The Consumption of Magic (Tales From Verania 3)

Atop it, white fabric snapped back and forth in the wind.

A sail.

“Holy shit,” I breathed. “I just had the best idea ever. Or the worst. Maybe both at the same time.”

The cliff dragon continued to fuss over the wall dragon above us. I began to edge my way over to the pack. “C

ome on,” I hissed at Randall. “I know what to do.”

He moved slowly, never taking his eyes off the dragons. “You said the same thing before we came here, and look where we are now.”

I ignored him, bending down slowly to start shoving my possessions back into the pack. Ryan’s letter and his autograph from long ago were still tucked inside. I sighed in relief at the sight of them. I’d been sure they’d been lost in the snow.

Randall helped me gather everything up, and when he reached for the wooden device, I shook my head once.

He frowned at me, looking back down at it.

As of now, it looked like nothing, just a folded piece of wood with fabric draped over the top of it. But I knew what it was.

A sand sailboard belonging to the Wolf of Bari Lavuta.

Ruv, my wannabe cornerstone.

A gift, though I didn’t understand why.

I thought it precious, but he’d slipped it into my pack before we’d left Mashallaha.

Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

And if this worked, if we lived through the crazy that was going through my head, I’d have to thank him one day.

“When I say, you need to run toward the cliff edge,” I said in a low voice to Randall. “You stay behind me. Get my bag. Leave the other thing to me. And when we get to the edge, you jump when I say jump.”

Randall stared at me with wide eyes. “You want me to what?”

“I’m serious.”

“I know. That’s why I think you’re out of your mind.”

“Randall,” I growled. “Do you trust me?”

He opened his mouth, closed it. Then again. He sighed. “Gods help me, but yes. I do.”

That shouldn’t have made me as happy as it did. But for some reason, knowing that the man whose nose I’d once turned into a penis trusted me made me want to crow just a little bit.

I’d have to save that for later.

I looked back up at the dragons. The cliff dragon had the wall dragon’s face in her claws, cooing softly at her, telling her that she was the biggest and the bravest and the strongest huntress that had ever existed.

“Aww,” I said. Then, “Run.”

Randall ran, hoisting my pack onto his back. I was at his side, and the dragons roared behind us as we moved. Without slowing, I reached down with my good arm and scooped up the sand sailboard. It was heavy, the pieces of it clacking together as I clutched it under my arm.

There was a small lever on the side, and I prayed to the gods that it was all I needed to know about how to open it up. I should have paid more attention to it, or at least tried to fiddle with it while we were in Meridian City or in Castle Freesias, but I hadn’t even thought about it, sure it was just a way that Ruv was trying to get in my good graces.

“I hope you know what you’re doing!” Randall shouted at me, his beard trailing over his shoulder behind us.

“Me too! Er, I mean, I totally do!”