At least all the war mages were welcoming. Angelique nodded to Javed as the war mage saluted and left the tent—joining the others guarding the perimeter. I really should have been prouder to be a war mage, no matter how I felt about my core magic. They’re the most decent group of mages I’ve met.
Once the tent flap drifted shut behind the war mage, a caramel-brown shield flickered into place—the work of one of the war mages standing guard.
Clovicus rapped his knuckles on the arm of his chair as he sagged into his seat, and a second shield shimmered into place. “We’re now protected, and our words are guarded and inaudible to anyone standing outside the tent, Princess. You may speak freely.”
“Thank you, Lord Enchanter.” Snow White sat down on a chair Fritz had maneuvered in front of him, allowing him to guard her back.
I will admit that although I find their case as ridiculous as the other couples I have encountered, their romance has made them into a good team. Angelique pressed her lips together as she lingered in the shadows of the tent.
Tristisim, Sybilla, and Felicienne all sat down in chairs across from Snow White. Tristisim indicated Evariste should sit in the last remaining chair, but he drifted off to stand by Angelique—near enough that she could feel his heat.
Discreetly, Angelique edged close enough to make their elbows brush—still seeking out reassurances that he was with her.
“We must offer our thanks for your swift response to Angelique’s message, Princess Snow White.” Sybilla gave Snow White one of her warm, grandmotherly smiles. “Prince Severin has been kept apprised of the situation, but given that the Veneno Conclave resides on Mullberg land, there was very little he could do to help in such a quick amount of time.”
Snow White shook her head. “I-I must disagree. Though I haven’t yet had the chance to meet him, I am certain Prince Severin of Loire will be better able to help strategize against the Chosen than I. But Mullberg is willing to offer any aid we can in the meantime w-while the Conclave adjusts to this terrible situation.”
“Thank you for your gracious offer, but I’m afraid at the moment, what we need most is a way to make certain we’re not housing any more Chosen.” Clovicus leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Right now, everyone is jumpy and suspicious. We’re one tense moment away from an internal fight with no evidence of who the actual enemy is.”
“Is there a way you can determine on an individual basis if a person is a black mage or not?” Snow White asked, her eyes large and round.
“The surest and easiest route is to use Verglas,” Evariste said. “The Snow Queen’s magic still stands, and it won’t let any user of black magic through Verglas’ borders.”
“I see.” Snow White leaned back in her chair with the air of royalty, her shyness melting under the danger of the broken Conclave.
“Getting all of us to the borders would be a logistical nightmare.” Clovicus frowned. “We can’t leave the Conclave unguarded, either. We’d have to take shifts.”
Angelique curled her hands into fists. “Time is of the essence. We’ve already lost so much because we’ve just sat around.”
“I hear you, and I agree,” Clovicus said. “But short of zapping the lot of them with lightning, I don’t know how you’ll get the other mages to move at anything more than an amble.”
“The Chosen have backed us into a corner,” Sybilla wryly said. “Angelique might have caught them off guard and scared them out, but even transportation is more of a nightmare because of their work. If Evariste’s magic wasn’t sealed, he could take us all one-by-one to Verglas. But that obviously won’t happen.”
Fritz stirred from his silence. “You have not found a way to unseal your magic, yet, Lord Enchanter?”
“No.” Evariste stared at the ground. “We’ll have to find another way. Is there a spell of some kind that could be used to indicate if there is black magic present?”
“Possibly. Or at least one existed once upon a time.” Clovicus rubbed his chin. “Mages had developed some pretty sophisticated, high-level spells for that sort of thing, but much of it was lost when the Veneno Conclave library burned. We might be able to find something, but it will take a lot of searching through our records.”
Snow White furrowed her brow, creating deep wrinkles as she thought. She pressed her fingertips together, then glanced up at Fritz.
The forester slightly tipped his head, then gave her a half-smile. “It’s your prerogative,” he said. “Faina said as much when you suggested the idea back in Juwel.”
What is that supposed to mean?
Before Angelique could ponder it much, Snow White twisted awkwardly to squeeze Fritz’s hand, and when she faced the mages, it was with a set expression.
Oh-ho-ho. The strategist has arrived and intends to set things right. Angelique grinned and glanced at Evariste. He raised an eyebrow at her, and for a moment Angelique was so glad to have him there that she gave into her weak desire and actually leaned her shoulder against his.
“We can create a way to determine—swiftly and with great certainty—if a mage is with you or not,” Snow White said. “No one is going to like it, but it will be what’s best for mages—and the continent.”
“If no one is happy, that sounds like my kind of plan,” Clovicus said.
Evariste shot his old master a look, then turned his attention to Snow White and Fritz. He smiled—revealing just how much he must like them, as it was one of his genuine ones. “Personal comfort is a commodity we can’t afford right now. As long as the sacrifice doesn’t cost us life or blood, we’ll do whatever it takes.”
Snow White released Fritz’s hand and walked up to Angelique. She had to tilt her head back to peer up at Angelique as the enchantress was so much taller. “Do you believe in me?”
Angelique laughed. “Snow White, I know you can do anything.”
Snow White smiled, but the trembling of her hands and the shakiness of her breath testified to how little she looked forward to this. “Then let’s go propose the solution.”
There was something about the way she acted that made Angelique suspect this “solution” was going to test Snow White in some way.
She’s too nervous considering this is our problem and shouldn’t directly involve her.
Angelique touched Snow White’s elbow. “Is everything okay?”
Snow White pressed her lips together and nodded, very obviously building her own resolve. “Yes. Everything will be fine.”
Felicienne frowned. “What do you mean ‘propose the solution’? Just tell us what you have planned.”
Snow White shook her head.
“You must tell us, it is our prerogative to refuse whatever you have planned,” Tristisim said.
“Not in this case,” Snow White said simply.
Tristisim grumbled.
Felicienne stood up. “I object—”
Angelique ignored their squawks and peeled back the tent flap, intending to tell Javed to gather the mages in the central square, but she froze when Evariste spoke.
“I don’t care if you object.” His voice was icy—more frigid than a Verglas winter.
Angelique turned on her heels and watched wide-eyed as Evariste prowled closer to the two remaining Council Members.