Sincespellsto find Evariste seemed inadequate, Angelique had shifted her focus to sniffing out the dark pockets of the continent where the black mages may behiding.
For that reason, she had—using one of Evariste’s many pairs of horses and carriages kept in stables around the continent—ventured to Arcainia, nonchalantly circling the perhaps single most dark and plagued area on the continent: the lands of Carabas, which had been taken over by an ogre yearsago.
Though the lands showed sign of the abuse they suffered under the ogre—crops were failing, the woods were infested with goblins, and almost no wild animals could be found in that stretch of land—Angelique had been unable to find any hint of black mages in thearea.
She considered checking the rest of the country. Magic had been outlawed for several decades in Arcainia due to its king, King Henrik, marrying an enchantress (because of course an acting enchantress couldn’t marry royalty—that would befartoo political). But tragically, Queen Ingrid had died unexpectedly and recently, and without the enchantress-queen alive to intimidate any black mages, it was possible they had moved into thecountry.
But it seemed unlikely given what bits of the country Angelique hadseen.
She angrily shoved her chestnut-colored bangs out of her face.I’ve been searching for weeks, and I haven’t found anything!She wanted to scream, and her eyes welled with angrytears.
It was frustrating. She was putting everything she could into the search, and she hadn’t found a thing. It felt like failure. It felt likedefeat.
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “But I can’t give up. Maybe it’s time I focus on findingRoland.”
The black and white cat was nowhere to be found. When she saw in the mirror that he was in Baris, Angelique had assumed he was making his way north to Mullberg and to the VenenoConclave.
But the magical cat had neverarrived.
Angelique groaned and thumped her head against the wall of the carriage.I’m an Enchantress-in-Training, one of the highest practitioners of magic on the continent. I should be better thanthis!
And yet she wasnot.
Apparently harboring dangerous magic was not her only shortcoming. A general inadequacy seemed to plagueher.
She sighed and tugged on the hem of her dress. She was wearing one of Evariste’s gauzy creations of cream and purple, with gold coins draping from the bottom of her skirts that made her perpetually jingle whenever shemoved.
“Is there an apothecary or a healer?” The shout came from just outside Angelique’s carriage, making her jump insurprise.
She miserably lifted her head just enough so she could peer out the window of her carriage. Just outside, a beautiful young lady with lovely blonde hair and puffy eyes crashed off the side of her horse, twisting so she landed on her back, clutching something furry to herchest.
This sounds like one of those aid-those-in-need moments.Angelique sighed and tried to dispel the cloud of poor humor that plaguedher.
“Lady Gabrielle?” A villager took the reins of the young lady’s horse, stroking his neck and trying to calm thecreature.
“What happened?” A woman crouched next to the fallen young lady. “Are youhurt?”
Angelique nudged open the door of her coach and swung the carriage stairs down so she could descend without tripping and breaking her neck. (Which, with this string of luck she was stuck with, was a realpossibility.)
“I’m fine; it’s Puss.” The young lady peeled herself off the ground and unbuckled a saddlebag from herwaist.
“The Master Cat is injured?” the man holding the horse cried. “It cannotbe!”
Angelique paused.Acat?
“Not Puss in Boots!” a childyelled.
Villagers crowded around the young lady so Angelique could barely see her. Angelique squinted a little and started to tug at her magic—before she remembered she was in Arcainia, and all magic was outlawed.I still should be able to help in someway…
“What happened?” a woman asked, her hand planted on her intimidatingbosom.
“Never mind that—someone call Edna with her herbs,” another womanordered.
Angelique cleared her throat. “Excuse me, did you say a cat is injured?” sheasked.
The villagers parted, allowing Angelique a better look at the youngwoman.
Though her face was tear-streaked and dirt-spattered, the young lady was clearly beautiful. Her hair was golden and shiny, and her face was so beautiful it made Angelique wonder for a moment if she was a fellow magicuser.
