She had sobbed out all of the hurt—or at least most of it—when arriving at Stil’s, and she wasn’t very keen on rehashing the pain given that she hadfinallylaughed for the first time in a longwhile.
Stil muttered darkly under hisbreath.
“You need to be more careful,” Angelique said, silencing him. “I’ll scare off the nightmare and rider, but I don’t want you taking any foolish chances. You’ll continue being a target. You can’t take unnecessaryrisks.”
Stil mulishly jutted hischin.
“I mean it, Stil,” Angelique said. “I’ve lost Evariste. If you get taken,too…”
The fight leaked out of his shoulders. “I know,” he said. “I’ll becareful.”
Satisfied, and assuming that was the end of the conversation, Angelique forced herself tostand.
Stil, however, wasn’t finished. “But you need to mind yourself,too.”
Angelique rubbed her eyes. “What do youmean?”
“If I’m a risk to the enemy, you are an even bigger threat,” Stilsaid.
Angelique frowned. “Why? I might be more aware of what’s going on than Lovelana, but that hardly makes medangerous.”
“Yes,” Stil said. “But if I can outfit an army alone, you can destroyone.”
Angelique’s blood cooled in her veins. “That’s not going to happen,” she saidtightly.
“Maybe not,” Stil agreed. “But the enemy isn’t going to see it thatway.”
Chapter 3
Angelique squintedin the blinding sunlight that the white snow reflected. “Are you sure you do not want to ride Pegasus with me, Gemma? The border is but a short distance away. We are nearlythere.”
After making the offer, she glanced guiltily down at Pegasus, but he didn’t seem to resent the suggestion as he forged on, the heat of his hooves making the snow hiss and icecrackle.
Gemma placed a hand on Pricker Patch. “I’m fine, thankyou.”
Pricker Patch ignored the touch and continued to plow through the light layer of snow that covered the plain they crossed. (Given that the donkey was more likely to bite a person than ignore them, this wasshocking.)
Stil eyed Gemma and the beast of burden as he adjusted the fall of his new cape—a lovely black one with fancy silver embroidery that Gemma had made for him. (Angelique knew this because Stil had smugly informed her of it before they even set foot outside.) “Don’t pet him too much, Gemma, or Pricker Patch will be too deliriously happy to eat tonight,” hesaid.
Gemma eyed the stoic donkey with clear disbelief. “I doubtthat.”
“Stil is right,” Angelique agreed. “I have never seen Pricker Patch so…”Relaxed? Not violent?“…content before,” she finallysaid.
Stil squinted past the expansive mountains that jutted into the sky like the teeth of a giant dragon. “We will confront the ridertonight?”
“Yes. I will leave soon after,” Angelique said, though the thought made her weary. “Pegasus runs even better at night, and I must tell the Conclave of Gemma’sobservations.”
Gemma continued to rub the donkey’s neck as she peered up at Angelique. “So, you think it’strue?”
“Pardon?”
“You think Stil is being targeted for his uniqueskills?”
“Yes.” Angelique sank her fingers into the warm flames of Pegasus’ mane. “Normally, one would not think of Stil as being a threat. He hasn’t the fire power of some other mages. But if one is looking at widespread war that will cause countries to form an alliance…Stil would have a larger impact than any singleenchanter.”
Stil scowled at her over Pricker Patch’s back and shook his head, but Gemma didn’t seem to notice. She nodded thoughtfully. “Isee.”
Angelique smiled winningly at thecraftmage.
