“You don’t do anything by halves, do you?” remarked Janice at the end of it all.
He spotted Rob closing in on them, so Will turned to include his friend as well as let Janice know they were no longer alone. “I don’t do it on purpose. Hi Rob!”
Rob’s expression was dramatically sour. “I’m not sure I can talk to you anymore.”
“I’ve never been able to stop you before,” noted Will with a smirk. “What’s changed now?”
“First you marry the princess, and now, just when the rest of us think it might be safe, you go and turn yourself into a hero. Have you heard the things Stephanie has been saying about you?”
“I’m not a big fan of gossip,” said Will dryly.
“Every time she tells the story it gets more incredible. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next rendition has you showing up on a white charger before single-handedly fixing the dam while practicing the latest dance.”
Janice snorted, then her eyes lit up. Leaning close to Will’s ear, she whispered, “I know how you can defeat the assassin. Next time you see him you should dance with him. He won’t be able to fight after you stomp all over his toes.”
“I’ve gotten a lot better!” Will protested. Janice’s remark was a reference to the pain he had put her and his dance teacher through back when he had been practicing for the Winter Ball.
Rob looked back and forth between them. “I must have missed something.”
“I have to head to my next class,” said Janice, bowing out and leaving Will to explain.
“Well?” asked Rob.
“Come on,” said Will, putting one arm over his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you on the way to Advanced Spell Theory.”
***
The next few days passed with frustrating slowness as Will waited to recover his ability to use turyn safely. Each evening, Tailtiu would stop in for an hour or so to relay what she had seen, and he couldn’t help but notice she looked haggard. Seeming tired would be normal for a human, but for the fae it was highly unusual.
“Are you all right?” he asked her on the fourth evening.
She nodded brusquely. “I’m just spending too much time in your world. I’ll recover once I have some free time to return to Faerie.”
“I’m going to test the waters tomorrow,” he informed her. “If I’m able to use magic, then you can go back, and I’ll watch her home that evening.”
Tailtiu sighed. “I’m not sure there’s a need. This assassin seems content to watch. Every day the girl leaves, attending parties and social meetings at various people’s homes. Whatever the man following her is planning, it doesn’t seem urgent. He’s let multiple opportunities pass without attempting anything.”
“Unless he’s being cautious because you’ve got him spooked,” countered Will. “You said he’s noticed you several times.”
“He has, but I think there’s something else going on. The stranger follows her during her trips, but never gets too close. In the evenings he waits outside for a while before vanishing.”
“What are you getting at?” asked Will.
“He only leaves when Laina is at home and it seems certain she won’t be leaving again that day. This morning I got there before dawn, even before the assassin arrived, and I sensed something strange.”
“And?”
His aunt shrugged. “I’m not sure what it was. It was a strange trace of turyn. It felt cold, but it vanished as soon as the sun came up.”
“You couldn’t tell what it was?”
She shook her head. “It reminded me of demonic turyn, but it was different. I haven’t come across anything quite like it before. I don’t think you should try to watch the house. Let me have a day to recover and we can go together.”
Will shook his head. “You can recover, but I’m not leaving Laina unguarded, not when it’s obvious that someone has it in for her.”
Tailtiu’s expression was one of puzzlement. “Why bother? She wouldn’t do the same for you. The girl hates you.”
“She’s family.”
She snorted. “So am I, but given the right opportunity I’d take your seed and then your life. She doesn’t even know you’re related. You humans make no sense.”
His gaze was flat and unwavering. “I’d do the same for you.”
Tailtiu laughed. “And that is exactly what will get you killed some day. In any case, I would never be foolish enough to need your help.”
Will shrugged. “You’re probably right—on both counts—but that’s who I am. Anyway, we will see how things go tomorrow.”
“I’d really prefer you don’t go. Let me rest and we’ll go together.”
There was a certain emphasis in her tone. Surely she isn’t really worried about me, is she? He dismissed the idea. He knew better. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Blake’s voice. “It’s getting late, sir. Would you like me to start dinner or do you still intend on cooking?”
Will stepped to the door and pulled it open. “Was that a threat?”
Blake took a step back, a look of innocence on his face. “Of course not, sir! I merely offered to cook if you were too…”
“Any time you offer to cook, it’s a threat.”
His manservant raised one brow. “Perhaps if you’re that dissatisfied with my efforts you might deign to teach me how to cook then.”
Will chuckled. “I like cooking. I’d rather just do it myself, unless you want to pay me for lessons.”
“An exchange then?”
“What would you exchange?”
“I could teach you how to use a blade. You seemed interested a few days ago.”
Will was definitely interested, but he put on an air of reluctance. “I’m already taking rapier classes.”
“And I’m sure those are valuable in their own way,” said Blake with a hint of condescension in his tone.
“I was in the army too.”
“So, you’ve got discipline. You know how to hold a shield and keep your place in a line. I’m offering to teach you something different.”
“Such as?”
“The kind of blade work you need to survive in a dark alley. The sort you needed a few days ago but didn’t have.”
It was an interesting offer. “You said you weren’t good enough to take the assassin, though.”