Liliane’s beautiful façade cracked for a moment, and her eyes darkened as she sneered. She smoothed it over so quickly, however, that Evariste almost didn’t seeit.
Rothbart must have seen it too, for he tipped his head back and laugheddeeply.
There’s something unhinged about him, but at least he doesn’t stand withLiliane.
Suzu rolled her eyes. “Begone, Rothbart,” she ordered. “If you’re not going to join us, you’re not allowed here. And you have work todo.”
Rothbart ignored Suzu and cocked his head when he saw Evariste’s mirror. “What-ho? What’s this?” He stormed across the cavern, coming to a stop. “You’ve got an enchanter in a mirror?” It seemed he didn’t expect a response, for he added in a grumble, “Must have been a stupid one to get caught likethis.”
“I had someone I had to protect,” Evaristesaid.
Rothbart raised his bushy eyebrows. “Of course you did. You’re an enchanter—all of you are bleedinghearts.”
Evariste stretched his arms out. “Yes, it’s such a shame no one here has one of those. I would pay dearly to shove a wooden stake through Liliane’s heart. If she hadone.”
Rothbart loudly guffawed and slapped his armoredbelly.
Suzu forcefully turned her back to Rothbart. “To resume our conversation, there is no reasonable explanation for the way Apprentice Angelique has been able to exploit the power of romantic love on every curse we’velaid.”
Liliane picked up her latest creation—a painting of a pack of goblins—and cast it aside. “I don’t expect we’ll find a reasonable explanation, but rather a failing ofours.”
Suzu squirmed a little. “Funrus believes it’s the only curse alteration she knows how toperform.”
“Even if it is, we shouldn’t be so careless as to allow her to so deftly add in her alterations and harness romantic love,” Liliane said. “To have such a repeatable mistake implies someone has repeatedly made the sameerror.”
“We are using magic that is not our own.” Suzu’s voice was becoming progressively more passive and meek, even though Liliane’s expression hadn’t changed. “Perhaps it is because Lord Enchanter Evariste’s magic cannot be usedso.”
“Don’t besilly, Suzu.” Evariste couldn’t see Liliane’s face, but her tone—though pleasant—made Evaristeshiver.
Rothbart finally pulled his attention from the mirror. “You’re usinghismagic to craft these curses you’recasting?”
“Of course—he’s another tool,” Suzusaid.
“And yet an apprentice is going around breaking all of them,” Rothbartsaid.
Suzu gave him a murderous look that said she wished he would shut up. “Yes,” she said through grittedteeth.
Rothbart looked speculatively at Evariste. “Hmm.”
“Whatever the cause of this deplorable mistake, we must fix it.” Liliane fussed over her easel and inspected her paints. “We can’t afford for our future plans to be similarly affected. Acri will destroy her, of course, but that isn’t to say someone won’t take her place and continue to ruin every curse wecast.”
“Noteverycursehas—”
Liliane spun around. “She altered the curse placed on the Princess of Sole. She nearly smashed the one placed on Prince Severin. She adjusted the swan curse Clotilde put on the Arcainian Princes and aided the selkies so they pulled apart the weather magic that isolated Ringsted. Theonlycurse she has not romped through is the one pinning the elves down, and I imagine it’s only a matter of time before she ruinsthat one,too!” Though her voice was soft and she still wore a smile, there was something hard and angry in hereyes.
Suzu bowed slightly. “We shall endeavor to fixthis.”
“You had better,” Liliane said with the warmth of a summerday.
Evariste took a few shuffling steps backwards in his mirror, disconcerted by thewoman.
Rothbart, however, ignored her outburst. He folded his arms across his chest and drummed his fingers on his biceps. “Captured because he has someone to protect, used for his magic which has forged curses with an exploitable weakness of love.” The sorcerer muttered in a barely audible voice, his eyes narrowing. “Everyone knows love is the only thing that can be harnessed to break a curse, but to be so consistently weak to onetypeof love would imply…” he trailed off, then straightened. “Oh.Oh!” He roared in laughter again, his eyes settling on Evariste with a knowing light. “You had someone toprotect, didyou?”
He’s figured something out, Evariste realized.And whatever it is, Liliane and Suzu would kill to learnit.
Rothbart glanced at the two women, who were ignoring the sorcerer. He didn’t seem bothered; instead, he grinned. “I see so very clearly. Sothatis the way things will go, hm?” He raised his eyebrows at Evariste and…winked.
Just as abruptly as he arrived, he spun on his heels and stompedaway.
