He smiled and tugged slightly on the tip of the braid her hair was pulled back into. “Think about it for a moment,” he suggested. “If the Veneno Conclave gives a gift to every child born to the royalfamily…”
Angelique puzzled through it for a long minute. She was acutely aware of Evariste casually studying the bottled blizzard, but she didn’t want to give him a half-formedanswer.
Though she trusted Evariste a great deal more now after spending nearly a year with him, she was still heavily aware that she needed him to believe in her if she wanted to make it toEnchantress.
“It establishes a relationship with them?” She finally guessed. “So we are active in the dealings ofeveryroyal family because who would not want their children blessed—Zancara withstanding ofcourse.”
“That’s one half of the equation,” Evariste admitted. “It’s actually the more difficult half. Think something a little less shadowy and a little moreobvious.”
Angelique held in a grimace.Shadowy, eh? I suppose it’s always great to be reminded that I apparently have the magicandmind of a deviant. But what is more obvious and less suspicious, but still calculating? They invite us to a party, and we give their brats a magic gift. That seems pretty generous for a small return. But maybe that’s it?“It puts them in our debt?” sheventured.
“Exactly,” Evariste rewarded her with a smile. “It’s nothing large enough that they feelbeholdento us, but it does make them more receptive to speaking withus.”
“What gift will you give Princess Rosalinda?” Angeliqueasked.
Evariste popped the cork off the blizzard in a bottle but held his thumb over the opening. “I will adjust it based on what the other magical guest gifts her—if there is another magical guest. Though given that Princess Rosalinda will one day become Queen of Sole as she is a firstborn, I imagine there will be at least one other. But, we can discuss that closer to the time. Today we’ll practice weather magic, then tomorrow we can review conduct between enchanters and royalty. It’s tricky because we’re neither below them nor above themprecisely.”
“I understand, MasterEvariste.”
“For now, though, get a feel for this blizzard, then change the snow to sleet.” Evariste removed his thumb from the mouth of the bottle, and mist leaked from the bottle, forming a puffy white cloud the size of amattress.
Angelique nodded as she funneled a tiny stream of magic from her stores, twisting it into the wet, spongy weather magic required for thetask.
A Christening, hmm? It sounds fun. More fun, anyway, then contemplating my evident future of becoming the Veneno Conclave’sassassin.
* * *
Two weeks later,when Lord Enchanter Evariste and Angelique stepped through a portal that dropped them at the entrance of the Sole palace, the royal family waswaiting.
King Giuseppe of Sole—tall and commanding, with an air of competent pride to him—slightly inclined his head. “Welcome to Sole, Lord Enchanter Evariste and Enchantress-in-TrainingAngelique.”
Evariste gave the king a so-slight-it-was-barely-discernable-bow, but Angelique clenched the skirts of her gown as she performed a fullcurtsey.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” hesaid.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Angelique murmured aswell.
Princess Alessia and her husband Prince Consort Filipo gave a less majestic, but far warmer welcome as they beamed while they curtsied andbowed.
“Thank you for coming, Lord Enchanter Evariste.” Princess Alessia fussed with the hood of her fur-lined cloak. “We are honored by yourpresence.”
“And the presence of your apprentice, as well,” Prince Consort Filipoadded.
“We are glad we could attend such a happy occasion. Congratulations to both of you,” Enchanter Evaristesaid.
“Please, come inside. The other Veneno Conclave representatives have arrived over the past two days. I believe they are waiting to extend their greetings as well.” Princess Alessia took her husband’s arm and let him guide her up the many stairs that led up to the imposingpalace.
If Farset was a country of forests and wood, Sole was a country of chivalry andknights.
Famous for their Magic Knights—who were the only non-magic organization that could face down a sorcerer or black mage with ease due to their anti-magic equipment and elven-stock horses—Sole tended to be a more ornate country whose nobles kept careful separation from their tenants andcitizens.
The palace reflected the majesty they commanded andexpected.
Constructed of greenish stone and rectangular in shape, the palace was topped with a giant domed tower and marble statues of knights. It was excessive in its size—for it had two additional wings to the palace that stretched in front on either side—but was admittedly majestic and splendid, if not a tadostentatious.
Angelique had always liked Sole—their Magic Knights impressed and intrigued her—but she had never visited the capital before and had never even seen a drawing of the palacebefore.
Though she wanted to gawk like the peasant yokel she was, Angelique kept a slight smile on her face as she followed Evariste up thestairs.
