It seems things suddenly got far moreinteresting.
Angelique couldn’t help it when her smile inched closer to devious than polite. “You know to which knight it shouldbelong?”
“Yes.”
Angelique nodded. “Consider it done. My companions are just the people to successfully retrieve it. I will also take my leave so I can explain the situation to them. It seems the stables will be our meetingplace?”
Rosalinda inhaled deeply, then started to walk at a much slower pace. “Yes.”
“Excellent. Until then, goodluck.”
Now it was Angelique’s turn to branch off from the princess, trying to discreetly route to the royal library—where three smugglers and two mages weresequestered.
A new Legendry Knight will be a great advantage in the battle against Carabosso—and the Chosen. The Legendary Knights were specifically organized to counter mages and creatures of dark magic. We must hope that whoever this knight is, he’s a fastlearner.
When Angelique breezed through the library doors, the guards, thankfully, didn’t try to stop her. When she reached the desk that barred the way to the other half of the library, Benigna smiled in bemusement and waved herpast.
I wouldn’t be half surprised if she somehow already got word of what happened in the throneroom.
Angelique nodded to her and glided to the screened off Heart Collection as quickly as she could. “How goes theprogress?”
The mages and smugglers looked up at herarrival.
“Quite well,” Firra reported. “Some of the sections are unfortunately small, so it’s gone faster than weestimated.”
Odette finished copying a crude sketch in one of the books, tracing over the image onto a fragile, half transparent sheet of elven paper Angelique had brought for such a reason. She removed the elven paper from the book and set it with her other notes, but paused and tapped the sketch. “You know, there’s something about thisdagger.”
“Besides being unspeakably hideous according to all legends?” Mishaasked.
Firra frowned. “What?”
“Your books didn’t mention it?” Donaigh asked. “Every passage I’ve copied has taken pains to describe how ugly it is, with a bug-likehilt.”
“No, it’s not its looks,” Odette tapped her sketch again, then returned her attention to a new passage. “It just seems…familiar.”
Angelique studied the Swan Queen with some curiosity.Odette isn’t one to lightly say such a thing. I’ll have to ask her about it later—when I’m not off to fight a crazed rogue mage.She nodded to Odette, then hesitatingly changed the subject. “How much materials are left tocopy?”
Misha swapped out the book he was transcribing from (which had a binding that was so clean and new, Angelique could smell the glue holding it together) and exchanged it for an old, dusty book that was faded with age. “I think we maybe have an hour, perhaps two,” hesaid.
Angelique clenched her skirts as they darkened from a pale reddish-purple to a dark green. “And if only three of you were making thecopies?”
Odette leaned back in her chair and scratched her side. “Maybe three hours. Did something happen with Giuseppe? Do we need to pack up andflee?”
Angelique shook his head. “It went terribly, but I think you’re safe to keep working. I imagine he’s so split in his anger—between being enraged with me, possibly his daughter, and for certain Princess Rosalinda—he won’t be asking around if I arrived withanyone.”
Donaigh fixed the brim of his hat. “How did it go sobadly?”
Angelique told them of her shouting match with the king, and that it was broken up only by Princess Rosalinda—who shouted even louder and more fervently—then detailed the princess’ plan to leave Ciane to aid those fleeingCarabosso.
“Hopefully she’ll convince at least a few Magic Knights to come with us,” Angelique said. “But we’ll have to leave quickly—Giuseppe will lock Ciane up tight once he realizes what she intends todo.”
Odette kept her eyes on the dusty book she was copying from. “You’re going with her,then?”
“Yes. And I imagine you two intend to come as well?” Angelique nodding meaningfully at Donaigh andFirra.
Donaigh nodded and sprinkled sand on his copied work, soaking up the extra ink. “We’re with our Briar Rose every step of the way—and we ought to see the jobthrough.”
“Through?” Angelique raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you’d ever leave the princess, even after Carabosso is taken careof.”
