Page 32 of Madness of Her Mages

It was.Drae casually crossed one leg over the other while sipping his wine.I suspect Sol and Bertram are behind it.

I froze, fighting the urge to look behind me.Are they here?

I haven’t seen them,Drae said,but I have no doubt they’re nearby, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

I tucked my trembling hands inside my skirts, doing my best to still them.How do I get it out of me?

I’ll make you an herbal brew after supper.Nikkos squeezed my knee, giving me a reassuring smile, though I felt the fear in his voice.You should vomit it back up by morning.

A noose of apprehension tightened my throat while I scanned the witches and mages sitting around the fire. I sensed no malice coming from them, but clearly I was wrong. Whoever put a tau stone in my food wanted to restrain me for a reason.What if they attack tonight?

Firelight danced in Drae’s dark eyes.Then we’ll kill them.

Chapter Eight

Though our tent was spacious enough for Drae to stand to full height while stretching his wings and equipped with lots of soft, warm furs, I’d never felt so uncomfortable in my life. I wrung my hands together while Nikkos tore apart his bag. I felt so dead inside without my magic, like an empty vessel. I didn’t realize how much I’d grown accustomed to the buzzing in my veins until it stopped. And now the silence was deafening. Even the girls fidgeting and whining while they sat on my lap didn’t fill the void.

Nikkos dumped everything onto the floor and sat back on his heels, frowning at the various pouches of herbals. “We have a problem.”

I clutched my throat, fearing the worst.

Drae scowled down at his brother. “What is it?”

Nikkos scratched the back of his head, looking apologetically from me to Drae. “I didn’t pack the herbs I need to expel the stone.”

“Where do we get them?” I rasped.

He shrugged, his wings drooping behind him. “I know there are some in the cellar back at Abyssus.”

I bit my lip while holding tightly to Aurora. “What do we do?”

Drae shared a look with his brothers before kneeling before us. “We get Aurora to take us back to Abyssus.”

Aurora perked up with a squeal. “Can we sleep with Mrs. Euphemia?”

Drae flashed a sideways smile while patting her head. “We’ll see, sprite.”

“All of us?” I asked.

Drae stood, folding his arms across his chest. “Yes.”

I heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. I don’t want us to separate.”

“Neither do I,” Drae answered. “Whoever put that stone in your stew wants to make us vulnerable. We have Aurora take us back to Abyssus, and we stay there tonight while we wait for you to expel the stone.”

Blaze rubbed his chin, his gaze shifting to the tent flap. “Malvolia will be angry if she finds out we left.”

“It’s a chance we have to take,” Drae said, frowning down at me. “We’re too vulnerable here.”

A thought struck me, pumping lead through my veins. “What if Malvolia was behind it?”

Drae shook his head. “She needs you to help her win this war.”

“But what if she was?” I pressed.

What if the queen they so admired was nothing more than a vindictive monster?

Drae released a long breath, his shoulders caving inward. “Then we have bigger problems than Sol and Bertram.”

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