“And aggravating,” Evariste gave her a sunny smile that didn’t match his words. “But I am free now—even if I don’t yet have my magic back.”
“Yes, that is the one thing that would tempt me to stop by the Conclave first if it weren’t so important we update Severin.” Angelique grimaced. “Surely someone at the Veneno Conclave will be able to break the seal placed on you.”
We need to ask Clovicus about the strange way my magic has connected with Evariste, too. But I still don’t want to let them know that he’s out.
“We shall see,” Evariste said. “Your Highness, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go summon our mount. Thank you again for all you have done.”
Angelique blinked in surprise—she’d forgotten. Pegasus was Evariste’s friend first. He’d been riding him long before Angelique became his apprentice, much less before she dared to summon him herself.
“Go with safety, Lord Enchanter. I hope your magic returns to you soon,” Snow White said.
Evariste slightly inclined his head, then strode off, his cloak swirling around him. When he brushed past Angelique, he winked, and she knew he was giving her a moment alone with Snow White on purpose.
She smiled. Although their relationship was still undefined, in some ways they had settled back into old habits as if they’d never been apart.
“He really is your master?” Snow White asked, her forehead wrinkling.
“Yes—though he’s been absent for six years. I never received my title, so I’m still an enchantress-in-training.”
Snow White hesitated. “You two don’t seem to be a…typical combination.”
“You mean because Master Evariste is barely older than I am?” Angelique asked.
Snow White nodded. “I thought generally an apprenticeship was when older magic users took on the younger generation to teach them.”
“You’re not wrong.” Angelique flipped her shorter hair over her shoulder. She hadn’t bothered to cast an illusion to change its dark color or shorter length—or even her silver eyes. She could no longer be bothered to care if her appearance made other mages nervous—though the vain part of her was strong enough to incite her to cast a spell that made her hair more silky. “It’s mostly due to Evariste. He was considered a prodigy and obtained the title of Enchanter when he was still a child. He only took me on out of pity.”
Didn’t he end up with more than he ever bargained for?
Angelique’s smile was a little wryer than she should have let it be, but there was something about Snow White that encouraged her raw emotions.
Snow White studied Angelique for several moments and proved she was not only intellectually brilliant, but emotionally smart as well. “When all of this is over, Angelique, I hope you will return to Mullberg and stay with me.” Snow White squeezed her hands together, appearing a little awkward as she made the offer. She had no way of knowing how deeply it touched Angelique. “That is, I should like to get to know more about you as I consider you a…”
“I would be delighted,” Angelique said. “After all, we are friends.”
Snow White’s grin was infectious. “Yes.”
Laughing, Angelique scooped Snow White into an embrace. “Stay safe, Snow White—though I am certain your dark guardian will allow no harm to come to you.” She stepped back and winked.
Snow White stared at Angelique for a moment before turning bright red and peered behind her where lover-boy Fritz guarded her from the shadows.
They’re love-sick enough to deserve a ballad written about them.
“Um, yes. Of course,” Snow White muttered to her feet.
I wonder if this is how older siblings feel about the children that come after them? Angelique chuckled and ruffled Snow White’s curls. “The pair of you are quite adorable. I wish you happiness there, as well.” Angelique twitched her skirts around her—which hadn’t settled on a color at the moment and were rainbow hued. “You can expect a courier from Severin as soon as I relay your words to him. Watch for one.”
“Indeed,” Snow White said. “I wish you well during your time in Loire and at the Veneno Conclave.”
“Thank you,” Angelique grimaced. “I am sure I shall need it.” One last playful wink at Snow White, and Angelique slipped from the hall.
It’s sad, really. I would have liked to stay longer, but I want to avoid that Conclave mage. Also, it is imperative that Evariste talk to Severin, and once that is over, I will be eager to take him to the Conclave in hopes that someone might be able to unseal him. Clovicus should be farther along in his research by then.
Angelique swept through the intimidating main entrance to the palace, which had a high vaulted ceiling and entire murals constructed out of gems.
That was the intimidating part: Mullberg wasn’t even trying to show off its wealth in the design. It just had that many gemstone mines that it thought such a display was commonplace.
Angelique smiled at the pair of guards that opened the doors for her, then stepped outside, squinting in the brilliant spring sunlight that half blinded her until she shaded her eyes with her hand.
It does bother me that Evariste seems to believe we won’t be able to remove the seal on his magic. Is there something he’s not saying, or is it that he witnessed firsthand the brutality of black magic and thinks we cannot fight against it?
She marched down the steps that were made of some polished white rock (that was also likely shockingly expensive in other parts of the world).
Evariste’s sealed magic is a problem. Not just strategically for the continent, but politically in the Conclave. Will they give him the same kind of respect and pomp that they used to if he can’t use his magic? I’d like to think so, but the Council is fussy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tristisim or Felicienne dug up some ancient law about sealed enchanters just out of spite.
However, even without his magic, Angelique knew Evariste would make a difference. He could offer them information, yes, but he’d always been a beacon of hope among mages. Even if the Council complained, the other mages would listen.
Which was more than Angelique had been able to accomplish.
I’m so glad that he’s back. Angelique saw Evariste standing in the courtyard, gazing up at the sky. It’s like I can breathe again because he’s here.
“Are you ready to call Pegasus?” Angelique asked.
There was a slight furrow to his brow as he lowered his gaze to her. “Actually, I have already tried.”
Angelique’s eyes flicked to the cloudless sky. “And he has not come?”
“There’s no sign of him.” Evariste shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning down.
Fear grabbed Angelique by the heart and squeezed.
Have the Chosen somehow gotten Pegasus? But how? He thoroughly smote the black mage—Acri—that fought me.
“No,” Angelique said aloud to stop the growing storm of worry. “Perhaps he didn’t hear you.” Angelique thrust her hand up to the sky. “Pegasus! It is I—Enchantress-in-Training Angelique—”
A familiar boom rolled across the mountains, and Angelique’s spiking anxiety eased.
Pegasus, a smudge of black on the bright blue sky, streaked across the heavens, his immense black wings stark and stretched to their full size.