Stil slowly nodded. “Once you set off your snow storm and rattle the Snow Queen’s magic, I’ll call to it and hopefully incite it to take care of KingTorgen.”
“Seems like it will work,” Angelique said. “You’re going to crash the ceremony, Iassume?”
His grin was back. “Precisely.”
Angelique rolled her eyes. “You always did have a flair fordrama.”
“You’ll do it, then?” Stil rubbed his palms on the legs of hispants.
“Of course,” Angelique said, surprised he seemed so concerned. “This will be hardly anything—approaching King Torgen wasfarmore nerve-wracking.”
Stil bobbed his head in anod.
Curious, Angelique tilted her head. “Do you think I’m not skilled enough to start a snow storm? I’m actually fairly competent in my weathermagic—”
“No, no, it’s nothing like that at all.” Stil held out his hands to stop her. “It’s just, I realized while I was snooping around the palace that I’m just adding to your burden. You’re doing so much around the continent, and I needed your help not only to fight off the nightmare and rider, but to save Gemma as well. And I haven’t even aided you much in your search forEvariste.”
Angelique tugged Stil into a hug. “You’re important to me. Iwantto help you.” She paused when she felt him rest his chin on her shoulder and decided to lighten the moment. “Though I would have rather liked to hear this appreciation before you sent me off to chat with KingTorgen.”
“Sorry.”
“I’mteasing.”
“Maybe, but you have apoint.”
Angelique stepped out of the hug, but she kept her hands on Stil’s shoulders so she could squeeze him. “You’ll save Gemma and sweep her off her feet. Together you’ll visit Prince Severin and Princess Elise—that’s where I will extract my bill. You can explain to them everything that hashappened.”
Stil nodded and inhaleddeeply.
“You can do this,” Angelique said. “Your planning issound.”
He finally cracked a smile. “Thanks…Angel.”
Angelique playfully smacked him upside the head like an older sister. “Impudentwelp.”
“You should have raised mebetter.”
She snorted. “Yes, I shouldhave!”
Stil laughed outright, and Angelique waited for his chortles to subside before she set her shoulders. “Very well, let’s begin. Where in the city are you planting the starfires, and approximately when should I begin watching forthem?”
* * *
“Ishould have madehim promise to fill out my paperwork for a year.At least.” Angelique’s teeth chattered, and even with her bespelled dress, a heat charm lent to her by Stil, her white cloak, and fur mittens, she was stillcold.
“On the bright side, it will be child’s play to start a blizzard when the weather is already so terrible.” She scowled as she gripped her hood to keep the wind from yanking it off herhead.
Although the noon sun was out and the sky was a bright blue, it was freezing. The wind was especially brutal as it crested around the sides of the mountain, picking up speed as it howled across the bare ridges near the mountaintop. It ripped through her normally warm dress and pelted her face with icy bits of snow.Breathingwas even painfully icy. And she could do little to warm herself besides pace and keep her face pointed east towardOstfold.
Pegasus would occasionally stand next to her and block her from the wind—when he fancied. But he also spent a decent portion of his time chasing off any birds that dared to fly in the icy weather and investigating whatever interestedhim.
Presently, he approached her—burning a trench in the snow with his flaming hooves—and curled around her like a sort of livingblanket.
Angelique patted his neck. “At least it’s not as bad as the time we crossed the Chronos Mountains, right? Though then we were moving; now we’re stuck here like snow bears.” She squinted, trying to see between the snowflakes the wind flung in the air and peer down the mountainside. The trees at the base of the mountain looked like miniatures in a child’s playset, and miles of snow-covered territory stretched out beforeher.
“Well, the view is beautiful,” She fitted her spyglass to her eyes and peered at Ostfold—a tiny, walled spot on the horizon. It took only a moment to confirm that the starfires in the snow-crusted city had not yet been activated. She then pressed the spyglass into the folds of her skirts—if she kept it out, the blasted temperatures made the thing so icy cold, it stuck to her skin (as she had discovered when she first took up her post). “Though I do think it would be a more comfortable temperature if we were at the base of the mountain, like Stilplanned.”
When Angelique had arrived at Fresler’s Helm, she made the unfortunate discovery that Ostfold could not be seen at the base—or at any other point until one climbed high enough that they were above the mountain’s tree line. Which was why Angelique and Pegasus were huddled not much below the domed top of the mountain, affording them an excellent—if not blindingly white—view.
