Angelique demurely bowed her head and glided for the door, pressing her palms against her thighs so she wouldn’t clench them into angryfists.
I was lectured—andthreatened—for helping people. Helping!Angelique made herself smile at the war mage and his apprentice as she passed through the doorway, but she stormed down the hallway withoutstopping.
She clenched her teeth as she rounded a corner and almost smacked into aman.
“I apologize.” She backed up a step ortwo.
“Chewed you out, did they?” heasked.
Angelique blinked as she realized she had almost collided with none other than Enchanter Clovicus—Evariste’s oldteacher.
Enchanter Clovicus was a handsome man with a sly smile and an eyebrow that was fast to quirk and betray his good humor. His copper hair was striking, but the slight dusting of silver at his temples gave him a more refined air than his smile would normally affordhim.
His grin was very slight at the moment, and the slant of his eyebrows spoke more of sympathy thanhumor.
Angelique cleared her throat and forced her posture to straighten. “You knew I was to meet with theCouncil?”
Clovicus pushed off the wall and motioned for her to follow him with the twitch of two fingers. “With Evariste missing, I’ve taken it upon myself to make you my business. What did they want?” He strolled up the hallway, leading the way back to the section of the Conclave where both his and Evariste’s offices werelocated.
Better keep it simple, or the bitterness will leak out of me…though I suspect Clovicus has me figured out.Angelique re-fixed the small smile on her face as she followed behind him. “They wished to speak to me about some of my actions as oflate.”
“They didn’t lecture you for altering the Loire Prince’s curse, did they?” Clovicus asked. “They’re lucky you were there to act and modify the curse, or Loire would be raising seven different kinds of hell rightnow.”
“That was one of the things they mentioned,” Angelique said. “Though they seem more concerned that I’m traveling by myself and using magic withoutsupervision.”
Clovicus glanced back at her long enough to roll his eyes, but he didn’t speak again until they entered his office, and he shut the door behind him. “They’re being fools. You were months away from being made enchantress before Evariste was captured. You’re perfectly capable of casting magic by yourself, and I’ve never heard of another experienced apprentice—enchantress or otherwise—being disciplined for it. It’s well recognized that you’resupposedto be able to cast magic by yourself by the time you make your properrank.”
Angelique shrugged and dropped into a chair when the enchanter motioned for her to sit. “They might be worried that I will use my core magic. When Evariste took me on, I agreed to use it only in hispresence.”
“And then you had a fourteen-year apprenticeship,” Clovicus snorted. “Unless they expect you to stay with Evariste for the rest of your life, eventually you’ll have to use your core magic at your own discretion.” He grumbled under his breath. “Bunch of dimwitted, lily-spinedtwits.”
Angelique shrugged slightly, which made Clovicus’ eyebrowpop.
“You disagree?” heasked.
“While I do not appreciate my every action being evaluated with suspicion, I cannot say I disagree with their fear and reluctance to let me use my core magic,” Angeliquesaid.
Up went Clovicus’ other eyebrow. “Angelique,” he said. “You’ve been able to run free for several months now—without Evariste around to act as your conscience—and all you’ve done is helppeople.”
Angelique shifted slightly in her chair. “Yes. Well. That is ourduty.”
Clovicus smirked slightly. “I see. I rather think youshoulduse your core magic, but I also believe you need to exercisecaution.”
Angelique nodded. “It isdangerous.”
“No, bother that,” Clovicus grunted. “It’s your price. You haven’t figured it out yet, haveyou?”
All mages—no matter their rank—had either a limit to their power, or a price. A limit limited the ways a power could be used. Evariste was a perfect example, for although he had the rare and powerful magic of creating portals that could move a person thousands of leagues in a single step, there were checks to his power. He could not, for example, set up a portal in a place recently tainted by blackmagic.
Prices were more common. They were—simply put—the cost of using magic. The most famous case of a price was the Verglas Snow Queen herself—who was also considered the first enchantress ever, even though she lived centuries ago. The Snow Queen fell unconscious for days when she used great amounts of her ice and snow magic while fighting a band of twisted magic users called theChosen.
“No,” Angelique finally replied. “I haven’t discovered if I have a price or a limit yet as I haven’t used enough of my magic—though most people seem to think I’ll have aprice.”
Clovicus nodded. “And that is why I’d like you to be careful when you use your coremagic.”
When?Angelique wanted to scoff, but considering Clovicus was one of her few allies in the Conclave, she thought it better to remainquiet.
“When you finally do use enough of your magic and discover your price, chances are it’s not going to be pretty,” he warned her. “It would be better if I were there—or if you could hold off until we get Evariste back, but that’s not very likely. How goes yoursearch?”
