Annabelle, for her part, had stopped struggling. With numb fingers, she released the knife and Will quickly put it back in his sheath. Beyond the wall of thorns, Will heard one of the men shouting orders. “Stand back! It’s one of the fae!”
Tailtiu moved forward, studying Will. “Have you been having fun, sweetling?” Leaning close, she sniffed him, then her nose crinkled, and a look of disappointment showed on her face. “Apparently not. You still reek of virginity.”
“She’s a friend,” said Will quickly. “Can you fly us out of here?”
Tailtiu appraised them for a moment. “You’re too heavy.”
“What about Annabelle?”
“Too heavy,” said his aunt dismissively. She pointed a finger at the impromptu barrier. “The sorcerer is about to do something.” Then she looked at Annabelle. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?” She ran a finger along Annabelle’s jawline, and the girl shivered.
Will moved to stand just inside the green wall. “Leave her alone,” he warned over his shoulder, then he expanded his turyn, creating another empty shell. He hoped it would work again. What happens if it isn’t fire?
An intense wave of flames burst through the wall, incinerating it in a flash. Will caught it immediately, focusing his will to draw the turyn into himself. It felt as though he was getting better at it, but he didn’t have time to waste with self-congratulations. Holding out his hands, he sent a gout of fire back at the sorcerer and the soldiers with him.
Acrid smoke and steam filled the air. The stench of death was palpable. As it cleared, he could see the sorcerer and twenty or so of the soldiers were down, never to rise again. He glared at the ones farther away and lifted his hands again. It was a bluff of course—he was empty—but they broke and ran nonetheless. Remembering his grandfather, he said, “About time I got some goddamned respect!” A laugh tinged with hysteria began to bubble up in his chest. I’m losing it.
Moving forward, he found the sorcerer’s body and released the elemental, giving it one final instruction. Burn everything. He watched with morbid fascination as it went toward the pavilions opposite the warehouses. They caught fire with amazing rapidity. Looking to his left, he saw that all the warehouses were up in flames.
Soon the entire camp would be engulfed by the inferno.
A thin mist was rising from the ground, and when he looked back, he saw Tailtiu had become the massive doe he had seen once before. She knelt so Annabelle could climb onto her back. Will went to join them.
His aunt backed away as he drew close. “Want me to save you?” she asked.
Will groaned. “Really?”
“You have two favors left,” his aunt said evenly.
Thinking quickly, Will said, “I completed Aislinn’s task. You have to take me to her. That was part of her bargain.”
Tailtiu studied him with one large doe eye. “You are so adorable when you say things like that. It makes me want you even more. Take off the iron, though. It stinks.”
“No,” said Will in flat denial. “You’ll have to bear it.” He began climbing onto her, getting into position behind Annabelle. Smoke rose from Tailtiu’s hide whenever the mail came into contact. He did his best to hike up the bottom to keep it away from her, and he put his arms around Annabelle’s waist. “You’re going to have to hold onto her for both of us,” he told his childhood friend.
Tailtiu began moving, gradually building up speed. “I really am going to kill you, William. One of these days you’ll make a mistake, and I’ll be waiting to make sure you enjoy it.”
The fae woman maintained a brisk pace, but she didn’t run, to avoid the risk of losing her passengers. Between her mist and the smoke, the visibility was almost as it had been with Selene’s fog. Will adjusted his vision with difficulty as he discovered that the fires produced an incredible glare. It took him a moment to find a comfortable medium that allowed him to see without being blinded by it.
Tailtiu trotted on, occasionally passing so close to soldiers that they stopped to stare at them in amazement. No one tried to stop them. The soldiers of Darrow had better things to do, and the camp was in complete chaos by then. The glow grew brighter behind them, and when Will glanced back it appeared as though the entire world had caught fire. For a moment he wondered how many people would die in the blaze. Most of those soldiers were ordinary men, like me, just doing what they were told. Then he thought about the women trapped in the other brothels. How many innocents would die because of his actions?
He closed his eyes briefly and tried to push the thoughts aside. I only did what I had to do, he told himself.
But a nagging doubt spoke from within, Did you? You suggested this. The entire thing was your idea.
And what had happened to Selene? He kept remembering the desperation on her face. “I’m sorry.” What could have made her break her rule? He didn’t think she was dead. His impression had been that she was being taken away against her will.
They passed beyond the edge of the camp and crossed the empty region around it. The Patriarch’s army had harvested most of the nearby timber. Will hoped it would be enough to prevent the fire from turning the entire valley into a bonfire. His own family would be in danger if that happened.
Tailtiu angled up as they started into the hills, then she reared, dumping Will onto the ground while Annabelle clung desperately to her neck. “That’s enough,” she said with an air of finality. “You’ll have to walk the rest of the way if you won’t take off that damned iron shirt.”
Will was tired. His fatigue was far deeper than he had been aware of until then. He should have expected it, though. Fighting, even for brief periods, was exhausting, and what he had been doing with the fire elementals’ attacks hadn’t been easy either. Taking off the mail shirt was logical, but when he put his hand on it he couldn’t bear to remove it.
Selene had fought long and hard to get him to wear it. Now that she was gone, it felt more precious than gold. “I’ll walk.”
Tailtiu continued carrying Annabelle as he traipsed along behind them. Something felt odd in Will’s back, so he reached behind himself and his fingers found a wooden shaft. He tugged at it and discovered a crossbow bolt when he looked at his hand. It had a bodkin point, and there was blood on the head of it. Hopefully I can find the money to get Harless to fix my mail, he thought idly.
It took them most of an hour to reach the congruence point where he had met Aislinn before, and Will was beginning to feel faint. His vision kept narrowing, as though he was walking through a tunnel. It was a relief when his grandmother appeared before him.
“I did as you asked,” he told her, his words slurring slightly.
Aislinn smiled. “You never choose the easy road, do you, William?” She held out her hand. In her palm was a golden ring with a white stone set in the center. As he looked at it, he realized that rather than a gem there was a tooth mounted on it, a human molar.
“This is the object of unspeakably vile knowledge and power?” he asked mildly. He saw no sign of magic around the ring.
“You’ll understand soon,” said Aislinn.
Tailtiu cleared her throat. “Please take it away before you bleed to death.”
“Huh?” Will didn’t understand. The world began to spin, and the ground rushed up to meet him. His last thought, as darkness closed over him, was that the rocks pillowing his head seemed much softer than he had expected.
***
Something tickled his nose, and when Will opened his lids, he found two green eyes staring down at him. He was surrounded by a halo of coppery curls. “Auntie! He’s awake!” yelled Sammy, directly into his face.
His cousin hugged him, squeezing the life out of him, then she leapt up and bounced away. “You have no idea how worried I was, Will. Your mom said you were fine, but I was sure you were going to die.”
He tried to sit up, and the world began moving in unexpected ways, so he lay back down again. He was on Arrogan’s massive bed. His mother came in a moment l
ater and sat on the edge beside him. “How do you feel?”
“Tired, sore, and when I try to sit up everything spins,” he told her.
Erisa nodded. “You lost a great deal of blood.”
“How did I get here?” Will shifted a little and the movement of the sheets told him that he was naked beneath the covers.
“Annabelle came. She was in quite a state. Nearly scared me half to death. She was convinced you were dead. Your Uncle Johnathan went with her and carried you back to the house.”
Will peeked under the covers to confirm his suspicions. Worriedly, he looked at his mother, “Who undressed me?”
“Johnathan got the armor off you. The gambeson was soaked with blood. I washed it as best I could, but I’m afraid there will always be a stain,” said Erisa.
“And my trousers?”
“Annabelle helped me clean you up.”
Will grabbed an extra pillow and pulled it over his face in embarrassment. “Kill me now,” he moaned. “At least it wasn’t Sammy.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, William. Annabelle’s been through a lot. She’s seen far worse,” said his mother.
“Is she all right?”
“Physically? Yes. She won’t talk about what happened to her, but I fear she’ll be haunted by it for the rest of her life.”
“She hasn’t said anything about it?”
Erisa shook her head. “All she talks about is you. The story she told us is hard to believe. She said you were throwing fire with your hands.”
“Only a couple of times,” muttered Will. “What about the camp?”
“Johnathan got as close as he could, but there are soldiers all over the valley. He said that from the smoke it looks like the entire thing may have burned to the ground,” said Erisa. Then she reached into her apron pocket and pulled something out. It was the ring. “What’s this?”
Alarmed, Will snatched it out of her hand. “You shouldn’t touch that.”
His mother lifted her eyebrows.
“It’s a gift from Aislinn,” he explained. “I think it’s dangerous, but I don’t know how.”
“There’s a human tooth set in it,” said his mother disapprovingly. “You should get rid of it.”
He frowned. “Not until I know what it does.” To change the subject, he asked, “Where was I bleeding from?”
Erisa helped him turn onto his side and guided his hand back to feel the bandage she had put there. It felt as though it was just a few inches above his right kidney. “It wasn’t deep,” she told him, “but all the moving you did kept it bleeding freely. Another inch or two down, though, and you might not be here now. Are you thirsty?”
The worry on his mother’s face made him feel terrible. “I’ve never been so thirsty in my life.”
She filled a wooden cup from a pitcher on the nightstand and handed it to him. He gulped it down and held the cup out for more. After his third cup, his mother asked, “What happened to Selene?”
“Didn’t Annabelle tell you?”
“It didn’t make sense,” said Erisa. “What do you think happened?”
“I really don’t know,” he admitted. “It seemed like she was being taken by something. She didn’t want to go.” He described what he had seen, including Selene’s last words.
Erisa pursed her lips. “I liked her. What else is there? You seem like you’re hiding something.”
Will tried to look innocent, but his mother scowled. “Spit it out, William. I don’t know how to help you if you won’t talk to me.”
With a sigh, he told her the rest. It felt good to get it off his chest and he found himself telling his mother everything, from their first meeting up until he had overheard her speaking to the unknown stranger outside their house. When he finished his mother looked perplexed. “Well, what do you think?” he asked.
Erisa threw up her hands. “I lied. I don’t know how to help you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said dryly.
“I know one thing, though,” she said after moment. “That girl is in love with you.”
“Mom, please! You heard what I told you. She was just trying to gain our trust,” said Will, but he doubted his words even as he said them.
Erisa shook her head. “I saw the way she watched you while she was here. A woman only observes a man that closely if she’s in love.”
“Or if the man is her target,” countered Will.
“You’re wrong,” said Erisa. “But even if you believed me, you shouldn’t trust her. From what you’ve said, she owes allegiance to someone else, and I don’t think she’s the kind that will let her feelings override her obligations.”
“We agree about that, at least,” said Will, “the obligations part.”
“By the way, Annabelle has been watching you the same way,” warned his mother. “Be careful with her.”
Will groaned and put the pillow back over his face.
Chapter 63
The rest of the week passed peacefully while Will recovered his strength. He was somewhat surprised at how long it took. Aside from his bruises and the small wound in his back, he hadn’t really been too badly hurt, but his fatigue seemed to be bone deep. It was days before he was able to walk on his own safely, and even then, he found himself out of breath after only traveling a short distance.
“Your body is short of blood,” his mother explained. “It takes time to replace it.” All he could do was accept her words, for his body agreed with her.
Another deer appeared on the porch, courtesy of the goddamn cat, and Will was able to enjoy meat with his meals again. Erisa certainly seemed pleased, for she said it would help him replace the blood he had lost.
The only thing that bothered him was Annabelle. While he was bed-bound, she spent most of her time with him, and once he was moving again, she followed him everywhere. Even when she was busy doing something else, her eyes were always on him. Her devotion made Sammy seem like a welcome diversion, and he found himself seeking out his cousin’s company as often as possible to avoid being alone with his childhood friend.
“I think she’s crazy,” said Sammy one day as they were weeding the garden. “She stares at you like she’s going to eat you.”
“You’ll protect me, though, won’t you, Sammy?” said Will, only half-joking.
She punched his arm. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone eat you but—” She stopped, rethinking her phrasing. “You know what I mean.”
Will laughed with a smile. “Don’t worry.” The older his cousin got, the more he appreciated her energy and optimism. Everything else in his life seemed impossibly dark. He lightly punched her shoulder in return. “Cousins for life.”
Sammy grinned and leapt to her feet, twirling and brandishing an imaginary sword. “Cousins against the world!” She looked back at him. “Next time you go on an adventure, you should take me with you. We’ll show them what two Cartwrights can do!”
Will laughed again, but it tapered off quickly as he remembered Tracy Tanner. He still remembered her ruined face whenever he closed his eyes. Will tried to smile up at Sammy, but his vision was becoming blurry. “Maybe not, Sammy. I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
She saw the tears begin to spill from his eyes and knelt down to embrace him, pressing his face into her hair. “It’s all right, Will. You’re home now. It’s all over. You won’t have to do any of those things ever again. I’m here. We’re all here.”
It took him a minute to get himself back under control, and before he was ready, he heard Annabelle calling from the front of the house. “Will! Come help me hang up the wash!”
He shared a glance with Sammy, and she looked at her hands, which were covered in dirt. “Don’t worry, I’ll wash my hands and be right there,” she assured him. “I’ll stand in between you.”
***
A few days after that, when he had almost completely recovered, he woke suddenly in the night. That had become a frequent occurrence, as his dreams were often bad, but this time it was
for another reason.
He had taken to sleeping in the front room with his uncle, so the three women could share the bedroom. His uncle slept on Will’s cot while he slept on the floor near the hearth.
His eyes opened with a start. Annabelle was lying beside him, her face next to his own. Her hand was under the blanket. Will wore only a long shirt while sleeping, and her hand had found its way under that as well, where it was urgently kneading something with expert fingers.
He started to open his mouth, but she covered it with her own, kissing him. Then she drew back. “This is just a good dream, Will. I know you’ve had it before, but this time it will be better.” Her hand continued moving, and she shifted her body, preparing to straddle him. “You’re ready now,” she whispered.
He was definitely ready. He was so ready he wasn’t sure he would last until she had mounted him. He froze for a moment. It would be easy to let her do what she wanted, what he wanted. But it isn’t what I want, he shouted to himself. Not this, not her! He caught her shoulder with his hand, pushing her off to one side. Again, the first words that came from his lips were, “I didn’t give you permission to kiss me.” Why do I keep saying that? he thought angrily.
Annabelle frowned, but remained determined. “You’re not objecting to this, though, are you?” Her hand continued to move in slow, sure motions.
“Stop it,” he ordered.
“There’s another trick I could show you,” she said, beginning to scoot farther down.
“No, Annabelle,” he insisted, finally finding the will-power to grab her wrists and stop the pleasant torture. “I don’t want this, and neither do you.”
“You do. Everyone does.”
“Goddamn it. Get out of my bed,” he hissed, trying not to wake his uncle.
The fury in his eyes finally convinced her, and Annabelle got to her feet. She stood in front of him, stark naked. A second later she reclaimed her nightgown from the table and slid it over her head. She looked hurt, but as she left, she made one final declaration. “You’ll change your mind.” Then she went to the door and returned to the main bedroom.
The Choice of Magic Page 52
