The thought was lonely enough, but almost worse was the reminder that shedidhave someone who used to act so:Evariste.
And yet she hadn’t found him after all theseyears.
Angelique cleared her thoughts and forced a smile. “Odile is blessed to have a friend such asyou.”
Odette shrugged, losing her royal edge, and looked a little uncomfortable. “I’m not really anyone special.” She wiped her hands on her breeches. “I can fill you in on a few of the finer details if you wish, but I’d like to keep it quick. My smugglers and I need to leave soon for ourdelivery.”
“Of course,” Angelique said. “I appreciate whatever you can share with me. Once Sybilla and the couple I mentioned earlier arrive, I hope to leave and send word to those who are investigating the darkness encroaching on our world. Suzu’s name is the first lead we’ve had in a longwhile.”
“Very well,” Odette said. “Then let usbegin.”
* * *
Angelique restedher chin on her fist—which was propped up on the table. Spread across its surface were the dozens of letters Rothbart and Suzu hadexchanged.
As she would likely be waiting for Sybilla, Stil, and Gemma for some weeks, she thought she would use the time to her advantage and see if she could glean any additional information in theletters.
If I have to read these one more time, I will shove these papers in Yakov’s mouth the next time he complains that I ought to attend an evening soireesometime.
She groaned and rubbed her tiredeyes.
I’ll have to take my written copies to Severin. As a tactician, he might pick up on something that Ihaven’t.
Odile knocked on the door. “Angelique?”
Grateful for the distraction, Angelique leaped to her feet and threw open the door to smile at the young mage—who was also her hostess, as Angelique had opted to stay with her rather than in Tsona Palace with all of its fluttery nobles and royals. “Yes?”
“A party is approaching the castle—I believe the friends you called for are among itsmembers.”
“Really?” Angelique followed Odile down the hallway and outside the tower. “Perhaps Sybilla could arrive this quickly, but I don’t expect Stil and Gemma for some weeks. They would have had to ride likemadmen…”
She trailed off and squinted, doubting hereyes.
For the party Odile had described were crossing the immense castle bridge, and leading them was a grim-faced Stil and a distraught Gemma with her giant white dog, Hvit, and the ever-sour Pricker Patch trailing behind her. (Gemma’s feelings were betrayed only by the slight set of her lips and the wrinkle in her brow, but given that she was usually unflappable, it was a worryingdevelopment.)
“What happened?” Angelique called out to them. “Was someoneattacked?”
The pair exchanged glances and inhaled deeply. “Lucien was attacked again, but he survived just fine,” Gemma said in her low and soothingvoice.
Angelique approached them, worried by the looks they exchanged. “Then why do you both look so…apprehensive?”
Stil hesitated. “Lucien worked out who our enemyis.”
“Luciendid? Really?” Angelique asked, uncertain she had heard right. Her ears caught up with her doubts when she finally realized what they had said. “Wait, that’s fantastic news! That’s something to be celebrated!” She allowed herself asmile.
Stil avoided her gaze and peered at the ground. “Together, he and Severin were able to work out some of the tactics our enemy isusing.”
Angelique suppressed the desire to pinch her nose in her confusion. “But that’s even better! I don’t understand how such great strides forward could have you two looking like someone kickedHvit?”
“It’s the Chosen,” Stil saidbluntly.
It seemed to be a day of doubting her senses, for Angelique shook her head in disbelief at her obviously malfunctioning hearing. “The Chosen—the ancient enemy the Snow Queen faced in Verglas and wiped from the earth? ThoseChosen?”
“Yes,” Gemma said. “And they’re targetingyou.”
Chapter 20
“I’m not leavinguntil you explain this—indetail!” Angelique’s elegant enchantress mask wasn’t merely slipping, it was all out cracking as she planted her feet and folded her arms across her chest. “You can’t just tell me the Chosen are back and rush me off toLoire!”
