Page 59 of Adversary to the Villain

“Probably?” Gideon barked.

“Hello?” Alexander choked out, wincing through a few more words. “Back to me, please.”

“Apologies, Your Highness.” Lionel swept down in a courtly bow. “If you want my opinion, you’ll be turning into a frog at random for the foreseeable future. You need the original enchantress; her daughter is essentially useless.”

Alexander stood from his chair so quickly, it tumbled backward. He paid it no mind, just looked at Lionel with a surprising fierceness before uttering three very threatening words.

“No. She’s. Not.”

Lionel seemed more than pleased by this. “A human after all these years. What a relief that must be for you.”

Alexander ignored the comment, turning to pick up his chair and gently place it back on the ground, then gestured for Gideon to pour him his own glass of rum.

“It would likely be more of a relief if you could give us a tangible way to change him back permanently.” Malcolm entered the offices with a tray of cakes. “Edwin told me to bring up refreshments, and also I was bored and wanted to eavesdrop.”

Gideon whistled. “Same here.” He punctuated it with a salute.

“This is a torturous combination of people,” Trystan grumbled, troubled to no end that all these different annoying corners of his life were intersecting. “So, you essentially have no way to help us, Lionel?”

“Not entirely. There’s always true love’s kiss?”

Alexander’s mouth twisted in a cringe. “You are offering?” he rasped.

Lionel chuckled. “Good to see your sense of humor is still intact, Your Highness. And you!” Lionel approached Evie.

And Trystan approached the knife near the cakes.

“Lovely as ever, Evie.” Lionel leaned his cheek toward her. “A kiss! Quick, my lady, before I turn into a frog next.”

Sage smiled while rolling her eyes, kissing the tips of her fingers and pressing them onto Lionel’s cheek. “There you are, flirt.”

“Oh, that was smooth.Youshould try that,” Malcolm said to him in a hushed whisper, trying for levity.

Trystan responded to that levity by smacking Malcolm in the back of the head.

“Lionel…you wouldn’t happen to know anything about a second book of Rennedawn, would you?” Sage asked, her voice so demurely curious, even Trystan couldn’t tell if she was prying.

Lionel didn’t react strongly, just gave Sage a funny smile. “That’s a curious question. Is it not a myth? The second copy?”

“Yes, of course.” Sage laughed lightly. “I just thought if there was any merit to it, a man of your caliber would know.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and Trystan felt bile rise in his throat.

Lionel took the bait, because he wasn’t dead—yet—but he also appeared to have full knowledge he was being played, judging by the gleam in his eye. “It’s said one book was meant for Fate and the other for Destiny. The magical gods left them in charge after they moved to another world. Or at least, that’s what some legends say. Destiny’s book was given to the first king of Rennedawn, and Fate’s was hidden for safekeeping.”

“Where?” Gideon asked, too eager.

Lionel shrugged. “No one knows. The location was kept secret. But they’re soon to be irrelevant in any case.”

“Why?” Trystan asked carefully.

“King Benedict is working with Destiny to rewrite the story back to its original form.”

“The destiny monster,” Sage corrected with a nervous laugh. “She’s no agent of the magical gods.”

Lionel gave her a quizzical look. “They’re one and the same.”

Oh.

Fuck.