by K. M. Shea
“We’ll be in touch,” Crown Prince Steffen said to Prince Severin. “Mikk and Nick will most certainly serve as our main military contacts, but when we settle on more, we’ll send word.”
Colonel Friedrich nodded. He was the last remaining representative; the King of Torrens and Rider Nareena had left the day after the Ringsted Representatives, and Princess Astra of Baris and Queen Linnea of Verglas had made their departure not two days ago. “We’ll prepare as much as we can until we know for sure what we’re up against.”
Prince Nickolas vaulted on top of his horse’s back. “If we even knew what sort of evil we faced, it would make preparations easier. But until we get some new intelligence, this is the best we can do, I reckon.”
“Thank you.” Prince Mikkael shook Severin’s hand before he also mounted his horse.
“I’m grateful you’re willing to organize us all, Severin.” Crown Prince Steffen took the reins to his mount when a servant brought the horse to him. “Thank you. And I apologize for our…misunderstandings in the past.”
Severin bowed his head. “I am just as thankful you are willing to overlook said misunderstandings as well.”
The crown prince of Arcainia gave Severin a quick grin. “You’re a great man. We’ll be in touch!” He swiftly mounted his horse, patting it on the neck when it tossed its head and pranced over to his wife and brothers who were arranged around the carriage. “Farewell!”
Elle joined Severin, who slipped his arm around her waist as the pair waved.
“Goodbye!” Gabrielle—the last in their little train—called. When she specifically looked at Ariane, Ariane broke the usual protocol for a maid and waved to the princess.
“Right, I believe we are cleared out, now, yes?” Elle asked.
“If you mean all the royal guests have left, we are still hosting Colonel Friedrich for a few days more,” Severin said.
Colonel Friedrich grinned and ambled up to the pair. “I apologize, Elle. You can’t be so easily rid of me! I, unlike the rest of the nobles, have no duties to drag me home.”
Elle snorted. “You are the Prince Consort.”
“Yes, but Cinderella, as Queen, does all the ruling. I am far too shy with my reserved temperament.” Colonel Friedrich’s grin turned sly as he bowed playfully.
“Either way, you don’t matter,” Elle declared. “You’re also a military fellow—like Severin—and all our remaining guests are mages who have been living with us long enough to have semi-permanent rooms. That means I may return to my normal schedule!”
“You will not go out under Lucien’s orders to search for the identity of our enemy,” Severin rumbled.
“Of course! I don’t know why you would think I would do such a thing! Because I was definitely not going to do that,” Elle said with the innocence of a summer sky. “I was going to focus on…bonding with Ariane! Yes, I have to foster a sisterly relationship with her.”
Ariane, who had started for the door, paused. “Your—Elle?” she said in a half-strangled voice.
“What—were you trying to keep that a secret? I hope not—if so, you should have told Lucien, for he has done little besides research history and recite bad poetry about you,” Elle said.
Ariane gaped at her. She is exaggerating. Unless Lucien has worked himself even harder than I thought and is starting to lose grasp of his mind?
“He does not recite bad poetry about you, Mademoiselle Ariane,” Severin said gravely.
Elle started to pick pins out of her hair so her long tresses fell down her back. “Then what do you deign to call it when he says, ‘her voice is akin to a choir of angels’?”
“Elle,” Severin growled.
“Good poetry?” Colonel Friedrich suggested.
“It is likely a sign that he should sleep more,” Ariane said.
Elle laughed so hard she had to lean into Severin for support. “I do so love you, Ariane. I’m so glad it’s going to be you. Come, let’s see if we can scare up Gemma and go for a ride. We all deserve a break after the chaos of the Summit.”
Ariane was going to refuse—she and Lucien weren’t yet a solid…thing…so it seemed a little presumptive to be so informal with Elle. The only problem was that she rather liked horses and so rarely got to ride.
Elle, sensing her weakening will, pulled away from her husband. “Have you ridden at all before?”
“A little,” Ariane admitted.
“Wonderful! A ride is just the thing, then! I imagine Gemma would be happy for the break, as well. The poor thing hasn’t stopped sewing cloaks and capes since I mentioned the spelled garment she made for me and how well it has helped me with…walking.”
“You were going to say spying,” Severin rumbled.
“If you say that at a little deeper tone, you’ll sound like a fierce forest cat!” Elle said brightly.
Severin rolled his eyes, but he leaned in to kiss his wife on the cheek. “Go. But take a squad of soldiers with you.”
Colonel Friedrich waved. “Have fun, ladies!” He turned to Severin. “I assume we’re going to sequester ourselves in your study with Prince Lucien?”
“Yes, he’s turned up some new information I would like to go over…”
Ariane’s heart squeezed at Lucien’s name, and she hesitated even as Elle led her away. I have turned into a true, silly maid, sighing over my love. But I am proud of him. No matter what he decides to do after this, he has proven he is capable.
Chapter 11
A Lesson in History
Four days later, Ariane wandered her way through the hallways of Chanceux Chateau, meandering back to her rooms after a delightful evening meal with Severin, Elle, Craftmage Rumpelstiltskin, Gemma, Colonel Friedrich, and a number of magic users.
The Summit is undoubtedly over, and the ballroom and banquet hall have been meticulously cleaned. I don’t think Elle can claim to need my help—or the help of the Noyers servants—much longer. What will happen then?
If she went back to the palace, she was fairly certain Lucien would move his intensive research sessions there, which would take away the thin veneer of pretense he had in Chanceux that would protect him should he decide to deflect his intelligence after all.
But if I stay in Chanceux…what am I? Not a maid—even though I still clean. I wouldn’t be a staff member; would I be…a guest?
The whole idea made Ariane’s head hurt. She paused when she reached the hallway where Severin’s personal study was located. A longing to see Lucien—who was no doubt holed up in said study—squeezed her heart.
I miss him. We’re in the same chateau, and I see him daily, but I still miss his constant—annoying—presence.
Ariane bit her lip, then sighed as she started down the hallway toward Lucien. “And to think, when I was a girl and my mother said love made folk irrational, I didn’t believe her.” She dragged her feet all the way to Severin’s study, wondering if she was assuming too much by seeking Lucien out instead of letting him find her when he had the time.
When she reached the study, she stood awkwardly in front of the door for several moments, then finally knocked.
“Come in,” Lucien called.
Ariane cautiously poked her head in. Lucien was seated at Severin’s desk, a pile of books stacked next to him as he scratched out notes on fine paper. He had tacked up sheets of notes on the walls so they covered some of Severin’s maps, and a used teacup and plate were haphazardly positioned on the corner of the fine wooden desk. What was most surprising about the picture, however, were his clothes. He was still dressed in a white linen shirt and a navy waistcoat—and Ariane could see the evidence of a splendid green coat tossed over the back of his chair, but gone were his puffed breeches and frill-adorned shoes. Instead, he looked rather like Severin as he wore shiny black boots and plain trousers.
The room was almost too warm as Loire began to hint at summer, and a fire still crackled in the fireplace to provide extra light.
“Good evening,” Ariane said.
&n
bsp; Lucien glanced up and leaped out of his chair. “Ariane! You’ve finely come to visit me, have you? Did you miss my charming manners or my striking looks more?” He crossed the room in a moment and gently pulled Ariane into the study before wrapping his arms around her.
“I think I probably most miss your sense of humility. All the time,” Ariane grumbled.
Lucien chuckled and rested his chin on the top of her head.
His solidness let Ariane relax, and she leaned into him slightly. No matter what the future holds…I am glad I met Lucien and I was given the chance to love him. When she could feel herself growing too lax, she cleared her throat and stepped out of the hug. “You weren’t at dinner—will you be retiring soon?”
“Not yet.” Lucien glanced at the full desk. “I feel like I am missing something…like the answer is close, but I can’t see it.”
Ariane approached the desk, itching to whisk the dirtied dishes off to the kitchen. “What are you reading?”
“History books mostly.”
Ariane tilted her head in surprise. “History?”
“Mmhmm.” Lucien plopped back in his chair and picked up a small book that sat on top of the stack. “You can learn a lot about the present by searching the past. This little unassuming book is a copy of King Steinar’s journal from the time of Verglas’s Snow Queen. It has been quite an interesting read.”
“But can history really help you identify who—or what—is doing this now?” Ariane asked. “Monarchies rise and fall. Countries are taken over, and citizens rebel. The world is always changing.”
“Yes, but humans aren’t,” Lucien said. “Our nature is the same, so you can see reflections throughout the ages. Sometimes, you can even see patterns in the actions of countries or groups of people. It’s even easier when you look at the corrupt and evil forces. They always have a thirst for power. You think that sorcerer who has set up shop in Kozlovaka is bad? Some of the magic users Princess Rakel and her rebels faced were far worse. They were far more powerful than any rogue magic user we’ve seen in recent history…”
Lucien trailed off, and his eyes gained a sort of far-away look to them.
“Lucien?” Ariane asked.
Lucien took several deep breaths, then bolted out of his desk. He ran to the door, threw it open, and shouted. “SEVERIN! ELLE!”
Ariane furrowed her eyebrows as Lucien stalked to the wall where his notes were pinned over Severin’s maps. “It can’t be,” he muttered. “That would be too terrifying, too cunning!”
“What is it?” Ariane asked.
Lucien’s eyes wildly rolled from his notes to the unassuming journal. “I think I might have figured it out. I might have found the unifying factor!”
Ariane felt her heart leap into her throat. “What?”
Before he could continue, footsteps pounded down the hallway.
“Lucien—what is it?” Severin slipped into the room with a feline grace, Colonel Friedrich right on his heels. Elle popped up shortly after, nearly colliding with her husband, and Craftmage Stil and his wife Gemma were the last to skid to a stop outside the study.
“I think I’ve done it. I think I figured out what is behind all of this!” Lucien shook his notes in the air.
“Explain,” Severin said.
Elle nudged him farther into the study, then gently drew Stil and Gemma inside as well before she closed the study door. “And start from the beginning,” she said.
“It’s just like Scholar Pierre said—it’s all in our history!” Lucien railed. “We know from Steinar’s journal that many magic users united themselves under a fellow named Tenebris Malus. They were called the Allegiance of the Chosen. He promised them safety—a country to call their own where no one would hurt them. As magic was despised at the time, it was a pretty tempting draw. They invaded Verglas. But Tenebris selected Verglas as his target for a very specific purpose: to find and secure a powerful and evil mirror that had been buried in the northern mountains. He planned to take over the continent and destroy anyone who didn’t have magic.”
“Did his followers know this?” Colonel Friedrich asked.
“No,” Lucien said. “Which is why many abandoned Tenebris and joined the Snow Queen’s forces. After Tenebris was defeated, even more magic users—many of whom had been forced to join Tenebris unwillingly—gave their allegiance to her. However, there was a small contingent of Chosen forces led by a magic user named Grimick. They escaped Verglas before Princess Rakel entirely sealed off the country.
Elle frowned. “What? I don’t recall hearing that.”
“Probably because it never amounted to anything,” Gemma—a citizen of Verglas said. “If memory serves me right, they tried forcing their way into the country for a while after Tenebris was defeated, but the Snow Queen’s magic would not allow it.”
“So…what happened to them, then?” Stil asked.
“Supposedly, they scattered,” Lucien said. “But I suspect otherwise. I think they stuck together, and I think that group is behind what we are facing today.”
Severin furrowed his brow. “Why?”
“Because they learned from Tenebris’ defeat in Verglas, and they’ve spent centuries preparing for this,” Lucien said.
“That cannot be.” Colonel Friedrich shook his head. “Several factions of rogue magic users have attacked since the Snow Queen’s time. We all have long dead heroes in our countries’ history as a result.”
“You are right,” Severin said. “Even here in Loire, we have the Girl in the Glass Coffin.”
Lucien rolled his notes up. “Yes, but doesn’t it strike you as odd that every country was tested? None of the rogue mages or forces of darkness ever came as close to overtaking a country as Tenebris did. And they never appeared randomly; usually they were stirred up only when a country was already in a great upheaval, and often they appeared to be solo acts with no traceable roots—a surprising tactic considering the sort of power they used against our ancestors. I think it’s another sign that these remaining forces from Tenebris’s lot carefully trained up each generation to learn from their encounters. They studied our countries, observed our military strengths and weaknesses, and learned how to use our own cultures against us. As a result, we have generations of well-informed evil mages that have been building their forces and preparing for a time when they can lead a full-on assault. I believe that time is now.”
The idea made ice form in Ariane’s heart. That means none of this is random—or even part of a short-term plan. That means we are facing an enemy that has had centuries to prepare, and they’ve already half closed the trap on us!
“It certainly appeals to my sense of organization and my life experiences,” Elle said, “but what proof do we have? No one has breathed a word of Tenebris’ forces since the Snow Queen’s time! The mages we have captured have never declared they are from the Chosen.”
“Ahh, yes, but we can see it in the tactics they have begun to employ in the last eighteen years.” Lucien arranged his notes on Severin’s desk.
“And it starts with Princess Rosalinda. Several years before she is born, the only living mage whose core magic is purification and the power to dispel curses dies. These sorts of magic users pop up only every few centuries, so it’s safe to say a new one will not be arriving anytime soon. These rogue forces knew they needed to wait for that particular mage to die because in the Snow Queen’s time, one of her most powerful allies against Tenebris Malus was a young mage named Liv. She, too, had the powers of purification, and besides the Snow Queen herself, she was the only one capable of standing against Tenebris and healing those he cursed.”
“They cursed Rosalinda to make certain no other Conclave mages were hiding similar magic?” Stil guessed.
“Maybe, but I’m almost positive they really did it because they wanted the Magic Knights of Sole out of the way. Sole has been on edge since the princess was cursed, and things rapidly grew worse in the past few years. Currently, Sole is out of commission, which cripp
les us because—as Friedrich said the night Ariane and I were attacked—the Magic Knights of Sole are the best way to combat rogue mages. Sole needed to be taken out or weakened first, or their Magic Knights would have swept the continent earlier and put a stop to this,” Lucien said.
Severin leaned against his desk, making it groan. “What next, then?”
“The forces were relatively quiet until five years ago when they struck as hard as they could,” Lucien said. “In the span of one season, Lord Enchanter Evariste was taken, Queen Ingrid of Arcainia died, Severin was cursed, and the elves disappeared from their forests in Farset.”
“The elves…they played a role in the Snow Queen’s resistance as well, did they not?” Severin looked to Gemma, who nodded.
“There was a magic user who could open gates and let an elf through to fight on his behalf. No opposing mage was able to stand against the elves,” the seamstress said.
“A magic user who could open gates?” Stil straightened from his languid pose against a bookcase and looked concerned. “Lord Enchanter Evariste could open teleportation gates. He could bring hundreds, if not thousands, of people through—it was partially why he was considered a genius and became an enchanter when he was a child.”
Lucien nodded. “Knowing the tactics used against their predecessors, the Chosen recalled the elves and the gate manipulator and took them both out in one go. I think it was also why you were targeted, Severin.”
Ariane jerked her gaze to Severin, wondering how the prince would take being added to such illustrious company.
Severin frowned. “I have no magic.”
“You don’t,” Lucien agreed. “But neither did General Halvor.”
“…Who?”
“General Halvor. He was a military leader who served under the Snow Queen and was responsible for all the tactics her rebels employed. He thought out every battle plan. The Snow Queen provided the power, yes, but it was General Halvor’s plans that set her strategically against the Chosen so she would win.”
