Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 54
Overview
Evie discovers that Lyssa caused the courtyard fire by helping Fluffy breathe fire, turning a frightening attack into another sign of Lyssa’s chaotic attempts to help the people around her. Lyssa’s meddling exposes romantic tensions among the household and also shows how closely she has been watching Evie and Trystan.
The chapter shifts from comic fallout to a major revelation when Becky learns they are searching for Renna Fortis. Becky admits Renna is her mother and that she can reach the otherwise inaccessible Fortis Family Fortress, giving the group a new lead toward Evie’s missing mother.
Summary
Evie confronts Lyssa in the courtyard after realizing Lyssa, not a Valiant Guard, caused the fire. Lyssa emerges covered in soot, and Evie identifies her by a dropped purple ribbon. Trystan nearly encourages Lyssa’s villainous reasoning, forcing Evie into the stricter parental role she feels unprepared for.
Trystan gently cleans soot from Lyssa’s face, showing a tenderness that deepens Evie’s feelings for him and makes emotional distance feel impossible. Evie refocuses on the fire and learns Lyssa was trying to help Fluffy gain confidence by getting the dragon to breathe fire; the burned wall was, in Lyssa’s words, collateral.
Tatianna and Clare arrive furious and reveal that Lyssa locked them in a cupboard to make them fall back in love. Lyssa also admits she considered meddling with Becky and Blade and that she placed Evie’s missing journal on Trystan’s desk as part of her matchmaking efforts. Evie rebukes her, but Lyssa points out that the group regularly meddles in one another’s lives.
Becky and Blade then enter, and Blade praises Lyssa for helping Fluffy breathe fire while Kingsley hides from Trystan’s glare. Becky questions where Evie and Trystan were during the chaos, prompting Evie to explain that they were discussing Renna Fortis, the woman in the painting with Evie’s mother, and the possibility that Evie’s mother is at the sealed Fortis Family Fortress.
Becky reacts with visible alarm, and Trystan seems to understand that the subject is painful for her. When the group says the fortress is inaccessible, Becky reveals she can get them there because Renna Fortis is her mother. This revelation gives the group a possible path to Evie’s mother and ties Becky directly to the mystery they have been pursuing.
Who Appears
- Evie SageConfronts Lyssa over the fire and learns Becky can lead them to Fortis Fortress.
- Lyssa SageStarts the fire by helping Fluffy breathe fire and meddles in others’ relationships.
- TrystanShows tenderness with Lyssa, supports Evie, and recognizes Becky’s reluctance about Renna.
- Rebecka ErringReveals Renna Fortis is her mother and that she can access the fortress.
- FluffyDragon whose newly encouraged fire-breathing caused the courtyard damage.
- TatiannaArrives furious after Lyssa locks her in a cupboard with Clare.
- ClareLocked in a cupboard with Tatianna and accidentally hints at renewed romantic tension.
- BladePraises Lyssa for helping Fluffy breathe fire and worries about Becky’s reaction.
- KingsleyHelps Lyssa with Fluffy and tries to defend himself with a sign.
- Renna FortisAbsent but central; revealed as Becky’s mother and linked to the fortress.