The please isn’t really necessary, but it makes me feel better about making requests. Even if it is requests from a…thing.An image of scrubby treetops that were starting to turn orange and yellow with fall appeared in the mirror’s surface. She could even make out the clearing in the woods, and the blue roof of Evariste’shome.
That seems like a pretty accurate depiction.“Mirror, show me…Lady Alastryn’s home in Sideralis, please,” she finally settledon.
The mirror rippled and…did nothing. It returned to its regular reflective properties, making Angeliquefrown.
“Ah,” Evariste stirred from the footstool behind her on which he wasperched.
When Angelique turned around to face him, he had his long legs stretched out in front ofhim.
“You won’t ever be able to see anything in Sideralis—or Alabaster Woods,” Evariste explained. “The elves screen themselves from magical sight and prying. Most high-leveled mages do the same to their workshops andhomes.”
Angelique tipped her head. “Can individuals mask themselves frommirrors?”
He nodded. “Most enchanters and enchantresses do so. I’ll teach you how once we have a chance to cover complexspellwork.”
Satisfied, Angelique returned her attention to the mirror. “Mirror, show me…Boyne—in Farset.Please.”
Slowly, an image of the village emerged. She studied it with narrowed eyes and gave the mirror a few more commands: she asked to see individuals in Boyne (checking in on the naughty shepherd), then a top view of the forest, then Fresler’s Helm in Verglas, and soon.
After about twenty minutes of examining the magic mirror, Angelique turned back to Evariste. “It’s genuine,” she said. “A verified magicmirror.”
Evariste unfolded his legs and stood. “King Rèmy will be glad to hear so. Magic mirrors are awfully rare.” He brushed off his plain green shirt and black trousers before pulling on his elaborate cloak—a forest green cape that depicted a new embroidered forest scene every time you looked atit.
He opened the door of the tiny room in which the mirror had been placed and beckoned for Angelique to leave ahead ofhim.
“You seem eager for our departure,” Angeliqueobserved.
“I am.” Evariste winked. “If the royal family finds out it wasn’t just any Veneno Conclave representative who verified the mirror, but an enchanter and enchantress-in-training, they’ll feel it is necessary to invite us to dinner, and we’llneverescape. At least, not in time for our appointment with thetailor.”
Angelique thought for a moment as they quietly made their way down the elaborate hall. The hall was leafed in gold with an arched ceiling decorated with gold swirls and a painted fresco. Crystal chandeliers dropped from the ceiling every few steps, and arched windows framed with gold molding flooded enough light into the room that it made the elaborate gold statues shine so brightly she had to squint tosee.
Of course, Enchanter Evariste is worried about making our appointment. The only reason I’m not objecting is because he made an appointment with atailor.That means we are getting clothes for Evariste. Or itshouldmean so.She glanced up speculatively at her teacher.His tricky side is hard to predict, so it’s possible he fully intends to use a tailor to make clothes for me just to put me off hisscent.
She shook her head slightly and followed Evariste when he made a turn down a different hallway—this one themed in silver. “If you are worried about our time, why did you agree to look in on the mirror when the Veneno Conclave posted the assignment?” Angelique asked. “I thought they only asked that someone in the area would verify the mirror—not youspecifically.”
“Yes, but it was a good experience for you. You’ll need to be able to verify magical artifacts in the future, and since we happened to be in Noyers for the tailor, it was an opportunity we could not pass up,” Evaristeexplained.
Noyers was the capital of Loire—the biggest and most powerful country on thecontinent.
“If we weren’t on a schedule, I’d consider paying a social call to King Rèmy and Queen Nicole,” Evariste said as they slipped out of the hall and into the equally ornate gardens. “But we can save that for another time, particularly as things are in a bit of a social uproar rightnow.”
“Why?” Angelique asked, frowning slightly. She had been born and raised in Loire, but the Veneno Conclave tried to enforce impartiality of all countries in its mages to eliminatefavoritism.
As such, she hadn’t paid much attention to herhomeland.
“King Rèmy—with the approval of his wife, Queen Nicole—has recently announced he is officially adopting his illegitimate son into the royal family. He won’t be in line for the throne, but it seems they are steering him towards a military career.” Evariste offered her a smile as they finally slipped free of the palace grounds, passing a line of uniformed soldiers on their wayout.
“That certainly is unusual,” Angelique finallycommented.
“It is,” Evariste said. “Which reminds me, I thought it was rather unusual you chose to verify the mirror’s authenticity by using it. You could have loosened your hold on your magic and let it test the mirrorinstead.”
Yes, because who doesn’t love the feel of killer magic in the air?Rather than share her inner sarcasm, Angelique took a moment to craft a far more suitable response. “I do not want to become dependent on my magic, and I thought it was more logical to use the mirror to prove its owncapabilities.”
“It’s true, magical dependence can be a problem,” Evariste agreed. “It has occurred to me for some time that I ought to make sure you don’t lose your physical prowess you trained for as a war mage as it’s a skill most mages don’t have. But in this case, using your magic would have been muchfaster.”
Using my magic to make the verification would also mean dredging more of it up and using it in a raw form, without twisting it or channeling it into a different kind of magic—something I mean toavoid.
Angelique was silent as she walked with Evariste through the cheerful, bustling streets ofNoyers.
