Evelyn stiffened. “You use your magic to seduce women? Like, you control them with your voice?”
“No!” Damien assured, holding his hands up. “I just use my voice to get their attention. I would never force women into anything, and my magic doesn’t work like that, anyway.”
“He would die if he did,” Leo added. “Outside of war, it’s illegal to use illusions to hurt someone else.”
“Can illusions be that harmful?” Evelyn asked.
Damien nodded. “A vision of a bridge could cause someone to tumble off a cliff. You could mask the taste of poison in someone’s wine, or hide the smell of deadly gas in the air. Illusions can mean the difference between winning and losing a war. But causing harm to someone outside of a battle is punishable by death.”
“And if you are immune to illusions,” Leo pondered, “you may be saferandmore valuable than anyone else in the kingdom.”
I’m not so sure being valuable lends itself toward being safe.
“We’re going into the city for lunch,” Leo said. “You haven’t seen Pointe-Rosemère yet. Would you care to join us?”
Damien gave him a look that Evelyn couldn’t read.
“Am I allowed to do that?” she asked.
Leo winked. “Probably not. But you’re with a guard and a captain. What could possibly happen?”
“I thought we weren’t going to tempt fate today,” Damien groaned.
“Can you ride a horse?” Leo asked, ignoring his friend.
“Of course I can,” Evelyn said. “But I should ask my sister if she wants to come.”
“No!” Leo said quickly, shaking his head.
Evelyn went still.
Does he not like Hannah? Has he even met her? Why are his eyes so wide?
“I mean,” Leo continued, “I’m sure she’s busy with the queen.”
“They’re probably deciding on jewelry for the ball.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “Hannah loves to explore, so I’m sure she would want?—”
“It will be more fun with just us,” Leo said, a charming grin on his face.
Damien shot him a glare before turning to Evelyn. “Come on, Princess.” He waved her toward the stables. “Maybe your sister can join us another time.”
Why doesn’t Leo want to see Hannah? What am I missing?
6
The City
The city was bustling with activity. Evelyn, Leo, and Damien passed shops, restaurants, and street vendors absolutely brimming with magic… that Evelyn couldn’t see. One merchant had an empty table, even though they were clearly trying to sell something. A crowded restaurant didn’t have any aromas wafting out the door, like they weren’t cooking food at all. Several children were chasing after something invisible in the air.
Is this entire kingdom built on illusions? What am I supposed to do in Gryon if I can’t sense any of their magic?
They walked to a small café. Evelyn and Leo sat down at a table in the corner. Damien went to the counter to order for them, which looked a lot like flirting with the curvy woman at the register.
“Do you come to Pointe-Rosemère a lot?” Evelyn asked Leo.
“I try to. The palace isn’t very exciting.”
“It’s beautiful, though.”
