The long stare she fixed him with communicated a wealth of information, mostly regarding his failings as a person, but she said nothing. When she did speak, it was to inform him, “My bladder seems to be about the size of a walnut these days.”

  “Pardon?”

  She sighed. “I have to run to the privy every fifteen minutes. It’s a lot simpler if I don’t have to bother with necessaries.”

  “Necessaries? Oh!” She had meant her underclothes.

  Janice was up and kneeling beside Tiny a moment later. “Holy Mother! What happened? John?” Her face turned back to Will. “Is he hurt? Why is he enspelled?”

  Will shrugged. “I’m not sure. I found him in the back of a cart with some vampires. This was the most obvious place to come.”

  “Vampires?” Janice blanched at the term. When Will had first met her, she’d been brunette and had had two brown eyes. During an ill-advised rescue, which had saved Will’s life, she’d had half her face torn off, including one eye and part of her scalp. He had gotten a regeneration potion to her the next day, but because of the delay, she hadn’t healed exactly as she had been. The missing eye grew back blue, and a portion of her hair was white.

  The mismatched coloration gave her an exotic look, and she was rather self-conscious about it. More importantly, she still suffered night terrors from the experience. Will felt bad for even bringing up the topic. “I sent him to Cerria, but somehow he wound up in Darrow.”

  “Darrow? What?” Baffled, she asked, “What were you doing in Darrow? I thought you were in Cerria?”

  “Let’s wake him up before I explain. He’s probably even more confused,” suggested Will. Kneeling down beside Janice, he worked with her to untie Tiny’s bonds. If either of them had been born to money, they probably would have simply cut the rope, but the thought was foreign to them, like smashing a door rather than opening it. Rope was expensive.

  Frustrated, Janice worried at the knots near Tiny’s wrists, slowly loosening them. “I should have learned that spell for knots.”

  Will raised one brow. “There’s a spell for undoing knots?”

  She nodded. “It was in one of the primers I read during General Studies. Never thought I’d need it, but then again, I had other problems in those days.”

  Eventually Tiny was free of the ropes and canvas. Janice grunted as she stood up again, and Will noticed that her abdomen had developed a faint swell since he had seen her last. “Maybe you should sit back down. I wasn’t thinking straight when you were crawling around untying him.”

  Janice gave him a sour look. “I’m pregnant, not ill.”

  Will shrugged. “Don’t expect me to stop being more careful of your health, whether it’s silly or not.”

  She rolled her eyes, then made a request. “Before you wake John, use a cleaning spell on him.” After a pause, she added, “It’s more so for him than me.”

  It was a good idea. Tiny fairly reeked of sweat and urine. The big man likely hadn’t been conscious for at least a day or two, and his bladder had failed him at some point. Janice was right too. Tiny would be mortified if he thought Janice had seen (or smelled) him in such a state of disrepair. With a thought, Will cast Selene’s Solution and remedied the situation. The spell not only cleaned Tiny and his clothes, it even smoothed out most of the wrinkles in his tunic. Satisfied by the results, Will took hold of the magic keeping Tiny unconscious and gently unraveled it.

  The warrior’s lids fluttered and opened, his eyes focusing slowly on Will. Through dry lips, he croaked, “Go fuck yourself.”

  “He definitely recognizes you,” remarked Janice dryly.

  Hearing her voice, Tiny craned his neck back to look at her. “Jan? Huh? How did I get here?” Pushing himself up on his elbows, he edged back toward her and away from Will. “Are you all right?” His eyes were full of accusations, and they never left Will as he moved, but the question was obviously for her.

  Leaning forward in her chair, Janice put her arms around Tiny’s shoulders and hugged him. “I’m fine. What happened to you?”

  Reaching up, Tiny touched her cheek with one hand, keeping his gaze on Will. “Ask him.”

  “I found you tied up and being transported like a load of turnips,” replied Will. “I’m not sure how that happened. You were supposed to be in Cerria.”

  Tiny’s eyes quickly scanned the room. “Is this Rimberlin?”

  “Yes,” answered Janice. “I’m glad to see you, but you seem upset.”

  “Damn right I am,” swore Tiny, bitterness plain in his voice. He fixed on Janice then. “We need to talk.”

  Her hand went to her belly unconsciously. “I know, but maybe we should discuss how you came to be a prisoner of vampires first.”

  Tiny glared at Will for a second. “I don’t have anything to say to him. We should talk in private. This is about our future.”

  Janice frowned. “What’s wrong, John?”

  Will put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, offering a sympathetic expression. “I need to know what—” he paused as Tiny flinched, pulling away from the contact.

  “I want to be released from my oath of service,” spat Tiny, then he turned back to Janice. “That’s why we need to talk. This concerns you too.”

  “What?” Will was flabbergasted. “Why would you—”

  Tiny moved to stand in front of Janice. “Don’t bother with more threats. Jan can make up her own mind, once I explain what’s been going on.”

  “John, what’s happened?” demanded Janice urgently.

  Will had a sinking feeling in his stomach. “What did he do?”

  “Who?” asked Janice, looking back at him, even more confused.

  The conversation quickly began to spiral out of control, and Will could only see one way to make Tiny and Janice stand still long enough for him to explain, so he blurted out the only thing that would get them to listen. “I sent Tiny back to the capital with a doppelganger.”

  Red-faced, Tiny stared at him angrily. “A what?”

  “A copy of himself,” explained Janice. “What kind of doppelganger?”

  “Grim Talek, the lich, disguised as me.” They both stared at him for thirty seconds, until finally Will added, “I didn’t tell Tiny. He thought it was me.”

  Tiny’s expression grew even darker, if such was possible. Janice watched the big warrior’s face and then looked back at Will. Her question was a single word: “Why?”

  Feeling defeated, Will shrugged, then pointed at Tiny. “He’s a terrible actor. If I’d told him the truth, everyone would have figured it out.”

  Tiny’s voice was heavy as he responded, “Do you know what that thing tried to make me do?”

  Janice’s hand went up, silencing Tiny temporarily, then she turned at the waist. Her other hand came up, and although Will saw it coming, he did nothing to avoid the stinging slap that followed. She glared at him for a moment, then said, “That’s for John.” Will started to say something but she cut him off. “Apologize.”

  Will halted, then did so. “I’m sorry, Tiny. I know it wasn’t fair of me to send you blindly into that situation.”

  Janice spoke again. “That was for lying to him. You can apologize again after John explains what happened to him. He’ll probably forgive you. Depending on how bad it is, I might not.”

  “He swore he wouldn’t hurt any of you. That you’d be protected. That was the bargain,” said Will.

  Tiny’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose ordering me to murder helpless men doesn’t count then, or insinuating that Janice might suffer if I didn’t follow orders.”

  Ouch! Will had no idea what to say.

  “Did Selene know?” asked Janice.

  “No,” answered Will quietly. Tiny continued, giving a brief explanation of what had happened. When he finished, they both stared at Will silently, and he knew he had little hope of redeeming himself. “I’m sorry,” said Will simply, then he turned away.

  “That’s it? No explanation?” demanded Tiny.

  “Why bother?”

  Tiny growled while Janice demanded, “Because we deserve answers.”

  “I never expected I’d even have an opportunity to explain,” said Will. “I just wanted to keep both of you safe.”

  “Even if we wind up hating you?” asked Janice.

  He nodded. “Better that than being friends with a lich.”

  Janice’s sharp intake of air signaled a loud response, but this time it was Tiny who stopped her. “Wait,” he said softly, before addressing Will, “You’re planning a suicide. Aren’t you?”

  Will turned back. “No!”

  “Yes, you are, you selfish bastard,” accused Tiny. “Now it makes sense.”

  “That’s not it,” Will protested weakly.

  “Yeah, yeah it is,” pronounced Tiny. “I don’t know what this bargain of yours entails, but I know you. What the hell did you agree to?”

  “I agreed to the only thing that offered a chance of making the world safe for you and your child. The details don’t matter.”

  “I’d still like to know,” said Tiny.

  “You can’t help,” Will replied tonelessly.

  “Tell us anyway,” said Janice. “At least then we’ll know whether to pour a drink on your grave or piss on it.” The venom in her voice was strong enough that Tiny looked at her in surprise.

  Tired, Will stared at them for a moment, then nodded. He walked over to an empty chair and sat down. “Fine.” Then he proceeded to explain his bargain and the reasons for it.

  Chapter 24

  Throughout Will’s explanation, Tiny remained silent, leaving Janice to occasionally ask questions, which she did whenever Will’s story didn’t satisfy her curiosity. At the end, she made a summarizing statement to ensure she had heard him correctly. “So, you believe this guarantees our safety?”

  “Physically, at least,” agreed Will with a nod.

  “But only if you can kill the dragon?” she added.

  “And the dragon brood,” clarified Will. “Otherwise, everyone dies eventually, whether it’s next year or twenty years from now. Once they hatch, our world becomes a battleground, and we’re just spoils of war. Lognion really isn’t a threat, but I need to kill him first, both to get him out of the way and to prove it’s actually possible to kill them.”

  Janice pursed her lips. “Noble as it sounds, why do you feel the need to guarantee our safety? None of us asked to be treated like children.”

  “It’s what he always does,” growled Tiny angrily.

  Will closed his eyes. “You’re right, but it’s more than that. Before this, my biggest worry was the lich. He’s stronger than me. I don’t understand him well. He can be almost anywhere, impersonate anyone, and he’s demonstrated no personal boundaries that I can trust. Being immortal, he can kill anyone and anything I care about, and I can’t do a thing about it.”

  “You beat him when we met him the other day,” argued Tiny.

  He shook his head. “And it meant nothing. I destroyed a vessel. After he abandons one body, he has countless others to use. I have no way of knowing where he might go or what he might do.”

  “Just because he could do something doesn’t mean he will,” said Janice. “Why are you worried about that?”

  “I’m not worried about it anymore,” answered Will. “Before, I didn’t know anything about his motivations; now I do, and they’re actually closely aligned with my own. Kill the dragon, save the world, et cetera.”

  “Why does he care about the world?” demanded Tiny. “He’s undead.”

  Will wasn’t entirely sure, but he had a possible theory. “I think Lognion is the reason he became a lich.” Both of his friends gave him blank stares, so Will held up a hand. “Hear me out. It happened a long time ago, and from what I can gather, he may have been the first leader of the Council of Wizards. The dragon appears, no one can stop it, and eventually they learn it’s creating a clutch of dragon eggs somewhere, with the inevitable consequences we’ve already talked about.”

  “How does this make him into a lich?” asked Tiny skeptically.

  Will continued, “Suppose he tries his best for however long he can, but he can’t find a way to stop Lognion. Suppose Grim Talek is getting close to the end of his life, and he knows none of his successors have a chance. Or maybe he is killed while trying—but somehow thwarts death. I don’t know how it happened, but I can see why it might be his last chance. He couldn’t do it while alive, so he becomes undead to carry the fight on indefinitely.”

  Tiny snorted. “If he’s such a tragic hero, why is he so evil? He created the vampires, Will! You told me you’ve seen him torture your friend, Rob, and while I was stuck with him, he tried to get me to murder men without even offering them a chance to surrender.”

  “I’m no better,” stated Will, staring at his feet. “I’ve killed innocents, by accident, in anger, and simply because it was necessary. I’ve tortured monsters and men. I’ve made excuses along the way, felt guilty quite often, but the farther into this I get, the less I care. What would I be like after a thousand years? Grim Talek isn’t good, but he certainly isn’t just evil. He has a goal, and that’s all that matters to him.”

  Janice spoke up. “What’s his goal?”

  “I’ve already told you,” said Will. “Destroying Lognion and his brood.”

  “That’s what he said, but there’s no good reason to believe him,” argued Tiny.

  Will straightened. “I believe him. His final price wouldn’t make any sense if he had any other motives beyond that.”

  “Price? What price?” asked Tiny.

  He shook his head. “I’m not sharing, but it’s almost as bad as the dragon. The only good thing is that even if I fail at it, you and your family will be safe.”

  “What if you don’t pay this price?”

  Will sighed. “The world will go on without me, but if I don’t try, Grim Talek will eliminate anyone I’ve ever known. So it’s either die trying or live while he kills everyone else.”

  “That’s horrible!” exclaimed Janice.

  Tiny agreed. “Definitely not a tragic hero, if that’s how he operates.”

  “I never said he was,” stated Will. “He just doesn’t care anymore. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’ll vent his frustration on those I love. It’s the best way he knows to motivate me. In any case, it hardly matters—even if I can’t pay it, he’ll still honor the agreement to watch over those I care about.”

  “Except you’ll be dead,” concluded Janice.

  Is that so bad? thought Will. Both of you are starting to get sick of me, and I’m beginning to hate the person I’ve become. He couldn’t say any of that, however, so he simply shrugged, but his face must have given some of it away.

  Janice stared at him for several seconds without blinking as her eyes grew damp. Tiny’s expression darkened, and when he saw the tears welling in her eyes, he grew even angrier. His voice came out as a growl. “Go fuck yourself Will.”

  He was already constructing a new teleport spell. It was time to leave. Before he could finish, Janice put a hand on Tiny to stop him from saying anything else. Then she asked, “At least eat before you leave. Jeremy’s cooking is probably better than whatever they have where you’re going.”

  Will pursed his lips. She was right. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. If anyone else sees me, it could spoil the plan.”

  “The plan to let Grim Talek ruin the country while he lives with your unsuspecting wife?” snapped Tiny.

  That sparked his temper. “She’s figured it out already. She’s smarter than—” he stopped himself there, because he knew he was about to start a fight, then amended his remark. “She’s smart.”

  Janice intervened. “Go up to the study. I’ll bring food for you. I’ve been eating enough for three people lately. Besides, I’ll tell Jeremy that John just arrived. Eat and rest. I’ll make sure no one goes in or finds out you’re here.” She turned to give Tiny a disapproving glance. “You should wait in my room. We still have a lot to talk about.”

  Will was tempted to make a face at Tiny while Janice’s eyes were elsewhere, but he refrained. With two quick spells for silence and camouflage, plus the technique he had learned from Darla, he became nearly undetectable and left the room, making his way up to the study. Good food was more compelling than his need to escape their judgment. Plus, he still had a book to finish, and Rimberlin was much more comfortable than the cold basement he had been reading in before.

  As he went up the stairs, he heard a cat’s slow yowl echo through the house, and from a nearby room, Blake cursed, “There it is again! It’s making me insane. Where is the damned animal?” One of the maids responded to him, “The house is haunted, I’m sure of it.”

  Will frowned. It was just a cat. There wasn’t anything mysterious about the sound. Shaking his head, he went to his study, but before he could open the door, he heard a loud and enthusiastic mew. Evie was standing a short distance down the hall, and she had spotted him. She fairly pranced as he went into the study and held the door to let her follow him in. Pleased with his manners, she leapt to the top of his desk and allowed him the honor of scratching her head, ears, and chin.

  Despite himself, Will smiled. “At least someone is glad to see me.” Sitting down in his chair, he leaned back and put his feet on the desk, turning his chest into a gently sloping surface that was ideal for the happy cat to curl up on. Evie’s contented purring vibrated through him, and Will felt some of the tension he’d been holding for the past week gradually fade away. Maybe life isn’t all bad, he decided.

  He couldn’t start reading, since he wanted to eat and the book might keep him enthralled for hours, so he waited, enjoying Evie’s company and giving her the attention she had lacked for the last week or two. When the door opened half an hour later, it was without the customary knock. Janice entered, carrying a large plate laden with an overlarge meat pastry and a small berry tart.

  Will doubted he could eat so much, and his raised brow communicated his disbelief, then he asked, “Jeremy made this for Tiny, didn’t he?”