Mariselle sat up. “Father?”
He turned around and smiled. “I’m sorry. I woke you,” he whispered, stepping back over to her.
“It’s okay. Did you find Gaylen?”
“We did,” he said, the lines on his forehead appearing much deeper than usual.
Her eyes grew wide. “Where was he?”
He scratched the dark stubble on his chin and sat down on the edge of her bed. “Honestly, I’m not so sure. He pretty much found us.”
“What do you mean?”
Marcus explained that they’d been on their way toward Elder Woods, where Gaylen supposedly lived, when the wizard magically appeared in their path.
“Was it just you and the king?” she asked, picturing the moment in her head. She’d never seen the wizard before, but imagined he had long silver hair and wore a flowing white robe.
“No.” He smirked. “King Edward would have probably preferred going it alone, but we were accompanied by some of his very best knights.”
“Why would he prefer that?” Mariselle asked, confused. “Isn’t he safer with his soldiers?”
“Yes. Quite. But, the king is fearless and doesn’t always feel that he needs protection. I think that he actually believes himself to be invincible, just like when he was a boy. It’s a very dangerous notion for a king to have.”
Mariselle knew that her father, and King Edward, had been close childhood friends, even though Marcus wasn’t of nobility. From what he’d told her, they’d met one day in the woods near the castle after Edward had snuck away from his nanny. Marcus, and his older brother, had been fishing in one of the streams when Edward ran into them. From that day forward, the two started playing together and became life-long friends.
“What did Gaylen say about Angelique?”
“That he would fix the problem and make sure that she didn’t hurt anyone.”
Mariselle relaxed. “Did you know her, Papa?”
He stared off, deep in thought. “A little. She worked in the castle as a maid. I would have never guessed her to be a witch.”
She chewed on the side of her lip. “So you never saw her perform any Black Magic?”
“Not any kind of magic. Obviously, if she turned into a dragon, like Aiden mentioned, there was sorcery involved.”
Mariselle nodded.
“Now, it’s late and you need your sleep, Lass,” Marcus said, standing up. He tucked the blanket around her and patted her hand affectionately. “And please… don’t worry about Angelique.”
She smiled up at him. “Okay, Papa.”
He kissed her again and left the bedroom.
Mariselle waited for several minutes, giving her father time to turn in himself. When she thought it was safe she grabbed her blanket and snuck out of the cottage. As she raced to the barn, Mariselle glanced up toward the stars, frightened of what might be flying above. By the time she made it inside with the animals, her heart was beating a mile a minute.
“Smokey? Panther? Ebony? Frosty?” Mariselle whispered, calling the names she’d given the kittens earlier.
Suddenly, they were at her feet, rubbing against her ankles and purring. Laughing, she leaned down and began petting them.
“I told you I’d be back,” she said, smiling. “Come on, I’m tired.”
Mariselle stood up straight and headed toward the back of the barn. She spread the blanket out on some clean straw and laid down on it. Immediately, the kittens started playing with her hair and nightgown. At first it amused her, but became old very quickly. Gently pushing them away, she wrapped the blanket around herself tightly, and closed her eyes.
5
ANGELIQUE FOLLOWED EVERYONE to the Great Hall, where King Edward, Princess Eva, and Gaylen were already conversing at the King’s table. Glancing around, she noticed there’d been quite a few changes in the main part of the castle since her time there. Where once the walls had been mostly flat and gold, they were now lined with wooden panels. Above the panels were intricate hand painted murals, depicting the family history and numerous victories of the Rothhaven family. In one scene was an image of Gaylen casting a spell on a group of orcs. It was just another reason why Edward would never take her word over the lies the wizard had spun. He’d been the family’s protector for generations and they trusted him whole heartedly.
Fools.
From what she’d learned from Hecate, Gaylen served nobody but Gaylen, and his loyalty to Edward was based on his own selfish needs. There was a reason he hadn’t wanted Angelique in the king’s life. Hecate thought it had something to do with Lizbeth, which made sense, since they were married soon after she’d been banished from the kingdom.
Drawing closer, Angelique noticed that Gaylen too had changed. Where he used to have long dark hair, it was now short and the color of snow. His face had also aged considerably, with more lines and wrinkles. She had no idea how old the mage was, but in mortal years, one might guess him to be in his seventies.
King Edward and Gaylen stood up when they noticed Lizbeth and the others.
“Your Majesty,” the wizard said bowing his head.
Queen Lizbeth stopped in front of them. “Good evening, Gaylen. It’s been a long time.”
“Too long. Might I say you’re looking more beautiful than ever,” Gaylen replied, staring at her with his beady eyes.
“Thank you.” Lizbeth looked at the king. “I was just trying to get the boys off to bed when I heard you were back. So, what’s going on?”
Angelique moved closer, so that she could get a better view of Edward. She noticed that where Gaylen had aged, the king looked as virile and handsome as ever. Just looking at him made her heart feel as if it were breaking all over again.
“Gaylen has confirmed that Angelique has indeed returned to Syracuse and that we shouldn’t worry because he will handle her. In the meantime, he feels we should stay close together.”
Handle me, Angelique scoffed. We’ll see about that.
“Are we in danger?” Queen Lizbeth asked, her eyes wide.
“I believe it’s revenge that has brought her back to the kingdom,” Gaylen said. “That might include harming one, if not all of you.”
Alarmed, Lizbeth put a hand to her chest. “Why now, after all of these years?”
Before the wizard could reply, Edward spoke. “Gaylen believes that she was recently given a very powerful wand from Hecate.”
“Who is Hecate?” Mathias asked.
“The Goddess of Witchcraft,” Gaylen replied. He went to explain how he’d heard about Angelique serving her. “And now it seems that she’s been relieved of her duties.”
“This wand you speak of, can you actually stop her if she’s using it?” Lizbeth asked.
Instead of answering, the wizard stiffened up and peered around the room. “Quickly, I need you all to step behind me,” he said taking out his own wand.
Staring at him in confusion, nobody moved.
“I sense imminent danger. Get behind me, now,” Gaylen ordered.
Everyone, but Edward, did what he asked.
“Please, you, too, my King,” the wizard said, in a less demanding voice.
Still, Edward didn’t move. “What’s going on?”
“I know you’re here, Angelique,” Gaylen said sternly, his eyes scanning the area. “Show yourself.”
So much for taking him by surprise.
The queen gasped. “She’s here?”
“Yes. But, not for long.” Gaylen began to wave his wand and murmur something under his breath.
Gripping her wand tightly, Angelique changed back to her human form. Everyone in the room, except for the wizard and the king, stared at her in horror.
“Stop right there, Gaylen,” Angelique warned.
He continued chanting a spell that she knew just might send her away for good if she didn’t do something quickly.