“Finally leaving?” Suzu wrylyasked.
“Yes.” Rothbart said. “I hope you choke on your dinner—and if you don’t, you can expect a retaliation,” hewarned.
“Think of your daughter, Rothbart,” Liliane warned him. “You wouldn’t want her to gethurt.”
Rothbart paused at the cavern entrance. “You are correct. But I love few things, and Odile is one of them. And I will not take your threats sitting down.” A snarl and a snap of his cloak, and he wasgone.
Evariste sat down when he left and leaned back on the palms of his hands.How very unusual. But what, exactly, was it that he just puzzledout?
Chapter 5
Though they were now doubling backfor the second time that night, Pegasus didn’t protest. He ran so hard, his mane burned brighter than usual, and Angelique had to squeeze her eyes shut to block out thewind.
She knew they were almost to the tent when she heard Pricker Patch’s worried brays, which echoed loudly in the snow-coveredplain.
Before Pegasus halted, Angelique flung herself from his back. “Thanks, Pegasus—I’ll be back to update you,” she called over her shoulder. She yanked the tent flap aside and barreled into Stil’s parlor. “Stil!”
She skidded into the hallway, almost stomping on her friend—who was face-down on theground.
Her heart leaped to her throat when she saw the black arrow protruding from his bleedingshoulder.
Stil’s eyes were glassy, and he licked his cracked lips. “Angelique?”
“I’m here.” Angelique crouched at his side, snapping open her magic channels. Her power flooded her with an icy cold wave, and for once Angelique was glad for its rapid flow—it made it easy to lace a slow-burn healing spell with an extra jolt ofpower.
She slapped it on him before she even tried to movehim.
“King Torgen’s soldiers found us.” Stil exhaled a rattling breath. “They took her. They tookGemma.”
“The Verglas army doesn’t use black crossbow bolts.” Angelique circled him, trying to figure out the least painful way to movehim.
“There was a noise. I thought it was you.” Stil grunted in pain when Angelique tried to heft his upper body up. “It was the nightmare andrider.”
“What?” Angelique almost dropped him in hersurprise.
Stil groaned at the abrupt jolt, and his eyesshut.
“Stil.Stil?” Angelique gently shook him, but he didn’trespond.
Her insides squeezed uncomfortably, but Angelique forced herself to take a deepbreath.
I can’t panic. It will only make me useless, and right now I’m Stil’s only help. First, I need to get him off the ground and get rid of thisarrow.
Angelique stood again and turned around, shrieking when she found Pegasus standing directly behindher.
“Pegasus, what are youdoing?” she squeaked. “How did you getinside?”
The constellation flicked his burning tail and arched his neck. He lowered his head to sniff Stil’s foot, then made a noise ofdistaste.
Angelique rubbed her face. “It seems he was shot by the rider, and Gemma was taken by Verglas troops. But I don’t know what to believe, as he seems a little feverish.” Angelique crouched so she could press a hand against Stil’s hot forehead, confirming her guess. She winced. “I have to movehim.”
Pegasus made a few noises of disgust as he sneered at a large dragon statue, shouldering his way past it so he could circle in front of Stil and lower himself to theground.
Though Stil’s home was good-sized, the larger-than-life constellation took up a great deal of space, so it took Angelique some maneuvering to pull Stil onto hisshoulders.
Pegasus rocked to his feet and started down the hallway, Stil draped across hisback.
“Let’s put him in his workshop,” Angelique said. “I think he’s got some healing potions in there—I’ll need them when I take the arrowout.”
