“Not at all,” Puss said. “Rather, it is that I believe using her core magic must become second nature to her, so practicing its use—however minor—while holding a conversation with her companions is a wonderful opportunity that should not be missed.”
He’s not wrong, but do I really want the use of my core magic to become second nature?
Angelique glanced at her companions, but none of them seemed alarmed by the idea.
“Sounds good to me.” Elle plopped down on one of the wooden benches pulled up to the banquet table, then brightened. “Oohh, could you make pictures with the pins, again? My favorite was when you reenacted King Themerysaldi meeting Quinn as a mouse.”
“I might have been a little spiteful in my portrayal of the Elf King.” Angelique felt her core magic—eager to be used—twine around her fingertips.
Quinn made a noise of disagreement. “I love him, and I have to say it was a fitting portrayal. He was insufferable as a mouse.”
“Very well. Angelique, the public demands it—give us a picture of King Themerysaldi as a mouse.” Puss hopped up on the banquet table and curled his black tail around his white paws.
“I want to see a depiction of Pegasus with his wings, next,” Gabrielle piped in. “He is glorious to behold.”
“I’m glorious to behold.” An angry meow escaped Puss as he glared at his mistress.
“You don’t have wings and look like the night sky,” Gabrielle pointed out.
Angelique hesitantly rubbed her fingers together as she took in the laughter and conversation.
I decided to practice with my magic so I can free Evariste when the time comes, but I’m still terribly aware of the potential danger of my magic. Why do they all seem to find it harmless?
Briefly, Angelique remembered Emerys’ speech about magic being like its mage.
I suppose…I’m sarcastic and jaded, but—magic aside—I’d never call myself blood-thirsty.
“Who told you that your powers are scary, anyway, Angelique?” Gabrielle muffled a yawn with her hand as she sat down next to Elle and scratched Puss under his chin. “If I were a mage, I’d want your exact powers. Imagine the sword fights I could have!”
“You may pretend to be a princess, but you are still a barbaric miller’s brat.” Puss’ sour words were considerably diminished by his deep purr of happiness.
“It was the Veneno Conclave, right?” Elle shook her head in disgust. “I remember at the Summit, the other mages said some pretty rude things to you. Just goes to show how long the Veneno Conclave has been off!”
Angelique tilted her head in curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“They’re fair useless,” Elle bluntly said. She raised her hand to tick off her fingers. “They refuse to help the continent. They lost Carabosso after you handed him over on a silver platter. They can’t find Evariste, and they’re all over you about your magic when you’re the only thing that has stood between the continent and ruin since Evariste was taken.”
“They have a history of making poor decisions,” Quinn agreed. “Though I may be biased since they were also no help in freeing the elves, even though they supposedly looked into the matter when the elves first stopped coming out of Alabaster Forest.”
Angelique stared at the women.
…They’re right.
What are the chances the Conclave or Council is correct about me when they’ve been hiding from the truth of what’s happening and refusing to fight for decades?
My magic is dangerous, yes. But maybe that doesn’t mean I should forsake it, but that I should be diligent and learn as much as I can to prevent mistakes.
Angelique’s cold and sharp magic drifted around her ankles. For the first time since she’d been discovered as an enchantress candidate, she looked at her magic and hoped.
Maybe…maybe.
“Nefari feared you and knew your name. That alone proves you’re a giant threat to the Chosen, which means this is just another case of the Veneno Conclave being oblivious,” Elle grumbled.
“Yes, which is why practice is necessary,” Puss pointedly said.
Angelique licked her lips, then spread her magic across the push pins, dragging them up into the air.
Puss flicked his tail back and forth. “If you would oblige Princess Elle and create a mouse?”
Angelique used all the pins topped with white wax to create the outline of a mouse, then filled it in with the black wax-topped pins.
Everyone watched for a moment, and Angelique was grateful when she was halfway through her mouse-image-construction and Gabrielle slapped her hand—palm open—down on the table. “Right, I’m dying to know. Nefari: What did we learn from him? Puss only told me you got confirmation—and a map?”
“Yes.” Quinn passed Gabrielle and Elle the paper, then stood at attention, her posture tall and straight. “We believe we found information that confirms Evariste was taken north. In his logbook where he recorded jewelry and spell orders in code, Nefari also logged all food and supply orders. He mentioned a time in summer where he was granted permission for financial compensation because a large party taking a mirror north wiped out his food supplies.”
“A map was also recovered,” Puss said. “One that marked out Nefari’s suppliers in Mullberg—and possibly some of the smaller Chosen bases.”
“That will give us a place to begin searching—and hopefully find more information about Evariste,” Quinn said.
“It’s a good start,” Elle agreed as she flipped through Quinn’s meticulously organized reports.
Angelique tweaked her magic, reorganizing the pins into a new formation. “It’s more information about Evariste than I’ve found in a long time.”
“That’s encouraging, right?” Gabrielle smiled at her, then sneezed when Puss picked his way past her on the table and dusted his tail under her nose. “Puss!”
“We also learned quite a bit about the Chosen,” Elle said.
“What do you mean?” Gabrielle asked.
“They have a hierarchy—which we assumed, but was proven without refute by Angelique trotting out Acri’s name. We had a much better reception after that,” Elle said.
“It’s likely a hierarchy based on magical power.” Angelique furrowed her brow as she pushed a few white pins into place, completing a rudimentary picture of Pegasus. “Which, I suppose is no different than the way mages have operated—even back in the time of the Snow Queen. But I’m pretty certain Sorceress Suzu and Acri—both extremely powerful—knew Evariste was being kept in a mirror, but I don’t believe Nefari knew.”
“Not a chance,” Quinn said. “Or he wouldn’t have made a note about the mirror in his logbook.”
“So, the leaders aren’t telling their people everything,” Gabrielle said. “That’s interesting.” She rested her chin on her hand and watched Angelique move the pins around. “Say, Angelique, do you think you could break through those shield spells Nefari was selling?”
Angelique stared at the ceiling as she considered the question. “Not easily.”
“What’s the cause of this false humility of yours?” Puss demanded.