Maybe Stupid had been a piece of Gan? Maybe he’d been a bigger, smarter piece than Will had assumed. He had no way of knowing, and he now wished he had checked on the trolls after the battle. He’d been unconscious for several days, and Selene had been the one to return the troll mercenaries to Muskeglun. What if she missed one?

  In the end, it didn’t matter. He had to eliminate them. Leaning to one side, Will took a route that curved slowly around, and he headed back the way he had come, retracing his steps and making a conscious effort to pick out more landmarks to guide him on his return. The tracking spell should last five or six days, but he’d never used it before. Better safe than sorry.

  Once he was close to his father’s camp, Will changed course and followed the small road that led west toward Cotswold. He didn’t really expect the vampires to arrive early, but he wanted a chance to scout the area beforehand. The village was a quicker trip, and when he got there, Will couldn’t help but imagine horror that had befallen it.

  The buildings were all there, and unlike a village attacked by other humans, nothing had been burned. Instead, the buildings had been physically violated; in some, the doors were ripped from their hinges, while in others a wall had simply been smashed apart. The evidence of violence seemed almost casual, as though it had cost the invaders nothing to perform, and in fact it hadn’t. Will could easily imagine a troll tearing its way through barred doors, or using a club to stave in an entire wall. For the occupants, it must have been absolutely terrifying, and it had only gotten worse when the invaders began eating some of them right in front of the others.

  Will had been chased by trolls once, during one of his early visits to Muskeglun, but his experience paled in comparison to what had happened to the villagers—and as usual, it was ultimately his fault. It was an uncomfortable realization, but as with other things, it bothered him less than it would have in the past. I did what I had to do; now I’ll fix the mistakes that inevitably resulted, he told himself. It was small comfort for the dead and the survivors, but it was all he could do.

  He brought the force-travel disk to rest in the center of the empty market that had once been the town’s main feature. Stepping off the disk, he dismissed it and turned in a slow circle to survey the area. Despite his power and training, he still had to suppress a shiver. Standing alone in the dark, abandoned space, feeling the cold wind on his neck, and knowing there might be vampires waiting in the shadows for him—it was enough to make even the most stalwart feel uncertain.

  Will automatically smoothed his turyn and wrapped a camouflage spell around himself without even thinking about it, becoming nearly impossible to detect. He rarely bothered with the silence spell these days; it was easier to use his natural talent with sound. If he didn’t want to be heard, he wasn’t. Vampires did have good noses, but not good enough to pinpoint him.

  Feeling more secure, he began a slow walk around the empty town to familiarize himself with the area. He was probably alone, but tomorrow he wouldn’t be, so it wouldn’t hurt to get the lay of the land. As he walked, he ran through various scenarios in his mind, putting himself in Mahak’s shoes as he examined the buildings. The vampire wizard could take a multitude of different courses, ranging from an honest meeting to a simple ambush or ever more complicated plans. Will had never met the vampire before, so he couldn’t guess. Instead, he considered how he would react to each possibility.

  After an hour he was convinced the vampires weren’t going to show up a day early, and he’d done as much planning as he could, so he found a quiet corner in one of the buildings and cast his mind free, turning his attention toward Tiny.

  And immediately regretted it. Will returned to his body without hesitation, his cheeks flushing. He wouldn’t seek Janice either, as she had been with Tiny. Examining the shed he was sitting in, he remarked quietly, “I guess I live here now.”

  A few short seconds later, he regained his composure, and several thoughts ran through his mind. Tiny and Janice hadn’t been in her room, or any other bedroom at Rimberlin. They were at some other house, though it was also well appointed. He wondered where they had gone, and his curiosity was almost—but not quite—enough to make him return for a broader look at their surroundings. There had been something familiar about the room, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

  Returning to his meditation, he checked on his other loved ones. His mother was still unreachable, hidden behind a powerful force effect. Selene was sleeping, and he couldn’t help but think she looked terribly alone. In person, her personality and confidence always made her seem larger than she was, but asleep she seemed small and vulnerable. A pang of guilt struck him for a moment.

  Pushing that aside, he checked on his cousin, Sammy. Please don’t let me see something like I did with Janice and Tiny. It hadn’t occurred to him before, but if he caught Emory in her bed chamber, he wasn’t entirely certain what he would—or wouldn’t—do. It was a relief to find her alone in her room, sitting at the desk and practicing a spell construct.

  Will knew that Emory had been teaching her the runes and familiarizing her with the basics, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so far along. It was only a few weeks since she had finished the third compression, and Sammy had never been taught to express turyn before that, so even drawing a single rune in the air was a significant leap. Is that her Cartwright determination, or the power of love? He decided he didn’t want to know. Just be proud of her.

  Glancing around the room, he saw a simple board leaning against the wall across from the doorway. Written in charcoal across the visible face was a message: My room is safe. Please come in.

  Will glared at it. What does that mean? Was it something Sammy would put out for Emory to see? Was it for someone else? He didn’t like any of the possibilities that his imagination was conjuring up for him to see. If Janice and Tiny were both away from Rimberlin, there was no one to look out for Sammy, or keep her from making a bad mistake.

  He was tempted to teleport to his cousin and ask her directly, but he decided against it. She’s safe; that’s what’s important. As for the rest, he’d have to trust her. Returning to his body he got up and went for another walk. The ravaged town was empty of people, and although most of the doors were ruined, the homes were still in good condition.

  He searched out the largest home, which still only had one sleeping room with a large family bed. Most importantly, the bed was relatively clean, and the bloodstains were in the main room, not the bedroom. Will summoned an embroidered roll of cloth and went back outside. Using a small tack, he fastened one end of the rune-covered cloth to the corner of the building and then walked his way around the building.

  Of course, the perimeter of the home didn’t quite match the length of the fabric, but he used a couple of sticks to extend the perimeter farther out until the two ends of the roll could be brought neatly together. With a thought and mild effort of will, he infused the ward with turyn, and once it was complete, he removed the cloth and rolled it back up. The runes remained, glowing faintly in the air where the cloth had been.

  Will silently thanked Tabitha, for though he and Selene had designed the ward, it had been her talented hands that had embroidered the long stretch of cloth with the complex rune structure. Unlike the simple wards he had used in the past, which were usually limited by the time it took him to manually inscribe them, this ward was vastly more sophisticated. It included three layers to make it difficult for even a wizard to sneak through (though it was still possible). It also had triggers for humans, demons, and the undead. Non-human animals were ignored to prevent false positives from mice, cats, or other creatures.

  The ward’s only function was to alert him, even if he was asleep. Traps or other magical effects were difficult to include since unless one knew exactly what would trigger the ward, the results could be ineffective or even disastrous. Demons and undead were immune to many dangers, while small children were not.

  With an overabundance of caution, Will then built a fire in the main fireplace before leaving and going to the smaller house next door. The bed there wasn’t as nice, but it was also clean. He created a second ward, similar to the first, but smaller and entirely enclosed within the walls of the bedroom itself. It would be difficult to spot without entering the dwelling, so his thought was that if the vampires showed up early, they’d assume he was in the building with the fire and visible ward.

  He was sacrificing a bit of comfort for extra safety, but with the use of the floor-warming spell Selene had taught him years ago, the small bedroom wasn’t really a hardship to sleep in. Will settled in, removing his boots and brigandine so he could rest. He cast an anti-possession spell that Arrogan had recommended to him long ago, its purpose to keep him from traveling astrally while unconscious. Slumber found him quickly, transporting him to a world of dreams in which he watched Laina die in front of him once more. Unable to wake, he found no relief as the dream moved on to feature Tabitha and Sammy being murdered by vampires. Selene came to help him, but to his horror he found she had become a lich, and where he expected warmth from her, he found only a cruel coldness radiating from her eyes.

  At the end, he escaped and somehow found his mother, but she had no words to comfort him. Instead, she looked at him with pity. “What did you expect? You left the fox to guard the hens,” she told him.

  Opening his eyes, Will found himself still lying in the bed in Cotswold, feeling disturbed and simultaneously well rested—a bizarre dichotomy. It took him a few minutes to put his boots on, put his brigandine back on, rearrange his clothes, and most importantly, get his mind in order. He considered what to do with the day, as he had no plans other than meeting Mahak that evening.

  He could simply wait in Cotswold, but that seemed like a waste of time. He also wanted to finish the book, but it was too dangerous to do that in such a vulnerable location. The simple solution would be to return to Rimberlin and read there, assuming Janice and Tiny had gone back. Removing the anti-possession spell, Will settled into a cross-legged pose and set his spirit free to check on his friends again.

  Alarmingly, he was unable to find Janice or Tiny, though not because they were dead. Searching for Laina had taught him what it was like to seek a soul that had passed on, for it would lead him to a raw emptiness. No, Tiny and Janice were hidden behind a shield. It was exactly what he had come to expect when trying to see his mother. Has the lich betrayed our agreement? Had Grim Talek captured them and put them in the same place as his mother, or somewhere similarly shielded?

  He returned to his body and took several slow breaths. Janice could just as easily have put a force-dome around Tiny and herself for privacy. Don’t jump to conclusions, he cautioned himself. Returning to his meditation, Will sought out Selene instead. She appeared before him, elegantly dressed and seated at the head of a long table. A delicate crown of silver and diamonds sat atop her brow as she gazed serenely at the collection of peers arrayed along both sides of the table. It appeared to be a meeting of the greater peers of the realm.

  Will’s perspective was located a few feet in front of her, just above the middle of the table, and while he wanted to study the room, the first thing that caught his eye was himself. Standing just behind Selene and slightly to the right was his stand-in, Grim Talek. Seeing his own face staring back at him would have startled him, if he’d been in his body. Being intangible, it just sent a cold shock through his spirit.

  The false-Will was also dressed in court attire, with a dark grey doublet, black woolen hose, and a simple gold circlet on his head. Although the lich had taken a relaxed posture, he radiated danger in the same way a stove might radiate heat. Grim Talek’s eyes studied the men seated in front of Selene with same attitude he might use if he were looking at a collection of bugs, and electric blue sparks appeared at random intervals around his eyes and in his hair, as though he had leashed the power of a storm and only barely held it in check.

  Will took all that in within a second of appearing, but as he stared at the lich, he realized that Grim Talek was now looking directly back at him, a smile curling the corner of his lips. Selene was staring at him as well, and her lips parted as though she might question him, but then she looked away, turning her gaze back toward the council she was currently addressing.

  They can both see me, realized Will, and I just distracted her in the middle of what looks to be an important meeting. With a thought, he returned to his body again.

  He studied the wall for a few minutes, letting his emotions subside. Seeing Selene and knowing she was seeing him had stirred up his heart again. Damn, this isn’t going to be easy.

  He had no reasonable expectation of living until the end, so any conversation they had would just be a goodbye disguised with a lie. He wanted to explain, but it was even worse than with Janice and Tiny. Selene would see through his plan as easily as they had, and she wouldn’t react any better. Avoiding her was cowardly, but Will wasn’t certain that talking would accomplish anything other than hurting her more. And I might lose my nerve.

  Aside from seeing Selene, Grim Talek bothered him almost as much. He now knew for certain that the lich was astrally sensitive, which made him feel incredibly vulnerable. What would happen if he was attacked while spying on someone? Arrogan had told him a few things about such occurrences in the past, but he wasn’t sure he remembered all the details. Will knew a banishment spell would cause incredible pain and send him back to his body, but there might be even worse possibilities. What if someone tried to put a force spell around him? Would it trap him and sever his connection to his body? Would he die?

  Pushing all that aside, he decided to try Sammy once more.

  Chapter 26

  He waited until Sammy returned to her room and he was certain that she was alone. It appeared as though his cousin was determined to do some more practicing, so he waited until she was back at the desk and facing away before teleporting to her bed. He’d been sitting in a chair in Cotswold, so he was able to arrange his physical arrival so that there was a minimum of difference between his position there and his position in Rimberlin. The bed was slightly lower, so he only dropped an inch before settling into the mattress.

  There was still enough sound for Sammy to notice, causing her to turn and look at the bed. She startled visibly, but somehow managed not to yell. Swallowing, she smoothed her features quickly and then remarked, “You saw my sign, right?”

  “That was for me?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Who else would it be for?” A second later, she held up her hand. “No. Don’t say it.”

  Will shrugged.

  Sammy’s cheeks colored. “Picklehead! I can’t believe you’d think that. It wouldn’t make sense anyway.”

  “Pickle-what?”

  “If I had such intentions, a sign would just tell everyone in the house what we were planning! Grow a brain! You’re supposed to be my smart cousin,” she snapped, but there was a faint smile on her lips.

  Relaxing into their familiar banter, Will replied, “I thought I was the handsome cousin.”

  Sammy laughed, causing the curls that framed her face to bounce. “Maybe if you took care of yourself. How many days have you been wearing those clothes?”

  Will sniffed, glancing down at himself. “I used a cleaning spell yesterday.”

  “You smell fine, but you’re so rumpled you look like someone crumpled you into a ball and then tried to flatten you out again.”

  He frowned, then protested, “It’s not that bad. The spell took most of the wrinkles out.”

  Sammy nodded. “Sure, the wrinkles in your clothes, but not your hair—or your face. Maybe you’re getting old? Do you think this is how it happens?” Contorting her features and scrunching up her nose, Sammy affected a twisted expression. “It looks like you’ve been doing this with your face for the past week. You probably need to relax. The queen might seek an annulment if you get too ugly.” She covered her mouth in a parody of shock and surprise. “What would happen to me then, if Selene replaced you? Would I be banished too?”

  He laughed, but her joke landed uncomfortably close to his recent thoughts, and something must have shown on his face. Sammy started to question him, but he interrupted her, “If you were banished, I suppose I’d be forced to bring you along on my adventures then, wouldn’t I?”

  “As long as I can bring Emory with me,” she returned with a determined stare.

  “Emory? You’d bring your beau along while I was suffering from such rejection?”

  “Just because you’re a picklehead doesn’t mean I have to suffer too.” Sammy became more serious then. “Janice and Tiny went to the capital. They didn’t tell me all the details, but I got the distinct impression they were less than pleased with you. And at the same time, I’m supposed to keep your presence a secret. Who are you hiding from?”

  “Lognion.”

  Sammy frowned. “He isn’t here. Besides, he’s in hiding from you, remember? You blew up his house, walked all over his elementals and sorcerers, and then you burned his fake human body to a crisp.”

  Something about Sammy’s blasé demeanor put Will at ease. It made it feel as if they were just joking about something back in Barrowden, back before he knew anything about wizards, vampires, or dragons. “He’s not hiding, he just doesn’t care. I’m insignificant to him.”

  “You’re underestimating yourself,” said Sammy confidently. “You always overestimate others, and you can’t see yourself clearly. Maybe the dragon isn’t shaking in fear, but he’s being careful so you don’t find the things he wants to protect.”

  “I already—” Will stopped, realizing he was about to reveal a secret that could end his small chance of success. And potentially put a massive target on Sammy, he added mentally. He shifted directions. “You’re probably right, but you’re also missing an important piece of information. Dragons are incredibly resistant to magic, and not just magic, everything in our world. I’m not even sure how to explain it, but they’re essentially more real than we are.”