“The heart-stone enchantment, you dimwit!”
Confused, Will answered, “It wasn’t the enchantment that controls her elementals—”
“No, fool! It’s the one that her father uses to control her! When you mentioned it the first time, I though it must be some other spell, but now that you’ve said he summoned her—that changes everything.” The ring began swearing again. “What kind of sick bastard does that to his own child?”
Will felt a cold dread begin to creep over him. He didn’t want to believe it. “What has he done to her, exactly? Is there a way to fix it?”
But the ring was ignoring him as it ranted on, “How did he learn it? No one should know how it’s done. I killed them all.”
Will waited patiently until the ring slowed down and ran out of steam. Then he asked again, “What has he done to Selene?”
“I’ll only tell you on one condition,” said Arrogan. “You have to promise to do something for me.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Promise first.”
“No. I need to know what it is you want me to do,” insisted Will.
“Then I won’t tell you what you want to know,” answered Arrogan. “And your girlfriend will die in agony before spending a possible eternity serving the needs of unscrupulous men.”
Will already had a feeling he knew the answer to his question. “He’s bound her with the heart-stone enchantment, hasn’t he? Just like if she was an elemental.”
The ring remained silent.
“But I can undo it. Like I did with the elementals after I killed those sorcerers.”
“She’ll die,” said Arrogan cruelly. “Attempt to unbind her and she’ll die instantly.”
“It didn’t kill the elementals when I undid it,” insisted Will.
“Because you undid the sorcerer’s end of it. If the sorcerer had still been alive, he would have died shortly after what you did. It binds souls, and the bearer of whichever end you unravel will die.”
He was horrified. “That’s horrible.”
“Promise me and I’ll tell you the rest. There’s more you need to know.”
“I won’t kill Selene,” said Will. “If that’s part of it, then you can forget it.”
The ring thought about it a while, then answered, “Fine. I won’t force you to kill her. Will you promise then?”
“If I promise, will you help me save her?”
A growling sound issued from the ring. “Why do you care so much about that man’s cursed spawn?”
Will answered the question with one of his own. “Why did you cut the horns off of one of the Lords of the Fae?”
“This isn’t the same,” insisted Arrogan. “You hardly know her. You can find someone else to fawn over.”
“Promise me that and I’ll do anything,” said Will earnestly. “Promise me that you’ll help me free her and I’ll do anything you want.”
“She won’t thank you,” warned the ring. “In fact, she’ll probably hate you for it.”
“I don’t care.”
“Fine. We have a deal. You honor your promise to me, and I’ll honor mine,” announced Arrogan.
“I’ll swear to it,” agreed Will.
“You have to kill the king.”
“What?” Will yelped in alarm.
“You’d have figured it out if you had half a brain,” said the ring. “I already mentioned that the person attached to the end you unravel dies. The only way to free her is to kill the king and unravel his end of the heart-stone enchantment. You also need to kill anyone else who knows the secret of the enchantment, be they man, woman, or child.”
“Why?”
“Because you swore to,” said Arrogan. “The knowledge has to die.”
“I won’t kill Selene,” insisted Will.
“She’s your only exception. And if she won’t agree to hide the knowledge with you, then I’d advise you to kill her anyway.”
“The heart-stone enchantment sounds pretty nasty, but I’m not sure you should overreact. It’s not as if—” He stopped mid-sentence. “Wait, is that how it’s done?”
“You’re starting to think. That’s precisely how it’s done. Once she dies, either by natural causes or the command of her father, her soul will remain bound. Flesh and mind will pass away, but her spirit will remain, ready to be shaped into whatever elemental form her twisted father desires.”
His eyes grew wide. “So every elemental I’ve seen is—”
“The soul of some poor bastard who was forced into magical slavery,” finished Arrogan.
Will remembered something Selene had once said about lesser and greater elementals. “Does the person’s soul affect the power of the elemental created?”
“Very much so,” said the ring. “The first ones created by Valemon were made with captured fae, but they were too hard to catch. He soon discovered that the souls of wizards were just as good. A wizard like you would produce a greater elemental, while those of the second-rate chumps they train these days would only produce lesser elementals.”
Will had an epiphany. “That’s why her elemental could restore itself by absorbing turyn from the environment.”
“That’s right. The mind and body may be gone, but the soul remembers the lessons of its owner’s lifetime.”
Chapter 36
Will spent the rest of the evening thinking about what he had learned, and the more he thought, the less he liked it. How can the world be this messed up? What will Selene think of me if I kill her father? He felt ill just thinking about it.
He tossed and turned in his sleep that night. In his dreams he was alternately the hunter and the hunted. In both cases it was awful, as he was either forced to kill or suffered an agonizing death when his pursuer inevitably caught him. When he woke in the morning, his body was covered by a cold sheen of sweat.
“At least it’s Saturday,” he told himself, sitting up. His back complained loudly as the muscles he had strained the day before reminded him of the abuse they’d received. He stood and stretched, then began his morning spell exercises.
Will started by constructing each spell he had memorized in turn, forming one then dismissing it so he could create the next. The purpose of the exercise was simply to make sure he didn’t forget the spells, but it also served to improve his speed in creating the constructs. For some reason he found it more difficult.
“I must be tired,” he told himself. Then he remembered that he hadn’t dismissed the wind-wall spell before his nap the day before. “Surely not,” he muttered. Turning his attention inward, he felt the spell still within his chest. With one hand, he reached up and pulled the spell out. It was still in perfect shape.
It was the first time he’d kept a prepared spell intact while sleeping, but even more surprising, he’d been able to form new spells without dismissing it. Keeping the wind-wall spell above his right palm, he ran through his exercises again, forming fresh spell constructs above his left hand. A smile crept across his features as the wind-wall construct remained solidly in place.
Two at once! He wanted to shout for joy, but he refrained, staying silent instead while he did a happy jig in his room. Then he dismissed both spells and tried his exercises again. He found them much easier this time. So, keeping a spell prepared slows me down a little.
He recreated the wind-wall spell, stored it, then constructed a blur spell and did the same, storing it within his chest beside the other spell. Should I try for a third? He tried and felt both of his previous spells fall apart. Two was his limit currently.
But did that include active spells?
To test the idea, he prepared a wind-wall and stored it, then cast the blur spell on himself. The blur spell was an illusion that smeared his appearance across an extra foot of space to either side, making him more difficult to hit, but after casting it only required him to keep feeding it turyn. With blur active, and wind-wall prepared, he tried to construct a third spell, force lance.
The simple construct came together
above his palm without much difficulty. So active spells don’t affect how many spell constructs I can have prepared, he noted. He guessed that active spells were only limited by how much turyn they drew and how long he could sustain the cost.
The Winter Ball was thirteen days away. Will took stock of himself in light of his new training breakthrough. What would benefit him most at the ball? Being able to reflex cast a spell or improving his spellcraft until he could cast sixth-order spells? An even more important question was which of the two he could accomplish in the time remaining to him.
Wind-wall wasn’t the best spell for reflex casting. He had realized that after the last assault. He’d had it prepared, but without taking the time to inflate his turyn before the cast it hadn’t been at its full force. By default, that would almost always be the case if he was reflex casting it as well. If he was going to start practicing a different spell in the hopes of being able to reflex cast, he would probably take longer than two weeks.
That clinched the decision for him. If he could succeed at sixth-order spells then he could add the chameleon and sleep spells to his repertoire, and both might be handy if something happened at the ball.
Will set out to find a new place to practice. Working on his spellcraft didn’t really require a practice environment, since he wouldn’t be actually casting the spells, merely constructing them repeatedly, but he wanted some sunshine.
He ran into Rob almost as soon as he left the dorm. “Will!” called his friend. “I haven’t seen you in days. Where are you off to?”
“I’m going to practice my spell construction, but I was tired of being cooped up indoors.”
Rob took a step back. “Color me shocked. On a Saturday?”
“My life is a little strange,” Will admitted. “I try not to waste it. I think Count Spry is still after me.”
“After all those potions you made, how much life can you have left?” asked Rob. “You should take time to smell the roses.”
Will gave his friend a dour look. “What roses?”
“Ever heard of girls?”
“I doubt any of them are interested in me, and if they were, I’d suggest they look elsewhere. Being around me doesn’t seem very beneficial.”
“And yet Janice always asks me about you,” Rob replied with a smirk.
“She’s smart enough to know I’m bad news,” countered Will. “Now, I really need to practice.”
Rob followed him. “I’ll tag along. I should probably practice a little too.”
Not wanting to give away the fact that he preferred secluded places at the edge of the campus, Will instead found a bench in a less-traveled area near some of the manicured hedges. It was fairly private and not nearly as suspicious as his usual spots. Will sat and began forming a fifth-order spell meant for softening steel.
Rob started to follow suit, then stopped. “Wow. Isn’t that fifth-order?”
Will nodded, finishing his construction then dismissing it to start again.
“I knew you were ahead, since you came here already able to see turyn, but isn’t that a bit much?”
He raised a brow. “You’re a second-year. You should be doing the same.”
“I’m just starting third-order spells,” Rob admitted grimly. “I just started on spellcraft this year, so I figured we’d be around the same place.”
Will practiced constantly, when he awoke, between classes, after classes, in the evenings—pretty much anytime he had a spare moment. “I practice a lot, and I don’t waste my Saturdays smelling roses.”
“Gosh, I bet that makes you popular,” said Rob sarcastically. “What’s the point?”
“The better I get, the better my chances of surviving another day.”
“Magic won’t help you survive,” began Rob, then he stopped. “Wait, are you learning restricted spells?” His eyes were round.
Will said nothing.
“Did Professor Dulaney authorize that? Because of your problem with Count Spry?”
He looked away. “Not exactly.”
Rob gasped. “You stole them?”
“No!” stated Will firmly. “My old master left me some books.”
“Show me one of the spells.”
Will constructed the force-lance spell. “This one is fairly simple if you want to learn it.”
“What does it do?” Rob’s eyes were full of enthusiasm.
Will explained the spell then fired it off, aiming in a direction where it wouldn’t hit anything before it dissipated. The force-lance traveled for almost fifty yards before vanishing.
“What would that do if it hit something?”
He pursed his lips. “Depends on what it hits. It’s similar to a physical spear, but with a lot more power behind it. A stone wall would probably stop it cold, but against furniture, doors, or people, it’s pretty devastating. It will tear a hole clean through a person’s chest.”
Rob stared at him accusingly.
Will gave up. He wanted to talk anyway. “I was ambushed yesterday in the city.” Of course, after that sentence Rob wouldn’t relent until he had relayed the entire tale.
When he finished, his friend asked, “Why didn’t I hear about it? An attack on the street in broad daylight, everyone should be talking about it by now.”
“They had the street blocked off and they cleaned everything up afterward,” said Will.
“So that’s why you’re practicing so hard,” said Rob.
Will nodded. “If I can master sixth-order, I can use a sleep spell instead of slaughtering people every time something happens. I’m trying to get there within two weeks.”
“Two weeks? What happens in two weeks?” He gasped. “The Winter Ball? You have an invitation?”
“Unfortunately,” said Will. “But I’m worried what may happen. I’m almost certain Count Spry will be there.” And Baroness Nerrow, he added silently.
“I never know whether to feel sorry for you or envy you,” observed Rob. “Do you know how to dance?”
A lance of fear shot through Will’s heart. Dance? He hadn’t even thought about it.
Rob laughed at the expression on his face. “I guess not. You’d better start learning. They call it a ‘ball’ for a reason. Who are you taking?”
“No one,” Will answered.
Rob tutted at him. “That won’t do. You have to bring a partner. They’ll frown on it if you don’t.”
“But…”
“I’m sure Janice would go if you ask. I doubt any of the other girls will let you within ten feet before they start running.”
Will wanted to curl into a ball and hide. He covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly.
Rob stood up and pulled Will to his feet. “C’mon. I know someone who can help.”
“Who?”
“Mom.”
It took Will a moment to realize that Rob was referring to the resident assistant, Dianne Young. “She’s not very fond of me these days.”
“She doesn’t have to like you to help. Besides, she’ll have to forgive you eventually. This might speed things up.”
Will wasn’t sure that was true, but he let his friend drag him along. A few minutes later and they were back at the boys’ dorm. Rob found Dianne and launched into a quick explanation of the problem.
Dianne looked at Rob, then studied Will with a faint look of reproval in her eyes. He was sure she would refuse, but after a moment she said, “He’ll need a partner.”
Rob winked at the resident assistant. “You’re a woman. Or so I’ve heard.”
“For the ball,” clarified Dianne. “Whoever goes with him will need to learn as well.”
“Oh!” exclaimed Rob.
“Thank you, Dianne,” said Will humbly.
She gave him a stern glance. “I’m doing this to save whoever goes with you from embarrassment.”
“I appreciate it anyway.”
“Figure out who is going with you. I can help you in the evenings after supper,” she told them before returning to
her desk.
Rob smiled at Will. “Told you. Now all you have to do is ask Janice. Want to go find her?”
Will waved his hands. “Not now. I need to practice.” He was too nervous to think about it then. He needed time to prepare himself mentally. Backing away, he headed for the stairs. Sunshine was overrated; he could practice spellcraft in his room.
Chapter 37
He practiced the rest of Saturday with a feverish intensity. Will liked to believe it was because of his dedication and diligence, but the truth was probably that he was trying not to think about what Rob had suggested. Asking someone to accompany him shouldn’t have made him nervous. He was already in love with Selene anyway. Finding a partner for the ball shouldn’t cause him any more anxiety than finding a sparring partner during saber practice.
At least that’s what he told himself, but going into Cerria and being ambushed by assassins and demons was starting to seem like the preferable option. What kind of life have I led that I’m more scared of a girl than being attacked? he wondered.
Sunday found him still unprepared to approach her, but he had plenty of tasks to distract him. After practicing for most of the morning, he went to lunch in the dining hall and when that was finished, he walked back to the kitchen where he paid one of the scullery lads a penny for a fresh egg.
As he walked across the college grounds with the egg in hand, he started chuckling at his actions. “Calling a demigod is easier than asking a girl to a dance. That’s what I’ve come to learn about myself. I’m an idiot.”
He found a distant corner of the campus where the groundskeepers had let the trees grow thick and dense, forming a park of sorts, though it was more of a tiny forest. Will circled the area and then spiraled inward, making sure the area was empty before he began. Once he was sure there was no one nearby, he went to the center of the trees and sat down, placing the egg on the ground before him. He repeated the goddamn cat’s name three times. “Cath Bawlg…” After the third repetition it felt as though his mind touched something, but it was so faint he might have imagined it.
Will was patient and he put his worries aside, enjoying the sunlight as it played through the leaves above. It reminded him of home and his days playing in the Glenwood. He missed those days. After a while, he became so wrapped up in his memories that he almost didn’t notice the approach of a grey tom. The goddamn cat had come.
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