Quinn laughed as she patted Fluffy—who was saddled and had Angelique’s magical satchel secured to his back. “We’ve used our heat charms so much, I suspect the spell may need renewing.” She swung up onto Fluffy’s back, then turned him so his nose pointed west. “Shall we?”
Angelique grudgingly sat up enough to ride without risk of slipping over Pegasus’ shoulder. “Yes.”
The mounts settled into a swift trot that wasn’t fast enough to make it freezing, but would still cover a good amount of distance even if they only rode for an hour or two.
As it was, they pressed on through the night, their unnatural stamina carrying them on as the eastern horizon behind them turned pale gold and the sun considered rising.
Angelique peered up at the sky, her breath turning into a cloudy mist that shone gold in the morning light.
We’re getting closer to finding Evariste. I know it. If I were any less jaded, maybe I’d even think about everything we have to talk about when we free him.
There were the obvious things he needed to hear about—the state of the continent and the failure of the Conclave. But she couldn’t wait to talk to him about her magic and how she’d improved her control over her core magic, or about all the things he’d inspired her to do.
Eventually, I’d ask him about my dreams-that-weren’t-dreams…
That was the promise she’d made to herself—that she wouldn’t think about her dreams until she could directly ask Evariste.
She’d tried for weeks to puzzle through how they’d connected, but concluded it must have been something specifically from Evariste—because she certainly hadn’t done anything to mentally reach out to him.
She’d passed along what details she remembered—except for the kiss.
Rather than torture herself over that baffling moment, Angelique resolved that she was better off focusing all her mental efforts on finding Evariste. That way, once he was freed, he could explain it himself.
Angelique was quite proud of herself for the compromise—it saved her a great deal of mental anguish. Besides, I’m certain there’s a reasonable explanation for his conduct. He’ll explain it, and then I’ll feel silly for all my foolish worrying.
Something white stirred among the clouds, catching her attention.
She threaded her fingers through Pegasus’ flame-like mane and turned to call out to Quinn, when the blob of white that had been overhead dropped from the sky like a rock.
It was briefly wrapped in brilliant light, and the tolling of invisible bells sounded before the thing struck the ground with a deep thud that sent sprays of loose snowflakes into air.
“Angelique?” Quinn’s voice was pinched with concern.
Angelique tried to blink the stars out of her vision from the bright lights. “I’m good. You?”
“I’m fine,” Quinn said.
“That hurt!” A female voice groaned. “I always think snow will be a softer landing—but it never is! It’s just cold!”
Angelique blinked the last of the fuzziness from her eyes just in time to see Odette—the leader of the Black Swan Smugglers—yanking cloth shoes out of a tiny pouch that was surely too small to hold them.
“Odette?”
The smuggler looked up, sending her beautiful blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. “Hello, Angelique.” She grinned but then shivered as she danced from bare foot to bare foot, standing in the snow. “Just a moment.”
Odette yanked the cloth slippers on, then sighed in contentment. “Much better. I’ve been flying in Erlauf too much with their bare dustings of snow. I forgot what real winters are like up north!” She opened her tiny pouch again and pulled out a ruby cut in the shape of a bird, then murmured to it—most likely activating the heat charm.
“Quinn, please allow me to introduce you to Odette. She is the leader of the Black Swan Smugglers in Kozlovka and is the future bride of Prince Alexsei.”
Odette rubbed her arms before she bowed. “I’m happy to make your acquaintance, Quinn—of Midnight Lake?”
Quinn broadly smiled. “Yes. I’m from Farset.”
Odette brushed snow off her black trousers and white tunic. “Yes, Prince Severin—and that fiancé of yours—told me about you.”
Quinn eagerly leaned forward in her saddle. “You’ve seen Emerys?”
“Seen is a weak word for it. More like he never stopped gabbing at me about you once Severin told him he was sending me to talk to you two.”
“You have a message for us?” Angelique asked.
Odette nodded. “Information for you. Since Prince Severin said your defenses block all incoming methods of contact on your mirror, he opted to send me.” She frowned as she looked from mount to mount. “I’d ask for a ride so we could keep moving, but frankly both options seem terrifying.”
Angelique leaned over and offered her a hand. “You know Pegasus. He likes you.”
Odette warily studied the constellation. “I don’t know that he likes anyone—except you.”
She humphed when Angelique grabbed her hand and dragged her up but settled easily enough into place.
“What news do you have to share?” Quinn asked once she was settled.
“Big news—though I’m afraid it’s not good.”
Angelique cringed. “Oh?”
“Indeed.” Odette snaked one arm around Angelique’s waist and clutched her heat charm with her other hand. “Prince Severin has instructed me to tell you that the mirror—the one the Snow Queen attempted to bury under a mountain in Verglas that we were sent to retrieve over the summer and found it gone?”
The icy chill of dread settled in Angelique’s stomach. “Yes?”
“It’s in Mullberg.”
“What?”
“He’s got a slew of proof,” Odette said. “Princess Elle’s raid on that Nefari’s shop was so successful, Prince Severin was able to uncover several additional fortifications—including one in Erlauf. They found notes that mentioned the spells used to safely transport the mirror to Mullberg.”
“Did it say where in Mullberg it is?”
“No. Just that it had been transported there for the sake of a goal,” Odette said. “It’s possible it’s been moved since then—the entry was years old. But Prince Severin wanted you to know.”
“Did the entry record anything about where the mirror was being shipped from?” Quinn asked.
“No,” Odette said. “Prince Severin said he wasn’t even sure if the mirror passed through Erlauf, or if the recorder had merely seen it while traveling. The entry that mentioned the mirror was more focused on the spells than the mirror itself.”
“But it could still be in Mullberg,” Angelique said.
“Maybe,” Odette stressed.
Quinn shook her head. “It’s likely. From all of our searching, we know there’s no way they have sent it out on a ship—isn’t that mirror large?”
“It’s enormous,” Angelique confirmed. “But we also didn’t find mention of any mirror in all our digging. If the mirror was sent to Mullberg for a ‘mission,’ none of the locations we’ve infiltrated are at all involved. Which seems odd for a mission so important they’d send such a vile and ancient artifact.”