“I wonder if this is how non-magical parents feel when they send their child off on their own path,” hesaid.
Angelique wrinkled her brow. “What?” She barely recovered in time. “That is to say, I don’t understand what youmean.”
Evariste grinned and winked at Angelique. “Don’t you feel like we are proud parents cheering on ourson?”
“No,” Angelique said emphatically. “Not atall!”
Evariste laughed as she pulled away fromhim.
“That was not a funny joke,” Angelique informedhim.
“I didn’t mean it to be a joke,” Evariste said with his most charmingsmile.
It took all of Angelique’s control to keep from narrowing her eyes at him. “Don’t you have a spell to drop off?” she asked with a poisonous amount of sweetness to hervoice.
“You are right—as always. Come, Angel. Let’s beoff!”
Chapter 23
Unfortunately,the trouble with black magic was not limited toBaris.
After returning home from dropping Stil off at Luxi-Domus, Angelique received word that Princess Rosalinda of Sole—the royal baby whose curse she had modified—was still indanger.
While the princess was a mere babe often times adults would find spinning needles in her cradle, among other suspicious circumstances. As a result, her grandfather— King Giuseppe—had her sent from her palace home to live in secret. She’d be raised as a normal girl, unaware of her heritage, but those around her would know. That had occurred before she could even walk, but years had passed since then. Now the young princess could talk and was old enough to venture far from her yard, opening her to moredangers.
Which was why King Giuseppe sent Angelique a request foraid.
“Is it really enough to send mages in my stead?” Angelique asked as she measured out tea leaves for two differentteapots.
“You’re an enchantress-in-training, Angelique. You cannot stay at the princess’s side—you are too important and that isfartoo political a place for an enchantress to be,” Evaristesaid.
“I’m still an apprentice,” Angelique remindedhim.
“It doesn’t change mypoint.
“Yes, but it feels cowardly—to send someone else to protect the princess,” Angeliquesighed.
“But that is why King Giuseppe asked you instead of directly approaching the Veneno Conclave.” Evariste added another teacup and saucer to the tray. “Since you are more deeply involved, you will do a better job of selecting the mages who will guard the princess than, say, someone merely reviewing the paperwork at theConclave.”
Angelique snorted. “I’m sure you being my teacher hadnothingto do with the King’s decision to contactme.”
Evariste laughed. “Perhaps, but in the end you were the one who selected Mage Firra and Mage Donaigh when we were reviewing thecandidates.”
Firra and Donaigh were a pair of young mages—a fire mage and a war mage—who were just barely out of theirapprenticeships.
Angelique had liked them because of their magic. Some of the other candidates the Conclave had suggested when the paperwork first began were less…helpful. (Music mages, storytellers, a mage with animal magic, and thelike.)
All suggested candidates were excellent mages of course, but given the threat the young Princess Rosalinda faced, Angelique wanted the mages who stood with the princess to be capable of protecting her from physicalviolence.
Evariste had approved of her choice, though for an entirely different reason. He claimed Firra and Donaigh were close friends, and that the temptation of a long-term assignment together would make them more likely to accept when usually mages of their caliber would be given more choice—but separate—assignments.
A knock on the door shattered Angelique’sthoughts.
She took a deep gulp of air. “That must bethem.”
Evariste set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll go greet them. Join us when you finish.” He started to leave the kitchen, but turned around at the last minute. “AndAngelique?”
“Hmm?” Angelique poured hot water in the teapots, then sniffed the velvety drinking chocolate she had prepared in the lastpot.
