“For Roland, I will dare to attempt it,” shesaid.
Angelique shifted Roland to one arm, blanching when he dangled limply from her grasp. She grimly tilted her chin up and thrust her hand into the sky. “Pegasus! It is I—Enchantress-in-Training Angelique, student of Lord Enchanter Evariste of Fire Gates. I summon you from the skies to carry me across the lands.Come!”
There was a roll of thunder, and if Angelique hadn’t been paralyzed by fear she would have sucked her neck into her shoulders.That doesn’t sound like a goodstart.
“There—what’s that?” a villagershouted.
A black equine plummeted from the sky. His mane and tail—comprised of blue flames—glowed and sparked. His insubstantial body was a black smear in the sky, though even from this distance she could see the glitter of stars in his coat, and his glorious black wings shone in the morninglight.
His front hooves touched the ground with a mighty crash of thunder, which shook the ground. Soon after, his wings burst into hundreds of feathers that spiraled up to the sky, disappearing soonafter.
The equine—for Pegasus was too magical, toodangerousto be called a horse—reared and screamed an ear-piercingchallenge.
A cold sweat crawled up Angelique’s spine when she saw the small crater and singed earth his entrance had made. (Thankfully, it seemed the villagers were too much in awe of the constellation to notice the damage he hadcaused.)
Angelique licked her dry lips. “Where’s thesaddlebag?”
“Here,” Roland’s friend scrambled to give it to her. She was the only one who ventured closer, for the villagers—despite their admiration of the wild magic that was Pegasus—backed away infright.
“Thank you,” Angelique said. Gently, she slipped Roland into the pack, then turned her attention toPegasus.
The steed struck the ground with its front right leg—eliciting another thunder-crack.
I am going to die,she thought with absolute certainty.Not black mages nor my own magic could take me out. Nope, instead a flamingmagic horseis my end. This will be one for thebards.
Despite her dour inner monologue, Angelique took a step closer to the mount. “I know I’m not Lord Enchanter Evariste,” the enchantress said, her voice grim. “But I’m desperate enough that I’ll try to make you yield as you do for him. Now will you test me, or shall wefly?”
Pegasus lunged ather.
Panicking, Angelique thrust up an arm and made a backhanding motion—shouting in the language of magic. (Though she didn’t realize until the words were out of her mouth that her spell was one that would make squirrels attack the target. Because Pegasus was absolutely going to submit to her when a bunch of fluffy tailed vermin jumped on hisback.)
Perhaps I won’t blame him quite so much if he does decide to killme…
In her defense she had learned it for the sake of inflicting Roland whenever he was beinginsufferable.
Pegasus danced backwards. He flicked his tail, shedding blue sparks, and stretched his neck so his head was pointed in herdirection.
Angelique showed him the pack. “It’s for Roland.” She hoped the beast knew who she was referring to. (Roland had disliked Pegasus even more than Angelique. He claimed he “wasn’t natural.” Which, really, was ironic coming from a talkingcat.)
The celestial equine snorted—its nostrils flaring red—and looked away. After a moment, it hefted the front of its large bodydown.
Angelique tried not to gape. She wouldn’t put it past Pegasus to get up just to spite her if he realized how shocked she was that he was actually going to let her ride him. So she straightened her shoulders and turned to Roland’s friend. “I will find you again when this isover.”
“Thank you,” the beautiful young lady whispered, her eyes glassy withtears.
Gingerly, Angelique hefted herself onto Pegasus’ back, trying not to shiver when the constellation rose to hisfeet.
She tried to give the villagers an assuring nod as she motioned north; the equine made a tight circle and aimed her towards the Mullberg mountains. When she felt his muscles stiffen beneath her, however, she clung to his back and toRoland.
Pegasus took off like a shootingstar.
His hooves pounded, and his long strides ate up the ground, taking Angelique out of the village and into thewild.
They traveled north and slightly west, looping away from the coastal area and heading for themountains.
Pegasus plunged them into a forest, and Angelique could feel his displeasure—or was it distaste for her—in the way branches smacked her shoulders and yanked on her clothes. She crouched low against hisneck.
Bear with it, she told herself.For Roland. Besides, I’d rather take a branch to the face than a stomp from aconstellation.
