Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 22
Overview
The mysterious knight who rescued Trystan is revealed to be Gideon Sage, Evie’s supposedly dead older brother and her informant within the king’s forces. The reveal reframes the knight’s rescue as an intentional defection and explains Evie’s affection for him, while exposing Trystan’s jealousy and emotional attachment to Evie.
Gideon’s arrival gives the group a valuable ally with inside knowledge of the king’s plans, including the attempt to seize the stardust. It also changes Evie’s personal stakes by bringing her lost brother back into the story.
Summary
After the helmeted knight frees Trystan and kills the captain, Trystan recognizes the man from a brief encounter ten years earlier, when the knight was a young recruit and Trystan was still apprenticing for the king. The memory unsettles Trystan because the recruit had once treated him normally before Trystan was imprisoned.
Tatianna challenges the newcomer, and the knight responds with flirtatious interest, prompting Clare to reach for her orange ink. Trystan stops Clare at first, but when Evie Sage rushes forward and embraces the knight warmly, Trystan changes his mind and allows Clare to continue until Tatianna intervenes.
Trystan grows intensely jealous as Evie fusses over the knight and clearly shows him affection. Although Trystan believes Evie caring for someone else should make it easier for Trystan to distance himself, Trystan’s anger and possessiveness flare instead. Kingsley’s sign simply reads, Uh-Oh, underscoring the awkward danger of Trystan’s reaction.
Evie scolds the knight for failing to meet them after the unmasking. The knight explains that he waited for a safe moment to leave the king’s forces and used the king’s order to steal the stardust as his chance to make a dramatic entrance.
Evie then proudly introduces the knight to Trystan as her older brother, Gideon Sage. Trystan is stunned because he believed Evie’s brother was dead, but he immediately sees the family resemblance and realizes his jealousy was misdirected.
Who Appears
- TrystanRecognizes the knight, grows jealous of Evie’s affection, then learns the man is her brother.
- Evie SageWarmly embraces the rescued knight and reveals him as her older brother, Gideon.
- Gideon SageHelmeted knight, Evie’s brother and informant, who defected after hearing the king’s orders.
- TatiannaChallenges Gideon, rejects his flirting, and prevents Clare from attacking him.
- ClareReacts protectively to Gideon’s closeness with Evie and reaches for her orange ink.
- KingsleyPerches on Trystan and warns of trouble with a pointed sign.