Chapter 1
My first taskwithout any sort of supervision, and I’m plotting how to bluff my way into a royal palace. That certainly bodes well for my future as an enchantress who stands for all things good andrighteous.
Angelique squinted at the white walls that surrounded the glittering royal palace of Loire. It was separated from the rest of the city, and even above the walls, she could see the ornate eyesore that was the palace. (Whether the royal family was trying to flaunt their wealth, or they really had such poor taste in architecture and decorating, she didn’t know. Regardless, Angelique suspected one should not have more than a dozen statues of naked baby cherubs decorating a singlewall.)
Even though I’m only an Enchantress-in-Training, I’m fairly certain they’ll let me inside. But I’ll need a believable story for why I want to see the royal family’s enchantedmirror.
She couldn’t tell them thetruth. If word got back to the Veneno Conclave—the organization to which all good mages, fairy godmothers, and enchanters belonged—she’d be sent back to her emptyhome.
No, she’d have to trick her way into themirror.
No doubt any other mage would gasp at the idea of lying—no,bluffing…that sounded a little less morally…wrong—but Angelique was backed into acorner.
Her master—the youngest Lord Enchanter in history, who had taken her on as an apprentice to keep her from being sealed for possessing dangerous magic—had been captured by black mages, and it was all herfault.
The Veneno Conclave was making an effort to find him…if by “effort” one meant creating a committee that was investigating all black mage reports over the last 50years.
It would be years before the committee would be able to find him, if not decades. And Angelique wasn’t going to leave him in the clutches of black magic for thatlong.
I need to get to that mirror to see if I can verify his location.There were other mirrors, of course, but they were all owned by other magic users—no one who would be willing to help her: the Veneno Conclave’s barely toleratedmonster.
Angelique shook her head.Focus.What story can I peddle that will get me inside and give me access to that mirror without stirringsuspicions?
She tapped her chin as she flicked her gaze from the wall to the guards standing at the gateway. There were more of them than usual; at least two dozen were present.I’m not confident in my ability to cast an invisibility spell strong enough to get me into the palace and to the mirror. I don’t even know where they are storing it these days. I can’t very well sneak in like some kind of spy—I’d probably break my neck climbing the wall. Yes, a bluff is the easiest method. If that is the case, then, I better fit therole.
Angelique checked her dress—a purple gown covered with iridescent gauze—and rearranged her face into a brightsmile.
While traveling with Evariste as his student, Angelique usually adopted the personality of a cheerful—if not slightly vapid—young lady. But now, without Evariste present and adding an automatic air of awe, she’d need to add a flavor of competency to her presence (because if anyone got even a hint of her true, sarcastic nature, they’d think her even more morally gray than originally believed and seal her magic so fast her head wouldspin).
Angelique tipped her head as she thought of the beautiful and awe-inspiring elves of Alabaster Forest.Yes, that will be the sort of front I neednow.
She made her smile slighter—and more serene—and twitched off the hood of her cloak. A quick, ladylike pat assured her that her long brunette tresses were still mounded on her head with jeweled pins, and a twitch of magic confirmed the presence of the illusion spell she used to color her eerie silver eyes to a blue hue. She was properly dressed for therole.
Then let’sbegin.
Angelique approached the gateway, noting the way the guards’ hands were settled on their swords or spears. The handful of them that had crossbows already had bolts loaded, but they seemed to be paying closer attention to the palace that stretched behind them, not the city street beforethem.
That is ratherodd.
She didn’t let her confusion show on her face, but when she drew close enough to see the beads of sweat that lined their upper lips despite the cool evening air, she doubted the intelligence of her plan.If they are this nervous, perhaps this is not the best time to attempt a break-in.
She considered turning back, but it was too late. Several of the guards had already noticed her presence and stood atattention.
Fabulous.
Angelique kept her smile slight as she offered them a tilt of her head. “Good evening. I am Enchantress-in-TrainingAngelique—”
“Thank the stars!” one of the soldiers gasped in relief, his shoulders drooping. “Maybe you can stop ‘im!”
Angelique blinked. “I beg yourpardon?”
The guards’ tight expressions thawed, but she could still see the crinkle of worry in the eyes of those closest toher.
“This way, Lady Enchantress.” A guard wearing some sort of armband gestured for her to follow him down the white lane that led into the palacegrounds.
Angelique reluctantly trailed after him, fighting to keep calm when three soldiers fell in line behind her.Well, I’m inside. But I suspect it’s not because of my dazzling greeting. “I’m afraid there might be a mistake, for I am not a Lady Enchantress but only an Enchantress-in-Training.”
“In-training or not, you’re the only one who might be able to do something—before we have a real tragedy,” the lead guard saidgrimly.
