The deeper she went down the passageway, the stronger the feeling of darknessbecame.
It wasn’t a tactile sensation, but rather the impression of something terrifying that made her heart beat faster and heightened herbreathing.
When she finally dragged herself into the chamber, the impression spawned into an overwhelming sensation of darkness, to the point where Angelique could barely see, and she knew there was no way she couldstand.
She dragged herself to the side so she didn’t block the hole as a cold sweat broke out on herforehead.
The room seemed innocuous enough. Only a fine layer of snow dusted the area by the entrance. The rest of the floor was the kind of ice that had obviously been melted and refrozen, as it was shiny and had curved-over layers—like the cresting of awave.
The walls were pockmarked, and as Odette had promised, there was a snapped-off pick-axe.
None of it seemed off, but the clawing sensation at Angelique’s throat intensified the longer she was in theroom.
Even worse, she felt the slow creep of her own magic as it grew in intensity. Usually it just…oozedaround her, prickling when she was in a battle. But now…she could feel more of it prowling around her like a dragonuncoiling.
Please,pleasedon’t let this be a sign that my magic is drawn todarkness!
“You feel it,too?”
Angelique glanced up at Clovicus. He was standing, but his skin was ashen, and he leaned against the icy wall of the room, his gloved handsshaking.
It took her a moment to realize he meant the foul darkness, not the rebellious twinges of her magic. “Yes,” she managed to spit past her numblips.
Clovicus stared into the chamber. “I’ve never felt such strong and powerful darknessbefore.”
Angelique managed to maneuver herself into a crouch. “I’ve never felt such a strong sensation of somethingmagicalbefore.” She staggered to her feet but leaned heavily against the wall like the Lord Enchanter. “I’m not at all sensitive to magic, and I’m terrible at trying to pinpoint it despite all my practice. Butthis…”
“The mirror was here,” Clovicussaid.
“You’recertain?”
“There is no other artifact made of dark magic that is this strong,” he grimly said. “Onlythe mirror is capable of leaving such animpression.”
Angelique tried to hide the way she arched her back when a particularly powerful ripple of her magic started to drift away before she managed to yank it back. “Trapped in here as long as it was—for centuries, even well before the Snow Queen found it—its magic must have seeped out and polluted the place. How long ago do you think it wastaken?”
Clovicus pressed a palm to the icy wall. “It’s hard to say. Years, I think, based on the ice. Probablydecades.”
“And the imprint the mirror left here is still sostrong?”
“It would probably be a thousand times worse if it hadn’t been on Verglas lands with the Snow Queen’s magic keeping itcontained.”
“Which raises the point, how did the Chosen even get here?” Angelique closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the icy cold wall. It chilled her, but she welcomed the new sensation; it was able to pierce the fear the mirror’s echo managed to inspire and the uncomfortable hoard of her magic. “These mountains can’t be entered from Kozlovka to the west or Mullberg to the east. To enter them, youhaveto travel through Verglas, and the Snow Queen’s magic protection hasn’t shuddered evenonce.”
“That is quite the puzzle.” Clovicus’ voice was soft, but lined with the unmistakable rasp ofanger.
Her magic threatened to roll through the room like the clouds of an incoming rainstorm.Why is it doing this?She savagely yanked it back and glanced at Clovicus, wondering if he sensed the unusual activity of hermagic.
He didn’t glance herway.
I’m going to assume that means I’m clear—unless I decide to confess to someone that apparently my war magic is drawn to darkness. That’s sure to win me some friends. But I’ve been around black mages before, and it hasn’t reacted like this.Angelique mashed her palms into her eyes and refocused her thoughts. “Someone will have to tellSeverin.”
“As I imagine Wallace will soon catch up with me, it’s probably best to have you do so.” Clovicus sighed. “Though I am sorry you are stuck delivering more badnews.”
“Bad news is all we seem to get these days.” Angelique’s voice was devoid of feeling as she stared at the ground. “Every time I turn around, it seems we uncover darker and darkersecrets.”
Odette, who had made a circle around the room, stopped at their huddled section of the wall. “You’re that certain the mirror really was here, even though you haven’t seen the impression of where the frame was in theground?”
Clovicus took a deep breath as a sweat droplet worked its way down his temple. “Themagicimpression it left behind is quite distinctive. Further proof isunnecessary.”
