“Pegasus, no,” Angelique weakly called.No matter how magical he is, he can’t withstand a direct strike from a basilisk!Its fangs will pierce himthrough!
Pegasus ignored her and snorted, red sparks flying from hisnostrils.
He’s going to gethurt!
Panic spread through Angelique’s body, numbing her so she could peel herself off the ground. “Pegasus!”
The basilisk hissed a warning—which Pegasus ignored when he slammed his front legs into the ground, creating bolts oflightning.
The basilisk struck Pegasus with his tail, pushing the horse sideways and opening a cut on the equine’s rump with a spikedfeather.
Horror filled Angelique. She couldn’t breathe; she couldn’t move. Only one thought filled her mind:He’s going to be killed. For me. He’s sacrificing himself forme.
Her magic started to stir within her like a cagedbeast.
Again! It’s happeningagain!
“NO!” Angeliquescreamed.
She didn’t think. She didn’t hesitate. She grabbed on her war magic, ripping as much free as shecould.
It came to her—cold, sharp, and blazing. Angelique flung it out from her, and the spear, swords, and daggers the twin princes had left behind floated in theair.
But that wasn’tall.
Angelique’s deadly magic surged across the ground, levitating the sharpest splinters left from the fir tree, raising rusted arrowheads long lost, sharpened shards of rock, and an axe left behind in a nearby forest. Ancient, rusted swords in a style Angelique had never seen before were ripped from deep within the ground, covered by centuries of rust and dirt. They, too, rose into the air, the sharpened edges of the blades visible even through the muck that cakedthem.
The basilisk bared its fangs at her,but…
Her magic struck with an explosion of power—a release of pressure that had been building up for years—shaking the ground and raising clouds ofdust.
The weapons—both true and make-shift—plunged into the basilisk’s bared chest with such force, they knocked the creature backwards and nailed it to theground.
It flopped once, twice, then wasstill.
Angelique stood, her magic filling her. It was invigorating and intoxicating as it arced around her, and everything glowedsilver.
She shifted her gaze to the pinned basilisk, and the weapons dug deeper and deeper into its flesh as they dug into theground.
It didn’t matter; the monster was dead. One of the ancient swords had pierced straight through itsheart.
But Angelique didn’t care. It had almost hurt Pegasus. She was going to grind it into the dust for the sake ofcertainty.
Furthermore, there was now a sense ofwholenessshe hadn’t felt in a long time. She hadn’t used her war magic this freely since her earliest days in Luxi-Domus, when she had loved the way it flowed through her, cool and precise but dangerouslyreassuring.
She reached for more of her magic, when a warm muzzle pressed against hertemple.
Angelique blindly reached up, gingerly touching Pegasus’s velvet muzzle as he lowered it so he could lip hershoulder.
She turned slightly so she could gaze upon her equine companion, searching him for injuries.That’s right, Pegasus. He’s safe now.She glanced back over her shoulder at the basilisk’s body, and it finally dawned on her what she had done, and what wasdone.
Oh, stars.Angelique immediately cut her war magic off, shivering at its sudden loss. She leaned into Pegasus, readily immersing herself in his warmth—which calmed her and gave her something to clingto.
I don’t regret it. I’ve already failed to protect Evariste. I couldn’t let that happen again. But it’s terrifying how right my magicfeels.
Her shivering increased as the last bits of her magic faded from the battlefield, and she realized just how much her bodyhurt.
Angelique summoned flickering bits of healing magic, placing a slow healing spell first on Pegasus for his cut, and then on herself. Just as she finished, nausea hit her. She wasn’t sure if it was the leftover stench of the basilisk’s feathers or the personal knowledge that she had used her deadly powers, but her stomach twisted with gut-wrenchingpain.
