Scholar of Magic

by Michael G. Manning

  Will whipped around, and sure enough he could see a faint glimmer in the dim light. One of Tailtiu’s eyes was open and appeared to be fixed on him. He moved over and knelt beside her. “Are you still with us?” he asked, touching her cheek.

  Her lips moved slightly, then she closed the eye, causing his hope to soar. She’s alive! He turned back to Blake. “Can you make it to the Healing and Psyche building by yourself? I need to take her home, right now.”

  Blake nodded. “I’m coming back in the morning, though. The workmen will be arriving to start on the changes you wanted. I’ll see about repairing whatever they broke while they were tearing through the house as well.”

  Will hardly heard the man. He was lifting his aunt again and heading out the door. Looking back, he said, “I’ll be back in a day or two. Any longer than that and there’s a good chance I won’t be back at all.” He strode out the door and down the steps without answering any of Blake’s follow up questions.

  After a hundred yards, he summoned the limnthal and asked Arrogan a question. “Tailtiu is alive, barely. I’m carrying her to the nearest congruence point. Should I give her a blood-cleanse potion? Can she catch the vampiric sickness?”

  For once the ring didn’t waste any time insulting him. “No and no. No, the fae can’t contract it, and no don’t ever give her a blood-cleanse potion. If she was healthy it would probably make her feel sick, but if she’s as badly injured as you suggest it might finish her off.”

  “Why is that?” asked Will.

  “She isn’t human. The blood-cleanse potion is formulated to destroy things that are foreign to the human body. As far as the potion is concerned, she is a disease.”

  That got Will to thinking. “Is that true of all non-humans?”

  “Most of them, except those that are most similar to us, like dwarves and elves. They’re related closely enough that it would work fine.”

  “Related?” Will had thought they were entirely separate from humanity.

  “If you saw a horse and a donkey you would assume they were related, wouldn’t you? You can even breed them together. The same is true of elves and dwarves.”

  “But you told me the elves live in a different world, didn’t you?”

  “They’re still related to us. Just because we live in different realms now doesn’t mean that was always the case. Think about the fae, you already know they were once human too.”

  “Except they can’t use the blood-cleanse potion,” argued Will.

  “Because their bodies have been completely replaced by the essence of Faerie. They’re no more human than a well-made marble statue. See the difference?”

  “You were wrong about one thing, though,” said Will. “I found Tailtiu in the astral plane.”

  “Ridiculous. That simply isn’t possible.”

  “She has feelings,” declared Will.

  “Next you’ll be telling me you found a dog that can talk. What do you think you connected with?”

  “Pain,” said Will. “I couldn’t find her at first, but I kept trying. Then I sort of went inward and found this bit of pain inside myself. After that I found her, and something connected.” He paused for a second, unsure how to convey what he had felt. “It was strange. It was almost as though she didn’t care at first, but once my pain connected to hers, she started trying to scream. Do you know what it means?”

  “Not a clue, other than that it shouldn’t be possible,” said the ring. “I’ll be curious to hear what she has to say about it after she’s recovered.”

  “She will recover?” asked Will once again, seeking reassurance.

  “Most certainly, completely and utterly.”

  “What about the experience? After some of the things I’ve been through, I still have nightmares. What she went through must have been even worse.”

  The ring laughed. “No, once again, they aren’t like us. They don’t change. They don’t scar, mentally or emotionally. Sure, they feel physical pain, but it doesn’t affect them the same way it does us. After she recovers, the only thing she’ll care about is getting revenge, but even that won’t be personal for her. Everything is a game to them, including torture.”

  Will nodded. He had left the main campus gate and was now walking down the lane, but even as light as she was, Tailtiu’s body was becoming heavy in his arms, and he still had to walk through the city and several miles into the countryside to reach the nearest congruence. “I’ll talk to you some more in a little while,” he said, dismissing the limnthal. He could hear a carriage approaching from farther down the road.

  It appeared a moment later, a carriage drawn by four horses, its lanterns glowing with amber light as they swayed from their hooks at the front. Will moved into the center of the road, making sure the driver could see him clearly.

  “Get out of the way, fool!” yelled the man, slowing and pulling on the reins to stop the team.

  Will remained still, and once the wheels had stopped, he walked forward, and with a quick source-link, paralyzed the driver. He formed a sleep spell while listening to the occupants ask questions, unsure why they had stopped. After a minute one of them opened the door, and Will was waiting. His spell put the two men and their female companion to sleep almost instantly.

  Stepping up, he settled Tailtiu on one cushioned bench, though he was forced to put one of the men on the floor. Then he closed the carriage door and climbed up beside the still-paralyzed driver. “I need you to take a short detour for me,” he told the silently terrified man. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of hurting you or your master. I just need a ride. Once we get there you can take the carriage and leave.

  “In a moment I’m going to release the spell holding you. If you behave and drive for me I won’t have to put it back on you, since I’m sure you’re a much better driver than I am.” He released the spell and watched the man carefully. “You can move now.”

  The poor driver was too frightened to look in his direction. “Yes, sir.”

  “Will you drive for me?”

  The man nodded. “Yes, sir. You won’t hurt me, will you?”

  “Not at all. I’m on the king’s business. This is merely an emergency.”

  “Where are you headed?”

  “The south gate and then a couple of miles out of the city. You’ll have to turn the carriage and team around. My lady friend can’t walk on her own, and she needs to be there as soon as possible.” The driver nodded and began the process. It was a narrow lane so turning the carriage in the middle of the road was a little tedious. While he did so, Will said one thing more. “Aislinn, Aislinn, Aislinn, thrice called, heed me for your daughter’s sake.”

  “Beggin’ your pardon, sir?”

  “Just ignore that,” said Will. They rode quietly through the mostly empty streets of Cerria. The driver behaved himself for the most part, though Will noticed a few wild glances when they passed through an area with more people. “I wouldn’t if I were you,” he warned.

  The man gulped, and Will felt bad for scaring him. “What did you do to Master Haldane?”

  “He’s sleeping, as are the others. They’ll wake up none the worse after you drop us off. I know you don’t believe me, but this is the king’s business. I have no intention of harming honest citizens.”

  The driver seemed to relax slightly. “Are you one of the Driven?”

  Will wasn’t sure how to answer that. “No, but I’ve met several of them,” he said honestly. “Why would you think that?”

  “I’ve heard they wear drab colors and that they’re all sorcerers. They scare the shit out of most people. You’re wearing brown and you scare the shit out of me; it seemed reasonable you might be one of them.”

  He fought to suppress a chuckle. “I appreciate the honesty and I’m sorry for all this, truly I am.” Something about his answer upset the man, and he saw silent tears begin to stream down the fellow’s cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

  A half-sob escaped the man’s lips. “You’re goin’ to kill m
e, aren’t you, sir?”

  “What? No! Why?”

  “They always apologize in the stories, right before they murder them!” The driver’s words came out in a rush as snot began to run from his nose.

  Will was beginning to worry that the hysterical man would lose control of the team. “Look, what’s your name?”

  “Paul,” sobbed the man. “I have two children waiting for me at home. We lost their mother a few years ago.”

  “Listen, Paul, would I ask for your name if I planned to murder you?”

  The driver’s answer came out in a pitch so high it was difficult to understand. “Maybe.”

  He summoned his coin pouch and removed a gold mark, then offered it to the man. “Would I offer you this to make it up to you for all the trouble?”

  “You could always take it back after you kill me,” blubbered the pitiful coachman. They were about to pass through the south gate, and the look of desperation on the man’s face was so intense that Will worried the driver might throw himself out of his seat.

  Will reconnected the source-link and paralyzed the driver while putting an arm over the man’s shoulder to keep him from being bounced out of his seat. With his other hand he took the reins and tried not to do anything. The team was following the road out of habit, and the road went where he needed to go. He had never driven anything larger than a small cart, and he worried what would happen if anything unexpected happened.

  Meanwhile he spoke to the paralyzed man beside him. “Damn, I can’t fault your logic. I mean, I’m not going to do anything to you, but I can’t argue with your reasoning. There’s no way you can know what I’ll do, and you certainly don’t have cause to believe me, but we’re almost there. I’ll release you in a few minutes and you can turn the carriage around. You can keep the gold mark too, and your master doesn’t have to know I gave it to you if you don’t want him to know. He’s asleep, so that will be our little secret.”

  A few minutes later, he did as he had promised, waving to the frightened driver as he drove away. “Don’t forget to wake up your passengers!” Will yelled. “Otherwise they might sleep until dawn!”

  Gently cradling Tailtiu, he walked through the nearby pasture, heading toward the place where he knew the congruence point with Faerie would be. He hadn’t felt a response from Aislinn, but his gut told him she would be waiting for him. Glancing down, he saw both of Tailtiu’s eyes were open, and she was silently staring up at him. She couldn’t talk, but he wondered what she was thinking.

  “We’re almost there,” he told her. “You don’t have to worry. Once I get you back everything will be fine. Just hold on a little longer for me, all right?”

  She closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again. He hoped it was a sign that she understood, but he couldn’t be sure. They still had a half a mile to go, and as they walked he mentally reviewed everything that had happened. He wanted to kick himself for his haste, but he still couldn’t see that he’d had a better alternative. If he had delayed, Tailtiu would almost certainly have died, but then again, his friends would probably be safe and sound.

  Was it worth exchanging Rob’s life for one of the fae? Was it worth Tiny’s? And what about Janice’s horrible disfigurement? He couldn’t help but feel he’d made a terrible bargain with fate and his friends had paid the price for it.

  As he pondered and poked at the past, like someone probing a sore tooth with their tongue, a thought came to him, the warehouse! He still had a big problem to consider in the near future, and if he couldn’t find a solution Tiny and Janice might pay a terrible cost. Will had planned to leave for his old home immediately after returning Tailtiu to Faerie, but now he knew he needed to return to Cerria first.

  Chapter 26

  There was no one at the congruence point, so Will crossed over, and the effect on Tailtiu was subtle but immediate. Her eyes opened again, watching him with more intensity. He couldn’t have said what it was exactly, but her body was already beginning to radiate a faint sense of vitality. He wished that Tiny and Janice’s problems were so easy to fix.

  He laid her in the tall grass and sat down beside her to wait, though he felt a strong sense of urgency. Time wasn’t his friend. After something close to a quarter of an hour, there was a shimmer in the air, and his grandmother appeared. Will stared at her in surprise, for she had come from somewhere else, but not through the congruence point with his world.

  What sort of magic was that? he wondered.

  “You found her,” she said simply.

  Will watched Aislinn carefully. “You seem surprised.”

  She arched one brow. “Shouldn’t I be? A warehouse full of Drak’shar is a dangerous place. It seemed unlikely you would succeed.”

  “You knew where she was?” he demanded, feeling his temper rise.

  “What don’t I know, child? That is a much better question, and one I spend much of my time seeking to address.”

  “Save the double-talk for someone else,” he said, spitting on the ground angrily. “You knew where she was and yet you left her to die?”

  “You brought her back,” said Aislinn simply.

  “I almost died. Two of my friends might still die.”

  Aislinn gave him a sharp look. “Only one, child, don’t exaggerate.”

  “You were watching the whole time? You were fine with me dying, even if it meant your own daughter would do the same?”

  “Death is a gift, my grandson, one you have refused several times, and now, it appears you are refusing it on behalf of others. Are you sure you have the right?” She glanced down at her emaciated daughter. “Will she thank you for preserving her life?” Then she leveled her gaze at Will. “Will Janice thank you for it? And what of your lost friend, Rob? I’m sure he’s praying for it already.”

  Will’s rapier appeared in his hand, and the edge was close to Aislinn’s throat before he realized what he was doing.

  His grandmother’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Do it. Touch me but once with that iron and I will have won.”

  “Not if I drag your remains into the mortal realm and leave them to rot,” he threatened.

  “You understand nothing of me, despite everything I have said.” She gave a sigh of longsuffering. “Very well, I will show mercy this once and grant you a second lesson. Unprovoked violence will violate the accord. Strike me or put your weapon away. Choose which victory I will enjoy today.”

  His fury was so great that the sword began to shake in his hand, but his mind continued to work. She wants me to kill her? Or does she want an excuse to kill me? Or is it the accord she wants destroyed? Would she really be happy with any of those results? Straightening up, he sent the sword back into the limnthal.

  His grandmother seemed disappointed. “I suppose the game will have to continue then.” She snapped her fingers and Tailtiu levitated into the air, floating over to the fae lady. Then she turned her back and walked away. The two of them shimmered and vanished a moment later.

  How the hell is she doing that? wondered Will. Irritated, he moved back to the congruence point and returned to his own world. The more time that passed, the more he was beginning to understand the goddamn cat’s disdain for the fae.

  Returning through the pasture, he suddenly regretted letting the carriage driver leave. If he wanted to go back to the warehouse, he would have to walk on his own feet. Running was out of the question. Every muscle in his body was sore from his marathon sprint earlier, and that was without even considering the pain of the wounds that covered much of his body. All of it was minor, but it added up to a considerable burden.

  It was almost an hour before he got to the warehouse. He half expected to find it on fire and surrounded by the Driven, but the area was still quiet and dark. He still had one spell prepared, Ethelgren’s Illumination, but he added a second copy and then a wind-wall spell. With three spells ready, he constructed a force-lance and kept it in his hand. Then he entered the building.

  Nothing had changed since he had been
there a few hours before. Adjusting his vision, he made a quick circuit of the main storage area. When he didn’t find anyone, he released the force-lance and created a simple light spell. Searching would be easier with normal eyesight, as writing often didn’t show up properly in heart-light and some other types of light.

  There was a wide variety of goods stored in the building. Despite the foul things that had been living there, apparently Jorn Slidden was a relatively ordinary trader, or had been. Will wondered if they had turned him or if the man had simply been cooperating to protect his life or that of his family. Then again, the man might have been motivated by simple greed.

  A cursory search failed to turn up what he was looking for, but that wasn’t surprising considering the size of the place. But would they store it out here with everything else? He decided that was unlikely. The stuff was too dangerous. He worked his way around the edge of the storage area, looking for a stack that was set far apart from the others. He found several, but they turned out to other things.

  The office? He went back to the door he had entered through and followed the hall in the other direction. It led to door that was already partly ajar, and inside was a desk, several chairs and strangely enough, a large painting on the wall behind the desk. Will stared at it for several seconds, purely for artistic reasons though—not because the painting depicted a woman in a partial state of undress.

  Definitely not, he told himself. Since the painting was clearly a work of art, and entirely out of place in such a ratty dockside business, it seemed suspicious. There might be a hiding place behind it. Reaching out, he touched the frame and stored the painting in the limnthal. It was the quickest way to get it out of the way, he decided—after the fact. The wall behind was blank and ordinary, though the plaster was chipped and damaged in places.

  He made a thorough search of the room and found nothing—until he began moving furniture. Beneath the desk was an old rug, and once it was out of the way he found a large iron door secured with what he assumed was an expensive padlock. He didn’t know much about locks, but this one was heavily constructed and appeared far more complex than most he had seen.