laughter and conversation.
I decided to practice with my magic so I can free Evariste when the time comes, but I’m still terribly aware of the potential danger of my magic. Why do they all seem to find it harmless?
Briefly, Angelique remembered Emerys’ speech about magic being like its mage.
I suppose…I’m sarcastic and jaded, but—magic aside—I’d never call myself blood-thirsty.
“Who told you that your powers are scary, anyway, Angelique?” Gabrielle muffled a yawn with her hand as she sat down next to Elle and scratched Puss under his chin. “If I were a mage, I’d want your exact powers. Imagine the sword fights I could have!”
“You may pretend to be a princess, but you are still a barbaric miller’s brat.” Puss’ sour words were considerably diminished by his deep purr of happiness.
“It was the Veneno Conclave, right?” Elle shook her head in disgust. “I remember at the Summit, the other mages said some pretty rude things to you. Just goes to show how long the Veneno Conclave has been off!”
Angelique tilted her head in curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“They’re fair useless,” Elle bluntly said. She raised her hand to tick off her fingers. “They refuse to help the continent. They lost Carabosso after you handed him over on a silver platter. They can’t find Evariste, and they’re all over you about your magic when you’re the only thing that has stood between the continent and ruin since Evariste was taken.”
“They have a history of making poor decisions,” Quinn agreed. “Though I may be biased since they were also no help in freeing the elves, even though they supposedly looked into the matter when the elves first stopped coming out of Alabaster Forest.”
Angelique stared at the women.
…They’re right.
What are the chances the Conclave or Council is correct about me when they’ve been hiding from the truth of what’s happening and refusing to fight for decades?
My magic is dangerous, yes. But maybe that doesn’t mean I should forsake it, but that I should be diligent and learn as much as I can to prevent mistakes.
Angelique’s cold and sharp magic drifted around her ankles. For the first time since she’d been discovered as an enchantress candidate, she looked at her magic and hoped.
Maybe…maybe.
“Nefari feared you and knew your name. That alone proves you’re a giant threat to the Chosen, which means this is just another case of the Veneno Conclave being oblivious,” Elle grumbled.
“Yes, which is why practice is necessary,” Puss pointedly said.
Angelique licked her lips, then spread her magic across the push pins, dragging them up into the air.
Puss flicked his tail back and forth. “If you would oblige Princess Elle and create a mouse?”
Angelique used all the pins topped with white wax to create the outline of a mouse, then filled it in with the black wax-topped pins.
Everyone watched for a moment, and Angelique was grateful when she was halfway through her mouse-image-construction and Gabrielle slapped her hand—palm open—down on the table. “Right, I’m dying to know. Nefari: What did we learn from him? Puss only told me you got confirmation—and a map?”
“Yes.” Quinn passed Gabrielle and Elle the paper, then stood at attention, her posture tall and straight. “We believe we found information that confirms Evariste was taken north. In his logbook where he recorded jewelry and spell orders in code, Nefari also logged all food and supply orders. He mentioned a time in summer where he was granted permission for financial compensation because a large party taking a mirror north wiped out his food supplies.”
“A map was also recovered,” Puss said. “One that marked out Nefari’s suppliers in Mullberg—and possibly some of the smaller Chosen bases.”
“That will give us a place to begin searching—and hopefully find more information about Evariste,” Quinn said.
“It’s a good start,” Elle agreed as she flipped through Quinn’s meticulously organized reports.
Angelique tweaked her magic, reorganizing the pins into a new formation. “It’s more information about Evariste than I’ve found in a long time.”
“That’s encouraging, right?” Gabrielle smiled at her, then sneezed when Puss picked his way past her on the table and dusted his tail under her nose. “Puss!”
“We also learned quite a bit about the Chosen,” Elle said.
“What do you mean?” Gabrielle asked.
“They have a hierarchy—which we assumed, but was proven without refute by Angelique trotting out Acri’s name. We had a much better reception after that,” Elle said.
“It’s likely a hierarchy based on magical power.” Angelique furrowed her brow as she pushed a few white pins into place, completing a rudimentary picture of Pegasus. “Which, I suppose is no different than the way mages have operated—even back in the time of the Snow Queen. But I’m pretty certain Sorceress Suzu and Acri—both extremely powerful—knew Evariste was being kept in a mirror, but I don’t believe Nefari knew.”
“Not a chance,” Quinn said. “Or he wouldn’t have made a note about the mirror in his logbook.”
“So, the leaders aren’t telling their people everything,” Gabrielle said. “That’s interesting.” She rested her chin on her hand and watched Angelique move the pins around. “Say, Angelique, do you think you could break through those shield spells Nefari was selling?”
Angelique stared at the ceiling as she considered the question. “Not easily.”
“What’s the cause of this false humility of yours?” Puss demanded.
“It’s not false humility,” Angelique said. “Acri is the mage I fought in Zancara and again in Farset.”
Dream Evariste said as much. Or…real Evariste as it seems. But then that means that almost kiss wasn’t my stupid subconscious—
“And?” Puss prompted.
Angelique had never before been so happily jarred from her thoughts. She glanced at her pins to make sure they were stable, then continued. “He had the shield charm, and I wasn’t able to break through it with any spells.”
“Did you use your core magic?” Gabrielle asked.
Angelique shook her head.
“Aha-ha! That solves it.” Puss stuck his nose in the air. “I am positive your core magic is capable of crumpling such a spell—I’d bet my family name on it!”
“That’s okay,” Gabrielle said. “No one else wants your family name.”
“Roland Archibald Whisperpaws is a wonderful name!” Puss yowled. �
��Your future child should be lucky to have such a name.”
“We have a sample spell. Why don’t we test it out?” Elle pulled the pendant out of a pouch on her tunic. She rose slowly and with a groan, but sauntered to an empty part of the room and set the necklace on the stone floor, then backed up.
“Start small, then gradually scale your power up,” Puss suggested. “And use a rapier.”
Angelique dropped the pins into their leather storage pouch, then shifted her powers to the rapiers.
She felt both of the blades via the connection her magic gave her, then chose the one that had a sharper edge and better balance (though both of them were not the best blades and were very obviously meant for decorative purposes only).
Angelique wrapped her magic around the selected rapier, dragged it through the air so it hovered above the pendant, then thrust it down at the jewel.
An iridescent green shield sprouted from the pendant, flickering into place. The rapier slammed into the shield—which resisted the stab, though the surface visibly vibrated.
Angelique had half-thought the charm wouldn’t activate since Gabrielle wasn’t wearing it, so the sudden resistance was jarring and made her molars hurt.
“Ouch.” Angelique blinked in surprise.
Quinn stirred from her straight-backed stance. “Did that hurt?”
“Not really, it just caught me off guard.” Angelique added more magic to the rapier and tried again—this time bracing herself for resistance.
The shield resisted again, though the surface quaked.
A third time produced similar results—the shield still resisted, but it flickered and weakened.
“I think if I used enough power, maybe I could break it?” Angelique withdrew the rapier and peered at the pendant. “But given the amount of magic I’d use, there’s a chance it might implode, and I’d rather not ruin the banquet hall since the Count has so nicely offered to house us for the evening.”
“It might be better experimented on out in the wilds,” Puss agreed. “Though I’d be interested to see if you could hone your magic so you could eventually use less of it to collapse the shield.”
