“Goodbye.”
“Thank you, LadyEnchantress.”
Angelique acknowledged their farewells with the flick of her hand as Pegasus trotted into the dark and shadowy forest.Next, to Erlauf. Hopefully Enchanter Clovicus will know what to do about Clotilde…and the VenenoConclave.
Chapter 15
With Pegasus as her mount,Angelique reached Erlauf well before she could expect Enchanter Clovicus to arrive. But it gave her time to pick an inn at which to stay where she likely wouldnotbe recognized, and to ensure the pub where she had asked Clovicus to meet her wasn’t frequented by mages. (It wasnot.)
As such, when Clovicus finally arrived, Angelique was seated at a table, comfortably sipping herpint.
Clovicus entered with a bemused sort of smile, his eyebrow arching when he saw her. “The Dragon’s Roar?” he said, naming the pub. “You have interestingtaste.”
Angelique blinked, then frowned a little. “I tried to choose a location I thought mages would notvisit.”
The enchanter snorted. “There area lotof pubs mages wouldn’t set foot in. I just find it interesting that the one you chose is a known militaryfavorite.”
The Dragon’s Roar—whether in respect or an attempt to curry favor with its clientele—was swathed with Erlauf colors—gray and a deep shade of burgundy. The furniture was plain but clean and comfortable. Everything was vaguely square in shape, but there were cushions aplenty, and on top of every table was a tiny metaldragon.
Erlauf flags hung from nearly every wall. The country’s crest—a burgundy dragon—was fashioned out of glass and hung by every window, and perhaps what was most telling was the large, padded space cleared at the far end of the room…just in case a physical demonstration wasnecessary.
(Erlauf was renowned for its army. Its officers were, socially speaking, more powerful than the country’s nobles, although most sons of nobility ended upenrolling.)
Slightly confused by Clovicus’ words, Angelique scanned the pub again.I don’t understand. It’s clean and quiet at this hour, and the food and drink are decent considering theprices.
A few soldiers were seated in one corner—easily recognizable by the gray and burgundy of their uniforms and their swallow-tailjackets.
Another group was on the opposite side of the pub, for although they lacked the uniform, Angelique could tell they were soldiers from the way they stood, spoke, and crowded around a table comparing three different types of swords like old ladies swappingrecipes.
Clovicus seated himself across from her and arched his eyebrow even higher—if that was possible. “I have good news to share. The Veneno Conclave no longer has a warrant out foryou.”
Angelique frowned in her surprise. “Whynot?”
Clovicus leaned back in his seat and motioned for the barmaid to bring him a pint, then rested his hands on the table. “It was an automatic measure put on you by workers as soon as your magic was reported in Arcainia. I couldn’t stop the initial warrant going out, but I spent two days talking them out of it before resorting to the Council,” hesnorted.
“…I beg yourpardon?”
“It wasn’t too terribly hard. Once I made it clear to the Council you used your magic to fight a witch who had cursed the princes, that gave the Conclave something else to be upset about. Tristisim and Felicienne in particular aren’t happy with you, but they were more angry with that Clotilde woman you wrote about and understood the situation once it was explained to them—and their ruddy officials,” Clovicusgrunted.
“So the Conclave is going to do something about her?” Angeliqueasked.
“Eventually, some day.” Clovicus sighed—though he broke it off to give the barmaid a charming smile when she delivered his pint. “Before they act, they plan to send couriers out to other countries, so they are aware the Conclave is acting on behalf of Arcainia and that it is not a show of favoritism but for the benefit of all. Of course, they’ll have to wait back for responses, and already it is suspected King Giuseppe of Sole is going to complain given that the Conclave hasn’t done much for his cursed granddaughter, PrincessRosalinda.”
“In other words, this could take some weeks,” Angeliquesaid.
“Months, probably,” Clovicuspredicted.
“And Arcainia will suffer in the meanwhile.” Angelique traced the rim of hermug.
“The Veneno Conclave’s strength lies in its size. It gives them the ability to do large things and achieve peace with the greater power backing it,” Clovicus said. “Unfortunately, its size is also its greatest weakness as it takes a great deal to get the Conclavemoving.”
“Am I still in trouble, then?” Angeliqueasked.
Clovicus scratched his strong jaw as he considered her words. “Not if you keep a low profile. I’d recommend you stay away from the Veneno Conclave and avoid seeing other mages. The less you can remind them of what they view as your transgressions, the better. Even if the warrant was redacted, it doesn’t mean another mage won’t feel duty bound to drag you back to the Veneno Conclave fortress for a forcefullecture.”
Angelique held in a frown. “I was hoping to recruit other mages—or even enchanters and enchantresses—to attackClotilde.”
Clovicus snorted after taking a swig of his Erlauf beer. “You probably could have…if you hadcontacted meto say you were intending to attack Clotilde. As it is, I have been in damage control, painting you as a worried lady enchantress rather than willfully disobeying Conclave law. With the Council as angry as it is, most highly ranked mages are going to be reluctant to jump into these politicalmatters.”
