Lady Delanna mounted her horse. “So what do we do?” Once properly situated on the saddle, she loaded a bolt into hercrossbow.
Rosalinda frowned. “We could keep them distracted and try to evacuate anysurvivors.”
Pegasus turned in another tight circle, his steps more prancing thanusual.
Angelique clutched her saddle and prayed his patience would hold out a few minutes more. “I think he’s coming for you, Princess. When I fought with him in the north, he was taking his time moving from east to west,” she continued. “To reach Tavo, he must have started traveling south immediately after I got away. I doubt he did so to follow me. As it stands now, he is on a straight path towardCiane.”
Sir Isaia checked his weapons as his mare angrily chewed her bit. “Briar has been his target thus far. I doubt he would change tactics, given that he waited years for her to growup.”
Rosalinda clambered into the saddle. “I’m still going to help with theevacuation.”
“Yes, but you cannot help fight,” Isaiasaid.
Rosalinda snorted, sounding more like a commoner than a princess. “Of course not! I might be able to defend myself from any suspicious men in the forest, but I am not so stupid as to think I could face a magicuser.”
“I’ll go with Briar—I can pick off anything that might try to attack us,” Lady Delanna offered. “Besides, our horses are the only ones not used to combat. If we get too close to the fight, we might lose control ofthem.”
“Perfect.” Firra checked her horse’s gear one last time, then mounted up as well. “The rest of us can stand between. Briar, keep your handkerchief over your hair. The last thing we need is for Carabosso to recognizeyou.”
Angelique waited with barely leashed impatience as the group finished preparing. When ready, she loosened Pegasus’ reins, and the constellation led the charge toTavo.
He was the first to reach the crest of the hill—even with Angelique holding him back—and screamed achallenge.
The flames had consumed more of the village, and the smoke had grown thicker.Suzu is out in the open,Angelique noted as she saw the sorceress channeling more fire.But where is Carabosso? If we’re to find him, we’ll have to stop the fire and get rid of thissmoke.
“Firra,” Angelique started tosay.
The fire mage nodded. She heeled her horse and shot toward Tavo, shouting barely understandable words of magic as she went. A moment passed, then all the angry orange fires tearing the village apart rippled and turnedblue.
Suzu snarled and raised her hands, turning the flames crimson oncemore.
Firra shouted some more, and Angelique felt a great heave of magic before the flames once again turned the lightest shade of blue, then were snuffedout.
Suzu tried to rekindle the fire, but she only got a few tiny flames going that died momentslater.
Firra is a lot more powerful than I realized if she can go head-to-head with a sorceress. But I’m not going to dwell on thatnow.
“Donaigh, let’s go!” Angelique nudged Pegasus afterFirra.
Donaigh hopped off his horse then tapped his war magic. He ran so fast, he winked in and out of view, popping up directly in front of a small group of goblins that were on the verge of entering Tavo. He zipped from goblin to goblin, ending them with his daggers andknives.
Angelique directed Pegasus toward where shethoughtCarabosso was. (Suzu was making a beeline in the same direction, with Firra shooting fireballs after her, so they probably meant to meet up and fortify their line ofattack.)
Unfortunately, a second band of goblins came pouring out of the city entrance, getting between Angelique and the exiledmage.
Pegasus plowed through the goblins, but though he had no difficulty trampling the creatures, more and more kept attempting to pile on—swinging at his limbs with nail-studdedclubs.
“Enough!” Angelique threw herself off Pegasus. She jabbed a finger at the sky, quickly twisting her magic and muttering the right words under her breath as she tied an air and earth spell together. She yanked it tight, then swung her hand down, loosening the spell and shouting a magic command atit.
The ground rippled under her feet, and carefully channeled gusts of wind slammed into the goblins, tossing them head-over-heels.
Angelique straightened, but by the time Pegasus joined her, Sir Isaia raced past them, finishing off the few standing goblins with artful slices of hissword.
Angelique was vaguely aware that Delanna and Rosalinda trotted past on their mounts, heading directly into thevillage.
“Is it safe to let them go alone?” Angelique threw up an iridescent shield over Firra when a chimera’s snake head tried to bite her; instead, it cracked its skull on the shield’ssurface.
“The village won’t burn any more,” Firra darkly promised. “The flames areout.”
