“The lamp is?” Angeliqueclarified.
“Yep. Not unusual, you know, to think you’re buying a magical item on the black market only to be cursed when you try to use it. Charmed artifacts are tricky. As decades pass, it seems like the magic tends to leak a bit and ends up giving the items a bit of, shall we call it…personality?”
“Like the Legendary Weapons of the Magic Knights of Sole,” Angelique said. The concept of items with “personality”didn’t bother her much, mostly because the likelihood that she would ever have to use them was quitelow.
“Precisely.” Sybilla scooped up the woman-tortoise and placed her in her own mesh bag. “Goodness, the two of you are heavier than you ought to be. Anyway, as a result of their quirks, magic artifacts don’t much like being stolen, so it’s not unusual for some of them to end upcursed.”
“I’d heard of such a thing, but I haven’t seen a cursed item before.” Angelique watched the fairy godmother balance carrying the tortoises and the lamp. “Do you want me to drop the letters off for you at the VenenoConclave?”
“Don’t be silly—I can take them now,” Sybilla said. “Or they might not make it to their intended recipients intime.”
“Yes, but it looks like you have your handsfull…”
Sybilla picked her way across the rocky lake shore, the tortoises making unhappy chirping noises. “I’m staying with a friend in a town not far from here. Accompany me there, stay the night, and drop your lettersoff.”
Angelique took both of the complaining tortoises from Sybilla. “I’m afraid I cannot spend the night, but I will walk you back to your temporaryresidence.”
“Can’t stay? Are you late for a love tryst? Evariste will disapprove, you know,” Sybilla said. “Actually, he’d be downright snarly about it the more I think ofit.”
Angelique warred between snorting at the thought of being involved in a love tryst and laughing at the thought that Evariste wouldcareif she had one. She missed Evariste deeply, but she wasn’t so lost to the pain of his absence to think he would be bothered—though now that she thought of it, he would probably make a few joking remarks about Stil’s misfortune to have his “parents”separating.
That was something else she missed—his humor. (As inappropriate as he couldbe.)
“Speaking of Evariste, I’m sorry your lead from Zancara didn’t pan out,” Sybilla continued. “At least, I assume you weren’t able to find anything more since you sent yourletter?”
Angelique’s good humor faded. “No, nothing.” She tightened her grasp on the meshbags.
Sybilla made a tisking noise. “You can’t be upset with yourself—you were attacked in an already extremelydangerousland. It’s impressive that you even survived theencounter.”
“But maybe he could have led me toEvariste!”
“Maybe, or maybe not. The important thing is you survived to fight another day,andyou confirmed Evariste isn’t inZancara.”
Angelique pressed her lips together in an effort to keep her caustic thoughts toherself.
It seems like every possible lead I get in finding Evariste, I just mangle! Failure after failure—no matter how fast I learn to cast magic or how well I can now fight off a pack of monsters. And how is Evariste being punished for myfailure?
“Every place you confirm Evaristeisn’tnarrows your search,” Sybillasaid.
“I know most every place heisn’t,” Angelique sighed. “And it hasn’t helped me much because I still cannot findhim!”
Sybilla patted her shoulder, and they walked in silence for several minutes. “At any rate,” the fairy godmother began. “You really ought to stay for thenight.”
“It would be rather rude of me to stay the night without your friend’s permission,” Angelique said. “And I am afraid most people wouldn’t want me to stayanyway.”
Sybilla scrunched up her mouth and looked like she was about to unleash a storm onAngelique.
“Regardless,” Angelique was quick to say. “Whom do you think you’ll invite to theSummit?”
“There’re a few craftmages who will be interested—though I’d be surprised if Stil hasn’t already contacted them. Those craftmages gossip worse than a bunch of noble ladies,” Sybillagrunted.
“Severin confirmed a number of them have already taken up residence at ChanceuxChateau.”
“I’d expect as much. Clovicus should be invited—though it’s doubtful he’ll be able to come—and Finnr, of course.Perhaps—”
“Finnr?” Angelique swung around so fast to face Sybilla, she almost knocked the tortoises/illegal traders into eachother.
“Yes, he’s a downright stick in the mud, but he’s a good mage.” Sybilla rolled her eyes. “As much fun as a bitter plum, but he’s smart when the mood suitshim.”
