The very thought made Angelique grimace.I don’t like the sound of that. Not. At.All.
* * *
By the fourteenthday of the Summit, things were starting to wind down. (The exception was another assassination attempt on Prince Lucien, but the young lady who served as his handler fended off the attack until guards arrived, so the Crown Prince of Loire was uninjured. Angelique had been consulted, but it was Stil who took point in the next layer of protections, leaving Angelique free to focus on the “fun” that waited for her inKozlovka.)
As the days passed, the representatives came up with several key strategies and plans that they would take back to their home countries. After lasting a full fortnight, there were only a few more details to work out before the Summit could be declaredover.
“I believe it would be wisest to create a council of military advisors that will stay connected through messengers and magical means,” Severin said. “I will be the military leader and contact for Loire, and Colonel Friedrich will serve as the military contact for Erlauf and will report to his father, Commander Lehn. I ask that once your contact is picked, you send them to Loire to be introduced to others and to receive training for advanced use of a magicmirror.”
“Each party of representatives will be given a magic mirror to take to their home country,” Elle said. “The mirror will give us a way to remain in contact as we make adjustments to ourstrategies.”
“Constructed by yours truly!” Stil smiled dazzlingly at the representatives—who nodded their thanks—then turned to see if Gemma was watching. (Shewasn’t.)
Glaze added after several moments of silence, “We don’t have the mirrors prepared yet, but by the time the representatives are chosen, they will becompleted.”
Princess Astra shook her head like a wild horse. “I still don’t feel we are taking enough action. We should band together to declarewar!”
“War against whom?” Prince Steffen of Arcainia asked. “As poor as things appear, there is no unifying factor in the trials we face. There hasn’t been a pattern any of us have been able to discern.” He leaned back to avoid Puss when the black and white cat deliberately climbed on thetable.
“You cannot think to deny the calamity we each have been facing these past few years,” Princess Astrasaid.
“I’m not,” Steffen said. “It merely makes no sense to declare war against an enemy we cannot define.” He scowled when Puss sauntered past him, flicking his tail under hisnose.
“What he means,” the youngest Arcainian prince who was also, apparently, the charmer of the bunch, began, “is that since there is no common thread, no proof of uniting forces, we have nothing to declare war against. It’s obvious from the widespread unrest that something is happening, and the attack on royals means it is likely someone is pulling the reins. But wecannotdeclare war against an enemy we don’tknow.”
Severin looked up from his papers. “I agree. We have no idea who our enemy is, nor what land is harboringthem.”
“Could something have happened to Zancara?” Rider Nareena of Farsetsuggested.
Angelique managed to hold her placid expression and intended to keep her mouth shut—she didn’t exactly want the other mages to become aware of her escapade. But when she saw a few representatives frown thoughtfully, she knew she had to squash the idea rather than let them wastetime.
I am going to hear it from Finnr—and the Conclave if Sybilla can’t slip this out of the notes. But I don’t want everyone wasting time on an idea I know isincorrect.
“Possibly, but not likely,” Angelique said. “I stole my way into Zancara not long ago. There was no sign of black mages or darkmagic.”
Several of the mages—most notably Finnr—stared at her with alarm and disbelief, but the royal representatives all seemed to take refuge in her words rather than question hersanity.
It’s amusing to see how things that would get me threatened with punishment in the Veneno Conclave aren’t even questioned by the rest of thecontinent.
Princess Astra impatiently nodded. “Iunderstand.”
Finnr opened his mouth to object, but Astra ignored him and addressed Severin. “However, if we don’t cut this evil off at the head, it will continue toregenerate.”
“But if we cannot locate the head, how are we to cut it off?” Queen Linnea of Verglasasked.
Emperor Yevgeniy smiled in a tired but almost fatherly sort of manner. “We search and we listen. Prince Severin and Crown Prince Steffen are right. We must concentrate on preparation, sharing intelligence, and fighting the battles that come our way. All we can do is strive forward. Acting brashly will only give our enemy opportunities tostrike.”
Princess Astra hesitated, then nodded inagreement.
It took effort for Angelique to hold her mask in place. But she didn’t want to smile sweetly, she wanted to drum her fingers on thetable.
I perfectly understand Astra’s point. It’s safe to say dark mages are either banded with or leading whatever this is. But we don’t know under whose banner or order. How is that even possible? How can they breed this kind of unity without publicly rallying behind theirleader?
“We’re thankful for any magical aid we can get,” Colonel Friedrich of Erlauf said, tugging Angelique from her thoughts. “The mages are an advantage we didn’t possess before—Lady Enchantress Angelique’s effortsaside.”
The room was silent for several awkward moments as several mages twiddled their thumbs or stared at theceiling.
Sybilla delicately cleared her throat. “We shall strive to be a greater help in the future.” She pointedly stared atFinnr.
