Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 40
Overview
Evie’s magic surges in a new rainbow glow as she reclaims her dagger and frees Trystan from Helena’s actors, proving that Evie’s bond with the weapon and scar is still evolving. Helena reveals she never meant to betray them and instead exposes a larger threat: the king’s interference with magic may be destroying places like the Deadlands Theater.
Helena’s rumors about Benedict suggest his prophecy campaign may conceal a plan to steal magic, reframing Trystan as a possible scapegoat. Evie leaves with a pouch and note from Nura, plus a hint to search home, but the revelations deepen Evie’s grief and pull her closer to anger and darkness.
Summary
Evie confronts Helena after being pulled from the flooding cellar, seeing Trystan restrained by Helena’s actors. Clare demands Trystan’s release, and Fritz’s insistence that the guards are actors briefly breaks the tension. In that opening, Evie’s scar and shoulder flare in rainbow-colored magic, and Evie calls her dagger back from Fritz’s hand.
The dagger flies to Evie, glowing with the same rainbow light, and Trystan escapes to Evie’s side. Evie places herself between Trystan and the actors, ready to fight to protect them both. Instead of resisting, Helena simply agrees to let them leave, revealing that Helena only locked Evie and Trystan up to test what would happen between them and had even bet on the outcome with Douglas.
Trystan angrily accuses Helena of planning to sell them to the king, but Helena denies it. Helena explains that the king has damaged the Deadlands Theater by causing the magical life in the building to fade: objects no longer animate, animals no longer help, and sets no longer build themselves. Helena says the fading magic is hurting everyone and blames the king for pushing magical limits.
Helena then reveals troubling rumors from Heart Village about Benedict. According to Helena, Benedict has destroyed families by tampering with magic, and Helena believes Benedict may intend to steal all magic rather than save Rennedawn. This possibility unsettles Evie, forcing Evie to reconsider whether Benedict’s prophecy-driven mission is a cover and whether Trystan has been used as a scapegoat.
Helena gives Evie a velvet pouch and a tiny scroll tied with red ribbon, explaining that Aunt Nura left them behind and asked Helena to wait for the right time to pass them on. Helena says Nura did not explain where she was going, only that Evie must receive the pouch. Before Evie leaves, Helena advises Evie to check the house, suggesting Nura may have returned there without Evie seeing her.
Evie thanks Helena and acknowledges the pain caused by the fading magic, but Helena warns that the damage is widespread. As Evie, Trystan, and the others walk silently back toward the bridge, Evie holds the dagger, pouch, and scroll while wrestling with anger, grief, and a dangerous temptation to stop resisting the darkness growing inside her.
Who Appears
- EvieReclaims her dagger with rainbow magic and receives Nura’s pouch while questioning Benedict’s true motives.
- HelenaEvie’s cousin; releases the group, reveals the theater’s fading magic, and passes on Nura’s items.
- TrystanRestrained by Helena’s actors, then escapes to Evie’s side when Evie’s magic distracts them.
- ClareDemands Trystan’s release and carries Kingsley as the group prepares to leave.
- TatiannaStands with Evie and reacts to the blinding rainbow flare from Evie’s scar.
- FritzActor holding Trystan; corrects Clare’s insult and loses Evie’s dagger when it answers her call.
- DouglasHelena’s associate who pays Helena after losing a bet about Evie and Trystan.
- KingsleySmall companion picked up by Clare before chasing a fly during the confrontation.