His cousin eyed him up and down for a second, then replied, “That’s not what you were about to say, but fine, I won’t press you for details on what’s obviously yet another secret.” With a sigh, she continued, “And I bet you’ve already found a solution to killing them, haven’t you?”

  That surprised him. Will had always loved his cousin for her silliness, even though she could be annoying at times, but he’d never thought of her as perceptive. “What makes you think that?”

  She grinned. “I knew it.” Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “You’re not hiding—you don’t want him to see you coming.”

  His eyes went wide with alarm. “Stop. Not another word.”

  “Trust me. Have I ever given your secrets away?” she asked.

  Will nodded. “You told Mom I was in love with Selene before I was ready.”

  “That doesn’t count, and besides, I was guessing. She already knew anyway.”

  Will pointed at the chair, which was just far enough away from the desk that he could put a force-dome around it and the two of them after she had sat in it. “You’ve guessed a lot, but you have to stop now. I can’t help what you think inside your own head, but you can’t say any of it out loud. Not here, not elsewhere, not to anyone, not even to me, do you understand?”

  “Fine. Why though?”

  “Lognion still has his hooks in thousands of people. Most of the nobility, all the past graduates of Wurthaven, and who knows who else? And that’s not even counting the people who report to those people. There’s also the fact that you don’t always know who you’re talking to. I know of at least two who can imitate me to such a degree I can’t even tell they aren’t me. If either of those two even imagined you knew the things you were guessing at just now, they’d kill you on the spot.”

  Sammy’s expression grew serious as the gravity of his words sank in. “Who?”

  “Does it matter?”

  She nodded. “If something goes wrong and they kill you, I need to know where to start when I avenge you.”

  Will laughed, until she kicked him in the shin. His boot saved him from most of the pain, but the look on his cousin’s face said she wasn’t joking around as she warned him, “I’ll accept that I’m just a novice for now, but that won’t last forever. I’m going to be dangerous someday. So at least tell me who you’re worried about. I’ll keep it in my head with all the other stuff you don’t want me talking about, but don’t leave me blind. Please?”

  To Will, the premise seemed unbelievable, but he couldn’t argue with Sammy’s logic. She was dead serious. It would be a terrible insult to ignore her request. Could she defeat Aislinn, Grim Talek, or Lognion? The answer was obvious—of course not—but the determination in his cousin’s eyes said something different to his heart. Maybe she could, given time to learn and grow. She was a third-order wizard now, though she was only just beginning to learn spells. He couldn’t begin to judge her future potential.

  Something shifted in his heart, and a crack opened, letting light shine into the darkness and despair that had somehow made its home there. It was a tiny thing, and hope couldn’t instantly replace his apathy, but it made itself known. If she could do it someday, there’s no reason I couldn’t do it sometime in the near future, as long as I keep my head clear. Green eyes bored into him as the gears in his mind gradually began to move toward the possibility of a future.

  “Laina wasn’t the only one who cared,” said Sammy, leaving the rest unsaid.

  His fear had made him foolish. He could see it clearly now. Some of his precautions were warranted, but he was limiting his chances of success by trying too hard to keep his friends and family perfectly safe. It was disrespectful to them, and it eliminated the possible contributions they might have to offer. The empty smile left his features, and his eyes turned down. “You’re right. Grim Talek, Aislinn, and Lognion, those are the three I’m worried most about. The first two can impersonate me so well I probably couldn’t spot the difference, and Lognion still has ears in every noble house and lowly tavern across Terabinia and far beyond. The lich has a large informant network as well, possibly better than the dragon’s. As for Grandmother, I have no idea what her resources are, or even if she’s involved in this, but it’s hard to believe she is simply a bystander.” He paused, then stared into his cousin’s eyes. “If anything does happen to me, you’ll need to play a long game if you really want revenge. It would be the work of a lifetime.”

  “Apparently I’m going to live a very long time,” she replied. “Thanks to your torture.”

  “Training,” Will corrected. “You still have a lot more of it to do, but the painful part is over at least.” They talked for some time after that, and Will shared most of the rough details he had given Janice and Tiny. He finished with a request. “Tell Tiny and Janice I want their help. I’m not sure what they can do, but I’m willing to trust that they might think of something I’m missing.”

  “I think that’s why they’re in Cerria,” said Sammy. “They wouldn’t tell me anything, but I’m sure they’ve probably consulted Selene, which by the way, is probably bad news for you if you haven’t told her any of this yet.” Will visibly winced, and Sammy grinned. “I guess even the Stormking is afraid of the Queen of Terabinia.”

  Will scowled in confusion. “The what?”

  “You haven’t heard?” said Sammy enthusiastically. “That’s what they’re calling you in the capital now—the Stormking.”

  “But I’m not taking the throne, Selene is.”

  She shrugged. “The Stormking probably isn’t concerned with the petty matters of we mere mortals. He rules the skies and punishes the wicked with javelins of lightning.”

  “Stop. That isn’t funny.”

  “Then maybe you should stop parading around the capital with sparks hovering around you all the time.”

  “That isn’t me.”

  She nodded. “But the people don’t know that, and from the stories the deliverymen have been bringing, it seems like whoever is pretending to be you is making the most of the rumors.” Sammy paused, then added, “Can you show me?”

  “Show you what?”

  “You know.” Sammy wiggled her eyebrows and made odd crashing noises while waving her hands up and down. “Just a little. I’m dying to see it.”

  Will sighed. “It’s dangerous. Besides, I don’t even know what my copycat is showing people.”

  “Liar. You could show me if you wanted to.”

  Remembering what he had seen of Grim Talek at the council meeting, Will had to admit he probably could. He didn’t know the spell that the lich was using to mimic the visual effects of his talent, but he could certainly produce real sparks. His talents, both with sound and storms, were essentially a form of wild magic, and his use of them was innate rather than structured. Pursing his lips seriously, Will pushed Sammy away and then withdrew his hand before producing a long ribbon of brilliant electricity that ran from his fingertips up to his shoulder and then down the other arm. It was over in less than a second. “There. Satisfied?”

  She clapped her hands together in obvious delight. “That looks wicked! Can you teach me to do that?”

  “Probably not, at least not the same way. I’m sure there are spells that can create similar effects, but you’ll have to learn them individually. What I did was part of a natural talent.”

  “Can I learn the talent?” she asked.

  Will shrugged. “From what I’ve learned, third-order wizards, and sometimes even second-order wizards, develop talents like this, but there’s no way of choosing. It depends on your unique nature.”

  Sammy scowled at him. “Thunder and lightning, loud and flashy—not to argue with you, but neither of those things are remotely like your personality. Before you left home, you were mostly quiet and deliberate in your doings. Even now, you’re nothing like what the rumors claim.”

  “That’s a relief. I doubt the talents relate to personality per se, but if so, maybe they’re opposites.”

  “What do you think mine would be then?”

  Will gave his cousin a sly look. “I’m not sure. Probably something subtle and elegant.”

  Her mouth dropped open for a split second, then Sammy jumped forward to flick his ear painfully. “That was rude!”

  He winked at her while rubbing his ear. “But true.” Something bumped into his leg, and he looked down to discover Evie had come out to reintroduce herself. He addressed the cat amiably. “Hello little lady.”

  “Whoa!” Sammy stepped back, raising her arms in surprise. “Where did she come from?”

  “Under the bed?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve been looking everywhere for her. No one’s seen her since you were here last, but we’ve been hearing her yowling all over the house. I was starting to think she’s a ghost.”

  “Yowling?”

  “Looking for you, I suppose,” Sammy answered. She watched somewhat jealously while Will scratched the grey cat’s head, but when she crouched down to do the same, Evie hissed and backed away. “Why do you like him but not me?”

  “She just has good taste,” offered Will. The cat turned her head and licked the back of his hand. The word ‘taste’ echoed once more in the air.

  “Did you say taste twice?” asked Sammy.

  He hadn’t, but he nodded anyway. “Not sure why I did that.” Will watched the cat as he spoke, silently wondering if it was somehow responsible for the sound. Surely not.

  They talked a while longer, and then Sammy left to give him peace and quiet so he could finish reading the ancient journal. As before, from the moment he opened the cover it was as if a hidden part of himself suddenly revealed itself. The memories of his previous sessions came back to him, and it amazed him that he could have ever forgotten what he had read, as so much of it was disturbing. The insane paranoia of the tenth writer bothered him the most with her ramblings of unseen evils and hidden entities watching from every shadow.

  The ritual for unlocking what she had called ‘null sight’ kept nagging at the back of his mind. The idea that secretive beings could be watching him at every moment, completely unseen and unheard, bothered him more than he wanted to admit. The ritual would grant him the ability to sense them, or give him permanent hallucinations, depending on how one viewed the subject. He wanted to try it just to reassure himself, but then he wouldn’t be able to turn it off.

  Some things are better left unseen, he told himself. He pushed forward with his reading and was somewhat disappointed when he reached the end with no entry from his grandfather. The old man had been so devout in his quest to eliminate the heart-stone enchantment that he hadn’t even recorded it in the journal. It probably wouldn’t have been the worst thing written in the book, but then again, Arrogan would probably have felt that the previous writers might have done better not to record their dangerous knowledge.

  None of it was the least bit useful, thought Will, except for ruining your sleep or giving you waking nightmares. The least useless bit of knowledge in the book was the fourteenth author’s ritual for unraveling or destroying an entire plane of existence. It might be useful as a tool of extortion, or as a deterrent, but Will could see no way to use it against the dragon. Dragons had no home plane, they roamed through the dimensions nesting and destroying as they saw fit. He certainly couldn’t use it to threaten the destruction of Lognion’s nest. Doing so would eliminate his entire world, negating the goal entirely.

  Reading the book had been a waste of time. It was full of nothing but madness and uselessly dangerous spells that had no practical use. Choosing to forget the contents would be the obvious choice, for remembering would likely leave him with impractical fears and strange nightmares.

  The spell that had begun when he opened the first page now made itself known again, offering him the choice of memory or peace of mind. The runes hovered in his mind’s eye, offering blissful forgetfulness or uncomfortable remembrance. Beneath them was a short acknowledgment that should he choose to forget, there would still be triggers to remind him if one of the ancient threats covered by the text presented itself to him.

  That’s why Arrogan thought he felt he should remember something. The egg guardians would have triggered the knowledge written down regarding the dragon, Will realized. It wouldn’t help him, though. There was no practical remedy, just a depressing history of Grim Talek’s failure—assuming that Grim Talek was indeed the first writer.

  A shock ran through him. There was something he might be able to use, though it wouldn’t help him against the dragon. But would it be worth it? Assuming he found some other way to avert the dragon apocalypse, would one spell be worth remembering the rest of the horrors contained in the book? It might save my life, though.

  Was that reason enough? Grim Talek had pledged to devote his existence to protecting those that Will had named, so long as he didn’t break faith with their agreement. Will’s survival might run counter to that goal.

  “To hell with that, and to hell with the lich. Your life is worth living.” It was Laina’s voice, and it seemed so real that it almost jolted him from his trance. He knew it was his imagination, but it firmed up his conviction. He made his choice: remembrance.

  Will opened his eyes, and almost fell over backward when he saw Sammy’s face directly in front of his own, studying him with great interest. “What the hell?”

  “You’ve been sitting there mumbling to yourself for at least an hour, but the pages are blank,” she told him. “Tell me the truth. You’ve lost it, haven’t you?”

  Glancing down, he saw the pages did indeed look blank, but then again, the physical book was merely a key. The true knowledge was encoded in the spell that was anchored to the tome. No casual onlooker would see anything while he was reading it. Will explained as much to her, closing the book as he did.

  “When do I get to read it then?” she asked.

  “Hopefully, never. It’s meant for whoever the senior living wizard is. At the moment that’s me. If it ever falls to you, then you’re probably in for a bad time.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You’re just making me more curious.”

  Will glared at his cousin. “It will give you nightmares. Promise me you’ll never read it unless you’re the proper person.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I won’t tell you where I’m going to hide it.”

  She seemed confused. “You don’t trust me not to read it, but you’ll tell me where it’s kept?”

  “I’ll be sharing the secret with you and no one else—well, except Selene. Isn’t that worth keeping my trust?”

  Sammy’s shoulders sagged. “You know me too well, but why tell me at all then?”

  “Someone should know where to find it, in case something happens to me.”

  Chapter 27

  Will teleported back to his father and used an elemental travel disk to quickly make his way back to Cotswold. The sun was just about to set when he arrived, which made everything seem more ominous. The sun wouldn’t really matter to Mahak and his subordinates, since the ancient wizard would be easily able to protect them from the ill effects, but the darkness was still an additional weight on Will’s psyche. He still had nightmares about what had happened in Cerria with the master vampire Androv.

  But I’m not the same as I was then, he reminded himself.

  He stopped well before entering the outskirts of the town and dismissed his travel spell. Then he applied a camouflage spell and smoothed his turyn. Even without the camouflage spell, he would be difficult to spot, since the assassin’s technique made it hard for anyone to notice him, even if he was fully visible.

  At this point, he doubted that the vampires were in the town. For most, it would make sense to arrive early and get the lay of the land, as he had done, but vampires tended to lean heavily on their superior senses. They could see quite well at night, so waiting until the cover of darkness was a given for them in most circumstances.

  Of course, Will could see just as well, and far better in a multitude of other situations, so that advantage was effectively null, but Mahak probably didn’t know that. Smiling to himself, Will walked slowly toward the center of the town where the market square was and settled himself into an abandoned stall that stood like an island in the middle of the open area. The location was a tactical choice on his part, since he knew the vampires would expect him to choose a less conspicuous place, but he was confident in his concealment. It would be the last place they looked.

  Not that he planned to hide; it was just that he wanted to choose his moment. He didn’t even stand inside the stall, he stood against one of the exterior walls. They aren’t going to see me anyway, so I might as well be somewhere I can move freely, he thought to himself.

  As a matter of habit, he checked the new force spell he had prepared for the occasion. It wasn’t one he could reflex cast, but he thought it would be ideal, and it amused him that the original inspiration for its use had come from his original meeting with the vampire Androv. It wasn’t the same spell Androv had used, but the form and function were similar to a spell the vampire had used against Lognion’s sorcerers.

  Will applied an iron-body spell and prepared for a long wait. He didn’t know if Mahak’s will would be as powerful as Androv’s had been, but if it was, he might find himself unable to cast anything but force spells within a certain range of proximity to the vampire wizard. Making sure he couldn’t be scratched or bitten was worth the inconvenience of using the defensive spell now, even though he would have to keep it active for however long he was forced to wait.

  Leaning against the wall, Will let his mind go blank and slipped into a wakeful trance he had learned during his early days in the Terabinian army when he had to stand watch. Standing guard was boring, and many a soldier suffered the stroke of the lash if they were caught napping, so most learned to adapt. He wasn’t asleep, but neither was he quite awake; his eyes were open and his mind was idling, waiting for a fresh sound or motion to bring him back to full awareness. How long he stayed thus he wasn’t quite sure, but when something alerted him, the sun was down and darkness had settled across the empty town.