“Evariste,” Angelique ran to catch up to him. “There’ssomething—”
Her breath caught in her lungs, and suddenly she couldn’t exhale orinhale.
Magic. This is aspell.
Chapter 20
Her lungs burned,and a stabbing sensation knifed through her heart. It felt like someone was trying to rip her chestopen.
I have to warn Evariste.Unable to breathe, Angelique fell to her knees, her face growing red as magic forcibly choked the life out ofher.
“Angelique!” Evaristeshouted.
She thought he moved around her, but the world was starting to grow dark, and it was hard to see. Her own power clawed at her hold, struggling against her to freeitself.
No. I’m not lettinggo!
Angelique stubbornly shoved her powers back down even as she flopped over, her face scraping the gritty cobblestoneroad.
Evariste shouted something, and she felt his hand on her forehead before the spellevaporated.
She sucked in a deep breath of air. “Black mage,” shewheezed.
“I’m trying to determine their location.” Evariste’s voice was low. His tense back was to her, but he clutched her hand, even as she struggled to stand while he heldit.
Angelique greedily sucked in another breath of the sweetly fragrant Fillia air, then maneuvered herself so she stood at Evariste’s rightside.
“There are two of them,” Evariste murmured, barely moving his lips. “One in the shadows in a putrid orange cloak to the right, and then one on the roof of a building to theleft.”
Angelique eyed the bystanders who milled around the oasis, laughing and chatting, unaware of the silent standoff happening in their midst. “Yourorders?”
“Attack the one on the ground,” Evariste said. “Use bodily force as your primary attack, and magic if you have to. I don’t want anyone getting caught up in thefight.”
“Is a physical fight really the best option?” Angeliqueasked.
“For you? Undoubtedly,” Evaristechuckled.
Angelique frowned, slightly, unsure if he meant that literally or if he was trying to allude to herpowers.
“As you have kept up with your physical training from the Academy due to Roland’s efforts, I imagine you’ll find him an easy target,” Evariste said. “Which is why I’ll take the mage on theroof.”
“Yes, Master,” Angelique purposely kept her eyes off the mage—she could see him lingering at the mouth of analleyway.
“AndAngelique…”
She made a show of peering farther down the oasis, attempting to lull the black mage into a false sense of security. “Yes?”
“Use your core magic if youmust.”
He was gone before she couldobject.
Angelique grit her teeth and raised her chin, then started to amble towards the alleyway—though she took a slight detour to make it look like she was heading to a food stand just a little way down.Nice try, Evariste. But it’s not going tohappen.
She lingered by the food stand, until she saw the black mage take a step out of theally.
No—I can’t let him fight me out here. I’ve got to containhim.
Angelique dropped all pretenses of strolling and sprinted at the blackmage.
