Trial of Magic (The Fairy Tale Enchantress #4) - K. M. Shea Page 0,180

then, is it holding onto Evariste?

She could see the threads of Evariste’s bright blue magic that leaked from the mirror’s surface—a sure sign he was, indeed, inside.

If there’s not a spell holding him in, how am I supposed to get him out?

Off to the side, Snow White continued to argue with the mirror/her stepmother.

“Empty entreaties, princess. I already told you—Faina is gone!” The mirror growled through Queen Faina

“Except she’s not!” Snow White’s voice was hardened, revealing her inner fire. “I know my stepmother. She would never hurt me! She would never leave me!”

Yes, keep going, Snow White!

Angelique wanted to shout encouragement to her friend, but she was afraid to break Snow White’s concentration and to draw attention to herself.

She licked her lips as she tested the mirror’s magic, cringing when it brushed past her.

It was the dangerously numb magic she’d encountered with her tracking spell: ancient, foreign, and powerful.

It was so different from any other kind of magic she’d encountered.

A rudimentary but deadlier form of magic saturated it, and she could feel an intelligence in it—a supposedly non-sentient thing—that frightened her.

It’s similar to the stones I encountered for my enchantress test, but more brutal and invasive. The stones pulled my magic from me…this feels as though it would infect every part of my being. How has Evariste survived this long?

For a moment, Angelique’s heart stopped as she considered the matter. Was it even possible to survive something this evil for such a long time? It seemed impossible.

No—Evariste had to still be alive. She could see his magic!

Holding in a snarl, Angelique checked on the Seven Warriors—who were still valiantly holding back the constructs. Their cuts, bruises, and wounds, however, were starting to add up and make the fight lag.

If this goes on much longer, I may have to intervene. But that might end any hope of freeing Evariste.

Angelique glanced at Snow White just in time to see her embrace the still-possessed Queen Faina.

“What’s happening?” the mirror said through Faina. “You have done something to me!”

When Aldelbert limped past, Angelique patted his back, taking the risk to place a tiny healing spell on the lord, watching the mirror as she did so.

The mirror didn’t respond—it was too focused on Snow White’s attempts to reach Faina, which seemed to be succeeding!

Faina tried to grapple with Snow White, but just as her fingers brushed the princess’s throat, the queen staggered backwards.

“Get away from Snow White!” the queen shouted in a feminine voice that was markedly different than the echoey one she’d uttered before.

You cannot resist, a hushed voice whispered. Though it was quiet, it filled the room with a stifling thickness. You are but a simple human, unable to fight magic.

Angelique jumped. The voice was coming from the mirror—the physical mirror. It wasn’t speaking through Faina, but with its own ability.

Perfect. Just perfect. A talking, evil artifact. Never mind that I’ve never met any talking, magical artifact before—which means the mirror has a level of power I’ve never witnessed—it also has to be twisted. There’s not a chance I can match it power wise, even with my vast magic.

Thick, tarry magic swirled around Queen Faina, who screamed in pain. She and Snow White cried to each other, but Angelique didn’t hear much of their conversation because her magic roared to life.

If it was a snarling lion before, now it was an enraged dragon with a belly full of fire and the desire to destroy everything. It hit Angelique so hard, for a moment she couldn’t see.

All she felt was her power—cold and angry.

She slumped against the wall as she tried to recover.

Settle down! she mentally howled at her powers. You’re trying to pick a fight we can’t win! We need to be able to get Evariste out!

“Faina!” Snow White screamed. Tears poured down her cheeks as she tried to step closer to Faina—who was wrapped so deeply in black magic, she was no longer visible. “I’m not going to give up. I’ll fight this with everything I have. Mullberg will not rest until you are safe, and I will not stand quiet and let you go!”

Unnatural wind pulled at Snow White’s black hair, pushing her back as she struggled to get closer to her stepmother.

Angelique’s powers gathered around her fingertips, and Angelique pushed off the wall—intending to cut a path through the magic for her friend.

A white hand plunged out of the darkness and grabbed Snow White’s, eliciting a startled scream from her.

Deep within the cloud of black magic, Queen Faina moved. “I