Assistant to the Villain, #2
Apprentice to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Contents
Chapter 12
Overview
Back at Massacre Manor, Trystan confronts the danger posed by the pregnant guvre and realizes the creature’s captivity may provoke consequences from Fate even worse than the Mystic Illness. He also accepts that Benedict’s obsession with Rennedawn’s Story is not harmless myth but a real threat tied to Evie’s mother’s starlight magic.
The chapter shifts Trystan’s focus from escape to strategy: he must stop Benedict without releasing the guvres into enemy hands. At the same time, Trystan’s increasingly unstable magic and inability to stop thinking about Evie make his emotional defenses a new liability.
Summary
Early the next morning at Massacre Manor, Trystan tries to regain control after the palace escape. He bathes, receives a report on what he missed, fails to stop thinking about Evie, and descends to the cellar intending to punish Blade Gushiken for the guvre problem.
In the cellar, Blade feeds the mated guvres while Trystan grows agitated by the bars and the memory of Benedict’s cell. Trystan warns that if the pregnant female guvre gives birth while imprisoned, the consequences may be worse than another Mystic Illness because Fate may avenge its young. Blade suggests releasing the guvres, but Trystan refuses because the Valiant Guards are likely searching Hickory Forest and freeing them would make Benedict’s work easier.
Trystan demands that Blade determine the guvre gestation period so Trystan knows how much time remains to stop Benedict from fulfilling Rennedawn’s Story. Blade admits he believed the story was only a childhood fable, but Trystan explains that Benedict is dangerously obsessed with it. Trystan connects Benedict’s past searches, the guvres as pieces of Fate, and Evie’s mother’s erratic starlight magic, realizing Benedict likely needs Evie’s mother and may gain unknown power by forcing the prophecy into being.
Blade teases Trystan by comparing the inseparable guvres to Trystan and Evie. Trystan denies any romantic or physical intentions toward his assistant, but his panic and unstable magic betray how deeply Evie affects him. Kingsley mocks him with a sign, and Trystan threatens both Blade and the frog before Tatianna interrupts.
Tatianna delivers a shimmering merfolk-made letter from Arthur, who has departed without waking anyone, and reports that Clare insists on staying at the manor. She also warns that the workers have learned of Trystan’s return and that a mob is forming on the main floor, with Evie handling the crowd until the Malevolent Guard returns. At the mention of Evie, Trystan rushes to her, concluding that he must rebuild emotional distance between them before their connection and his altered magic endanger everyone.
Who Appears
- TrystanVillain; strategizes against Benedict while fearing Fate, guvre captivity, Evie, and his unstable magic.
- Blade GushikenDragon trainer and guvre expert; feeds the guvres, lacks answers, and teases Trystan.
- KingsleyCrowned frog companion; defends Blade and mocks Trystan with pointed signs.
- TatiannaManor healer; delivers Arthur’s letter, reports Clare’s decision, and alerts Trystan to office unrest.
- BenedictEnemy king; absent but central as Trystan reassesses his prophecy-driven plans.
- Male guvreCaptured creature; lets his pregnant mate eat first and reinforces Trystan’s fears about Fate.
- Female guvrePregnant captured guvre; her possible childbirth in captivity becomes an urgent threat.
- Evie SageTrystan’s assistant; offstage but emotionally central, affecting Trystan’s thoughts, magic, and decisions.