Angelique started to laugh as she realized,I think…I think this is how flying mustfeel!
* * *
With Pegasus as their mount,a journey that normally would have taken Angelique and Enchanter Evariste almost two weeks—perhaps more—was finished in twodays.
And, Angelique suspected, if they hadn’t stopped for the night at an inn in Sole, they could have traveled through the night and made it home bymorning.
“Thank you for your aid, Pegasus,” Evariste said as he bowed to thehorse.
“Thank you, Pegasus.” Angelique, windblown and still mentally shaken by the impressive rides,parroted.
The constellation stared at them and wrinkled his nose—perhaps in distaste—before he turned his hindquarters to them and took a few saunteringsteps.
His ebony wings reformed—building up feather by feather. He gave them an experimental flap, then leaped into theair.
Lighting struck in the meadow, making Angelique jump like a startled dog—though she managed to silence any yelp she would have ordinarilyuttered.
When she couldhearagain and the stars from the white-hot light finally faded from her eyes, Pegasus was a dark smudge in the sky, rapidlydisappearing.
Angelique licked her lips. “Pegasusis…”
“Yes,” Evariste agreed. He strode for his home, casually drifting across the brick bridge that spanned the pond—as if riding constellations was a normal occurrence. “He’s from another realm—technically.”
Angelique tried to restore some sense of order to her windblown hair. (Evariste, she was curious to see, looked fine. Not a strand of hair out of place or a wrinkle in his robe.Nowthatis a spell I want to learn!) “Isn’t he the Pegasus constellation in the sky?” sheasked.
“Yes, but the sky is considered a realm of its own. The citizens there don’t often interact with our continent.” Evariste waited for her on the far side of thebridge.
“Why?” Angeliqueasked.
“I’m not entirely certain,” Evariste admitted. “Even my little friends won’t tell me, but I believe it has to do with some of the earliest mages, in a story older than the SnowQueen.”
Angelique frowned at the thought and mindlessly trailed after Evariste’s perfectly neatback.
Yep. Once I make myself certain that I can contain my magic well enough, I will ask him to show me what spell keeps him so tidy. I need it more than he does, anyway.Angelique grimaced.Though maybe I shouldn’t ask. I don’t deserve toknow.
“What’s this?” Evariste paused outside the door to hishome.
A white, folded letter was pinned to the door by a thorny vine. Evariste tugged it loose, and the vine shriveled up and died in the span of abreath.
Peering around his shoulder, Angelique could make out the Veneno Conclave’s crest—a stylized V and C set over a four-pointed star—set in the red wax that sealed the lettershut.
“It seems we had a magic visitor while we were out.” Evariste winked at Angelique and tapped her on the forehead with the letter before he pushed the dooropen.
Evariste entered his home and veered into the salon by the entrance, plopping down on a settee as he opened theletter.
Angelique made her way to the stairs—intending to retire to her room. (For there was no better time to practice confining her magic thanalways.)
Evariste made a noise of surprise. “Oh,” he said after several additionalmoments.
Angelique paused, her foot on the lowest stair. “What is it, Master Evariste?” shecalled.
“It seems we will soon have company,” he said. “A mage representing the Council is coming in person to collect my monthly progress report nextmonth.”
Angelique’s heart fell, plummeting straight through her feet as she slowly made her way back to the salon. “Oh.” She contemplated leaning against the salon doorframe but forced herself to stand straight at the lastmoment.
Evariste refolded the letter “It will be fine, Apprentice. The representative will want to see you work some illusions and perhaps ask you a few questions about magic theory or magic history. But they won’t ask anything too difficult this early into yourtraining.”
Angelique pressed her lips into a thin line. “Do you really think that is all they’ll do after they find out I hurtyou?”
