Pegasus tossed his head and snorted, making the flickering flames of his mane and tailspark.
Angelique pressed her hand into his neck, reveling in the warm feeling of his coat, then edged away. She kept her distance from the basilisk—which she was relieved to see ignored Pegasus and kept its eyes onher.
A basilisk’s greatest weapons are its poison and size. But since this one isn’t fully grown, the poison is my first concern. I just have to stay out of range, and I should be able to attackit.
The monster hissed again—a strange, slithering, whistle noise that made Angelique’s earsache.
It started to uncoil, and Angelique hurriedly plucked at her magic, rapidly twisting it into a stunspell.
Chapter 20
When the basiliskbegan slithering her way—withering any greenery that touched its poisonous feathers—Angelique threw the spell, hitting thecreature.
Its eyes grew unfocused, and its head wobbleddazedly.
Angelique twisted her magic into a fire spell.I’ll have to be careful with this—I shouldn’t use water magic around the basilisk, or I’ll just spread its poisoneverywhere.
She smiled proudly when she finished twisting her magic—she was getting faster—and shot two massive fireballs off at the basilisk’s unguardedchest.
The fireballs crackled as they sped towards the stunned monster. When they had breached half the distance, the basilisk shook its head, and its gazecleared.
It dropped its head and coiled over itself, protecting the soft scales on its chest. The fireballs smashed into it but swiftly winkedout.
The fire didn’t seem to damage the monster’s scales, but it did singe itsfeathers.
Angelique’s jaw dropped in dismay, but she was already prepping a lightning spell.How did it shake that stun off so quickly? It lasted for only a fewmoments!
The basilisk slithered closer to her, its golden eyes glowingeerily.
Angelique shouted her spell, shooting lightning at themonster.
It laid flat, so the spell hit its back. Lightning crackled up and down the basilisk’s spine—burning more of its feathers—but it didn’t appear to do any lasting damage, for before the last spark of lightning was gone, it again bared down in herdirection.
The smell of its burnt feathers was a bitter and foul scent that made it hard to breathe.I hope I’m not poisoning theair.
Just in case, Angelique held her breath as she formed and released her next spell. A spike of earth shot out of the ground—her attempt at impaling the creature. All it succeeded in doing, however, was making the basilisk whistle in anger and briefly stop its forward progress as it coursecorrected.
Desperate, Angelique threw up a thin defensive shield.Fire and lighting are out—the air is definitely tainted with something from its feathers. And I can’t use water. Earth doesn’t seem especially effective. I could use strength magic, but I don’t relish touching thecreature.
The basilisk whipped its tail at Angelique, striking her ice-likeshield.
The shield held, but when the basilisk battered it with a second hit, it cracked, and tiny lines like spiderwebs spread across itssurface.
Angelique rushed to pour more power into it, but the basilisk was faster. It hit the shield again, and itdisintegrated.
Its tail smashed into Angelique, hammering her into theground.
Her bones rattled from the impact, and it was difficult to breathe from being slammed into the earth, but her mindscreamed.
Those feathers—the poison is going to eat through mydress!
The basilisk started to curl around her when Angelique finally managed to situp.
Before it could encircle her and dig its spiny feathers into her side, she shot another stun spell at it. When it was safely dazed, she followed it up with two spikes of earth that peeled its belly off the ground like a convenient bridge for her to passunderneath.
Angelique scurried away, weaving together a wind spell as she fled, and readying healing magic as well. But when she looked down at her dress, it still gleamed—flawless and iridescent, with not a tear to beseen.
What did Evaristedoto this gown?she wonderedbewilderedly.
