She released her powers—which she had twisted into sunshine magic—lighting the area up with the brightness of astar.
The fog started to retreat, butnothingcould outrun Pegasus. They reached the center of the black spell—a tar-likecore.
Angelique hurriedly gathered her magic up—trying to ready another spell—but it wasunnecessary.
Pegasus screamed as he collided with the core. The stars in his coat shone, and a cosmic boom shook theforest.
The black core shattered, spattering the ground with a thick, jelly-like substance before it burned away,disappearing.
“Ewww.” Angelique scrunched up her nose as she peered over the side of Pegasus’ shoulder, watching the last traces of the gelfade.
Pegasus snorted and looked to the side of the road. Angelique joined him and spotted a young lady, surrounded by sevenswans.
The girl had unruly brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail with a red ribbon, and appeared to be wearing a uniform of sort—a black gown with white sleeves, gold trim, and a red sash, but it was the gem-studded circlet nestled on her forehead that caught Angelique’sattention.
Only Arcainian royalty wore such athing.
That meant this girl had to be King Henrik’s foster daughter.What was her name again? Ah, that’sright!
Angelique smiled at the princess. “You certainly aren’t Gabi, so Princess Elise, I maypresume?”
Princess Elise—or, rather, Fürstin Elise if one was to call her by her Arcainian title—gazed wide-eyed up at Angelique, her face pale as she shifted closer to the swans. “W-who areyou?”
“I amAngelique.”
“You’re anenchantress.”
Angelique considered correcting her, but based on the swans flocking the area, proper titles were of no concern at the moment. “Correct. Your brother, Prince Erick, invited me to Arcainia. He asked me to observe your step-mother. It seems that I am toolate.”
Angelique looked over the swans again.Seven of them, and they are clearly touched by magic.On a hunch, she crooned, “It is all right, princes. Please, come out ofhiding.”
The seven swans glided out of the forest, joining her on the road as she slipped offPegasus.
Angelique slid her hands under the head of one of the swans, making it look up at her. She gently stroked its face as she studied it, trying to make out what pieces of the spellwork she could. She murmured under her breath, hoping the swan stayedcalm.
The princess waded out of the trees, dragging a large horse with her. The horse snorted at Pegasus and watched it with bugged eyes but thankfully did not try to flee from the unnaturalequine.
Pegasus ignored it and watched the swanprinces.
Angelique slowly turned the head of the swan, holding in agrowl.
The princes of Arcainia had been cursed—assumedly by the King’s new bride, the one the princes had been concernedover.
But why? Why would she risk such a blatant and harmful spell? This isn’t like the witch attacking Severin; all of the continent will know where to find the newqueen.
Angelique cringed as she continued to consider the curse. It was powerful—far stronger than what Severin had been struck with. Like Severin’s curse, there were several different parts to it. Unfortunately, it was arranged in layers rather thansections.
Itlookedlike the spell that forced the princes into the shape of a swan was relatively harmless—if not a little devious. Unfortunately, it was the very bottom layer upon which everything else was piled—a spell to take their minds, the curse in general, andmore.
It was so entangled that Angelique couldn’t outright modify it—at least not with her limited knowledge of cursemodification.
She sighed and let a frown tug on her lips. “This is a serious curse,” she said. “I assume Gabi escaped it because ofPuss?”
“Puss?”
Angelique glanced at the princess. “Hercat.”
Elise scrubbed her face with a dirty hand, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I don’t know. She wasn’t cursed; I don’t know why,though.”
