Carabosso roared in anger, spurring Angelique back into action. She twisted her magic and pulled a bolt of lightning from thesky.
Again, it hit a shield that Carabosso barely managed to form in time, but this time Angelique twisted the spell so small sparks of electricity broke off from the strike and surged over the edge of the shield, zapping Carabosso with audiblecracks.
It couldn’t have hurt him much, but Carabosso’s even louder snarl of rage brought a smile to herlips.
Encouraged, she peeled back a layer of the earth and tried to smash the female black mage between the layers, but she fled—smacking straight into one of the charging chimera in herpanic.
Feeling the faint trace of magic behind her, Angelique turned back to the village just in time to watch Briar—mounted on her horse—come flying out ofit.
The princess pulled her horse to a stop and seemed to take inventory, not noticing the sorceress who chased behindher.
“Look out!” Angeliqueshouted.
The princess didn’t hear, and Angelique watched with horror as Suzu charged a spell and chucked it at Rosalinda, hitting her and her horse with a ball of orangelightning.
Angelique tried to throw a shield around the princess, but a chimera took advantage of her distraction and rammed her, slamming her into theground.
“I’ve got her.” Sir Isaia ran past, sliding his shield off hisback.
She’ll be safe with Isaia—he won’t let herdie.
Using magic, Angelique threw the chimera off her, then spun an illusion of three goats. A flick of her fingers and the illusionary goats went running away from the battlefield with loud bleats, the chimera chasing afterthem.
Carabosso stormed in Suzu’s direction, his eyes fixated on Rosalinda, who was pressed against Sir Isaia as he braced hisshield.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” Angelique rapidly twisted her magic into as many spells as she could, going for power overprecision.
Lightning bolts clapped with deafening volume, spraying singed earth into the air as a small whirlwind harried the rogue mage. Next, she set off bursts of light, hopefully blinding the enemy, and softened the ground so the chimera and mages alike started tosink.
Carabosso bared his teeth at her, but at least she managed to stop hisprogress.
Unfortunately, the more she wildly fired her magic, the more her core powers stirred, winding around her legs and purring in her ear, temptingher.
No.Angelique stubbornly shoved it off.It was one thing to use war magic against a wyvern, but we need these mages alive so they can bequestioned!
Donaigh ran past Carabosso with his speed magic, narrowly missing the rogue mage’s face with the edge of adagger.
Donaigh darted back behind Angelique and her shield and made a face at Carabosso. “Almost got you there—though any mark I left wouldn’t be half as pretty as that fetching brand ofyours.”
Carabosso’s face twisted in his rage. “Get rid of the war mage!” heroared.
Donaigh chuckled and tapped his magicagain.
The male black mage from Carabosso’s company threw up a thick ice wall which Donaigh rammed into while using his speed magic. He ricocheted off it with a yelp of pain, landing on the torn ground with agroan.
“Donaigh!” Firrascreamed.
Angelique moved to help, but a chimera leaped at her from the left. She raised an ice wall of her own that tilted so the chimera landed on top of it. A push of her magic and she flung the ice shell into the sky, throwing the chimera through theair.
When she turned back to Donaigh, the war mage was wrestling with the male black mage. Blood leaked from a wound on his head, but he tapped his magic and slammed his skull into the black mage’s nose, who flopped and fell with agurgle.
Donaigh had barely enough time to grin before his eyes rolled back, and he slumped to theground.
“Donaigh!” Firra screamed again. Her flames grew in size, and she blasted a path to her longtime friend and partner, burning to cinders anything that dared to venture near the warmage.
The male black mage scrambled to his feet and fled Firra’s hot anger, blood dripping from his brokennose.
Angelique threw up a shield, blocking a red bolt of magic from Carabosso as he covered his minion’s retreat to their side of the battlefield. “How bad isit?”
