The Secret Mage: Elice, the Great (Book One) by Jennifer Roachford

Author:Jennifer Roachford [Roachford, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Curly Tales Publishing
Published: 2022-04-18T23:00:00+00:00

The sun hung low in the sky by the time Elice spotted him. She stood from the bench she read at and hurried to catch up to him.

“Lord Copita,” she said, just loud enough to get his attention. Andre was walking with two other soldiers, and they all turned at the call.

“Princess Elice!” Andre’s face split into a grin. He waved at his two companions, then made his way toward her. “What brings you out here?”

They were just inside the military encampment, where the central buildings opened up to an outdoor gathering area. Several soldiers of the King’s Army grouped together around a large fire pit, unwinding after a long day. There were many young men and a few women, some still in uniform, but most dressed in trousers and a simple shirt. Elice had even seen a couple of men without shirts, enjoying the beginning of summer weather.

“I was looking for you, actually,” Elice answered when they reached each other at the halfway point.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He stood with his hands on his hips, the top buttons of his shirt undone. She forced her eyes to stay on his, though he had a coy look in them that made Elice blush.

“I was hoping we could talk somewhere more private.”

She couldn’t read the look he gave her. A few passersby turned with questioning glances in their direction, which made Elice wonder if she had used the wrong choice of words. All the social skills she had learned growing up did not prepare her for the real world, and not even Miss Tabitha’s lessons had been enough to help her just yet.

“Of course,” he said, his voice eager. “Let’s go to my office.” He gestured toward the building on her right.

“No,” Elice blurted, thinking his office would be an inappropriate choice. “It’s a beautiful night. Let’s stay outside.”

He smirked at her, but nodded his head. “We could stargaze. I know the perfect spot.”

“What I have to ask won’t take that long.”

“Oh.” He cocked his head to the side. “You wanted to ask me something?”

Elice nodded and walked away from the main entryway, Andre following close behind. She came to a stop near the back of the building, away from prying ears, but still close enough to the stone pathway to avoid suspicion. At least she knew how improper it would be if someone caught the two of them together, hiding behind a building for a secret chat.

“If this is about Daniel—” he began, but Elice interrupted him.

“You mean the bigot who hates mages?” She narrowed her eyes at him when he laughed.

“I didn’t know about that! Did he say something? I can make him join the night guard for a few days.”

“It’s really not that important,” she said, but she placed her hands on her hips, and her eyes became thin slits.

“Are you sure about that? You look upset.” He took a step toward her, and she could see a smear of dirt on his neck. She was staring at it longer than she should have and snapped her eyes up.

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