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My fingers tightened on the handle of my blade. “Is this a trick?”
He shook his head. “You could have slain that she-wolf ten times over, but you wanted to spare her, the way you spared me.” He bowed his head. “I hereby pledge my allegiance to thee, Lorelei Clay.”
“Thee but no ye?” I spread my arms wide. “Make it make sense!”
Frowning, the mage looked up at me. “You have strange triggers.”
“What about Magnarella? Aren’t you worried about your debt?”
“That’s for me to handle.”
“He won’t stop, you know. If you refuse to kill me, he’ll find someone who’s willing to try, and he’ll punish you for your failure.”
The hint of a smile emerged. “Let them try. I have a feeling they’ll be regretting their choices by the end of it.”
Steeling my mind, I offered my hand to help him to his feet. “Are you?”
He grabbed ahold and resumed an upright position. “Not in the slightest. In fact, I’d say ’tis the best decision I’ve made in a long time. You’ve restored my faith in humanity.”
“I’m flattered. What will you do now?”
“You seem to have a magical infestation on your hands. I thought I might offer my assistance, if you’re willing.”
Brody and I had been near the wolf twice without consequences. He would be the ideal assistant. “I am.”
“Then tell me what we’re hunting. I’m a nature mage. This forest is my armory.”
“Not hunting, remember? This is a capture-don’t-kill mission.”
The bleating of a goat brought the conversation to a quick close. The animal came within view and stopped between two trees to bleat again. I crept forward, holding my breath.
Brody caught my eye and gestured to the goat. I nodded. A goat would be far easier to cart off as evidence than the wolf.
Quickly and quietly, he gathered a pile of loose branches from the ground and waited. The goat trotted forward, away from the trees. With incredible precision, he threw each branch like a spear until the animal was trapped in a makeshift cage.
“Nonviolent and efficient,” I said. “Good work.”
“What do you intend to do with it?” he asked.
“I have an enclosure for it at my house.”
“Enchanted, I hope.”
I nodded. “Only the best for my mystical animal farm.”
The goat’s bleating seemed to have attracted a friend. The donkey I’d spotted outside the Castle gates was now standing in a nearby glade.
Brody reached for a branch, but I stayed his hand. If my theory was correct, the donkey wouldn’t be hard to catch.
I approached the animal slowly, with both hands raised. When I was less than a foot away, the donkey started to bray.
“Good grief,” Brody said, clamping his hands over his ears.
The donkey was sounding a warning to her friends. I lunged for her, wrapping my arms around her neck. Thespiked collar snagged on the sleeves of my coat, but I’d worry about that later. I had to prevent the donkey from further communication. I slipped into her head and injected a lullaby to subdue her. The creature grew limp and dropped to the ground. I released my hold on her and took a step backward.
“That’s quite the headlock you’ve perfected,” Brody said. “In another life, I might’ve asked you to teach it to me.”
“You’ve got enough weapons of your own to keep you busy for two lifetimes.”
