“Which is where she is now,” finished Will. There was a long pause, and eventually Will asked, “I spoke too soon, didn’t I?”
“Damn right you did, you insufferable fuckwit! May I finish now?”
“Ah, go ahead.”
“As I was saying, they will hopefully lead to who captured her. If you’re lucky, the who will lead you to your goal, where.”
“So, what should I do first?”
“Well, I would have probably advised you not to call Aislinn. She’s going to be too invested, and despite the time and effort she’s put into you, her first priority will be her daughter.”
“We’ll be in agreement then,” said Will.
“No, you won’t,” said the ring harshly. “Aislinn is fae. When I say her first priority will be her daughter, I mean that everything else will probably drop way down her list of priorities—including whether or not you continue to breathe.”
“But I want to help her.”
“Good, because she never turns down a good tool,” quipped Arrogan. “If she isn’t fully convinced of your willingness, she may try to apply additional pressure.”
“Pressure?”
“Threats. The good news is that she’s precluded from harming you directly because of the accord. So, the next question is this: What other sorts of leverage does she have to use?”
“You’re slipping, old man,” said a soft feminine voice from just behind and to Will’s left. Her jerked his head in surprise and saw his grandmother standing there, though as usual, the term grandmother was misleading. Aislinn looked every bit as young and alluring as her daughter; the main difference was in the maturity and authority she projected. “You should already know what sort of leverage I have.”
Will barely heard her, for his attention locked on the woman who had been hidden from view by Aislinn. As his grandmother moved, he got a clear view. “Selene!” In her eyes he could see a mixture of emotions—happiness, fatigue, pain, and a warning. There were dark circles beneath them that underscored the strain of her training.
“Will.”
Selene took a step toward him, but a sharp word from his grandmother brought her up short. “Stop there.”
Selene looked at the elder fae, hatred smoldering in her gaze, then she lowered her head submissively. “Mistress, may I? Please?”
Aislinn looked at Selene first, then Will, her expression speculative. “I’m not sure you’ve earned it, either of you.”
Will’s eyes narrowed and his anger flared. “Go to hell.” Without waiting, he moved to embrace his wife. To his surprise, Selene stepped back, dodging him, a look of alarm in her eyes as she fearfully looked to his grandmother. He would have protested, but he was having trouble breathing, for Aislinn’s hand had moved with blinding speed to seize his throat.
He pulled at her hand in vain, but she held him in a grip of iron that only allowed him the bare minimum to continue breathing. “You aren’t allowed to hurt humans,” he wheezed. “The accord…”
Aislinn’s lips mocked him as she replied, “I’m well within my rights to defend my property. Quench my blade with kindness before I’m done firing it and I will end you.” Contemptuously, she released him with a shove that sent him falling backward.
Coughing, Will pushed himself back up on his hands and knees. “She isn’t a weapon.”
“She is whatever I wish to make her. Nor should you assume I was referring only to the useless trash you call your wife.”
“What did you call her?” Will demanded, his anger growing to new heights.
The ring spoke up, interrupting Will’s next angry response. “Don’t let her goad you, Will. You’ll only make things worse.”
“Arrogan’s memory offers sound advice,” observed the fae lady. “You would do well to heed the counsel of my gift.”
Thinking hard, Will got to the heart of the matter. “Why are you like this? I called you because I want to help Tailtiu.”
Aislinn’s lip curled. “You’ll have to find your own answers, child, or pay me for them. The time when I could indulge your whimsical fantasies has passed. Shall we get to business?”
Will sighed. “Very well. Truce until we conclude the discussion and for two hours afterward. Answer my questions and I will answer yours without deceit or omission.”
His grandmother touched her lip, a pensive look on her features. “I have been generous in the past, but that seems like a poor bargain for me. After all, I know far more than you and my answers are similarly more valuable than yours. Also, any information about where my apprentice has been for the past months is exempt from the discussion.”
That set him back on his heels. She had never refused that exchange in the past. Arrogan spoke then. “If your daughter is taken, or dead, you will need vengeance. Given that this is the human realm, the culprit is also likely human. You’ll need a human agent to punish those who have given you offense. You might consider that before you set the terms for your exchange, Aislinn. Limited communication might hurt you more than you would gain from extra concessions on Will’s part.”
The fae woman’s eyes lit on the ring for a moment, then an evil smile flickered across her lips. “A good point, but insufficient. Perhaps if someone, or something, with greater knowledge were willing to act as collateral for the exchange of questions…”
“Don’t sell me to her, Will,” said the ring quickly.
“You were a gift from her, why would she want you back?”
Aislinn laughed. “If your ring agrees to answer questions as well, honestly and without omission, that will be enough. I have no desire to retake the present I gave you.”
“Oh.” That seemed reasonably fair, but even though the ring was his property and the mind it contained wasn’t really his grandfather, he still couldn’t compel it to honesty. Unlike the fae, the Ring of Vile and Unspeakable Knowledge was perfectly capable of lying or refusing to answer questions. “Can you agree to that, Arrogan?”
The ring growled. “I’m sure I’ll regret it, but it seems like the lesser evil here. I’ll consent.”
His grandmother rubbed her hands together happily. “Then we are agreed. You will—”
“Not quite,” said Will, holding up one hand. “I was merely obtaining the ring’s consent. I haven’t given mine. I think you’re getting too much here, possible aid from me regarding your daughter, plus Arrogan’s knowledge. I need something more to balance things.”
Aislinn’s eyes flashed. “What do you desire to add?”