Gabrielle placed a hand over her heart. “You’re worried about Steffen? That’s so delightful. I knew your relationship with him was improving!”
“No! There is no such improvement. Stop telling silly tales,” Puss sputtered.
Angelique grinned as she adjusted a few of her pins, attempting to use them to create a replica of Puss.
“Here is your satchel, Angelique.” Quinn held out the pack.
“Thank you.” Angelique set the bag on the bench and then pawed through it, feeling through the vast insides for the cold metal of the mirror.
“Can’t you find it?” Quinn asked.
Angelique scrunched her forehead as she concentrated on the sensations that brushed at her fingers. “No, it’s rather that I packed a great deal for our excursion. There’s a dress. I think that’s a food pack, my large cast iron skillet, my small cast iron skillet—ah!” She felt something hard with grooves and etchings, and unearthed it. “Here it is.”
Angelique tugged it out of the pack by its silver ribbon. Its decorative flourishes caught some of the firelight to a charming effect, and the reflective surface was perfectly clean despite being tossed around in her pack for weeks.
Angelique studied the glowing magic that encircled the mirror’s face, giving it the power to reach out to any of the several dozen mirrors Severin had circulated among the royal families and the leaders in each country’s military.
“It’s a tidy bit of spellwork,” Angelique said.
“Stil insisted on enchanting yours himself,” Elle said.
Angelique smiled fondly. “That was kind of him.” Able to see the spellwork, Angelique easily activated the segment of the spell she was looking for.
It was easy enough to picture the handsome but slightly dour Prince Severin, and within moments, she felt the spell reach his mirror.
The face of her mirror shimmied and shone black for several moments. She heard muffled noises before light abruptly pierced the darkness as whatever covered Severin’s mirror was peeled back.
“Greetings, Angelique.” The prince peered at his mirror—judging from the maroon fabric behind him and the audible howling of the wind, he was inside a tent. Most likely one provided by the Erlauf army, given the color. “I hope it is a good occasion that has inspired you to contact me?”
“We went to the location the ranger found,” Angelique said. “And we managed to get some information—some of which I thought might interest you.”
“One moment, please.”
Severin’s face disappeared from the scope of the mirror, which jostled around for a bit before he set it on a table, propping it up with something Angelique couldn’t see.
He reappeared when he pulled up a rickety chair and sat down at the table. Severin then opened a record book and readied his quill before expectantly looking at the mirror. “I am ready for your report.”
Angelique told him everything they’d discovered—from the map of suppliers and the information Quinn had gleamed from the logbook, to observations on Nefari’s shield spell and the worrisome allusion he’d made to needing to send out large amounts of the shields.
Severin wrote diligently—able to keep up with the jumble of words Angelique spilled out. He occasionally asked for clarification on a point, but he never interrupted or questioned Angelique’s conclusions.
He trusts my findings, Angelique thought as she remained quiet and waited for the prince to finish writing. Which, I guess I’ve known for a while, but for once, I’m not so frantic to run off to a new location that I can actually appreciate it. There are mages that don’t question me—like Sybilla and Clovicus, obviously. But I guess I’ve gotten so used to being treated with suspicion by other mages I never realized how nice it is to be trusted.
Severin finally looked up from his record book, but he didn’t put his quill aside just yet. “Well done. It seems you have unearthed a great deal—and I am especially glad for your sake you were able to find information about Evariste.”
“I think we have,” Angelique stressed.
Severin curtly nodded. “I can understand why you do not want to assume. But I believe it’s safe to say you will find additional information as you and Quinn of Midnight Lake expand your search in Mullberg.”
The commanding general sprinkled sand on his notes to soak up the extra ink. “Would you please tell Elle that Lucien has commissioned a group of rangers to travel north to Nefari’s base to conduct a raid?”
“Oh,” Angelique weakly said. “Um.”
“Of course, she can probably hear me given that I assume she is in the room with you.”
Elle jumped off the bench, jostling close to Angelique so she could view her husband through the spell. “Naturally I’m here! You practically told me to come!”
Severin raised his eyebrows. “I am a smart enough man that I would never presume to tell you to do anything. All I did was note that your skills would be immensely helpful to Angelique and Quinn at this juncture.”
Elle laughed. “Indeed. And it was such a lark.”
Back at the table, Gabrielle made a slightly pained noise. “If this is your idea of fun, I hate to see what’s a dire situation.”
“Crown Princess Gabrielle is correct,” Severin said.
“How did you know that was Gabrielle?” Elle squawked.
“Because Princess Astra of Baris would never be able to head north fast enough to join in this expedition and you’d want another person to round your group out,” Severin said.
“I can’t tell if it’s disappointing I’m that predictable or romantic that you know me so well,” Elle said.
Severin slightly tilted his head in what was an extremely playful manner for the taciturn general. “Regardless of how you compliment me, we’re still not purchasing any war elephants from Baris, my fearless wife.”
Elle waffled between laughing and scoffing. “You are such a beast!”
“At least I’m a better-looking one than when you first met me.” Severin finally set his quill aside and leaned back in his chair. “The rangers will receive support from a squad of Arcainian soldiers that are traveling to the border as we speak. Originally, I was hoping to focus on the collection of information, but it seems our primary target should be capturing this Nefari if his shield spells are in such high demand among the Chosen.”
“That might be best,” Angelique agreed. “If you can get him to talk I imagine he’ll also prove to be a mine of information.”
Severin nodded. “We have precious little news to share from the Erlauf front—though the fight against the goblins is proceeding well enough.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I can also finally confirm a rumor you brought us.”
“Oh?”
“Yes—Liliane. She exists, and she is a powerful Chosen mage. We think she might be behind some of the goblins’ odd behaviors. In a surprise ambush on a goblin camp, we found written orders a goblin was supposed to carry to a black mage in Erlauf that mentioned her. Though I have no proof, I suspect she must be quite esteemed in the Chosen hierarchy, though that is only my instinct.”
Angelique’s stomach rolled—not the unpleasant, nausea-inducing sensation the price of her magic inspired, but more like a frothy mixture of joy and nerves.