“I suppose that’s true.” Sybilla pursed her lips and glanced up at Angelique. “I’m going to be blunt and say it: Angelique, Finnr was careless with his words. Well, really he was acting simultaneously pea-brained and more thoughtless than usual. It was a new low even by his stodgystandards.”
Angelique gurgled what could have been a laugh if she hadn’t strangled it in her throat. “Isee?”
Sybilla smiled mischievously. “I can see I’ve shocked you. Don’t worry; I’m old. It means I can say such things and people will merely think I’m turning crotchety in my dotage!” Sybilla hooted, then clapped twice in her ownamusement.
“I assume you are referring to the meeting we held in the library?” Angeliqueasked.
“Precisely, yes. Finnr said some rather inexcusable things. I’ll attempt to make a case for him and say I’m certain he didn’tmeanfor them to be interpreted as theysounded.”
“He called me a creature of blood and war. How else could that beconstrued?”
Sybilla scowled. “Yes, well, he has the sense of a cow sometimes. But whether he meant it or not, I want you to know, to be certain, that you aremorethan that. You are more than your magic—and your magic is more than a tool ofdeath.”
This sounds like an echo of the platitudes Evariste used to give me. Angelique tilted her head as she studied Sybilla.He believed it—and I think Sybilla does as well. But neither of them has been able to present any evidence that supports theirclaim.
“I can see by the stubborn angle to your chin that you doubt my words,” Sybilla sighed. “But if I keep telling you long enough, maybe one day you’ll believeme.”
Angelique slightly bowed her head. “It is your right to speak to me as youwill.”
Sybilla slightly pursed her lips. “Do you know that you are feared more now than you were—say—ten yearsago?”
“Because Evariste is not here to hold my leash?” Angelique couldn’t entirely keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “If they’re that frightened, they should put a bigger effort into findinghim.”
“No, no, no. It’s not that. It’s yourprinciples.”
Angelique frowned so deeply she felt her forehead wrinkle. “I beg yourpardon?”
Sybilla’s voice turned instructive as she waggled a finger at Angelique. “When it was discovered you were to be the first ever enchantress with war magic, it made them a bit uneasy. Humans—even magic ones—are creatures of habit. Of course, something new would make them wary. When it became apparent there was no easy way to test thedepthof your magic, they came to fearyou.”
“Because of what I’m capable of,” Angeliquesaid.
“Close—but not quite. Because of what you’re capable of if you were turned against the Conclave.” Sybilla slightly shook her head. “For all that the world applauds heroes, it does notlikeheroes that are so beyond the reach of others that they cannot bebeaten.”
“That’s why they call me a risk,” Angeliquesaid.
“Precisely. It doesn’t excuse their horrible treatment of you, but at least you can follow their thinking. But now? Now they are petrified because you haveprinciples.”
Angelique grimaced. “Petrified? It’s really thatbad?”
“You’re focusing on the wrong word, dearie.” Though Sybilla’s words were kind, there was a sharpness to them that made Angelique look at her. The older woman’s eyes practically glowed, and for once, her cheerful smile wasgone.
Angelique got the feeling she was waiting for the right question, so she ventured a guess. “Why do they fear my principles? I took many ethics courses in Luxi-Domus, and Evariste himself pressed the importance of duty andhonor.”
“Some would say Evariste—and perhaps all those classes—went a tad too far,” Sybilla said. “Because you are so intent on doing what isright, and you are so fixated on shunning what is wrong—or even questionable—that you cannot be manipulated. Personally, I don’t think either are to blame; you came to us thisway.”
Angelique squinted as she puzzled through Sybilla’s words. “I’m afraid I don’t followyou.”
“Think of all that has happened since Evariste’s capture,” Sybilla prodded. “You flagrantly broke dozens of Conclave laws and muddled in continent politics—all in the pursuit of doing what was right. When chided, you refused to stop, and when threatened, you did not fall inline.”
Angelique frowned. “That makes me a rule-breaker, not a mage ofprinciples.”
“Except itdoes,” Sybilla said. “Because you also continue to be extremely reluctant to use your core magic, even when it would be the easiest way out. You’re not a monster, Angelique,becauseyou think and weigh out your actions. Because you’re willing to sacrifice if it’s the right thing. Given that there is no one who can counter you, it scares folk to know you follow a code of ethics, notorders.”
“But if that’s so…isn’t that a good thing?” Angelique spoke so softly it was barely awhisper.
Sybill sighed. “It is.” She reached up to cup Angelique’s cheeks with her soft hands and gazed at her with the love of a grandmother. “Unfortunately, they’re still scared. But there will come a time. You will not bend, and then everyone will see the sterling core of your character. Until then, I apologize for the thoughtless idiots likeFinnr.”
She released Angelique, only to hug her close. “You’re a good girl.” She rubbed circles on Angelique’s back, as if she were a child that needed soothing. “And one day, we’re going to need you more thanever.”
