“Yes, that would be him,” Clovicus said.
“It seems your lessons on rebellion were well taught.”
“Thank you. In light of recent events, I’m starting to understand why the rest of the Council was always mad that Tristisim kept sticking those brats on me.”
Angelique cracked a smile as the energy of the crowd visibly changed.
“He’s right,” a woman shouted on the other side of the Courtyard. “Why’d the Conclave ever leave Verglas in the first place?”
“Probably was the Chosen,” someone darkly offered.
“You’re just seeing black mages in every shadow,” another mage said in an accusing tone.
“Oh, really?” the woman asked. “Then I imagine you must think it was just coincidence that our highly valued library burned down once we moved to Mullberg, and we lost countless priceless records and historical documents?”
Mages visibly blanched, and another blanket of whispers spread through the courtyard.
Angelique winced. “I hadn’t thought of the library.”
“I hadn’t either,” Evariste grimly said. “But it seems more than plausible and almost certain given the four Council Members, Luxi-Domus headmaster, and countless other mages in important positions proved to be Chosen.”
Angelique’s spine quivered, but her worries were swept away when the staccato sound of claps began to drift from the crowd of mages.
The lone few claps turned into a stronger sound as more mages joined in, and when some of the magic users started whistling and hollering their support, the sound became a rousing roar.
“Praises for Mullberg!”
“Salutes for Mullberg!”
“Bravo, Princess Snow White!”
Snow White relaxed as the shouts of praise squeaked through the roar of approval the mages gave her. She released the banister, waved a little before awkwardly fixing the bow that pulled her hair back from her face, and then stepped back from the front of the balcony.
“Bravo indeed, Princess Snow White,” Clovicus praised. “It truly is a plan that will give us all the mental assurance we need.”
“I’m not so certain it’s a good idea,” Tristisim said. “How can we move from our homebase in a time when we need all the resources we can get? The Veneno Conclave fortress has been fortified for times like this.”
“Which is why it’s filled with traps, isn’t it?” Felicienne asked. “Because the Chosen want us wasting our time trying to survive in our own home instead of helping the rest of the continent.”
Tristisim snapped his jaw shut and furrowed his brow so much, his thick eyebrows almost buried his eyes.
“We can’t thank you enough, Snow White.” Angelique took the princess’s hands in hers and squeezed them. They were a little clammy, which oddly made Angelique want to cry.
Crowds terrify her, but she came because I asked her to, because she is my friend.
Angelique fought an unexpected lump in her throat and gave Snow White a watery smile.
“Indeed,” Evariste added. His gaze was somewhat piercing as he studied Snow White. “This is a sacrifice from Mullberg on more than one level—for I’m certain this will affect your country.”
“Our economy will suffer,” Snow White readily agreed. “We’ll have to restructure our taxes since the Veneno Conclave paid handsomely to live on our lands. My people will face some repercussions, but not many businesses will suffer since the Conclave was mostly self-sufficient, and given its relatively close distance to the border, most visitors—tourist, intellectual, or otherwise—typically stayed within the fortress itself. But we will feel the pain of losing the mages.”
Angelique grimaced. “I’m sorry—I imagine your cabinet is going to be very upset with you.”
Snow White squeezed Angelique’s hands. “It doesn’t matter,” she said in a voice that was as soft as satin but as hardened as a sword. “We’ve entered an era where I must put the good of the continent ahead of my country. Without any help from mages, I’m not so certain the continent will survive.” Snow White looked pointedly down the line of enchanters standing on the balcony. “Mullberg will scrape by if it means assuring magical aid for the rest of the continent. And we will gladly help with the move in order to provide much-needed assurance to the mages.” Her eyes rested on Tristisim in what basically amounted to an open challenge.
Hah! A challenge has been issued! She’s essentially saying Mullberg will make the sacrifice…with the expectation that the Conclave finally acts in the interest of the continent instead of hiding. Finally—finally—someone is holding them accountable!
Angelique tugged Snow White closer and then flung her arms around her with abandon. “Thank you, Snow White. For all of it,” she whispered into the princess’s ear, knowing Snow White would understand.
Snow White patted her shoulder, and when they stepped back, she smiled archly at Angelique. “Of course! That’s what friends do.”
It took approximately a week for the Conclave to call in all mages out on assignments and to arrange enough transportation for everyone.
Stil and the craftmages staying in Chanceux Chateau reported in, as did Firra and Donaigh. With Clovicus and Sybilla leading the charge, the mages began their journey—leaving not a single magic user behind, though Snow White left a veritable army of soldiers to pack and guard the place, with Marzell, Gregori, Aldelbert, and Wendal staying behind to oversee the process.
While the journey started out happily enough with the mages in high spirits (they were about to get the reassurance they badly needed, after all), morale among the Conclave took hit after hit with each passing day as mages started disappearing at night.
“Do we have an exact count on how many have left?” Angelique asked.
Pegasus snorted, blasting out a few embers as he pranced in place.
Sybilla, riding a placid mule that didn’t mind Pegasus’ antics, glanced up at her. “If we include all of those who abandoned the Conclave when you flushed out the Council? Of a sort.” “We have records, but no one has taken the time to count everything up and organize it prettily.”
“Lord Enchanter Tristisim went over some rough numbers last night,” Lovelana said. She rode a red roan mare that was positioned on Sybilla’s other side—farther away from Pegasus, who’d frightened the mare when he first arrived with a thunderstrike the day the procession began.
Lovelana pressed her lips into a grim line and stared at the long trail of mages that stretched ahead of them. “If we add up the forces that left initially—which was nearly one fourth of the mages present at the Conclave—and combine them with the mages who have fallen out of contact or have disappeared on the march…he believes roughly a third of Conclave mages were a part of Chosen.”
“A third.” Angelique’s fingers twitched, and she clutched the reins of Pegasus’ bridle. “I thought there would be a few Chosen mages around…but for so many more to leave us.”
“Snow White’s plan is far more necessary than I ever imagined,” Lovelana said.
“For a multitude of reasons.” Sybilla—riding side-saddle—frowned at the backs of her mule’s large ears. “I knew the Conclave was in dire straits being so useless and all, but I didn’t think it was this bad.” She sighed wearily, and the sad light in her eyes set off her whole countenance.