black mage is more powerful than estimated.” His gaze went soft as he stared out at the woods. “We may need to call for help—perhaps from the Veneno Conclave. Between the seven of us, I’m sure we have contacts there.”
Angelique immediately clammed up. Oh, no. No, I’m not revealing my disguise. I do not want the Conclave knowing I’m here, poking around. They’ll ruin everything!
She cleared her throat and was glad she’d shoved her fingers into Oswald’s thick, bushy hair, as it hid the way her fingers glowed silver from the low-level healing spell she was spinning. “Help Oswald stand, will you? It will be better to treat everyone inside—where there are more herbs.”
Marzell’s smile was faint. “More healing through cooking herbs?”
“It works, doesn’t it? Who cares if you end up smelling like garlic or dill and…”
“Rosemary?”
“Yes!”
Marzell laughed. “As you order, herb wizard, we shall do.”
Angelique laughed, though it felt hollow.
We survived this attack, and I can say for certain the mage who has Evariste also controls Faina…but that power. It was so terrible! How can we ever defeat them?
The second time the mirror created constructs, Evariste was far more aware of its activities, given that Angelique’s tiny flicker of magic was still pulsing within him, shielding him from a hefty bit of the pain inflicted by the mirror.
The decrease of pain had done wonders for him. He no longer felt as if he was going to lose his entire being to the mirror, and he was more like himself with every passing moment as he bent his mind to the puzzle that was Angelique’s surviving magic.
I don’t recall ever reading a case in which another mage’s magic was able to stay with a different mage, and I’ve read a great deal of old, magical theory books considering Clovicus used to punish me by making me read them.
Evariste smirked as he recalled Clovicus’ aggravation once Evariste learned to enjoy theory books. They had interested him, mostly because it was something he couldn’t immediately master as he had almost all other forms of magic, and because his own core magic was on the outskirts of what mages understood about magic.
But even the books I read as an adult always stated that outside of doing spells that require more than one caster, or from harvesting raw magic to use for yourself—as I’ve learned firsthand—it shouldn’t be possible for mages to share powers.
The mirror’s horrible magic churned around Evariste as it twisted into a spell.
He tensed for a moment and felt it when the spell hardened into two constructs—each boasting far more power than the previous batch. It felt like there were a few protective spells woven into them as well.
It’s trying harder. Obviously, whoever is helping Snow White is more powerful than it was originally prepared for.
Evariste risked sitting up—with the mirror distracted as it was, it wouldn’t notice he was moving around and not hunched with pain.
I wonder if it’s Angelique helping the princess? Given her penchant for ruining Chosen plans, it’s a possibility. Which would mean she’s in Mullberg.
Evariste stretched his arms above his head and slowly twisted his body, trying to loosen up his muscles. He’d concluded—now that he could actually think thanks to the presence of Angelique’s magic—that he needed to do as much as he could to prepare himself for rescue, or he’d be completely useless when someone did manage to fish him out of the mirror.
But even if Angelique is in Mullberg, it doesn’t explain why her magic has remained with me.
It went against everything Evariste knew.
Except, is that not how it freed me from the waking nightmares Liliane trapped me in on the journey to Mullberg? It sliced through the accursed magic, and then I was left to wander in Angelique’s dream world. But is it just Angelique’s magic that is special? Or something more?
As much as Evariste respected Angelique’s magic—he’d seen a hint of just how great her powers were when she’d attended a practice test that was designed to measure her magic, and she’d overpowered the centuries-old magic that was supposed to resist all forces outside its own nature.
But the very nature of magic was that it wasn’t sentient. It was an extension of its wielder given that it came from the soul, but it operated by rules.
Evariste’s own magic operated under a limit—he was unable to open gates in areas that had been desecrated by black magic, or the gate would fall apart.
I wonder if that is why the Chosen haven’t been