Clovicus raised an eyebrow. “Price.”
“What isit?”
He stared resolutely at the valley, where the mountains ebbed and flowed into one another like a pair of squabbling siblings. “If I use too much of my magic at once, it starts to throwfits.”
“Fits?”
“It gets out of control,” Clovius bluntly said. “When I was an apprentice, I used too much of my power, and my magic flattened an entire foothill in Mullberg. Thankfully, there were no casualties and only a few injuries. But it’s an experience I don’t fancyreliving.”
The cool temperature of the air started to turn Angelique’s nose red. “Does that mean, however, you could contribute a steady amount of power indefinitely, if it is a slow pull, so tospeak?”
Clovicus narrowed his eyes. “Yes…what are youplanning?”
“Just thinking through our options.” She nodded at the valley. “How important is it that we get therefast?”
“Incrediblyso.”
“Enough to sacrificesecrecy?”
“Everythinghinges on that mirror, Angelique,” he said grimly. “If the Chosen have it already, then we need to prepare for theworst.”
Angelique nodded. “That’s what I thought, too. If Lovelana is right, and the Chosen have an informant in the Veneno Conclave, and theyalsohave the mirror…” She trailed off rather than say it outloud.
It will make defeating them nearly impossible.She stared at the valley as desperation clawed at her heart. She had been scared before. She had known fear since the day the depth of her powers wasdiscovered.
But this wasdifferent.
This was the unhinged fear that came with knowingeverythingmight end. This was the hysteria of knowing that Stil, Gemma, Puss, Elle, Gabrielle—all the friends she had made might die in the comingwar.
If there ever was a time I needed to exert a lot of power, this is it. We can’t hesitate here—I cannot allow myself to hesitatehere.
“Odette?” sheasked.
“Yeah?”
“How far is the mountain from thispoint?”
Odette tilted her head and peered at the peaks of the mountains. “As the crow flies? Not far. Walking, though, is going to take you a while with this terrain. And it only gets worse the deeper in you go. If you don’t believe me and my crew, it would probably be faster to get a mage with shapeshifting powers to run there and check intoit.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Angelique stared at the big star on Pegasus’ forehead as he picked his way back up the gorge. She patted him as he passed by and circled around behind her. “I’m going to try something, Clovicus. Please steady the sides of themountains.”
Clovicus snorted. “What is that supposed tomean?”
Angelique turned around and led the way out of the valley, her hands clammy despite the cool air. “We have to getthrough.”
“Did you just miss the entire conversation we just had?” Clovicus said—short onpatience.
Not that Angelique blamed him. In the span of a season, they had gone from being proactive against their enemy to learning they were horribly late, and finally may have been outmaneuvered.
Angelique grimaced as she reached the mouth of the valley.This is going to take a lot of power. I guess it’s just as well I’ve been pulling daring adventures the past few months, or I wouldn’t have the courage to dothis.
She swallowed with difficulty as she swiveled so she again looked north into the mountain range.It might make me miserable, and the King and Queen of Verglas might not love the scorched trail we’re going to leave in our wake, but we don’t have achoice.
Clovicus frowned at Angelique and stopped at her side. “Could you stop speaking in riddles and justtellme what you’replanning?”
Odette, seemingly knowing Angelique better—or perhaps just possessing better sense—sucked her head into her neck and crept behindAngelique.
“You might try to stop me,” Angeliquesaid.
