clearing as he adjusted his horse’s saddle.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Angelique took a large step to the side.
The crow followed her.
“Really?” Wendal casually inspected the sharpened edge of a dagger. “Because it seems to be quite intent on you.”
“Hahah, don’t be silly!” Angelique forced herself to laugh. “I’m sure it’s just looking for food. Watch—shoo!” Angelique flapped her hand at the strangely behaving bird.
This did nothing to dissuade the crow; it merely hopped closer—inspiring Angelique to back up. “It must be diseased,” she said.
Angelique never would have thought a crow could caw indignantly, but somehow it did.
All of the warriors paused to watch Angelique and the crow—Oswald and Rupert had even stopped arguing so they could watch the crow chase her around the cleared lawn.
“Perhaps it senses my magic powers—however small they are,” Angelique finally suggested.
Fritz tilted his head. “Do herb wizards usually attract animals?”
Angelique laughed and got ready to lie through her teeth. Unfortunately, Snow White proved to be a lamentable source of magic knowledge.
“Not that I know of,” she said.
The crow flapped its wings again, launching itself at Angelique so it landed on her boot, where it promptly held a leg out.
Chapter 22
With the bird this close, Angelique could see the tiny roll of paper secured to the bird’s leg.
Who in the wide green world am I acquainted with enough that they would send me letters but are also capable of taming animals? If this is a summons from the Council, I’m going to ask Pegasus to crash through the roof of their precious Hallowed Hall.
When Angelique did nothing, the crow cawed and waved its little leg at her again.
Whoever it is, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind for endangering my disguise.
With Snow White and the Seven Warriors closely watching her, Angelique desperately grabbed one of the herbs hanging from her satchel and yanked it free.
“I see what it is. This bird clearly needs the healing magic of herbs,” Angelique announced.
When the crow cawed in disagreement, Angelique booted it off the toe of her shoe.
“Yes, that must be it.” Angelique ripped leaves off the herb and crouched down.
The now-disgruntled crow approached her—again holding its leg out.
“See? It has wounded its leg.” Angelique managed to pull the message off the crow’s leg with one hand, and sprinkled fragrant herb leaves over the bird’s head with her other hand—hopefully disguising the message transfer. “Don’t worry, crow. Your leg pain will be healed now.”
“Don’t you typically have to make herbs into a salve or some such thing in order for them to work?” Snow White asked.
Angelique was saved from answering when the crow sneezed—a high-pitched, nasally sound that was most shocking given that Angelique didn’t even know crows could sneeze—and then flew off.
Angelique slipped the tiny scroll of paper into her boot and stood up. “There, you see? It just needed a little bit of herb magic.” She planted her hands at her hips and stared the warriors down. “Now, are we ready to leave yet?”
“We don’t even have half of the horses saddled,” Rupert pointed out.
“Then why are you all standing around and gaping at me like landed fish?” Angelique demanded.
Rupert shook his head at her but returned to brushing a horse while the other warriors also returned to their tasks.
Angelique retreated to the cottage door, scratching her calf as she discreetly grabbed the tiny scroll. She pretended to fiddle with her satchel as she unrolled it, holding it flat against the bag as she read it. She was surprised to see that it was from Emerys.
Angelique,
Quinn and I have returned to Alabaster Forest.
Wedding preparations have begun in earnest. The banquet promises to be a bore, but Alastryn has assured me numerous times Quinn will be a vision in her gown. I have yet to find a weapon I find to be precious enough to give her as a wedding gift—
The short message continued in a similar vein, consisting of Emerys reporting his feelings about his upcoming nuptials.
Angelique scanned it three times to make certain she wasn’t missing a hidden code or veiled message, but no. The King of the Elves was so besotted, he had sent a trained bird with a message about his wedding.
I should suggest to Prince Severin that Emerys shares his love and devotion to meetings when I next speak to him, Angelique thought with no small amount of spite.
Disgruntled, she crumpled the message up and dropped it in her bag. A tiny part of her—one she pushed deep down because