Angelique rocked so she stood straight, her stomach still sloshing uncomfortably. “But I would like to see the spot anyway. Evariste would never let me quit a task like this unless we made a thoroughinspection.”
Clovicus raised an eyebrow. “Even when the outcome is obvious, likethis?”
“Especiallythen,” Angeliquesaid.
She followed Odette up the length of the narrow chamber, pausing when the Swan Queen pointed out boot prints frozen into theice.
“Not that it was ever a question, but clearly humans took the mirror and not—I don’t know…unicorns or dragons or something.” Odettecringed.
Angelique set her boot next to the print, measuringit.
She was tall for a woman, and the boot print was about the same length, but a bitwider.
“There are a few different sets—another is over here.” Odette set her boot by this second print. Though Odette was shorter than Angelique, this boot print was even smaller than hers. She pointed out a third set of giant prints. “Those were the three clear sets we were able to pick out—one of my smugglers was able to find several more unique prints, but they aren’t asclear.”
“So we know a party of people came here to retrieve the mirror,” Angeliquesaid.
“Assumedly,yes.”
When a soldier knelt by the largest boot print and unrolled a piece of cloth upon which he traced out with chalk the outline of the track’s imprint, Angelique and Odette moved on, stopping when they reached the far side of theroom.
“This is where we think the mirror was placed.” Odette crouched down and pointed to a long indentation that cracked deeper into the ice than the top layer upon which they walked. “Nadia is good at tracking. She said if you look in the layers, you can see signs of snow and ice melting and pooling with this indentation at thecenter.”
Angelique knelt next to her—slowly. Not just because the nausea made her innards slosh, but also because her magic had increased its intensity. It stayed concentrated around her, but it was so thick and overwhelming, it made her headache.
Afraid of what it might do, Angelique reverted to shoving her magic deep in her soul—more than a little worried by the way it resisted.This is notgood.
When she was certain her magic wasn’t going to break out, she peered at the crack. “A mage must have done this. A simple torch wouldn’t doit.”
“It wouldn’t,” Odette agreed. “The mirror must be quite big, given the length of the crack. Do you know itsdimensions?”
“We know it was big, but not its exact size,” Angelique said. “It is recorded that it has a giant red ruby at the top of the mirror, and its frame is ornate, but besides being large, those are its only distinctive properties. But you have a good point.” She paused to take a steadying breath so she could at least attempt a smile, then called out to the nearest soldier. “Excuse me, could the length of this crack be measured and recorded? Thankyou.”
She stepped aside so the soldier could get to work, then glanced Odette. “Did you notice anythingelse?”
“You might want to look at the pick-axe.” Odette backed up a few steps, then pointed to the axe. The axe head was rusted, and both of the pointed tips were broken off. Its wooden handle, however, was still preserved. “Best we can tell, they used pick-axes to clear the room. I imagine they left this one behind as it would only be dead weight on the returntrip.”
Angelique nodded and shivered in her layers of warm clothes. “Thank you, Odette, for all your help in this. You’ve gone above and beyond what I askedfor.”
Odette pulled her scarf a little tighter around her throat. “You helped us; I’m glad we can return the favor—and it helps that you pay well.” She turned in a circle and watched the soldiers meticulously record the details of the room. “You’ll go back and tell Prince Severin all ofthis?”
“Yes. He’ll have to take the mirror into account in the battleplans.”
“I see. If you have any need of our services again, we will gladlyhelp.”
“Thank you.” Angelique glanced at the cracked ice where the mirror had likely beenpositioned.
Yet again we have discovered some new way the Chosen have maimed us without our knowledge. We’re nearly crippled, and we didn’t even know. Clovicus should finally be able to get the Veneno Conclave stirred up with this news, but is it toolate?
Her spine shuddered in the ever-present whisper of darkness as her own magic rubbed her nerves raw.Perhaps we’ll be able to recover King Themerysaldi; then things won’t be quite sodire.
“You said you won’t see the elves again for months?” Angeliqueasked.
Odette rested her thumbs on her dagger belt. “Unfortunately. I can send word to you when we schedule our nextdelivery.”
“Thank you.” Angelique felt her stomach roil again, and her magic throbbed within her chest. She stiffly walked across the chamber and nodded to Clovicus before scrambling out of thehole.
She breathed easier once outside, separated from the leftover dark magic and granted relief from her magic’s painful assault as it slowlyfaded.
