by K. M. Shea
Hmmm. We’ll have to make sure the little girl is occupied—or Quinn and I will never know if she’s around or not when we get a chance to search this place.
Nefari set a hand on his chest and slightly bowed his head. “Now then, let us begin discussing what spells you would like in your custom jewelry piece.”
Angelique only half listened to the conversation—just to see if he dropped any spells of significance besides basic alarm, shield, and defensive spells.
He had a couple of nasty attack spells that were looked down upon by the Veneno Conclave—a cloud of poisonous gas and a charm that would instantly blind the target—but nothing out of the ordinary.
By the time the girl returned with the form, it was apparent to Angelique that the mage’s greatest skills lay in the shield defense spell.
And the craftmage he’s working with to forge everything isn’t nearly as good as Stil, so the gem can only hold an extra spell or two—and that’s just because we’re shelling out loads of money for a superior gem.
Angelique prowled around the far end of the room with more confidence since Nefari hadn’t ever glanced her way.
I imagine his run-of-the-mill necklaces—like the one the war mage that I fought with had—only have shield charms.
The information wasn’t at all helpful in locating Evariste, but Severin would be interested in it—as would Clovicus and the other handful of mages that were working with the alliance these days.
Angelique casually glanced down the hallway as she paced back and forth, trying to give herself the air of an impatient mercenary as Elle filled out the forms with a few huffs and labored sighs from Gabrielle.
Five doors. One must lead to the workshop downstairs. I think it’s reasonable to expect there’s a private study for Nefari given how he runs this stronghold.
Angelique tried leaning on the walls to see if she could feel anything in the timbers or drywall of the cottage that might indicate where the study was—it probably had enchantments on it to ward off fire, like Evariste’s library back at Wistful Thicket. But all she felt was the cloying black magic and the hundreds of spells that were attached to the gems.
“Very well,” Nefari said, redrawing Angelique’s attention. “Given that we have settled on a price for what spells you have selected, I will need a down payment.” He smiled smoothly. “As proof of your finances.”
Gabrielle slowly blinked.
“Naturally, Mademoiselle Mystrim says,” Elle interpreted. She untied a small sack from her belt that clinked when she set it on the table.
Nefari yanked the sack’s drawstrings open and peered inside before he passed the papers they’d filled out to his servant girl. “Run this down to the workshop.” He swatted his hand at her in a shooing motion but kept his eyes on the money—based on his smirk, he’d over charged them a great deal.
It’s fine. Severin will get the money back when he ransacks this place.
Angelique watched the servant girl pick up the papers and scurry back down the hallway. She’d purposely positioned herself so she could see where the girl went—though she tilted her head down so, with her eyes hidden, it would seem like she wasn’t paying attention.
The little girl slipped through the smallest door—the one sandwiched between the two much larger doors. Angelique only saw the faint flickers of light dancing on the wall before the little girl stepped down and pulled the door shut behind her.
He told her to run the papers down to the workshop. It’s underground, like the ranger said. Angelique fidgeted a little and continued her attempt to appear to be bored. I didn’t see where she went to get the papers, but he didn’t tell her to run downstairs to get them. Does that mean he keeps his papers on this main floor?
Angelique internally fumed that she hadn’t moved in time to watch the girl when she first left. But perhaps one of the other women noticed something she hadn’t.
“Everything seems to be in order,” the Chosen mage said. “I will send for you when we are ready for an attunement. Where will you be staying in the meantime?”
“Ohh, no.” Elle brandished a finger at him until her spectacles almost slipped off her nose and she had to wrestle them back into place. “We will not be telling you where the Mademoiselle chooses to retire—she has no use for your lewd advances!”
Nefari stared at Elle, and his forehead started to wrinkle again.
If we ever want to confuse the enemy and throw their lives into chaos, we should send out Elle, Angelique decided.
“No,” Elle continued. “We will be returning in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Nefari sputtered. “I cannot possibly finish it in two weeks!”
“Then consider it a progress report so we can make certain you are producing a goods that is worthy of Mademoiselle Mystrim!” Elle snapped.
Nefari frowned. “I am a busy man. I don’t have time to play attendant to you.”
Gabrielle sighed, then glided across the room, making for Angelique, Quinn, and the hallway.
“Two weeks!” Elle clarified as she hopped after Gabrielle, scurrying down the hallway. “We’ll return in two weeks!”
Nefari frowned but gestured for Angelique and Quinn to exit the showroom ahead of him.
As Quinn and Angelique strolled down the hallway, Angelique glanced at the doors, but didn’t seen any differentiating details between the doors that would hint what lay behind them.
When Gabrielle reached the front door, she pointedly looked to Elle.
Elle shuffled ahead, intending to push it open, but just before her fingers grazed the iron handle, the Chosen mage spoke.
“Before the esteemed Mademoiselle Mystrim leaves, I must ask you, who recommended my work?” Although the mage’s voice was casual, it made the hairs on the back of Angelique’s neck prickle.
This is a test.
Gabrielle flicked her fan open and fanned herself, then twitched her nose.
“Numerous stores we visited reported that you were the manufacturer of the charms,” Elle sniffed in disapproval. “Mademoiselle said as much when we told you why we’d come.”
“But you had no reason to think I was capable of something that could protect you against the likes of Angelique,” the Chosen mage pointed out. “Was there not someone specific who recommended my services?”
This is bad. This is very bad. We don’t know any of the Chosen mages by name, or we would have arrested them! There’s Carabosso and Suzu, but those are widely known names and might not convince him.
Although she showed no outer panic, Angelique could tell Elle was eyeballing the mage, attempting to figure out what sort of answer she could spin that would please him.
“I heard from a friend of Suzu,” Elle finally answered.
“And what is that friend’s name?” the Chosen mage asked.
Elle narrowed her eyes, and Gabrielle briefly tensed.
“Was it not Acri who told Mademoiselle Mystrim?” The words popped out of Angelique’s mouth before she could think them through.
…What have I done?
Angelique fell silent—her horror was so strong, it made her throat pinch.
I just blurted out a name I dreamed of when I was half-crazed and exhausted… I’ve doomed our entire mission! We’re not going to get any information on Evariste, and it will be my fault! Unless…
Angelique felt her sharp and cool magic ooze around her.
She started to reach for it, except Nefari surprised her into inaction.
“You know Acri?” He widened his eyes, then hurriedly bent over in a bow deeper than any he’d given before. “Then please allow me to express my thanks that you chose to seek my work out. I hope you will give Acri a favorable report.”
Angelique stared at the white hood that covered his head.
Wait. Acri is real? But that means—was my dream real?
That thought was enough to bring an overwhelming mix of emotions: joy (Evariste was alive!); all-consuming disappointment (she’d talked to Evar
iste and had wasted so many of those precious moments storming about her frustrations instead of getting information from her teacher); and confusion (because Evariste had said and done things in her dream…).
Elle, ever the professional, ignored Angelique’s mental anguish and seamlessly continued her act. “Our recommendation remains to be seen until you have actually finished the necklace,” she emphasized.
Gabrielle pointedly faced the door and tapped her fan on her palm.
Elle yanked it open, mewling in distress when the frosty wind nearly blew her off her feet, and snowflakes pelted her face.
Angelique watched Gabrielle sashay into the cold. Still acting her part, Gabrielle didn’t bother to look back at the cottage as she marched into the woods.
Quinn methodically plodded after her.
The consequences of “Acri” being a real Chosen mage were still dawning on Angelique, making her into a frozen statue. Vaguely, she knew she needed to follow Quinn, but her thoughts were so sludge-like, she barely remembered to breathe!
He tried to give me information, and I brushed him off. And…he tried to kiss me?
Elle wrapped her shawl tight around her shoulders and peered up at Nefari. “Two weeks!” She “accidentally” bumped into Angelique when she turned around and shuffled into the snow outside, jolting Angelique to the present.
Later. I’ll think about this when we’re safely back at our lodgings.
Angelique strode behind Elle, stopping to pick up her sword where it was tipped against the house. She casually tossed Quinn her sword belt as Elle hopped along.
“Mademoiselle, I am coming!” Elle called.
Angelique risked glancing back at the cottage as she buckled her sword belt and settled her cloak back into place.
The Chosen mage bowed again and hadn’t yet closed the door.
Just who is Acri that his mere name changed Nefari’s attitude?
Angelique clung to that thought as she propelled herself forward—it was easier to think about than anything else in her dream. And right now, it was more important to keep their farce believable than to be emotionally honest with herself.
At least, that’s what Angelique told herself as she followed Gabrielle and Elle into the woods, keeping a stranglehold on her thoughts. Because if she let them stray at all…she’d have to think about that almost-kiss.
“What did I say? Chosen brutes are too oblivious for such subtle magics as the sort I use!” Puss jumped from Gabrielle’s shoulder, shaking off his invisibility charm.
The group had returned to their lodgings at a middle-class inn, La Bise, in the Arcainian trading city just over the border. Puss had remained invisible the entire time, until the moment they convened on the tiny, windowless sitting room that adjoined Gabrielle’s larger room. They had to keep the ruse going even there, in case the Chosen decided to follow them.
“Did you already cast a silence charm on the room?” Gabrielle asked.
“Of course I have.” Puss jumped onto a foot stool and draped his tail behind him so it could freely twitch back and forth. “What do you take me for—a stumbling greenhorn? I cast it before I jumped from your shoulder. I’m certainly not going to risk anyone overhearing our subterfuge.”
“Sorry.” Gabrielle collapsed into a straight-backed chair and grimaced. She twisted awkwardly to massage her right shoulder with her left arm. “Have you put on weight? I thought my shoulders were going to give out around the time we left the cottage.”
“How dare you!”
Angelique barely noticed the banter as she stared at her hands, still trying to grasp the idea that Acri was real—that her dreams were real. How? Talking through dreams isn’t a magic I’ve ever heard of. I don’t think Evariste’s magic could have created the connection—he can jump locations, not consciousnesses. And he—
Angelique shook her head as she remembered the way his eyes smoldered. No.
“That was informative.” Elle set down the tray of food they’d gotten from the inn’s kitchens on an end table and scooted it closer to the fire that burned in the tiny fireplace.
“Really? I didn’t think we got much information—if anything, Nefari pumped us for intelligence.” Quinn took up a post by the door—though she stopped long enough to abandon her sword and take up a bow instead.
“First contact with a mark is almost always more about establishing your cover story than trying to wheedle out information,” Elle said. “Most marks of substantial intelligence will automatically be wary—it takes a few meetings before they’ll let their guard down long enough for you to snatch what you need.”
Quinn thoughtfully tilted her head. “That makes sense.”
“Excuse me.” Puss put a paw in the air, flashing his pink paw pads. “I have not been praised and admired enough considering I was the one who did the bulk of the work.”
“You and Elle,” Gabrielle corrected. “But you were wonderful. Thank you, Puss.” Gabrielle leaned forward and stroked his head, earning a deep purr from him.
“Yes, your magic worked better than I could have imagined. Thank you for your valuable assistance, Master Puss.” Elle winked at him before she set about preparing the snack they’d grabbed—fresh bread, a crock of raspberry jam, and a slab of warmed brie cheese.
Elle set the plate of brie cheese on the brick ground just in front of the fireplace, reheating it. “And we did get some useful information. The mage certainly didn’t want to leave us alone with the merchandise—we can use that to our advantage.”
“How so?” Gabrielle asked.
“We split the group,” Elle said. “He’ll stick with the ones in the store section of the cottage.”
“He did seem to act more like a merchant than a mage mastermind,” Gabrielle said. “Do you think we’ll really be able to get any information on Lord Enchanter Evariste from him? I highly doubt the Chosen higher-ups would choose to share such vital information with a middle man.”
“You’re right,” Elle said. “But I’m rather hoping we’ll be able to get information that will allow us to deduce where Lord Enchanter Evariste is. That large project he mentioned might be something. If they’re sending extra necklaces to any one particular spot, that might be an indicator that Evariste is there.”
“I imagine finding out what that project is would be helpful for the resistance in general,” Gabrielle said. “We could prepare for it.”
“Given his cagey wording I imagine that’s something that the rangers might have to look into since we’re dealing with a very short window for our investigation. But at the very least we should be able to find information on more Chosen encampments,” Quinn said. “Nefari openly said the gems were from Mullberg. I would assume that means they have several Chosen bases there. If we can get a list or a map of those encampments, we can hit those locations and see if they have any information on Evariste. If he really is in Mullberg, I’m sure they’d have some kind of notation of the fact.”
“Yes, that would be a help.” Elle bunched her shawl around her hand and grabbed the plate of melted cheese off the hot bricks. Using a knife, she slathered some across a piece of still-warm bread and smeared a dollop of raspberry jam on top. “I’m a little worried that the mage’s office is in the basement—with the workshop.” She offered the cheese-covered bread to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle took the offering and sat up straight. “I don’t think so. He told the little girl to go down to the workshop, but he just told her to fetch the forms when he sent her off for them.”
Gabrielle bit into the bread and hummed in appreciation. When Puss gave her uninterrupted eye contact with his gleaming bronze eyes, she ripped a tiny chunk off and held it out for him.
Puss hopped off his stool. “We’ll have to watch for the little girl. She was impressively silent.” He sat at the feet of Gabrielle’s chair and jumped onto her belly—eliciting a choked noise from her—before he started eating her offering while purring.
Elle slathered another piece of bread with
cheese and raspberry jam. “That’s true.” She held the piece of bread out to Quinn.
Quinn took it from her—though she held her bow with her free hand. “Excluding the time she was sent to gather forms, the little girl only went back and forth between the workshop downstairs and the storefront,” Quinn said. “I suspect she is used to relay messages.”
“How do you know she only went downstairs?” Gabrielle asked.
“I heard her footsteps,” Quinn said. “She went to the same room every time she was dismissed. And when she opened the door, the noises coming from it echoed—which implies a staircase.”
Elle whistled. “Impressive—she moved like a ghost to my ears.”
Quinn shrugged. “She was quiet for a human, but she’s got nothing on forest animals.”
“This is why it’s so enjoyable to work in teams.” Elle chortled as she spread some more cheese and jam on another piece of bread. “We throw all our talents together, and it makes us that much harder to defeat!”
“It also gives us a lot more weaknesses,” Gabrielle said. “I almost ruined the whole thing when he asked us who recommended him.”
“You were fine. I certainly didn’t notice anything.” Holding her bread-cheese-and-jam offering, Elle stood up and sauntered over to the corner Angelique had chosen to occupy with all of her confused thoughts.
“She froze up like a rabbit facing a fox,” Puss declared. “I felt her shoulders tighten.”
“That was because you were so heavy, I was having a hard time keeping my shoulders up,” Gabrielle said.
Puss, having finished his chunk of bread, climbed onto Gabrielle’s chest, making her wheeze. “Again, you dare to anger me!”
Elle held out the bread to Angelique. “It ended up being fine—Angelique covered for us all.”
Puss let Gabrielle push him down into her lap, though he twitched his tail so it tickled her nose. “Yes, she did. Who is Acri, anyway?”
Angelique took the bread and stared at it. Her thoughts were too frantic to let her do much more than stare at the snack. Acri is real. I couldn’t have made that name up in a mere dream and a Chosen mage just happens to share it. Which means my dreams were real. What else did Evariste say?