Aw, blastit.
Angelique scrambled to her feet and brushed off dust andgrass.
Lady Enchantress Lovelana was a beautiful woman who possessed healing magic as her core powers and had been charged by the Council to lead the committee tasked with findingEvariste.
She and Lovelana did not have a sour relationship, per se… But it was an acquaintanceship based on tolerance from Lovelana’s end—for the beautiful enchantress had quite obviously carried the torch for Evariste when he was around—and indifference from Angelique as she had surmised that the enchantress was going to mindlessly follow protocol, which severely impeded the committee’s efforts in searching for Evariste. (Namely, it meant Lovelana was looking into reports of black mages that were decades old rather than investigating the very present and active efforts of modern blackmages.)
“Lady Enchantress Lovelana,” Angelique said. “What an…unexpected surprise,” she struggled to fill in the awkwardgap.
Lovelana smiled. “I imagine so.” She stopped a few lengths short of Angelique and wrung her hands for a long moment before limply dropping her arms at herside.
Angelique studied the enchantress from head totoe.
Her smile was sincere, but considering the gorgeous ensembles Lovelana usually wore, her current dress—an elegant but simple gown of rose pink—was rather understated. Most tellingly, however, was the faint crease that sliced across her forehead and the way she pressed her lipstogether.
“Is something wrong?” Angelique asked. “Do you have news ofEvariste?”
“What? I mean, no—I’m sorry to say I don’t.” Lovelana went back to wringing her hands. “I heard you were here in Verglas—with business on behalf of Prince Severin and Princess Elle ofLoire.”
“In a way,” Angelique agreed. “He has a theory about all the latest occurrences,” she lamelysummarized.
I understand that Severin wants us to keep this information contained and close so the Chosen don’t find out about it, but how am I supposed to keep her in the dark when she’shereand can see us skulking around the mountains with her owneyes?
Thankfully, Lovelana did not seem overly concerned with the camp—or those in it. She nodded and kept her eyes on Angelique. “I see. I went to Ostfold in hopes of catching you, but they told me you and Lord Enchanter Clovicus had traveled to Fresler’sHelm.”
“Yeeesss,” Angelique reluctantly and unavoidablyconfirmed.
“I followed you here because I need to speak withyou.”
Oh, great. What are the chances she needs me to do something? I’d say near 100 percent. Probably needs me to retrieve something from home to help find Evariste—even though her little committee insists on looking for him in the most inefficient mannerpossible.
“I am honored,” Angelique said withjustenough humility she didn’t think Lovelana would pick up on the sarcasm of it. “What can I do to helpyou?”
Lovelana knit her hands together and nodded as if she had decided something. “I believe there is a mole in the VenenoConclave.”
Still feeling snarky, Angelique deliberately misinterpreted her. “You came out here to tell me the Veneno Conclave fortress is experiencing a rodentinfestation?”
“No—amole. An informant, a spy, call it what you will.” Lovelana threw her hands in the air and started pacing. “Someone in the Conclave is feeding the black mages information. Of this, I amcertain.”
Angelique stiffened. “What?”
“I’ve been tracing over all the reports of black mages, trying to find a pattern to them—a way that might tell me where they are based so we could trace them to Evariste.” Lovelana switched from pacing to walking in a circle around Angelique—who was so surprised she couldn’t even summon an opinion to voice. “Several times, now, I’ve been able to uncover dens of black mages. I report my findings, of course, but by the time I travel to the location to capture the mages, they’re alwaysgone!”
Lovelana huffed in aggravation. “It makes no sense—these workshops have no reason to believe that anyone is onto them. As far as I can tell, not even the local government is aware of their existence. And yet they are always a step ahead of me! Once I thought to outsmart them, and I set up a trap—they avoided itentirely!”
“If they are as skilled as the black mages who took Evariste, it would not be surprising that they could avoid you,” Angelique said.Particularly if they’re in the ranks of the Chosen, but I won’t mention that justyet.
“That’s just it—they’re not.” Lovelana stopped her nervous pacing. “By what materials they leave behind and what I’ve found out about them, they are little more than petty criminals. But they are either unnaturally devious, or informed on the inner workings of theConclave.”
Angelique struggled with the idea of a spy in the conclave. Though it was a possibility that had been mentioned by Prince Severin before, it was entirely different to hear similar words fromLovelana, the darling of the Veneno Conclave. She wrinkled her brow. “Do you think there is an informant among the staff,or…?”
“No, it’s a mage. Itmustbe a mage,” Lovelana said. “A regular staff member wouldn’t have the opportunity to see this kind of classified information.” She narrowed her eyes. “You believe me, don’tyou?”
“Yes,” Angelique said before she even realized it wastrue.
We figured there had to be something like this—though if Lovelana has noticed such clear proof, it might be worse than we first thought.Angelique cleared her voice, then continued. “The past few years have been turbulent. I didn’t think it was possible that nearly every country suffered some sort of attack, and yet the Veneno Conclave skatedthrough.”
Lovelana’s shoulders curled with relief. “Good. Thankyou.”
