She groaned and felt like she wanted to retch, but although her body shuddered, the only thing she did was feelill.
Pegasus lowered himself next to her. Angelique took several deep breaths, waiting for the worst of the nausea to subside before she crawled onto hisback.
By the time Pegasus heaved himself to his feet and set their course east, the twisting pain in her gut was already subsiding. Angelique clung to the constellation’s back, threading her hands through his flickeringmane.
Dimly, she wondered,Did I just reach myprice?
* * *
Riding Pegasus,it didn’t take long for Angelique to catch up to the Arcainian princes—though she still sat a little too loosely, her stomach occasionallytwinging.
“You destroyed it? That quickly?” one of the twins asked as they slowed their horses to awalk.
Angelique held in a grimace—it hadn’tfeltlike a quick fight—but nodded. “It’s dead,” she said.And when the Council finds out about this escapade, I can probably look forward to another summons. Hopefully they’ll be as sympathetic about a basilisk as they were aboutClotilde.
Steffen reined in his horse. It pranced in place for a moment so he dropped back to ride with Angelique. “Did it hurt you? You lookpale.”
Angelique paused, trying to choose heranswer.
“Basilisks are poisonous.” Prince Glasses watched her with narrowed eyes. “Do you think you have beencompromised?”
Angelique couldn’t quell her shiver as she shifted on Pegasus’ back. Physically, she was already feeling better from her slow-burn healing spell on her bruised muscles. But her stomach hadn’t settled, and icy dread was now crawling up her spine. (She could have hurt Pegasus, a million things could have gone wrong, and what would happennow?)
“No,” Angelique finally answered. “I’m not much injured, justrattled.”
Her stomach unexpectedly rolled again, and Angelique almost tipped over Pegasus’ shoulder with the sickfeeling.
“Perhaps we should separate into two groups,” Prince Touchy-Feely said. “Some of us can ride ahead, and a few of us can stay behind with the LadyEnchantress.”
“Isn’t it dangerous to split up?” the youngest princeasked.
Prince Touchy-Feely pressed his lips in a line. “Perhaps, but if we don’t pick up our pace, we won’t catch up to Elise intime.”
Why isn’t my slow-burn heal helping this sick feeling? Perhaps it really is my price? But I don’t know that I used that much of mypower.
Angelique tried to sit tall with dignity, intending to inform the princes she was well enough to push forward, but the sick twist to her stomach traveled up to the back of her mouth. She almost gagged before she gave in and slumped forwardagain.
Her shivers increased, and her teeth would have chattered if she hadn’t kept her jawsclenched.
She closed her eyes and pressed her head to the crest of Pegasus’ neck. Instead of smelling of the usual horse scents—hay, straw, and maybe grain—Pegasus gave off a slightly smoky scent. “It seems I require time to recoup. But I don’t think it is necessary for you princes to split up—you may all ride ahead.” The words tasted just as sick as her stomach—it was wrong to let the princes ride off without any magical aid. But between her shivering and the gurgles in her stomach, it was likely she wouldn’t be able to continue muchlonger.
If I try to push on, I’ll only hold themback.
Steffen slowly shook his head. “You are Gabi’s friend,” he said, surprisingAngelique.
When was the last time a human being called mefriend?
“She’ll have me quartered if we leave you behind in this state, even if Elise needs our support,” the princeadded.
“We’re near a village, aren’t we?” Smashed-Nose asked. “Why don’t we stop there to see if Elise passed through. We can leave the Lady Enchantress at the Green IvyInn.”
When Steffen swiveled back to her, Angelique sat up so she was only crouched over Pegasus’s neck rather than draped across it like a rag doll. “That would be agreeable,” she managed tosay.
Steffen nodded. “Then it’s settled. Alter our course,Rune.”
“Happily.”
Angelique collapsed back on Pegasus’ neck, squeezing her eyes shut as she greedily clung to his warmth, which—even if it did not make her shivers subside, reminded her of home, the warmth of the workshop, and Evariste’slaughter.
