“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?”