“Of course Iam.”
“Wonderful. Hurry up, then, and finish the job.” He started to stride away, his horse following after him, but he paused after just a few steps. He looked back at her, a serious expression on his face. “I hope you give them hell,” he said. “Don’t hold back—and don’t second-guessyourself.”
Feeling bewildered, Angelique finally flicked away her crackling lightningspell.
“If anyone asks if I care, Idon’t! I’m just worried about her! And perhaps the second her,” the man shouted as he resumed stormingoff.
Angelique narrowed her eyes as she watched him go. Again, she reached out, trying to get a sense of his magic. She still couldn’t tell how much he had, but there was somethingfamiliaraboutit.
I feel like I’ve encountered it before…but it doesn’t have that dark and oily feel black mages have. Maybe he is a Veneno Conclave mage.She raised her eyebrow as the twinkle of his burnished armor faded.But I’d find that hard tobelieve.
Fire crackled, and Angelique was almost flipped over her feet when Pegasus “affectionately” slammed his head intoher.
“Ouch.” She staggered a few feet. “Yes, hello, Pegasus. I’m glad to see youtoo.”
A star twinkled on hisforehead.
Angelique grimaced. “No, the lightning didn’t keep the wyvern down. We’ll have to tryagain.”
He snorted and maneuvered himself so she could more easily climb into the saddle. Angelique rested a hand on the stirrup leather. “Say…that man who just left. Is he a blackmage?”
Pegasus turned his head in the stranger’s direction. He swished his tail, then resumed a relaxedposture.
Well, at least he’s not a threat, then.Angelique struggled her way into the saddle, then closed her eyes against the consuming pain of her renewed headache.If he was, Pegasus would have gone after him, I think. Though that doesn’t mean he’s a Conclave mage—just someone Pegasus has no interestin.
It occurred to Angelique that Pegasus had no interest in anyone besides herself and Evariste if they did not pose a threat. But given Pegasus’ mysterious power as a constellation, she concluded it was probably better not to think of it and turned her thoughts toward more constructivethings.
“All right, Pegasus. Let’s go slay awyvern.”
Pegasus blew out hard from his nostrils, producing glowing sparks. A toss of his head and he lunged into a canter, bearing down on the wyvern onceagain.
* * *
Angelique’sfun and games with the wyvern stretched on. Twice more, she managed to hit the monster with powerful spells, and each time it escaped her before she could successfully force it toland.
She managed to strike the belly wound again, but the wyvern got another hit in with its tail, so for her efforts, Angelique was the recipient of bruised ribs and a cut through her eyebrow that kept dribblingblood.
Night fell, and Angelique and Pegasus chased the wyvern up and down the mountain before Angelique finally came up with her newplan.
She stood alone on the mountain side, holding a flickering ball of flames to light up herlocation.
The light shed crawled across fractured and abandoned weapons—broken spears, snapped arrows, swords stabbed into the ground, and more—casting misshapen shadows on theground.
Her nose twitched from the putrid smell of the dragon’s spit, even though it was days old, but when hatching her plan Angelique had specifically chosen this location—one of the spots where the wyvern had fought with the Kozlovkan army and had successfullyescaped.
She couldn’t come up with a real reason for picking this spot. Or rather, as she gazed at the fallen weapons, she knew there was oneparticularreason why, but she couldn’t—or perhaps wouldn’t—admit it toherself.
Angelique cleared her throat and turned her back to the battlefield, blotting out herthoughts.
From this spot on the northern side of the mountain, she could see the glowing ring of light that traced out the boundaries of a tiny village and dimly lit its quaintbuildings.
A church bell rang, and the chorus of crickets almost drowned out the faint calls of livestock. As Angelique stared at it, she smiled, thenfrowned.
We’ve chased the wyvern all around this mountain. Why hasn’t it tried to go for the village? Did they fight it off before when it encountered soldiershere?
The wyvern’s sputtering hiss tore through the night, pushed on by Pegasus’ unique and high-pitchedneigh.
Angelique let her shoulders sag and did her best to look as weary and beaten as she felt, hoping to draw the wyvernin.
