Evariste narrowed his eyes. “What is it you think you’veaccomplished?”
Liliane shook her head and tapped her nose. “No, I shall not entertain your curiosity today—it would make me such a bad hostess. And one must keep up their manners. Acri, be a darling and fetch themirror.”
Acri left his chair. He placed his shadow-forged broadsword in the air then strode away. The weapon bobbed after him like an animal on atether.
Evariste tried shifting, but the spelled dagger bit deeper into his neck, to the point where it was painful toswallow.
“Now, Evariste—may I call you that?” Liliane smiled at him, then adjusted her crown of flowers. “Let’s talk aboutyou. As you’ve probably realized, your magic issealed.”
She looked expectantly at him, shaking her head in amusement when he stubbornly failed to respond. She strolled around Evariste, tapping his shoulder to gesture that he should swivel tofollow.
Her hands were warm, and her touch was soft, but Evariste couldn’t help the disgusted curl of his upper lip that made himsneer.
She didn’t notice; she was watching Acri approach the far wall of the cluttered chamber. “I am a generous woman, which is why I’m going to explain the boundaries of your seal.” Liliane clapped her hands together. “You have a particularly terrible curse placed on you, I’m sorry to say. Or rather, you will think it’s terrible. It was the strongest spell we could find that could contain someone of your power—even if you were not the intendedtarget.”
Angelique. It was supposed to be for Angelique.Evariste had managed to thwart them in shielding her—something he couldn’t regret, even if it meant he was blocked from hismagic.
“The smaller mirror, Acri,” Liliane called to herspawn.
The young man had paused in front of a giant mirror taller than the average male. It had an ornate, gold frame shaped with tiny flowers and elaborate swirls. A giant, blood-red ruby was sculpted into the top of the frame. It was beautiful, but even without his magic to warn him, something feltoffabout the mirror. Whatever it was, it had seen action—for there was a shard missing from the mirror’s surface near the lower rightcorner.
Acri lingered in front of the largemirror.
“Acri.” Liliane’s voice was still melodic, but a note it in jolted the young man, so he grabbed the plain, full-length mirror leaning against its more ornate brotherinstead.
Liliane nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Evariste. “Admiring the crown jewel of our collection, are you?” She smiled affectionately at the ornate mirror. “That one is due to leave us in a few weeks—a gift to a grieving queen for her birthday, though we will have to spell it before it goes to cover up the crack. But I’m afraid such a beautiful prison is beyond you—fornow.”
Acri carried the mirror back to Evariste and Liliane, setting it up so it leaned against a hip-highchest.
“Thank you, Acri. Now…where were we?” Liliane tapped her full lips with afinger.
“You were about to drop the terms of his curse on him.” Acri smirked maliciously as he dropped back down into his chair, plucking his sword from the air. He eagerly leaned forward and watchedEvariste.
Whatever this curse is, it’s not going to be fun if he’s that excited byit.
“Ahh, yes.” Liliane clasped her hands together. “The curse blocks you from your magic. You have no way to access it, use it, twist it, or even feel it. There’s no one alive strong enough to break it. It’s impossible—because this particular curse is really supposed to be more of a motivator, and while no mage can use magic to crack it,youcan break it offyourself.”
Evariste stared at Liliane as she picked a stray flower petal from her hair.Is she nuts? Is everyone here absolutelymad?
“The term to ending your curse is this: you must perform the deepest, darkest desire of your heart.” Liliane smiled as she watched Evariste. “Simple enough, is itnot?”
Evariste furrowed his brow, but he didn’t respond.The deepest, darkest desire of my heart—what is that supposed tomean?
“For someone like myself or Acri, such a thing would be providing an excuse to do as we wish! But for someone like you—Enchanter Evariste—who so highly prizes his duty as an enchanter and is known throughout the continent for his valiance and honor…” Liliane drew closer to him and peered up into his face. “What isyourdarkest desire? Not the hidden ambitions of your heart, but the vilest whispers of your very being. Would you kill someone who has been an irritant to you? Use your power to bring those who are less to their knees? Twist your magic to make a fortune, or perhaps set yourself up as a ruler so it is your name on the lips of everyman?”
Liliane leaned forward so she could whisper into his ear. “Follow the feeling of the spell, and it will tell you what you must do to appease that dark savage that is withinyou.”
Evariste opened his mouth, intending to say no, but the dagger kept the word in his throat.Should I test her?Reluctantly, Evariste felt for the numb feeling that radiated out of hischest.
The closer he drew to it, the more it spread through his body, until he couldn’t feel his legs orfingertips.
He found the curse—dark and shadowy, oozing like gooey tar. Uneasily, he listened, and tried to access his magic so he couldseethe spell, though the attemptfailed.
He was about to shake it off and scoff at the obviously mad woman when he feltit.
“Angelique,” whispered a voice that sounded like hisown.
Evaristefroze.
