that mentioned the spells used to safely transport the mirror to Mullberg.”
“Did it say where in Mullberg it is?”
“No. Just that it had been transported there for the sake of a goal,” Odette said. “It’s possible it’s been moved since then—the entry was years old. But Prince Severin wanted you to know.”
“Did the entry record anything about where the mirror was being shipped from?” Quinn asked.
“No,” Odette said. “Prince Severin said he wasn’t even sure if the mirror passed through Erlauf, or if the recorder had merely seen it while traveling. The entry that mentioned the mirror was more focused on the spells than the mirror itself.”
“But it could still be in Mullberg,” Angelique said.
“Maybe,” Odette stressed.
Quinn shook her head. “It’s likely. From all of our searching, we know there’s no way they have sent it out on a ship—isn’t that mirror large?”
“It’s enormous,” Angelique confirmed. “But we also didn’t find mention of any mirror in all our digging. If the mirror was sent to Mullberg for a ‘mission,’ none of the locations we’ve infiltrated are at all involved. Which seems odd for a mission so important they’d send such a vile and ancient artifact.”
“The entry was old enough that they could have used the mirror and then immediately taken it elsewhere,” Odette said.
“True, but has anything truly calamitous happened in Mullberg?” Quinn asked.
“King Matvey died nearly six years ago,” Angelique said.
“Didn’t Queen Ingrid of Arcainia pass away roughly around then as well?” Odette asked. “Could have been the mirror’s work.”
“Maybe…” Angelique frowned, disturbed despite the beautiful streaks of peachy-orange and pink the sun cast on the sky as it struggled to rise above the horizon. “But given the legends of the mirror’s power, it seems odd that they would use it like an assassin when there are easier methods.”
Odette shrugged. “I don’t pretend to know how the Chosen work—that’s for the likes of Prince Severin and Prince Lucien. But I have delivered the message.”
“Thank you for coming all this way to bring us this news,” Quinn said.
“Yes, thank you, Odette,” Angelique added.
“That was the main reason I came,” Odette said. “But I also have some new heat charms for you from Stil. He sent a dozen or so odd charms he thought might be useful.” Odette rattled the pouch that hung from a ribbon on her neck for emphasis. “And I thought you might like to hear how Odile is getting along.”
Angelique straightened. “Odile? How is she?”
Odile was the daughter of the Chosen sorceress Suzu and Sorcerer Rothbart. Rothbart was a bit of a strange case as he had refused to join the Chosen or the resistance. Instead, he had engineered his own death in an event that cast his daughter—incredibly skilled with a magic that allowed her to tame animals—as an innocent so she would not be punished for her parents’ actions.
Having met Odile—who was sweet, unselfish, and gentle to the point of strength given what she’d been through—Angelique hadn’t wanted to inflict Luxi-Domus on the girl, fearing Odile would have an experience more similar to Angelique’s than one of the academy’s star pupils, like Stil.
Thus, Angelique had suggested fairy Godmother Sybilla visit Odile and tutor the girl for a time.
It unfortunately meant Sybilla was occupied and unable to aid Angelique, but Odile needed magical allies, and Angelique wasn’t going to begrudge her that help.
Odette shifted behind Angelique, adjusting her arm threaded around Angelique’s waist. “Sybilla says Odile has learned shockingly fast. She’s now strong enough that if any more wyverns were to pop up, she’d be able to tame them all—even if multiple were released at once,” Odette reported. “Which is precisely why Sybilla says she’s not telling the Veneno Conclave.”
“Good,” Angelique said with great fire.
“Sybilla is sending reports about Odile, but she’s just wasting time as she’s trying to look for a loophole that could graduate Odile without needing to spend any time at Luxi-Domus. She’s been able to get her magic under control fast enough that it shouldn’t be necessary.”
“And what does Odile think of this?” Angelique asked.
“Oh, she’s deliriously happy. I’ve never seen her smile half as much as she does now,” Odette said. “She’s been interacting a lot more with the Kozlovka royal family, too. Stupid Yakov seems to get along well with her—I haven’t a clue how. He is such an idiot.” Odette made a disgruntled hum, but the relaxed muscles of her arm made Angelique suspect she didn’t mind her future brother-in-law quite as much as she pretended.
“I’m glad,” Angelique said.