Pegasus In Flight: A Musimagium Story (The Pegasus Enchantment Book 2) Page 6

  She laughed. “No, I wish I had that power. Then again, with the Trio, maybe not so much.” She chuckled again. “But you have the look about you I did the first time they went out and did something without me where I stayed at home and felt bad for myself because of my disability. If you’re working on stuff at the academy.” She waived her hand at my computer. “Stuff that I can’t even imagine and think you’re amazing for doing, especially after learning you didn’t have any formal training. You’re doing what you can do best for the young people who will be entering the academy’s doors.”

  She had a point. A really important one if I allowed myself to be honest. I sighed. “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of it that way. I just…” I closed my hand into a fist and stared out at the empty patio where the manure waited to be scooped and the equines had gone over the hill to wherever they spent their late mornings. I’d never hiked out to discover it, preferring to give them their time. “I was so scared,” I admitted. “Sitting on Licentia’s back. I wanted to turn around and fly home so badly. But I couldn’t. The unicorns and the pegasus needed me. The skinny filly. I told you about her. She never leaves Kestara’s side. Whatever happened that day either bonded them very closely or scared her even more. She won’t even take treats from me any longer.” I dashed away the tears threatening to fall. The last part hurt. As if I’d done something to make her afraid when I’d offered nothing but love and time. Except, I couldn’t save her from those people and whatever they wanted. That would go down as my biggest failing.

  “It’s not your fault, you know. Even if you had been there, and you were. You said you and Jerimiah talked about magic and different classes. The construction continued. Until the bridge collapsed, you didn’t realize anything had been wrong. There’s nothing wrong in not knowing what you weren’t trained to know. You don’t live the life the Trio has, or what we do together now.” She smiled at me. “I don’t think you’d want to either. But you can learn. And you can do better. That’s all we can ask of ourselves.”

  As Rose spoke, calm descended over me. She had very good points. Part of being an administrator of the academy would mean trusting my school and the staff I put in place. More importantly I would need to trust the Musimagium to do the right thing. I sighed. “Thank you. I probably needed to hear that.”

  “We all do from time to time.” She glanced out the window. “Looks like they’re coming back.”

  I resisted the urge to jump up and meet them at the door asking what they’d seen and what they’d encountered. The filly sent reassuring emotions, and I would think if they’d found something horrible she would be the first to let me know. Sometime after they left, the equines moved into their normal late morning pastures. I wouldn’t have been surprised to know that she had flown over to the school to see what might have been happening.

  Besides, my body ached from yesterday’s exertion. Honestly, I didn’t feel up to rushing to the door like a kid looking for Santa Claus. They’d come in and tell me the news one way or the other. I saved the email I’d been working on.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  I drew a shuddering breath. “I hope so. I don’t know what happened after I came back. They could have—”

  The front door opened. Etta walked in, the expression on her face plain as day. Whatever they’d left us, it wasn’t good.

  “I left the Armis agents there and the new security detail is in place,” Paul said as he entered. “The old team is not allowed on or near the property, and I’ve given orders to Melody that they’re never to be hired again. As soon as we find Jerimiah, he will be stripped of his magic.”

  I shuddered. The most severe punishment was left for those who couldn’t be trusted ever again. “Thank you,” I replied. “I just hope this new team is more trustworthy than the last.” I glanced at him, letting him see the tears welling in my eyes. “What did they do?”

  Etta sat down on the floor next to me. “We’ll fix it.”

  “What did they do, Etta?”

  The Trio entered and sat down on the couch, with Kodi and Jenny taking pillows on the floor so Paul could have a seat. “It’s not good,” Tristian said. “They’ve magically weakened all the joints in the buildings. It’s not safe for anyone to enter until we bring someone in to reinforce.”

  “Or we tear it down and start again,” I answered to Tristan and Paul’s solemn nod. “Why? Who? Never mind, I know who. It had to be Jerimiah, because according to him, he was the only one with magic, though he could have been lying to us about that too. This is part of the contingent that thinks we shouldn’t be working more with the magical creatures, isn’t it? Or is it the other groups we talked about?”

  “It’s not Aquari Testimoni,” Jenny replied. “We’ve seen their work in person. No, this is petty sabotage. They might be connected to a larger group. I think that’s what Paul and Armis will be trying to determine.”

  “Of course,” Paul replied. “As soon as I get back to my hotel room, I’ll be on a secure line to Dean August at Melody. I’ll also be discussing the situation with some of our highest engineers and hopefully getting one of them to come personally to check.”

  “Can we trust them? I mean we trusted Jerimiah and the construction crew there.” I shrugged and glanced around the room. “Is it safe to say that when it comes to the equines, the only people we can really trust are those of us in this room?” The words sickened me. My stomach rolled. On the concert circuit, I’d dealt with my fair share of petty jealousies and cat fights. None of those had ever resulted in anyone actually trying to destroy me.

  “We’re going to go look for Jerimiah,” Kodi said. “He can’t have gone far. Work like that no doubt magically drained him, and we were able to check traffic cameras on the intersection closest to the academy. The construction vehicles are all still there. We’re assuming they’re trapped in some way, but clearly they left on foot. Which meant that even in the best of shape, they couldn’t have gotten far in this heat and terrain. That they were magically depleted and wounded… It’s likely they holed up somewhere. We’ll find them. We’re the best.”

  “They are,” Rose added quickly. “If you guys don’t mind, I’ll stay here. I feel like there’s so much that my lady and I can learn from Sonia, and you don’t need me holding you back or the flash of a unicorn making you a target.”

  “Thank you.” Jenny said, reaching up to touch Rose’s leg. “We were going to ask whether you wanted to come with us or not.”

  “It’s okay. I’d much rather stay and play with the equines.” She grinned at me, and I knew no matter what the others would do, at least she and I would have some fun.

  “I’ll be here if you need me, but I’d like to go with Paul. I think I can help him and the agents may need someone with them as well,” Etta replied.

  “We’ll be fine. We won’t go on any crazy rides.”

  “I’ve got two more Armis agents coming to guard your property. You won’t see them. You won’t know they’re here unless you want to introduce yourself. They have seen magical equines before, but if you have some way of communicating?”

  “I do. I can do that,” I replied.

  “Good. Then let’s get to work. We want to make sure Sonia and the academy are safe and on schedule.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and a few moments later everyone dispersed. It was only when they had left did I turn to Rose and shake my head. “On schedule. Even now they’re worried about going over budget.”

  “That’s a bureaucracy for you,” Rose said. “You’d be surprised some of the things we’ve dealt with on some of our missions. So, let’s see if we can get our ladies to come back and let them know what’s going on.” She stood and grabbed her rollator. I took my cane, and together we went out onto the back porch. A few minutes later Licentia and Rose’s unicorn walked up to the patio for treats, attention, and to be filled in on what the humans were doing.

  Chapter Ten

  The moon shone in through the open curtains covering m
y bedroom window. I lay there, thinking that somewhere, out there were two Armis agents whose names I couldn’t even remember. After a quick introduction, they stepped outside and told me not to worry. We wouldn’t know they were there. I reached for Licentia’s thoughts. She dozed on the back patio, dreamless.

  The skinny filly worried me. I’d thought she had been making headway. But then the attack had happened and she’d become even more skittish and withdrawn.

  Licentia snapped awake. They got them. Let’s go.

  Where? I sat up and turned on the lamp, giving me just enough light to see by. I wore pajama pants and a t-shirt, my shoes and socks next to the bed. I pulled them on, refusing to glance at the clock to see what time it was, or just how early in the morning it might be.

  The school. They’re at the academy. We got to go. She put a push of urgency behind the words.

  All right. Give me a moment. Mornings weren’t my best. Being awakened in the middle of the night, made the mornings look like a cakewalk. I grabbed my cane and turned out the light before hobbling into the darkened kitchen. A night light glowed above the counter, allowing me to make my way into the living room and past a sleeping Rose. She didn’t stir as I opened the patio door, closing it behind me.

  Licentia already knelt, ready for me to slide onto her back.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I whispered. “Don’t they have it all under control?” I glanced around, but didn’t see any signs of the Armis agents. “Aren’t we leaving Rose unprotected?”

  “She’ll be fine,” a shadow materialized out of the darkness, and I stifled a screech as I recognized one of the Armis agents. “Where are you going?”

  “We often like to ride at night. It’s so peaceful and it’s like I can touch the stars,” I improvised, thinking it wouldn’t be wise to tell them that I was going to the academy and to where The Trio apparently had my enemy contained.

  “Be safe. Come back soon. There’s an odd feeling in the air tonight.” He nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

  “You heard him. Let’s be safe and come back soon.” I patted Licentia’s neck as if we did this all the time. She stepped from beneath the patio and within a few steps, flapped her wings to rise into the air. I sensed we were being watched as we ascended into the sky.

  Within moments I saw the hulking shadow of the academy, windows and doors still gaping openings. I shuddered, thinking about the men pouring from them, the piles of rubble that had been the bridge, though it hung between the two buildings now as if nothing had ever happened. There, in the courtyard, I saw the Trio, their bright hair unmistakable in the moonlight, standing around three men.

  There’d been four surrounding the equines, and then Jerimiah and his helpers. I frowned, not liking that presumably some of them were still unaccounted for. “Let’s stay high and circle, just to see if anyone is watching.” I didn’t like these odds, and the partially constructed buildings left too many places for people to hide.

  The filly banked, taking us to the far side of the building. I spotted the two Armis guards at the front gate and what appeared to be the security force spread out among the vehicles and along the front of the buildings. Someone walked a path that took them around both stables. There, between them, a shadow. Was that someone hiding? I needed to keep a pack ready to just toss over my shoulders as I left with binoculars at the very least, and maybe a flashlight or something.

  We came to the far side and there, in the bushes, two more men hid. They didn’t appear to be ours. Which left me a conundrum. If I called out their locations, I’d give away not just my presence, but also perhaps interrupt whatever Rose’s friends in mind. I checked in with Licentia and found her focus somewhere else. When I peered into the darkness, I saw two young men hovering not far away with binoculars. My gut clenched. They probably thought their blaze orange hats would give them protection or maybe they were too stupid to realize they should have dressed to hide in the dark. Either way, I sensed my filly’s anger, her hatred toward these two, and I realized they were the ones who had fired rock salt at her. Moonlight glinted off of something between them. A shotgun? I wouldn’t be surprised.

  Hiding be damned. “Let’s go get them. Circle around behind them and let’s see if we can land without being seen.” The filly circled behind their range of site. They didn’t move. Their focus was on the courtyard. We landed maybe a hundred yards behind them.

  I will get us closer, the filly said.

  Keep quiet. We don’t want to be seen.

  I can be quieter than the mice who run through the field. I like to walk up behind them and touch them with my nose. They squeak and run. I sensed the chasing game was just that to her, a game, that didn’t do anything but startle the mice, and perhaps it even helped them to be quieter, more watchful, and avoid bigger prey. I didn’t have time to think about that because the filly wrapped her wings tight against her body, almost muffling me in white feathers.

  When I get close. You zap them. An image of my Noceo spells accompanied her words. Doing two at once might be too much for me. I had to try for her sake. For the trio’s sake.

  A plan formed in my mind. Maybe the others didn’t know the teenagers were here. Perhaps they thought to get some sport shooting in—I shuddered at the very idea—while the others did whatever they’d been planning on doing. The boys had the shotgun and binoculars. Yes, this could work out in our favor.

  The filly stopped maybe five feet from the boys. Can you do it from here?

  I thought so. Maybe not a full Noceo, but something less. I leaned forward and stretched my arms along either side of her neck, ready to have her catch me should I slump over. “Sopor!” I sent, hoping the lesser sleep spell wouldn’t drain me as much as the zap, as the filly so rightly called it.

  The boys slumped over. I need to get off. I wobbled on her back and walking in the dark over this uneven terrain might not be the best idea. The filly stepped forward until I saw the boys had, indeed, fallen over as if asleep. She lowered herself to the ground.

  I’ll stay close.

  “Keep watch,” I whispered, not knowing just how long the boys would be out. I grabbed the binoculars from the hands of one of the boys and looked through them. As I thought, one man stood between the barn. I saw his shape through the open doorways. There appeared to be others in the barn. I picked up the shotgun and motioned for the filly to let me on her back. “Let’s fly over to the barns. I am going to fire this in the air and hopefully get the attention of the security people.”

  She snorted, clearly not liking the gun being that close to her, but in my hands it must have appeared to be safe. She took us over toward the barns, keeping in shadows and moving so as not to be seen by anyone.

  “Are you ready?”

  I am. Big noise.

  I aimed the gun in the space between the barns. Rock salt wouldn’t hurt anyone and the sting of it was too fresh in my mind. I fired.

  The filly screamed a whinny. She ducked her hind end beneath her and bolted, sliding me right off her rump. I hit the ground with the thud, my arm bouncing off a rock and the shotgun spun from my grasp. I lay there, gasping for breath, while the filly charged forward, straight toward the stables.

  No. I couldn’t let her go alone. Rolling to the side, I grabbed the shotgun, ejected the spent shell and then put the butt end on the ground and used it like a cane to lever myself to my feet. Probably not the safest thing to do, but the quickest. An engine’s roar came from the front of the property. Perhaps that was the cavalry. I strode forward, pointing the gun behind me.

  The filly slowed, then stopped, almost as if she realized she’d dumped me in her fright. I projected understanding at her. Neither one of us knew what was going to happen, and I should have guessed firing the shotgun would have startled her even with my warning. I lurched forward, wishing I looked and felt more badass than I probably appeared.

  I ransacked my memory trying to think about what I knew about shotguns. My one at home held 3 she
lls since I hadn’t removed the plug that would give me up to 5. I’d never needed that many before. If I had to bet, the boys probably did. Which meant I had four or five shots left. Each one had to count.

  A man bolted from between the barn. I aimed the shotgun at him and fired.

  He dropped.

  That seemed awfully dramatic for rock salt, but maybe I hit him in a vulnerable place. I’d been aiming for his torso. I stood for a moment, watching him lay there and groan, clutching his side. I couldn’t see what had happened, but something told me that these weren’t rock shot shells. They were live ammo.

  I retched. Half a second before I lost my supper, I dropped the gun to the ground, then doubled over and heaved. A sour taste filled my mouth. Magic was different. I might never have used Noceo on anyone, but at least they didn’t lay bleeding in the dirt. I’d shot a man. Me, using a gun to shoot someone. I vomited again.

  A warm face pressed against mine, and the filly stood next to me. Avoiding my mess, she lowered herself down. I spat, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, then grabbed the gun and climbed on board.

  One of Rose’s friends, Kodi, I recognized by the hair, ran towards us. “Sonia, is that you?”

  “Yes.”

  Men rushed from the stable.

  “Watch out!” I pointed.

  “Get behind me.”

  The filly followed the order, even if it took me a few moments to comprehend it. A moment later blue bolts of energy shot from his hands, hitting the men as if he were playing pinball and scoring points. The zap of magic mingled with the thud of bodies falling. Tristan joined him, then Jenny, as another vehicle headed for the courtyard.

  “We got you. Security has the men we trapped,” Jenny said.

  Something hit me in the back. I reached behind me, half expecting blood. A rock bounced off the filly’s hindquarters. She whirled, and I lowered the shotgun, finding us face to face with the boys.

  They paled. “We didn’t mean any harm,” one of them said.