But I didn’t listen only to my head anymore. My gut knew what my head hadn't figured out yet. And my gut knew that someone here knew more than they were willing to share.
We were still operating in the dark when it came to so much. And in the past months, the pace of events hadn’t stopped or slowed down. They’d sped up, taking on lives of their own. Battles had been joined, people wiped out, allies gained and lost.
I thought of Angbor’s fall and Fitzwilliam’s poisoning.
I thought of Queen Nagura’s words. Now is the time for the reckoning.
I thought of Isabel Vega as her life ebbed away in the rain.
No, we couldn’t let this lie. We couldn’t keep flying blind anymore.
I shook my head. “I can’t accept this, Galen. We’re going to see this ‘Deliberation’ whether they like it or not. And we’re going right now.”
Liam stamped a cloven forehoof in agreement with a clack. And Grimshaw let out a low, eager caw. Galen nodded wearily, as if he’d expected my answer.
“Then so it shall be, Dayna,” the Wizard said, as he turned to the right. Towards the hall of the Wizard’s Guild. “It seems that we shall be forcing the issue.”
“No, you shall not!” Fydella’s voice boomed off the high ceiling. “We have rules!”
On cue, the desk clerks scurried away for cover. The students reading texts behind the counter dove under the tables. And the Lead Archivist came around the desk to stand in our way. A rustling sound came from the rooms we’d passed. At least a dozen of the blue-robed students and red-robed instructors came to stand at her side. They didn’t carry any visible weapons, but they held their hands free and at the ready.
“Galen?” I asked quietly. The centaur moved to my side, his palms already aglow with magical energy. “What do you think?”
“The students likely know only cantrips. Pittance spells. More annoying than harmful,” he said grimly. “But the instructors know magic at close to my level. That may be troublesome.”
“All right then,” I said as I raised my voice. Liam lowered his antlers and Shaw let out a leonine growl. “Know this, Lead Archivist. I have a wizard, a fayleene, and a griffin. You have your rules. Now, try and enforce them.”
Also by Michael Angel
The ‘Fantasy and Forensics’ Series
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince’s Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls
Forgery of the Phoenix
Assault in the Wizard Degree
Trafficking in Demons
A Warrant of Wyverns
The Conspiracy of Unicorns
Felonies and Dragon Fire (Summer 2018)
Standalone Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
The Adventures of Amanda Love
Treasure of the Silver Star
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Entire ‘Season One’ Compilation
The ‘Fringe Space’ Series
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
The Complete Collection: Fringe Space Tales
Meet Michael Angel
Michael Angel’s worlds of fantasy and science fiction range from the unicorn-ruled realm of the Morning Land to the gritty ‘Fringe Space’ of the western Galactic Frontier. He’s the author of the bestselling Centaur of the Crime, where C.S. Lewis meets CSI. His many books populate shelves in languages from Russian to Portuguese.
He currently resides in Southern California. Alas, despite keeping a keen eye out for griffins, unicorns, or galactic marshals, none have yet put in an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard.
Find out more about his latest works at:
www.MichaelAngelWriter.com
Editing/Proofing services provided
by Cassandra Campbell at
Campbell’s Book Soup
and
Leiah Cooper from
SoIReadThisBookToday.com.
Cover art by Inna Vjuzhanina,
whose art can also be found at
www.InnaVjuzhanina.com.