by K. M. Shea
“The same way many of these black mages learned—from records, documents, and previous members of the Chosen, I imagine,” Angelique said.
Stil nodded. “There’re a bunch of craftmage texts—it wouldn’t be hard to procure copies.”
Angelique slowly nodded. “If so many craftmages are present, I imagine they’re making something at this stronghold?”
“Exactly. They’re manufacturing all manner of charms that get distributed to various Chosen members.”
Quinn whistled. “This is big.”
“It is,” Angelique agreed. “We’ve found shops before, but not any suppliers. Are you sure it’s fine for me to go in first? I could ruin it all.”
Elle shrugged. “Then we’ll just find another stronghold.”
Angelique stared at the map, unable to articulate just how much it all meant to her.
They listened. Before I left for Sole, I told them I wanted to find Evariste, and unlike the Veneno Conclave, they listened!
“Of course, we’re hoping you could infiltrate the place, get the information, and leave with the Chosen none the wiser,” Elle continued. “But the important thing is getting information on Evariste. Severin instructed me to give you whatever you need to accomplish this—money, charms, I could guide you—”
Stil had been nodding sagely at her words, but he frowned with her last offer. “He didn’t say that.”
“He didn’t say it with words, but I felt it in his heart,” Elle smoothly said. “If Angelique says she needs me, Severin would not refuse her!”
Stil shrugged. “I’ll whip some charms up for you, Angel,” he offered. “Shouldn’t take me more than a week.”
“I think you should take some starfire crystals, too,” Gemma said. “Quite a lot of them—in case you encounter hellhounds.”
Angelique started to shake her head. “I’ll gladly take the starfires, but waiting a week for the charms is too long—”
Quinn subtly shifted, making Angelique glance at her. The blonde-haired soldier offered her a nod. “We will need time to prepare and make our plans,” she reminded her.
Angelique flicked her eyes to the marked spot on the map, then exhaled. “You’re right. I’m just paranoid. I can’t shake the feeling that if we don’t move fast enough, they may close up shop.”
Elle made a noise of dissent in the back of her throat. “I can understand your fear. However, it was a ranger who discovered this workshop—not a mage. The Chosen won’t have even the faintest idea they’ve been discovered. Besides, this stronghold has been around for at least a decade based on the supply chain. It’s not temporary, so they’re not going to suddenly flee into the night.”
“Right. Very well.” Angelique bit her lip. “We’re not going to tell any other mages, are we?”
“Not yet,” Stil said.
“Not until you find what you need,” Gemma added.
“Yes, it’s just sheer coincidence we’ve forgotten to tell our allies. Silly me!” Elle’s tinkling laugh made a shard of a smile return to Angelique. “But speaking of our allies, the craftmages have finished another batch of magic mirrors, and I have one for you.”
Angelique blinked in surprise. “Me?”
“Indeed!” Elle stepped away from the crowded desk and approached a wooden crate set by the door. “Let me see if I can find yours.”
“It’s the one with the silver ribbon around it,” Stil called. “No, not that porcelain one—the mirror part is more oval shaped, and it’s set in silver.”
“Aha! It’s this one, isn’t it?” Elle plucked a small hand mirror set in silver, decorated with fancy fleurs that gave the mirror an air of sophistication.
“Yep, that would be it.” Stil smugly puffed up his chest. “I specially charmed this one for you, Angel.”
“Thank you?” Angelique reluctantly took the mirror, the soft ribbon that was looped through a hole punched through the base of the handle caressed her knuckles as it draped over her hands. “But I’m not sure I should take it. No one will be able to contact me. Ever since Evariste was taken, I’ve shielded my presence from most tracking and spying spells, including the ones magic mirrors use to establish contact.”
“Yes, but that won’t affect any messages you try to send,” Stil said.
“And that’s our main concern.” Elle flopped down into a chair pulled up to Severin’s desk with a carelessness that still managed to look graceful. “You’ve been in so many dangerous situations on your own. It would make us all feel a lot better knowing you have a fast way of contacting us rather than relying on sending physical messages that take longer to reach us.”
“She’s right.” Gemma briefly looked up from the sash she was hemming. “It’s a necessary precaution, even though Prince Severin has personally stated he will refuse to ask you to enter said dangerous situations on your own ever again.”
By the knowing light in her gray eyes, Angelique knew Gemma had chosen her words carefully.
Back when Severin and Elle had hosted the Summit—where most of the countries on the continent agreed to work together to fight the Chosen—the other mages had been less than useful and had volunteered Angelique to investigate a sorcerer that was terrorizing the country of Kozlovka.
Angelique ended up fighting a wyvern by herself as a result of that horrible decision.
She’d been angry and more than a little bitter about it and had somewhat yelled at Severin when—after defeating the wyvern—he’d asked her to head off to Sole on his behalf.
Apparently, he’d taken her complaints to heart.
Angelique mashed her lips together as she carefully cradled the slight weight of the mirror in her hands and felt like crying.
They care. They’re listening.
“Thank you,” Angelique said, her voice small.
Elle reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “Of course.”
Angelique cleared her throat and coughed. “I’ll use it to tell you what we learn after infiltrating the Chosen location.”
“Yes, that would be splendid!” Elle said. “Speaking of which, I shall continue with the report we received. While many goods pass through the Chosen den, it appears that most of what they work on involves imbedding charms into jewelry.”
“Jewelry would be easy to hide and smuggle,” Angelique said.
“But it’s expensive,” Stil said. “Gems and precious metals would cost them quite a bit.”
“Which likely means they have a secured stream of income,” Angelique said.
Elle nodded.
“Or,” Gemma—having returned to her hemming—didn’t even look up. “The Chosen have a number of wealthy and assumedly powerful or well-connected members.”
Angelique planted her hands on the desk. “I hope not. If they have an income stream, it means we can dissolve it. But wealthy members…” She shook her head in dismay.
Quinn rubbed her chin as she circled the desk so she could get a better look at the map. “If I may enquire, what can you tell us about the surrounding geography of this Chosen location?”
“Ah, yes.” Elle unrolled a sketch of a building. “It’s surrounded by woods—the best way to provide visual cover, I imagine—and is near a city that is a major trading post…”
“I think the journey from Chanceux Chateau to the Verglas border is nearly a week moving by horseback—on a normal horse.” Angelique glanced to Fluffy—who was still chewing on the scarf he’d swiped from a stableboy at their exit approximately an hour prior.
Apparently he eats textiles for his meals. Given that he belongs to Emerys, I can’t bring myself to be surprised.
Pegasus didn’t seem to care about Fluffy’s eating habits. He pranced every few steps and snorted at the woods.
Why is he showing off so?
She shook her head—for all his power, sometimes Pegasus acted more like a temperamental child than an ancient being.
“I’m not sure how long the journey will take for us, given our mounts.” Angel
ique was careful not to single out the cloth-consuming mount in fear that her dress would be next on the list of his meals. “And I expect we’ll run into some foul weather. I can reroute some of it, but I’m no weather mage.”
“I also expect the closer we get to the location, the less you should use your magic,” Quinn said, “given what you explained to me about others being able to sense magic.”
“Yes.” Angelique flexed her fingers in the warm, yarn mittens Stil had charmed for her and Quinn. “Normally it wouldn’t matter quite so much. Each mage’s magic has a personal touch or sensation to it, but there’re enough mages in the world that unless you’ve been exposed to a mage’s powers more than once, it would be difficult to pinpoint whose magic it is you’re sensing. But…”
“But because you’re the only mage—enchantress or otherwise—who has been running around the continent and blasting Chosen work to smithereens, it’s very likely the Chosen have a rough idea of how your magic feels and have warned one another,” Quinn supplied.
When Pegasus again tossed his head and glanced at the woods crouched on either side of the road, Angelique couldn’t help but look again—even though she saw no sign of what could draw his attention. “Yes,” she said once she realized she hadn’t answered Quinn.
“Then we’ll just have to take care that we don’t use your magic when infiltrating the Chosen location—if we can help it,” Quinn said.
Angelique squinted at her traveling companion. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No—it means I can’t use invisibility charms or defensive spells to protect us.”
Quinn shrugged. “I can’t say before meeting you I’d ever used any sort of magic or spell for my work as a soldier. We’ll manage. But I think we ought to pick up our pace to full speed for a while and then continue our conversation when Fluffy needs a break.”
Angelique was about to add her acceptance when a familiar, bright voice chimed in.
“Oh, I really wish you wouldn’t do that. It would take forever to catch up with you!”
Chapter 10
Angelique twisted in her saddle and peered behind them just in time to see Elle—riding a large, chestnut-colored pony with a coat so thick it rivaled Fluffy’s—emerge from the snow-covered trees.
Pegasus was not outraged or surprised as he pranced in a circle to face the stowaway princess—presumedly she was what he kept glancing back at. But he did seem offended when the pony nickered at him, and he flattened his ears to his skull.
“Princess Elle,” Quinn said. “Did we forget something at Chanceux?”
“Yes,” Elle said. “Me.”
“You’re not coming with us, Elle,” Angelique said.
“But I want to help—and my experience as a Ranger will be invaluable. Think about it—my job used to be sneaking into secret locations in disguises to secure guarded information. Isn’t that exactly what you’re going to do?” Elle fussed with her cloak—a light gray that blended in well with the shadows cast on the dusting of snow.
“That would be helpful.” Quinn rested one hand on her thigh and loosely held the reins of Fluffy’s bridle in the other as she glanced at Angelique. “I am trained in tracking, defense, and fighting. I have done a few occasional undercover operations, but I am a soldier, not an intelligencer. And we will lack the advantage of your magic, Angelique.”
Angelique narrowed her eyes. “You’d be in danger.”
“It’s only fair, given the number of times Severin and I have asked you to do something dangerous,” Elle said.
“Yes, but does Severin even know you intended to come with us?”
“He had an inkling.” Elle slyly smiled. “Before he left, he told me it was my choice—and then in the same breath, he added that I better make sure I butter up to you so you’ll let me check in with him over your newly bespelled mirror.”
Angelique grunted. From Severin, that’s as good as a personal blessing and send off party. But is this really fine?
“I am also quite skilled at helping black mages become unconscious,” Elle chattered on, oblivious to Angelique’s musings.
“That sounds like a very useful skill,” Quinn said.
“It is! It’s extremely multi-purpose.” Elle cast a mournful look at Angelique, making her green eyes big and puppy-like. “And naturally I’d love to use this opportunity to give back to the Lady Enchantress who saved my husband before I even met him, and who has near-single-handedly kept the continent together all on her own. We owe so much to her.”
Angelique raised an eyebrow. “I’ve put out fires. Severin is the one holding the continent together.”
“Severin is organizing the continent.” Elle nudged her pony forward so he casually strolled up to the spot between Fluffy and Pegasus. “You’ve kept it running. But it doesn’t matter—you’re my friend, and Severin’s. This is important to you, so I want to help. Can I come?”
Angelique bit her lip, warring between fragile joy and cold logic. A strange bubbly feeling tingled in her belly at the idea that she had friends, but Angelique forced herself to shove the sensation aside and concentrate.
I’m happy she wants to help, and I’ve heard on more than one occasion that she was one of Loire’s top rangers…but she’s a princess. It can’t be a good idea to put her in danger. “I’m contacting Severin by my mirror tonight, and if he has no idea what you’re talking about, I’m sending you back.”
“Excellent!” Elle clicked to her pony, who trotted down the frozen road, leaving Fluffy and Pegasus behind. “Then let’s be off!”
“This will extend our travel plans.” Quinn clucked to Fluffy, who jolted forward before transitioning to his effortlessly smooth walk. “It will possibly take a full week now if we get much snow.”
“We will!” Elle chirped. “But that’s fine. The longer travel time will be good.”
Angelique had been staring at the back of Pegasus ears. When the constellation twisted his head back so he could nudge her foot, she smiled, then clung to his back as he trotted a few steps to catch up. “Why would a longer travel time be good?”
“Reasons,” Elle evasively said. “We’d need to stop along the way, regardless, to purchase items necessary for a good disguise—you never want to buy your disguise entirely in one city. It will make it too easy to trace back to you.”
“Sage words,” Quinn said.
“I think Emerys is going to be very mad at me for introducing the two of you,” Angelique said.
“Why?” Quinn asked.
“Yes, why?” Elle added. “The knowledge of procuring disguises for hiding is important!”
Angelique grinned at Elle’s innocent expression and Quinn’s genuinely confused one, then cackled. “It doesn’t matter—he needs to be ruffled every once in a while. So, Elle, what kind of disguises were you thinking of?”
“So, we have enough shapeless clothes to play with. We still need some props to firm up our roles and a hidden weapon. Or two. Or ten.” Elle gazed into the depths of Angelique’s satchel with a critical eye as she rummaged around it, looking for anything that would be useful at infiltrating the stronghold.
“We have at least half a day left of travel tomorrow.” Quinn thoughtfully added a log to the fire she’d carefully constructed. “And we’re quite close to the Arcainian border. If the map you brought is correct, Elle, the major trading city is just inside Arcainia. We could go there first to establish our own base before venturing into the woods surrounding the den.”
Elle nodded. “I’m certain they have contacts within the Arcainian city. Besides, any goods they ship north to Mullberg would have to cut north east through Arcainia, because they certainly aren’t going to go straight north into Verglas.”
Quinn adjusted the cast iron skillet she’d dug out of her saddlebag and stirred the sausage mix simmering within it. “I imagine you must be correct, but what do you think, Angelique?”
Angelique stared at the simmering meal. “I
think I would have starved or died if I’d tried this on my own.”
The morning of the previous day, she’d begun to refrain from using her magic, and it was swiftly becoming a major shock to learn just how much she used her powers—for everything from building a campfire and cooking to pulling water from the air to drink.
I’m starting to understand why Evariste got so upset whenever I flippantly said I’d be fine without my magic…
Quinn frowned so strongly it made wrinkles spread across her forehead. “What are you talking about?”
“I think that was a joke,” Elle said.
“No, it’s not. I just might be helpless if my magic was ever sealed,” Angelique thoughtfully said. “At least in ways that matter. I still know hand-to-hand combat, but I don’t even know how to find clean water without magic.” She pulled her fur-lined cloak closer—given that she’d swapped her eye-catching, heat-charmed magic dress for a far more appropriate plain tunic, she’d been struggling a great deal to keep warm.
Quinn and Elle exchanged looks.
“It’s an intellectual thing, I assume,” Elle said. “Severin sometimes gets broody like this, too.”
Quinn nodded. “A reasonable explanation.” She stirred the sausage stew/sauce mixture again. “Speaking of survivability, Elle, did you see any more goblin tracks when you went scouting?”
Elle shook her head. “Just the ones you found when we were gathering firewood. I’d say if goblins are in the area, it’s a much smaller pack than what’s running amok in Erlauf right now.”
“Not surprising.” Angelique rested her hands on her thighs and stared across the fire at Fluffy and Rosemerry—Elle’s pony. Pegasus had returned to the sky for the evening, though Angelique was surprised to realize that even when chatting with her companions, she still missed him. “I don’t imagine many goblins would survive this close to Arcainia with both Gabrielle and Rune out on patrol.”
Rune—Prince Rune—was one of the seven princes of Arcainia who filled the position of classic hero, and frequently hunted dangerous creatures while protecting his people.