mages about such a phenomena, and they assured me of the same thing.” Severin shook his head. “Regardless, I must be off. But I am glad I am able to see you before I leave, so I might have the honor of sharing the intelligence the rangers uncovered.”
Angelique fidgeted and tried not to let herself hope. “What did you find out?”
Maybe he learned if Liliane and Acri are really Chosen members, or maybe he can confirm Evariste’s location?
“We’ve found a medium-sized black mage stronghold in our northern territory, which is a confirmed site of Chosen mages,” Severin said.
Nothing to do with Evariste then.
“Elle will give you the exact location inside, but we’re giving you first crack at it,” Severin said.
“What do you mean?” Angelique asked.
“We need to shut it down, but before my men do so, I wanted to give you the opportunity to infiltrate it,” Severin said. “Given that only Verglas is to the north, it’s likely one of the Chosen holdouts closest to Mullberg. If Evariste is indeed captive in Mullberg as you suspect, it’s possible they’ll have record of it.”
Angelique dumbly watched Oliver and the female stablehand lead Pegasus and Fluffy to the stables—if by lead, one meant charge ahead of the stablehands, who protested the fast pace as they were dragged along.
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Angelique’s heart throbbed again with hope. “Who knows that you’ve discovered it?”
“The ranger who found the information, Elle, my staff, and Stil and Gemma.” Severin cocked his head. “And now the two of you. We’ve kept it from other countries because we believed it was most important to give you priority access.” The prince hesitated, sliding his fingers across the width of his sword belt. “And we have not told any mages—not even Lord Enchanter Clovicus—due to Lady Enchantress Lovelana’s suspicions of a Chosen spy within the Conclave and their history of botched attempts at infiltrating Chosen dens.”
Lovelana did say that was what made her suspect there is a mole in the Veneno Conclave—every operation she held against black mages, the locations were already cleared out.
“If you’d like help, we’d be happy to provide it,” Severin said. “Just tell Elle what you need. Stil has already volunteered to produce any charms you should need.”
Angelique released a shaky breath. “Thank you, Severin.”
Severin bowed over his arm. “It is we who must thank you, Angelique, for all you have sacrificed for our cause. We will help you find Lord Enchanter Evariste. I promise.” He met her gaze with piercing amber eyes, then straightened. “But, unfortunately, I must deal with the goblins.”
“Of course. The information alone is more than I ever hoped for,” Angelique said.
Severin shook his head. “It’s not nearly enough. But in this case, I expect Elle would be a bigger help to you, regardless. She specialized in undercover work and intelligence gathering in her years as a ranger.”
“I will be thankful for her expertise,” Angelique said.
Severin nodded. “Good luck—and be safe.”
“You as well.”
Severin nodded, then strode across the courtyard, heading for a furry gray gelding a soldier was holding. He mounted up, inclined his head to Angelique and Quinn, and then was off, his horse trotting down the driveway.
The troops started moving from their positions to follow Severin, turning the white lawn into a sea of movement. The clattering of wagons and the stamp of horse hooves on snow filled the air.
Angelique and Quinn watched the impressive sight for a moment.
“Lady Enchantress and Mademoiselle?” A maid curtseyed to them and indicated to the double doors. “If I may—would you like to be shown to your rooms first, or would you be more inclined to visit Madame Elle?”
Angelique glanced at Quinn, trying to gauge just how road-weary the smiling soldier looked.
Quinn caught her gaze and shook her head. “There’s no need to delay on my account,” she said. “Though the pace was unusually fast, I am used to long hauls as a soldier.”
Angelique grinned. “Just what I was hoping for. We’d like to see Elle, please.”
The maid bobbed a curtsey and led them into the chateau while two footmen closed the doors behind them.
She led Quinn and Angelique to Severin’s private study.
The door was wide open, and—familiar with the room—Angelique stepped inside without hesitation. Over the years, Angelique had seen it warp from something that was similar to a personal library into the office of a commander. The Loire maps had been swapped out for maps of the continent with colored tacks marking out the movement of the countries in the