Page 23 of To Catch a Prince

“Ah yes. Words of your Blessing travelled through the lands. And how does one become an Enchantress,exactly?”

She turned her head, remaining silent. The man had earned the right to be ignored, afterall.

“I’ve read all sorts of things about it. Drugs to travel through your subconscious, confrontation with one’s darkness, all the while being overseen by some of the Old Sorcerers. Tell me, did your handler have a great silverbeard?”

Ignoring him wasn’t quite so easynow.

“How didyou…”

“I have a thing for reading volumes that aren’t easily accessible. Particularly when I need to steal them from the Elders. What’s life without a challenge here andthere?”

Despite herself, she chuckled. “Well, it sounds like you know more about it than I do. Older Sorcerer, you say? Our Tutor was dreadfully mysterious, and knowledgeable, too. But I thought their search was the whole point - there was nolivingSorcerer or Enchantress in Eartia, and they were seekingone.”

“Hardly. There wasn’t a living Sorcerer found for a hundred years, certainly, but, to my knowledge, none of the Sorcerers or Enchantresses of old, have died yet. They all live in a hidden land, further north than yourland.”

She frowned. “There’s nothing north of the Northern Var. That’s the whole point in thename.”

“Well, technically, there were five continents in our world, according to any text from the previous Era. I sincerely doubt they’ve all disappeared. Our knowledge suggests there may be wards around our land, keeping us in - or keeping some danger out. Either way, the Sorcerers are said to live in a place they callAvalon.”

Damn him, because knowledge - and even fables - was her weakness. She couldn’t even feignindifference.

“Why would they lie?” sheasked.

Vincent shrugged. “Depends on whom you ask. But Avalon is said to be the most beautiful of places; no evil can reach it. It may be that they hide it because they don’t wish for the rest of us to want to pack up our bags and head there. One must deserve their admission to Avalon, I hear. That would also explain why six rival Kingdoms have somehow agreed on sharing an Enchantress. Do you really think they’d play nice, if they weren’t forced to by a higherpower?”

Her mind was spinning. “And why did you ask about my Tutor’s beard? He had one, by the way. Very long, and silver white, although he didn’t seem quite old enough to have earnedit.”

“There’re quite a few legends about him. I’ll have to show you the books, if I can steal themagain.”

By now, they were both smiling easily. When he wanted to, Vincent was quitecharming.

The song ended and he bowed. It was time to part ways now. She kept her hand on his arm and asked, “You do sound like you believeit.”

“And so I do. Particularly since we’ve encountered a force that could only be an Enchantress, just a few weeks ago, before you were ever Blessed. If what they told us had been true, no living mage should have had as muchpower.”

Talia frowned, concerned now. “Another Enchantress?” she asked, startled, and somewhat relieved. There was something quite daunting about being ‘theone.’

“Yes, or so I assume. But this isn’t talk for pleasant evenings. I’m sure your sister will tell you everything on themorrow.”

He moved again. She blushed, embarrassed to have held on to him when he clearly wished to be gone. The moment she moved her hand from his forearm, Vincent turned his head towards her,frowning.

“We’d better part ways if you’re to find another partner for the next dance,” she reasoned, disliking the taste of those words on hertongue.

The man stared at her for a long moment, before shaking his head indisbelief.

“Let us stop talking nonsense and hunt down some refreshments before the waltz. I don’t think you’ve stopped dancing for two hours. You must beparched.”

The man could be so dangerously charming when he wished to please that she was in danger of liking him well by the end of theevening.

14

The Enchantress

The next day,well past morning as none of them awoke early, they met in a comfortable drawing room. There was her sister, her new husband, Demelza, Vincent, another male and a female who were introduced as Nathos and Saskia. Saskia, blonde, and perhaps as eerily beautiful as Aleria, looked like she played polo with severed heads for fun. Xandrie introduced her as one of hercouncilwomen.

Nathos, however, seemed bored and wise. Talia identified him as the elegant man her sister had accosted the previous evening. Dragons didn’t age after reaching their maturity, so it was hard to tell how old they could be normally, but Talia would have sworn that Nathos was anancient.

She was curious, but too polite to raise the question. To her surprise, Aleria, generally the most well-mannered amongst them, pointblank asked, “How old are you?” She blushed as the man’s dark eyes focused on hers. “Apologies, I just…your eyes look different, particularly in the light ofday.”

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