Snow White stood a little straighter and raised her chin—even though it trembled ever so slightly. “Yes.”
“All males?”
“To my knowledge, yes.”
Angelique couldn’t help the now deeply-rooted suspicions she’d likely carry for the rest of her life. “They aren’t cursed, are they?”
She flicked her eyes to the space behind the princess, then leaped forward and put her hands on Snow White’s shoulders, pulling the princess a step forward, so closely missing Pegasus’ muzzle that the gelding almost brushed the braid of her hair.
“…No,” Snow White said.
Angelique exhaled in relief. “Good—we avoided that one,” she said meaningfully to Pegasus before she flicked her eyes to Snow White. “Though it does sound like something suspicious is troubling Queen Faina. Not a curse, I don’t think, but something. I don’t know enough about dark magic to make a half-decent guess.”
Angelique tapped her starfire crystal on her chin and nodded distractedly as she mulled the possibility over—until Pegasus stepped closer to Snow White, the flames of his tail flaring brighter than usual.
She tried to make a discreet shooing motion.
Pegasus flared his nostrils.
He peeled his lips back and drifted closer and closer to the preoccupied princess.
“Well then, shall we be off?” Angelique marched into the forest, hoping that if she took the light source with her, Snow White would simply fall in line behind her and never notice their shadow.
As planned, Snow White hurried after Angelique. “Are we going back to Hurra?”
Angelique snorted. “And lose time? No!” Somewhere behind them, she heard Pegasus follow after them, sparks hissing as he moved. Angelique kicked up her pace into something just shy of a sprint to put more distance between them and the constellation. “We’ll find these seven fellows of yours and go from there.”
“We’ll?” Snow White’s voice sounded a little strangled as she scrambled after Angelique.
“Yes, we’ll.” Angelique risked peeking back over her shoulder to see Snow White. Behind Snow White, stars and galaxies bobbed in the darkness.
Pegasus.
Angelique held her starfire crystal higher and hurried on. “My goal is to search Mullberg. Helping you for a bit won’t be too big of a detour. Especially as Queen Faina’s odd behavior might serve as a new lead.”
“What are you searching Mullberg for?” Snow White nearly smacked into Angelique when Angelique turned, angling them back in the direction from which she and Pegasus had originally come. “And why are you in Luster Forest at nighttime?” Snow White asked.
Apparently she’s starting to recognize how dubious I could be.
“I’m on a quest, you could say,” Angelique evasively answered. “I’m searching for my master. He’s been taken by some rogue mages.”
“And you’ve tracked him to Mullberg?”
“Yep. It’s fair embarrassing with the Veneno Conclave being here and all, but it is what it is.” Angelique scowled as Pegasus—silent as the stars—circled around so he walked parallel with Angelique.
When he caught her gaze, he pranced a little, setting a shooting star off across his chest.
Snow White missed the display as she was occupied ducking under a branch. “How long has your master been missing?”
Angelique purposely kicked up some slushy snow, pelting it in Pegasus’ direction, but he dodged it. “A little over six years.”
“Six years?” Snow White paused. “Are you sure he isn’t dead?”
Angelique tensed up. “Yes.”
Snow White hesitated, then trotted to catch up with Angelique. “Although I greatly appreciate your help, are you certain you can help me?”
Angelique peered around and roughly recognized the area. That house is somewhere around here.
Pegasus wandered away—which was too good to be true, so that meant he was heading to the house.
Angelique followed his light—or rather she followed the sensation of moving darkness—and plunged into the underbrush. “You’re questioning my skills when you’re the one without magic wandering around the dark woods?”
“Er, that’s not what I meant,” Snow White said. “Isn’t your master part of the Veneno Conclave—as all magic users are? Given the political ramifications, I’m not c-certain they would approve of your actions.” Snow White paused for a moment.
Curious what the princess would say, Angelique peered back at the princess over her shoulder.
Snow White anxiously tugged on her cloak, unaware of Angelique’s scrutiny. “And I understand that you would want to prioritize finding your master. I feel the same way about my stepmother, even though it has become clear to me the state of our country isn’t quite what I thought it was.”
Whatever doubts Angelique had about helping Snow White, all of them died at the princess’s sincerity.
Besides Quinn, in first meetings, even the royals she’d become friends with (like Elle and Gabrielle) made assumptions. It was never a question of if Angelique should help them. It was an expectation.
That Snow White—so desperate to save her stepmother that she’d run away and was wandering around the forest on the slim hope of finding these Seven Warriors of hers—genuinely understood that Angelique would want to prioritize Evariste said wonders about her character.
Yes, I’m going to do everything in my power to help her.
Even if she didn’t know Angelique was an enchantress, the fact that Snow White was able to empathize so completely shocked Angelique, she couldn’t help but glance at Pegasus.
The constellation still lurked in the shadows, waiting.
Angelique cleared her throat, then pushed back a branch of a pine tree. “I have a hunch that if I help you with Queen Faina, I might uncover a clue about my master’s whereabouts.” She waited until Snow White passed before releasing the branch—which left the pleasant smell of pine on her hand. “And as for the Veneno Conclave, they can go throw themselves into a manure pile for all the good that lot has done.”
“I see.” Snow White shivered, and her big blue eyes were again wide with surprise. “Um. If I m-might ask…”
Angelique forged ahead as she waited for Snow White to continue.
She didn’t, but Pegasus disappeared beyond a particularly large fir tree.
That must be where the house is.
Angelique glanced at the still-silent princess. “Spit it out,” she said—more as an offering of advice than as a command.
“How are we going to find the house?” Snow White asked.
Angelique marched up to the tree Pegasus had disappeared behind. “What do you mean?”
“I looked quite thoroughly for their home, and I couldn’t find a sign of it,” Snow White said.
“No trouble there.” Angelique pushed her way through the fir tree’s prickly branches. “We’ve already found it.”
Angelique gestured to the whimsical but slightly misshapen cottage once Snow White struggled her way through the firs’ branches.
It was harder to make out the stone cottage in the darkness of the forest, but there was no mistaking its steeply pitched roof and almost hat-like shape.