“Thank you, Lady Enchantress. My family owes you a great debt,” Elisesaid.
“Hardly.” Angelique wryly replied. “It is the fault of magic users for allowing this to happen in the first place, but I thank you all the same. Until Verglas, Princess Elise.” Angelique clicked encouragingly at Pegasus, and he set off at atrot.
“We’re heading to Castle Brandis, Pegasus.” Angelique ducked a tree branch that jutted out to the road. “To consort with Gabrielle and Puss, it wouldseem.”
Pegasus huffed but tucked his head and picked up the pace when they left the woods, galloping for the country’scapital.
Chapter 12
Rather than announceher presence to the witch-queen, Angelique chose the option of subterfuge. She left Pegasus outside (after arguing with him for a good ten minutes, hefinallyagreed to return to the sky) and walked into the capital, an invisibility charm hiding her fromsight.
She chose a charm that used very little of her magic—she didn’t want to be throwing any around without knowing how skilled Clotilde was at black magic, as the witch-queen might be able to sense it beingused.
It meant making her way through the city and to the royal castle a harrowing experience, however, as the charm was really just a thin illusion that would falter if someone ran intoher.
I need to send word to Enchanter Clovicus,Angelique thought as she wove her way through the busy city streets.While I’d like to believe I will be forgiven for using magic here when the situation is this dire, it’s very likely someone in the Veneno Conclave is going to throw a fit, and the Council will to have me dragged inagain.
She sighed. The knowledge was disheartening, but she was surprised to realize she was more bothered by the time she’d waste arguing her case than knowing no one trusted her even when she was risking her life to do what wasright.
I guess all my years of being treated with suspicion have finally helped me reach enlightenment. She cracked a smile at her own dark joke as she circled a city fountain, taking a moment to get her bearings before continuing on.I now expect to be treated like a villain. In fact, I welcome it. If I march into their den expecting to be doubted, it means their hard words and blatant disbelief hurtless.
In her heart of hearts, though, it still made Angelique doubt. Was she doing the right thing? The Veneno Conclave was supposed to be the moral guidance for magic users. And if they were so suspicious of her everyaction…
Angelique shook her head and instead turned her thoughts to her examination of the curse stamped on the princes.There was somethingfamiliarabout some of that spell work. She side-stepped a man carrying buckets of water and increased her pace.Or perhaps not even the spell itself, but the power in it. But that’s impossible. I’m not familiar with blackmagic.
She peered ahead and spotted the gate that divided Castle Brandis from the rest of the city. A few quick strides and she wasthrough.
She tried to go around by the stables, but they were buzzing with frantic activity, making it too risky for her to pass through with her delicate spell. So she continued around to the back of the castle, passing through a smallgarden.
“Angelique?”
She paused at the voice and poked her head past a hedge. Gabrielle wove her way around a bird bath, with Puss on her shoulder and her hand grabbing fistfuls of her fine, silken gown, lifting up the hem so she could walkfaster.
Angelique dusted off her invisibility charm. “Over here—and slightly disheartened you found me so easily. It does not bode well for my attempt to arriveundetected.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Puss crossly said. “You were my owner for years. OfcourseI’d recognize your magic—even if youhaveimproved its subtleties,” he grudginglysaid.
“I doubt anyone else felt your arrival,” Gabrielle added. She stopped just short of Angelique and offered her abow.
“Please, we are past formalities,” Angeliquesaid.
Gabrielle grinned, adding to her beauty, and laughed. “I’d like to think so, too, but I didn’t want toassume.”
To Angelique’s surprise, the younger girl stretched out her arms and embraced Angelique with a tight squeeze. Puss added to the embrace by rubbing his head against Angelique’scheek.
The affection startled Angelique—besides Evariste and occasionally Stil, she hadn’t often been hugged by others. But the hug let Angelique feel the slight shake to Gabrielle’s shoulders, and though Puss purred for a moment, when he placed a paw on her shoulder, his claws dug in despite his usualcontrol.
They are afraid. Not that it’s unexpected—one curse, and almost the entire Arcainian royal family is out of thepicture.
“What are you doing here?” Gabrielle squeezed Angelique once more then releasedher.
Puss tottered on Gabrielle’s shoulder before he regained his balance. “Indeed, there’s no way for you to have so swiftly heard of the tragedy that has happened here.” He twitched his whiskers, and jumped into Angelique’sarms.
“Actually, I have,” Angelique said. “I was on my way here to discreetly study Clotilde at Prince Erick’s request, to see if she was using magic.” She smiled wryly. “I met Fürstin Elise on my way to Brandis, so I’ve already had a look at the princes’ curse, and I sent her north toVerglas.”
Gabrielle sighed. “I’d normally laugh at the horrible irony, but I’m glad, at least, that you are here withus.”
Puss let Angelique shift her hold on him but flicked his tail. “What did you make of thecurse?”
