Trial of Magic (The Fairy Tale Enchantress #4) - K. M. Shea Page 0,231

tense moment away from an internal fight with no evidence of who the actual enemy is.”

“Is there a way you can determine on an individual basis if a person is a black mage or not?” Snow White asked, her eyes large and round.

“The surest and easiest route is to use Verglas,” Evariste said. “The Snow Queen’s magic still stands, and it won’t let any user of black magic through Verglas’ borders.”

“I see.” Snow White leaned back in her chair with the air of royalty, her shyness melting under the danger of the broken Conclave.

“Getting all of us to the borders would be a logistical nightmare.” Clovicus frowned. “We can’t leave the Conclave unguarded, either. We’d have to take shifts.”

Angelique curled her hands into fists. “Time is of the essence. We’ve already lost so much because we’ve just sat around.”

“I hear you, and I agree,” Clovicus said. “But short of zapping the lot of them with lightning, I don’t know how you’ll get the other mages to move at anything more than an amble.”

“The Chosen have backed us into a corner,” Sybilla wryly said. “Angelique might have caught them off guard and scared them out, but even transportation is more of a nightmare because of their work. If Evariste’s magic wasn’t sealed, he could take us all one-by-one to Verglas. But that obviously won’t happen.”

Fritz stirred from his silence. “You have not found a way to unseal your magic, yet, Lord Enchanter?”

“No.” Evariste stared at the ground. “We’ll have to find another way. Is there a spell of some kind that could be used to indicate if there is black magic present?”

“Possibly. Or at least one existed once upon a time.” Clovicus rubbed his chin. “Mages had developed some pretty sophisticated, high-level spells for that sort of thing, but much of it was lost when the Veneno Conclave library burned. We might be able to find something, but it will take a lot of searching through our records.”

Snow White furrowed her brow, creating deep wrinkles as she thought. She pressed her fingertips together, then glanced up at Fritz.

The forester slightly tipped his head, then gave her a half-smile. “It’s your prerogative,” he said. “Faina said as much when you suggested the idea back in Juwel.”

What is that supposed to mean?

Before Angelique could ponder it much, Snow White twisted awkwardly to squeeze Fritz’s hand, and when she faced the mages, it was with a set expression.

Oh-ho-ho. The strategist has arrived and intends to set things right. Angelique grinned and glanced at Evariste. He raised an eyebrow at her, and for a moment Angelique was so glad to have him there that she gave into her weak desire and actually leaned her shoulder against his.

“We can create a way to determine—swiftly and with great certainty—if a mage is with you or not,” Snow White said. “No one is going to like it, but it will be what’s best for mages—and the continent.”

“If no one is happy, that sounds like my kind of plan,” Clovicus said.

Evariste shot his old master a look, then turned his attention to Snow White and Fritz. He smiled—revealing just how much he must like them, as it was one of his genuine ones. “Personal comfort is a commodity we can’t afford right now. As long as the sacrifice doesn’t cost us life or blood, we’ll do whatever it takes.”

Snow White released Fritz’s hand and walked up to Angelique. She had to tilt her head back to peer up at Angelique as the enchantress was so much taller. “Do you believe in me?”

Angelique laughed. “Snow White, I know you can do anything.”

Snow White smiled, but the trembling of her hands and the shakiness of her breath testified to how little she looked forward to this. “Then let’s go propose the solution.”

There was something about the way she acted that made Angelique suspect this “solution” was going to test Snow White in some way.

She’s too nervous considering this is our problem and shouldn’t directly involve her.

Angelique touched Snow White’s elbow. “Is everything okay?”

Snow White pressed her lips together and nodded, very obviously building her own resolve. “Yes. Everything will be fine.”

Felicienne frowned. “What do you mean ‘propose the solution’? Just tell us what you have planned.”

Snow White shook her head.

“You must tell us, it is our prerogative to refuse whatever you have planned,” Tristisim said.

“Not in this case,” Snow White said simply.

Tristisim grumbled.

Felicienne stood up. “I object—”

Angelique ignored their squawks and peeled back the tent flap, intending to tell Javed to