“So I waited until they were alone and killed the men carrying you. Then I found this cart, and since it seemed useful, I took it from the man using it. He wasn’t very cooperative.”
Will stared at her. “You killed them?”
She nodded happily, flashing a smile full of white teeth. “Two guards and the old man with this cart.”
“You aren’t supposed to kill humans. That’s against the accord.”
Tailtiu tutted at him, waving her finger back and forth. “You were dead. Weren’t you listening earlier? I was planning to go back and have some more fun after delivering your corpse to Mother.”
“Listen, Tailtiu. I don’t want you killing people, even if I’m dead. That’s an order.”
His aunt laughed. “I’ll do whatever I please when you’re gone. If it bothers you so much, don’t die.”
He clambered out of the cart, sighing as he went. There was no use arguing with his psychotic aunt.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Back. How long was I dead?”
“A long time. The sun will set in a few hours. When you say ‘back,’ what do you mean exactly?”
“To wherever Selene is, probably the palace. She’s probably stricken with grief. Every minute I delay only makes things worse for her.”
It was rare to see the expression on her, but Tailtiu gaped at him in disbelief. “Didn’t they just murder you? Is dying so fun that you’re keen to experience it again?”
Will shrugged. “It actually wasn’t very painful at all. Considering what I’ve been through without dying, I’d say living hurts worse.” In his head he remembered a familiar voice, “Don’t fear pain, for it gives meaning to life.” He tried to recall where he had heard the phrase, but his mind came up blank.
“I’ve never known a mortal that didn’t fear death, now I wonder if I’m missing something.”
Will was already walking back toward Cerria. “You’re dismissed. I’ll call you again if I need you.” There was nothing in him but calm as he set his feet toward his goal. Whether it was a side effect of dying or some other cause he didn’t know, but there was no fear left in him, only clear purpose.
Somehow, he knew that whatever happened, or whenever he did finally die, it would be all right. In the meantime, he intended to act according to his principles. Selene was waiting for him.
Chapter 64
At some point during his journey, Will decided to put on his armor. Being unafraid was one thing, but dying recklessly would be the height of foolishness. He discarded his ruined finery and dressed in his arming jacket, mail, and helm. Atop those he wore his greaves and breastplate.
His next consideration was what spell he should prepare, and after a few minutes he decided on the sleep spell. Playing dead wasn’t likely to work again, and he had more imminent obstacles likely to appear on his way to the palace.
The first of those obstacles stepped out to challenge him as he started to enter the city, two men dressed as guards. “Hold! State your name and business.”
The city guard didn’t normally challenge everyone who entered, but a man wearing so much armor was highly unusual. Will cast the sleep spell and watched them slump to the ground, then he walked on.
That was silly, he realized. After he was away from the gate, he took a minute to cover himself with a chameleon spell, then added a silence to his armor. He didn’t need to create extra problems for himself. He prepared another sleep spell and with that he felt ready to continue.
The rest of his journey to the palace went without interruption, though he didn’t bother moving carefully. If anyone noticed the strange shimmers and distortions as he walked by, they didn’t attempt to do anything about them. At the palace gate he walked past the four men standing guard. They stared at him curiously as he passed, but it was the sorcerer that stood inside the gate who reacted first, leveling a fierce blast of fire at the spot where he stood.
The fire exploded almost at its point of origin as it met Will’s force shield, killing the sorcerer before the poor man realized what had happened. Will turned and used the spell he had prepared, sending the guards into forced slumber. He took a moment to free the sorcerer’s elemental and prepared another sleep spell before moving on.
Apparently, the sorcerer’s death hadn’t been noticed, for no one came out to block his path. Will kept walking, moving along the paved carriage lane until he reached the main entrance of the palace. He put the guards there to sleep, then refreshed his prepared spell before using an unlocking spell on the doors. Will pushed them open and strode in.
He already knew the layout of most of the palace, since he’d stayed there for almost a week when he first came to Cerria. Not counting my time in the dungeon, he thought wryly. His time in Selene’s room and the halls outside of it after the demons had come to kill her had also informed his knowledge of some of the upper floors.
The main corridor would take him to the ball room, so he turned into the right-hand corridor since it led most directly toward the living areas. At the end of that corridor he turned left and found the smaller staircase that led up toward Selene’s bedroom. And the king’s chambers too, probably. He wasn’t sure where His Majesty’s chambers were located, but he knew they were in the same general area.
As he climbed the stairs, he wondered whether he would kill King Lognion or not. He probably wasn’t a match for the man yet, but if the opportunity presented itself, he knew he would be a fool not to take it.
Will put the thought from his mind. He was beyond worry. He would do whatever was necessary, nothing more, nothing less.
When he reached the second-floor landing, he encountered the last person he expected to see roaming the halls, King Lognion. The king’s sharp eyes noticed the shimmer of his form almost immediately.
Lognion reacted without surprise. “My men told me someone had taken your body. Now I see why.”
Will dismissed the chameleon spell. “I didn’t feel like being cremated today.”
Two overly alert guards started up the stairs from below, having apparently heard their king talking to a stranger. Will waited until they were close, then turned and put them to sleep while almost simultaneously putting a force shield behind himself, just in case Lognion attacked.
The king was smiling when he turned back to face him. “You didn’t need to do that. I would have told them to return to their posts.”
Will shrugged. “Sorry. I’m feeling a bit on edge. Next time I’ll ask first.”
“You’ve come for Selene, I presume,” stated the king.
“I thought she might be feeling down, considering how the wedding went.”
Lognion nodded, then took a step back, gesturing in the direction of his daughter’s room. “She isn’t feeling well, but I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”
“I’m taking her with me,” Will stated flatly.
“If you wish,” the king responded. “Though you’re welcome to live here with her. It would probably be more comfortable for the two of you.”
That surprised him, but he didn’t let it shake his confidence. “You have no objections?”
“I had none two weeks ago, though you chose to create a spectacle rather than handle things in a more circumspect manner,” said Lognion. “Now that she’s made her position clear and personally removed her fiancé from consideration, I have no reason to stand in your way.”
Will stared at the man, unsure if he believed him, though he’d never known the king to lie. He stood frozen for almost a minute, trying to choose his course. He wanted to kill the king. It was perhaps the first time he had honestly desired the death of another human being, but all his instincts were warning him against making the attempt.
A look of understanding occupied the king’s visage. “I’m sure you’re thinking about killing me, William, but I would advise against it. You would only inconvenience both of us. Go claim your prize. I assure you I bear you no ill will. If anything, I’d like to thank you for the sublime entert
ainment you provided today. In all my years I have rarely encountered such an inspired performance.”
The king turned away as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Will watched him go, but when he started down the hall toward Selene’s bedroom, Lognion spoke once more. “There is a price for my daughter, William. Never forget that. For as long as she binds your heart, you will serve me. Disappoint me and both of you will regret it.”
Will’s jaw muscles twitched as he ground his teeth together. He fought the urge to attack the monarch then and there. Without looking back, he answered, “You will never have my oath, Lognion.”
The king laughed. “I don’t need it.”
***
The guard who stood outside the princess’ door warned him away with a stern look. “Her Highness does not wish to be disturbed.”
Will connected a source-link to the man with barely a thought, then responded as he gradually drained the man’s strength. “We may meet again in the future. Next time I would advise you never to get between me and the woman in that room. Remember that when you awaken later.”
The guard felt his strength begin to ebb and started forward, reaching for his sword, but it was too late. Will caught his hand and held him still for a few more seconds, then helped him gently to the floor.
He knocked, but there was no response, so he knocked again. He waited half a minute before knocking a third time. This time he heard Selene’s voice coming from a distance, probably her bedroom. “Go away!”
Will constructed an unlocking spell and used it on the door. There was a satisfying click as the lock disengaged and he was gratified to find that she hadn’t also barred it. He swung it open with one hand and stepped into the sitting room.
Her next warning came from the direction of the bedroom. It was accompanied by the rustling of bedsheets. “Step one foot further and even your family won’t be able to recognize what’s left of you.”
“It would be easier for the sun to reverse its course, than for me to leave without seeing your face,” said Will.
There was no reply, and even the sounds of the bed linens fell silent.
“Can I come in?” Will asked.
“I don’t know who you are, or what magic you’re using, but if you speak with that voice again it will be the last thing you do,” Selene threatened, her voice low and hoarse.
“This is my voice. I have a lot to tell you.” As he spoke, the floor seemed to melt around his feet, and he sank halfway to his knees into the stone. Selene’s disheveled face appeared as she stepped out from the other room, and the haunted look in her eyes broke his heart. Her hair was a tangled mess, as though she had yanked and pulled at her braids to free it, then given up halfway. She still wore the remains of her wedding dress, though it was stained with dirt and blood. At some point she had roughly cut away the train and a good portion of the skirt. The sleeves were gone, and what remained was barely more than rags.
The whites of her eyes were red where the blood vessels had ruptured during their last confrontation, and there was crusted blood above her lips and more dried blood marked a trail from her neck to her collarbones. She stared at him with the eyes of one afraid, too fearful to dare to hope that what she beheld was the truth. “What is this?” she asked, her voice coming out in a croak. “Is this a cruel joke?”
“It’s me,” said Will carefully as his eyes began to tear up. He couldn’t bear the sight of her misery.
“You’re dead.”
He nodded. “I was—for a little while.”
Selene’s head turned uncertainly from one side the other, as if she was searching for the ones who must be toying with her emotions. “This can’t be real. How?”
“I had a spell ready to fake my death. I was planning to use it if I couldn’t escape, but I didn’t expect I’d get stabbed as well. Fortunately, when it wore off the potion you gave me took care of the rest.”
The stone imprisoning his legs flowed upward, encasing his torso and then his arms. He made no attempt to resist, and a few seconds later he was thoroughly trapped with only his head free to move. Selene stepped tentatively forward, then reached out to touch his face. “Prove to me this is really you.”
Will smiled, and fat teardrops rolled down his cheeks. “I have six silver clima in my pouch. I can pay, if you’re willing to give me a kiss.”
Her face crumpled as a weak sob escaped her lips, then the stone holding Will in place crumbled, falling to the floor around him in dusty chunks. Selene’s hands latched onto his neck and shoulders in a grip that was painful as she pulled him to her. They stood like that for a minute or so before she pushed him away, though she didn’t release her hold on him. She stared at his breastplate. “That thing needs to go,” she remarked quietly.
“Your dress is even worse,” said Will.
“At least it isn’t made of cold metal.” They spent the next quarter of an hour removing his armor, as she decided that the mail was also unacceptable. When they finished, he stood dressed only in his tunic and trousers, then she embraced him again.
Selene’s arms were so tight they threatened to crush his ribs, but Will couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose. “You need a bath,” he told her softly.
“Speak for yourself.”
Will knew he wasn’t dirty. He had cleaned himself before donning the armor and the tunic he had worn beneath it was still fresh. He lifted the collar to his nose and sniffed, noting the smell of stale sweat and acrid iron. The padded gambeson had imparted its characteristic and almost permanent odor to his clothes even though he hadn’t worn it more than an hour or so. “Maybe you’re right,” he admitted.
He dug around in his pouch for a moment, then found the coins he was looking for and held them out. “I still haven’t gotten that kiss yet.”
She took his head in her hands and gave him a brief but solid kiss before pulling away in disgust. “What is that?”
He had forgotten the terrible taste in his mouth, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Troll piss.”
“What?”
“The regeneration potions, they’re made with troll piss. The one you gave me must have lingered in my mouth and throat for a few hours before I woke up.”
Selene gagged. “I even drank one of those!” she said, reminding him of the night they had fought the demons in her room. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s better than dying. No one would take one if they knew,” said Will with a wry smile.
“That is absolutely vile.” She looked down at her tattered dress. “We both need a bath.”
“Spell?” he suggested.
“A real bath, and you need to wash your mouth out with lye.”
He snorted. “That would kill me all over again.”
“If a dagger won’t do it, you ought to be able to handle poisoning.” She paused. “How did you get in here?”
“I’ve already seen your father,” Will said reassuringly. “Apparently he’s willing to hand you over as damaged goods. I told him we would be leaving here soon.”
“Leaving?”
“Unless you want me to live here with you. I assumed you’d rather be somewhere else.”
Selene thought of her father and shuddered. “Anywhere. But first we need to bathe, and you have a lot of explaining to do.” She stepped toward the outer door. “I’ll call for a tub No, never mind. Let’s use the main bath.”
“Main bath?”
She nodded. “It’s much nicer than bathing in a copper tub.”
“Probably for the best,” said Will. “The man outside your door won’t be waking up for a while.” He began storing his armor within the limnthal, then started to move to one of the chairs so he could sit down. Selene’s hand caught the back of his tunic and he heard a strange sound.
Looking back, he saw her face twist as her emotions began to well up again. His arms went around her, and they wound up sitting on the floor together for some time, alternately crying and soothing each other. Strangely, even dur
ing the moments when his own tears came, he felt a subtle happiness underlying it. I’m not alone.
When they had finally gained a semblance of composure Selene led him to the bath, which turned out to be an expansive tiled room devoted to that singular purpose. It reminded him of a public bathhouse, though it was smaller and entirely reserved for the use of the royal family. As such it was well appointed and far more private. They soaked in a smooth stone pool filled with warm water for more than hour while he shared his recent events with her. Selene also described her conversation with her father for him, and while Will was disgusted, there was little about the king that could shock him any longer.
The revelation of Lognion’s desire for male heirs bothered Will more than any other part of her story. It also reminded him of a previous concern. “Selene.”
“Yes.”
“Is there a chance that—” His words came to a stop, but his eyes drifted down toward her belly.
It took a few seconds, but understanding dawned on her. “Oh, no. Not at all.”
“Are you sure? We weren’t very careful.”
“I’m not pregnant, William. I’m certain of that.”
He frowned. “How do you know?”
“There’s a spell to prevent surprises of that sort,” she told him. “I learned it during my second year at Wurthaven.”
“Oh,” he said with a sigh that held both relief and a faint disappointment. “I hadn’t heard of that.” Then his brain began working through her statement. Did she look it up in the library? If so, why? As a royal she was expected to bear an heir soon after marriage, and before that—well obviously the things they had been doing were strictly forbidden. Yet he knew she hadn’t experimented previously, or at least he was fairly certain. The questions circled in his head, but his mouth was helpless to express them.
Selene laughed at his confusion. “Professor Fontenot taught me. She teaches all the girls at Wurthaven once they’re capable of third-order spells.”
“She does?” That was news to him.
“It isn’t something she talks about in class. Usually she calls them in for a private conference. It’s something she feels strongly about,” explained Selene. She studied his face as he processed her words. “What exactly were you thinking a few seconds ago?” A malicious grin appeared on her face. “Were you worried? Did you think maybe I’d had a lot of experience?”
Secrets and Spellcraft Page 56
