Page 43 of The Dragon and the Dove

Laughter echoed through the forest. For the first time since Ransom had come into his magic, he found himself enjoying it. When Tobias charged head first through the giant eagle he’d conjured, he surprised himself by grinning.

As the sun sank and evening arrived in a haze of grey mist, Ransom grew antsy. He was eager to get back to Seraphine.

At a sweep of his hand, his shadows reformed, the hounds gathering at his back.

Tobias, eager for one last go, pounced at the largest of them. Ransom let him chase it around the clearing. One final lap to burn off his energy.

He was so busy watching Tobias that he missed Fabian slipping through the trees.

By the time he spotted the younger Cloak, Fabian was leaping at a hound.

‘GET BACK!’ yelled Ransom, horror gutting through him.

Versini pounced at the same moment, shoving the boy out of the way and accidentally knocking into the hound himself.

It exploded into nothing.

The air was punched out of Ransom. His soul screamed, his magic buckling as though something had taken a bite out of it.

He swore, collapsing against a tree trunk. Dug his fingers into the bark.

Tobias rushed over to him. ‘Are you all right?’

He raised his head, clearing the sunspots from his vision.

The others stared at him.

‘What happened?’ said Fabian, bewildered.

‘I nearly killed you,’ he hissed. ‘Don’t ever sneak up on me like that again.’

The boy’s cheeks flushed. ‘Tobias was playing with them!’

‘Tobias is full of Lightfire. If you touched one, you could have been seriously hurt.’ He turned on Versini, who, apart from looking mildly uncomfortable, appeared thoroughly unharmed. ‘What was that?’

‘What?’ he said evenly.

‘You should be squirming on the ground right now.’

Halfway to death.

‘You don’t have to act so disappointed about it.’

‘Why aren’t you hurt?’

‘I didn’t touch your shadows.’

‘Yes, you did.’

‘You’re mistaken.’

Ransom stared at the Shadowsmith.

The Shadowsmith stared back.

‘So… that went well,’ Tobias piped up. ‘No one died.’

‘And I learned a valuable lesson,’ added Fabian, cheerfully. ‘We should get back. It’s almost dinner time.’