“Not an old woman? You could have fooled me,” King Themerysaldi snorted. “If you move at a pace faster than a turtle’s waddle, I’ll consider giving you a legup.”
“Unnecessary, you strapping young lad, but I appreciate the sentiment,” the Lord Enchanterjoked.
Two elves approachedAngelique.
“You will ride my mount, Apprentice Angelique,” the darker haired one of the pair said. “This way,please.”
Angelique nodded and woodenly followedthem.
She wanted to cry but stuffed the feeling down. When she felt the tiniest glimmer of her magic surface, she ruthlessly cut itoff.
I’m never using my war magicagain.
* * *
“This is entirely unnecessary, Emerys.”Evariste said. He frowned up at his friend, who fussed with settling silken elven blankets around him on thebed.
“I know that, but I also want to know what happened,” Emerys said. “And if you keep acting evasive, I’m going to strangle you with your ownblanket.”
Evariste shook his head. “I need to seeAngelique.”
“Evariste,” Emerys said in his rare, Elf King voice that sounded like iron and left no room for argument. “Explain.”
Evariste sighed. “I made amiscalculation.”
Emerys arched one blackeyebrow.
“When the troll attacked, I told Angelique to attack it with her war magic. She’s sofrightenedof herself, I wanted to give her the opportunity to see the good in her powers.” Evariste stared at the gauzy canopy stretched over the top of his bed. It was accented with tiny, intricate leaves that looked like they required a ridiculously long amount of time toembroider.
“And?” Emerys prodded, his voiceflat.
“She attacked, but the troll moved, and like an idiot, I was standing in range.” Evariste groaned. “Part of her attack hitme.”
Emerys nodded. “Isee.”
Evariste studied his friend. “Youdo?”
“With great clarity. You made two mistakes—both of them stupid,” the Elf King declared with no hesitation. “First of all, you pushed your apprentice to use her magic far sooner than you shouldhave.”
“I did,” Evariste admitted. “I thought the troll was a good opportunity—even if it was earlier than I liked. I gotimpatient.”
“Impatient?” Emerys snorted. “You pushed a student—whom you have spent yourentire visitrambling about, so even I know the very unwanted information of how shaky her relationship is with her own magic—to attack atroll—a large and potentially dangerous creature for a mage as unpracticed and paranoid as yourapprentice.”
Evariste winced at hearing his mess-up so ruthlessly and clearly voiced by his friend. “It was unwise of me,” heagreed.
And unfortunately, Angelique is the one who will pay the price for my idiocy.Evariste could see it in her eyes after he killed off thetroll.
She was never going to trust her magicagain.
If he ever wanted her to master her war magic, it was going to take a great deal more effort…and a long, longtime.
“Secondly,” Emerys continued, ticking off Evariste’s sins on his fingers. “Yes, you were an idiot for sitting by the troll like a target,” Emerys said. “You should have known better than to stand in the strike zone of a greenmage.”
Evariste pinched the bridge of his nose. Both his shoulder and his side were down to the barest whispers of pain thanks to elven magic, but somewhat perversely he wished his wounds still hurt. It might make him feel a bitbetter.
“She is a student,” Emerys continued. “That means you’re supposed to guide her through this, not throw her in, and particularlynotsetting her up for disaster as youdid.”
“I know,I know,” Evariste groaned. “I just…forgot.”
