Dream Evariste pulled her into a hug, even though she tried to stiffen against it. “Angel, you couldn’t have used it earlier, for your magic didn’t manifest until after your parents had alreadydied.”
“But isn’t that also my fault?” Angelique scrunched her nose and narrowed her eyes to keep the tears at bay. “Couldn’t I have let my magic loose sooner? If I’d been willing, couldn’t I have made ithappen?”
Dream Evariste rested his chin on the top of her head. “You as a person cannot control when your magic reveals itself. You deserve no guilt for this, Angelique. Youcouldn’thave doneanything.”
“Just like I couldn’t have used my war magic and saved you when black mages took you.” Her voice sounded flat and dead to her ownears.
“That also was not your fault.” There was some sharpness in Dream Evariste’s voice, and he shifted his hold to her shoulders and slightly pulled her back so she could look up at him. “Don’teverblame yourself forthat.”
“Why not? I could have stopped it.” Angelique glumly stated. “But my magic is just so powerful and tempting it scares me stiff—and then Ihesitate.”
“Angel,” Dream Evariste growled. “You didn’t capture me and use me for dark purposes.Black Magesdid. These black mages deserve all the blame and the consequences. You have no responsibility for theiractions!”
Angelique finally met his gaze. His eyes—one blue and one green—finally had that familiar light, the kind that made him look like he could fight the world. It was the same warmth that brightened his eyes when he proclaimed they were Stil’s parents and the same brightness that made black magestremble.
All the fight in Angelique crumpled. Her voice shook as she grabbed a fistful of his robes. “Why can’t I find you?” she whispered. Tears clogged her eyes so she could barely see, but she felt Evariste wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. “Why did you leaveme?”
Before he could answer, she shut her eyes and fell into a less-troubledsleep.
* * *
After that kind of dream—orperhaps it was the most bittersweet of nightmares?—Angelique did not waken feeling particularly rested. It was the first rays of the sun that woke her at dawn—and the persistent buzz ofmagic.
She rubbed her face as she tried to sort through the sensations that had mounted over the night while she slept—a gnawing weariness that seeing Dream Evariste had only worsened, physical pain, and a prickling feeling. “What is goingon?”
She realized she was sprawled across Pegasus—her cheek pressed into his shoulder, and carefully sat up. She blanched a little when she saw a crusted spot of drool she had left on his glossy, unfathomable coat and hurried to buff it out before Pegasusnoticed.
He allowed her to take a startling amount of liberties with him, but Angelique wasn’t so sure her advanced set of permissions included drooling onhim.
It could have been worse, I suppose. If I had cried in my sleep as I did in my dream, I might have snotted all overhim.
Pegasus waited until she scrambled to her feet before he rocked tohis.
She half-expected him to shake like a horse, but instead, he turned to face the rising sun and slightly bowed to it. He jerked his head up, and all the stars and swirling galaxies that drifted across his coat flared so brightly, he was impossible to look at for amoment.
Half-blinded, Angelique tottered on her feet, blinking in confusion when Pegasus pressed his muzzle to her temple, then clip-clopped pasther.
She waited until she could see again before chasing after him. From their vantage point, they could see down the mountain and had a superb look at SwanLake.
Pegasus stretched his neck in the lake’s direction then swished histail.
“What is it?” Angelique joined him, briefly hesitating before she threw an arm over hisneck.
What looked like tiny red dots clustered around one end of the lake. A miniature thread looped around an island in the lake as well. Angelique didn’t need magic sensitivity to realize she was seeing Rothbart’s redspellwork.
She and Pegasus tilted their heads together and watched as the red bits seemed to shatter and thendissolve.
“It seems we were not the only ones to have an eventful night.” Angelique squinted and tried to feel for the magic, but all that came to her was the overwhelming cool assurance of her ownpowers.
No matter how I work at it, it seems true and talented magic sensitivity is beyond myabilities.
She shook her head. “I can’t make heads or tails of it. Canyou?”
She looked at Pegasus, who stared at her with a cocked hoof and such apathy it was a clear communication that hedidn’t carewhat hadhappened.
Angelique scratched her cheek. “Right. Well. I’ll need to get back to the lake—or Tsona Palace—to find out whathappened.”
Pegasus maneuvered himself so he stood in front of Angelique—his saddle and her saddlebag magically back inplace.