I ripped the fire away, letting it shrink to nothing in midair. Heat pulsed through me, a glorious feeling. I wished I could use my true magic all the time.
The unicorn neighed, loudly, and stamped its foot. It swung that vicious-looking horn my way.
“Holy crap!” I bent, then dodged a hoof striking out. “You snapped out of that way faster than a human would.” It bit down at me, missed, and swung its head again. That brutal horn sliced the air right next to my face.
“Darius! Help! Darius!” I ducked away, but nearly caught a hoof in the chest. I dove and rolled, not sure what to do. I couldn’t very well fight the thing—if I did it harm, a whole faction of old vamps would come for me.
“I saved you,” I yelled, throwing my hands out. “I’m a good guy.”
It reared, clearly having no desire for discussion.
I threw myself back as Darius popped up by my side.
“What the hell took you so long?” I demanded, feinting like a boxer.
“I am here,” he said, putting a hand up. It took me a moment to realize he wasn’t talking to me. “I am here. Calm now. Your solino is safe. I brought Reagan to help you.”
Lucy wobbled through the brush, already much sturdier on her new legs. She gave a soft neigh and ambled toward food.
“This doesn’t look like it happened long ago,” Darius said quickly, putting a hand to my shoulder and backing us up. “We caught it early. That was lucky. Let’s leave now before she smells our scent on her newborn.”
When we crossed the meadow without being chased down, I asked, “Why didn’t the colt—or solino, I guess—run into the spell with her?”
“Size, probably, wouldn’t you think? A snare is only so big.”
I nodded, because yes, it did make sense—and I should’ve known that. Fatigue was dragging at me. Despite the pick-me-up of unicorn blood, using so much power in so short a time, not to mention sleep deprivation and hunger, had drained me. I felt weak and shaky.
I barely made it to the other side of the small island, which only took an hour’s walk. Despite my current issues, though, it wasn’t a big place for animals that size. I said as much to Darius.
“The Island of Eternal Light stretches north to south, mostly. It is not overly wide.” Darius nodded at a fierce-looking vampire, the first living sentinel we’d seen. “We found a magical snare and rendered it useless. Get a team and patrol the island. If you find anything, send word.”
The vampire nodded but didn’t head out. Apparently he’d get to it when he was good and ready.
Darius directed me back the way we’d come. “There is nothing more to see here at present. We’ll continue on to the Brink and start collecting more information.”
“Are you serious?” I trudged alongside him.
“What is the matter?”
“You must think humans are really clumsy if my stiff-legged lurch rings normal.”
“You’re tired?”
“So tired I can’t think of a sarcastic response to that question.” My toe hit a rock, and I stumbled. Darius’s hand shot out, steadying me before I fell on my face. “Thanks. Are you going to send in a replacement for that sentinel?”
“No. To use that entrance, the mage would have to go through land the elves closely watch. Only a fool would try to get by them.”
“Why, what will the elves do?”
“Question them. I will carry you.”
“So…only fools would get themselves into positions where they would have to provide answers?”
He bent and scooped me up into his arms. I didn’t complain, because if I did, chances were he’d throw me over his shoulder. “Have you spent so little time in the Realm?”
“Very little time. Almost none, actually.”
He put on a burst of speed that made me clutch his shoulders and nearly squeal in delight. Thrilling, running so fast. I wished I could do it.
“Elves are not a species to trifle with, even for us. They are brutal, when they want to be. Extremely powerful. It is never wise to put yourself in their path.”
“They rule the Realm, though. If they are oppressive, why don’t people rise up?”
“How often do people in the Brink rise up?” He ducked under a branch and swerved around a group of unicorns munching grass. “When you are on the correct side, the elves are fair, usually.”
“Which side is the correct side?”
“The one that bows to them.”
“Which side are you on?” I could already guess the answer.
He slowed as we reached the other side in record time. Gently, he put me down and waited until I was steady before stepping away. “Vlad’s.”
“My guess is, Vlad doesn’t bow.”
“Of course he does, as do we all—when we have to. That is why we still exist. But we won’t bow forever. The elves want to rid this Realm of the temptation of the unicorns, and, with them, us. They have not acted yet, but they will. When they do, we will be ready.” He looked down at the visible boot. He’d left the bait, his own kind, to save me. “Can you tell if she lives?”
“Well…I don’t know about lives, since she’s a vampire, but…” I grimaced at his straight face. Not the time for that sort of joke. “The short answer is…maybe.”
I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead and walked closer to the boot. Immediately, I could tell that it was a form of the freezing spell the mage had used on the unicorn, but with a burning type of twist, making it more powerful. I had this mage’s number now. After saying as much to Darius, I added, “If she’s alive, she won’t be for long. I’d wager her skin was blackening like yours did after you touched the first spell. The mage froze her before she died.”
“This mage knows us well.” Darius looked into his satchel.
“If he’s partnering with a vampire, then of course he does.”
“There is a difference between being told our traits, even seeing them, and knowing how to work a spell to freeze us at the exact right moment. He must know that it is taking everything in my power not to try and rip into that spell to see if she still lives.”
“I wouldn’t advise that.”
“My point exactly. This is the perfect bait, as you said. He is dangerous, this mage.”
“Okay. Let’s find him, then.”
Darius nodded and motioned at the path where the barely lingering residual magic was the only thing left of the barrier spell I’d taken down. “Wait there.”
I really didn’t want to.
Like a sulky teenager, I trudged onto the path of death where that overanxious serpent was probably still waiting for me to dip a toe in the water. I sat in the very middle with shifty eyes, half terrified the thing would catapult out and attach its face to mine. I didn’t have the energy to fight it off.
Muttering caught my attention, and I looked Darius’s way in time to catch him cracking open the final capsule in his cocktail. The spell sifted down onto the ones he’d already opened and crystalized, partially blocking the way. The other vampire probably knew how Darius worked, and would know how to edge around the area.
“Will the trap do anything besides getting to know the mage’s magic, which I already have a pretty good handle on?” I asked, rising.
“I altered my plans for this spell, given your extraordinary senses.” I half preened at the compliment. He didn’t give them out often. Not without a slap in the face to accompany them. “The goal of this mix of spells is to attach a piece of tracking magic to the mage.” Darius picked me up again. Without warning, he started running. I did squeal this time, with a huge smile on my face.
“How do you hope to—”
“I am right here, Reagan. There is no need to shout.”
“Sorry. With all the wind whipping by us, I didn’t know if you’d hear. Anyway, how do you hope to attach it?”
“The spell is an intricate offensive one that should explode when another magic worker comes in contact with it.”
“One of those, huh?”
“Intricate, I said. I created it from a lot of different spells, so it should take hardly a moment for someone of higher-caliber magic to disable it. He will laugh at me, surely. I am hoping his ego masks his ability to notice smaller details, like that tracker.”