“Perhaps.”

“I’m sorry. I would pardon you, the royal family would pardon you if we could,” Elise said as one of the swans waddled up to her and started tugging on her hair with its orange beak.

“I thank you. But it is not the Arcainian government that outlawed magic in Arcainia, but the Veneno Conclave itself. There is a good chance I will not be punished as the attacks originate from a twister of magic. However, no matter who made the law, I would not stand for this. My master taught me that as a magic user it is my responsibility to right whatever wrongs might have been made with magic. What Clotilde has done is not only wrong, but evil,” Angelique said.

“Thank you,” Elise said, her words barely louder than a whisper. The swan pecking at her hair whistled at her, drawing a weak smile from Elise.

“Of course,” Angelique said before she turned back to her horse. It bowed in an odd, boneless movement, letting Angelique climb up its leg and onto its back. “You must leave the country. Keep going west to Loire, and from there go north to Verglas. Your stepmother could never touch you there, for the magic of the Snow Queen still runs strong in Verglas in spite of the centuries that have passed. I mean to find Gabi and Puss to form a plan for attacking the queen. It may be some days before I find you.”

“Lady Enchantress, please…can my brothers understand me at all?” Elise asked, standing.

“They understand more than you would think, but not much of their humanity remains. I would guess that they recognize you as someone important to them, although they certainly do not understand the conversation we just had,” Angelique said.

“I see. Thank you,” Elise said, pushing her shoulders back.

“They will stay close to you. Do not worry that they will fly off. It will be easy for you to reach Verglas if you lead them rather than attempt to drive them, I think,” Angelique said, smoothing her iridescent skirts into place.

“Thank you,” Elise repeated, biting the inside of her lip to keep her face stoic.

“I will find you after my encounter with your step-mother. Until then, stay safe,” Angelique said. When her horse snorted, his nostrils flared red, like coals.

“Thank you, Lady Enchantress. My family owes you a great debt,” Elise said.

“Hardly. It is the fault of magic users for allowing this to happen in the first place, but I thank you all the same. Until Verglas, Princess Elise,” Angelique said before clicking to her horse.

It started off at a swift, ground-covering trot, but its footfalls sounded odd on the dirt road.

Falk’s horse snorted at the unusual animal, and Elise patted its neck. “I know how you feel. Come, we must keep moving.”

Chapter 4

All day Elise walked, leading one horse and seven swans on foot. The second day she mostly walked, but occasionally rode when she was able to coax her brothers into flying. It was the same on the third day.

Elise lost track of the days after that. She was tired and uncomfortable. She slept on the ground and ate the few edible plants she recognized. She knew she didn’t eat enough, but her appetite was gone.

The more time she spent with her swan brothers, the heavier her heart grew. She tried to look for any quirks or hints of their personalities that would set them apart. If she could just figure out which brother was which bird! But no; they operated like a flock of silent, dumb birds.

Elise’s only comfort was at night, when she tried to sleep on the hard ground and was surrounded by the soft, pillowy bodies of seven swans.

When Elise reached the Loire/Verglas border—and she knew it was the border, because Verglas had a distinctly cooler climate and an abundance of pine trees that Loire did not possess— her work uniform was torn, dirty, and a general disgrace to look at.

An hour more of traveling, and Elise found a large pond that seemed a suitable enough place at which to wait for Angelique.

It was scummy with lily pads and algae floating on the still surface, but Elise’s foster brothers happily plunged into the pond and started dunking their heads in the water, dining on some sort of pond weed.

Elise unbuckled the bit and reins from the bridle of her mount and removed its saddle and blanket. She let it loose in a small meadow where it attacked the grass with scarcely less zeal than the swans sifting in the pond.

Elise spread the saddle blanket on the ground before she sat down, inspecting the frayed hem of her skirt. The gold key still hung from the red sash tied around her waist, but the white sleeves were smeared green, and the black of the skirts had become a dark shade of mud gray.

One of the swans left the pond and chased an insect around the shore. The insect buzzed close to Elise, drawing the swan to her.