Page 22 of The Oracle of Dusk

“What I saw was that you froze the monstrosity before it devoured Her Highness.”

“But… I didn’t do anything.”

“Your Highness, did you freeze the monstrosity in its tracks?” Silvanus asked.

Phaedra shook her head.

Silvanus turned and called to the remaining warriors at the camp who were salvaging what they could and loading it onto the lopers.

“Who among you saved the princess from the monstrosity that was about to swallow her?”

No one replied, not even the imperial guard.

“It could have been one of the guards who were felled,” Aurora insisted.

“It wasn’t. I knew what they were all capable of. None of them had magic that could do that,” Phaedra said.

“But then…”

If she’d used magic today, that meant she’d had it her whole life. A lifetime wasted as she’d allowed her magic to atrophy, thinking it didn’t exist. How was she supposed to learn to wield it now, after decades of disuse? How had she managed in that critical moment?

“The closest temple is southeast, in Altanus Novus. We’ll send word to Boreas to have the imperial tutors meet us there.”

It was several days’ ride to Altanus Novus, the capital of Aureum. There were a few towns along the main road where they could gather the supplies they would need, now that theirs had been reduced to tatters, blowing away into the great expanse of the western desert. But that would turn every town into another target, for both monstrosities and Drakon. Did they have another choice?

“How long do I have to master it?” Aurora asked.

“I don’t know,” Silvanus answered. “Which is why we should leave now.”

Aurora tried to help Phaedra to her feet without success.

“I can… I can get up on my own,” Phaedra moaned.

Silvanus scooped her up and carried her off, much to Phaedra’s chagrin.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood, Your Highness. You’ll need to ride with one of the paladins.”

“I thought you healed me,” she grouched.

“The wounds caused by the monstrosities, nothing more.”

“Incompetent ass,” she muttered.

“Allow me, Your Highness.” The tallest paladin offered her hand to Phaedra.

With barely more than a moment of silence for the slain, they were back on the road, the wind whipping up as the early morning sky began to dim.

“No one else needs to die for our conflict, little mouse. Come to me, and let us be done with this game of ours.”

Aurora gripped Silvanus’ wrist.

“Drakon is close.”

Silvanus cursed, wrapping her in his divine magic.

It should have silenced the Beast of Old.

But its chuckle rattled inside her skull.

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