That reminded Will of one of his longstanding questions. “Exactly when was your day?”
Chapter 13
Arrogan leaned forward. “Before I answer that, I have to know whether you plan to go to Cerria or train under me.”
Will spoke before he thought. “It’s because they’re hunting you, isn’t it?”
“And that, my boy, has sealed your fate. You have sharp ears, don’t you?”
“I heard you and Mom talking,” admitted Will.
His grandfather grimaced. “Well, options one and two are off the list now.”
He was beginning to feel slightly rebellious. “And what if I would rather study in the city?”
“Do you really want to test my patience, boy?” asked the old man, an angry gleam in his eye. “You saw what happened today. How many wizards do you think would dare to tweak the nose of one of the fae lords? Do you think any of the glorified sanitation workers that come out of Wurthaven would dare? They’d be pissing their pants at the thought! If you think anything that happened today was commonplace, let me be the first to disabuse you of that notion.”
Will let out a long exhale, deflating. He really didn’t know what to think about what had happened, nor did he have any idea how dangerous a fae lord might or might not be. As far as he knew, they might be pushovers. But he strongly suspected they weren’t.
And Elthas had taken all of Arrogan’s insults and abuse and then just let them walk away. That couldn’t be normal. He studied his grandfather with new eyes. Just how dangerous was the old man?
“Are you really going to teach me?” asked Will at last. “You still haven’t taught me anything about herbs. Will you really teach me magic?”
Arrogan thumped his hand on Gidding’s Apothecary. “This book contains recipes for medicines and potions. There are other books that contain spells. You have to be able to read them. Not only that, but you’ll need to learn a new alphabet, the runes of power, in order to work those spells.”
Will groaned.
“Yes, I’ll teach you,” finished his grandfather, ignoring Will’s moaning. “But you’ll learn things in the proper order.”
He nodded. “All right. Doesn’t seem like I have much choice.” Then he remembered his earlier question. “So when was your day again?”
The old man yawned. “I’m getting tired.” He stood up, as though to retire to his bedroom.
“You said you’d tell me!” protested Will.
Arrogan sat back down, grinning at Will’s frustration. “Somewhere around four hundred and fifty years ago.”
“You’re four hundred and fifty years old!” yelled Will, jumping up and knocking his chair over.
His grandfather shook his head. “No. That’s when my day was, if by that you mean the period when I was at my peak, before the so-called Terabinian War of Independence.”
“Then how old are you?” demanded Will.
“Still none of your damn business,” replied Arrogan. “If you ever learn to cook something that doesn’t make my stomach churn, I’ll think about telling you.”
***
The next day, after breakfast and his obligatory two hours of reading practice, Arrogan called him over. “Let’s see your candle.”
Will held it up. The flame was brighter today, but it still hadn’t recovered completely from Tailtiu’s kiss.
“You’ve spent plenty of time observing it as you go about your tasks,” said Arrogan. “Since you’re a mage now, it’s time for you to learn to control it. Here’s a question for you. Why is the flame still so small?”
That was easy. “Because I still haven’t regained my normal amount of turyn.”
His grandfather shook his head. “No, the real reason is because you’re ignorant, but I’ll try to correct some of that today.” Then he added, “Try not to scream; this is for your own good.”
“Why would I scr—” Will’s voice cut off as a vivid green line of power shot from Arrogan’s fingers and straight into his chest. He felt it bore into him, and while the sensation wasn’t painful, it was distinctly unpleasant. Then he stopped breathing.
Panic rapidly overtook him as he tried and failed to make his lungs work. Seconds ticked by, and his grandfather watched him with the same sort of faint disinterest an evil child might display while squashing ants. Finally, the old man spoke. “I’m not controlling your muscles. Look at the candle.”
The flame had turned green.
“Trying to make your muscles obey you won’t work,” said Arrogan. “First you have to make the candle return to its normal color.”
Will’s heart was pounding in his ears, and his face first grew red, then purple. He was beginning to see spots when suddenly his grandfather waved his hand and his lungs began working again. The candle was still burning green.
“I suppose you won’t learn anything if I let you suffocate,” said his grandfather. The green line of light still connected his fingers to Will’s chest. “Right now, I have absolute control over your turyn. I can do anything I want with you. Your lungs take in air at my command. Your heart beats because I allow it. I could kill you with a thought.” The old man reached back and began earnestly scratching his backside, seeming to have forgotten his grandson entirely.
When he looked back, there was a vicious intensity in his eyes. “It’s disconcerting, isn’t it? You feel helpless, violated. Those are perfectly normal feelings, but if you want them to stop, you’ll have to learn. Watch the flame.”
The candle flared, and Will felt a surge of energy. He couldn’t remember ever feeling quite so alive. It was as though his body was bursting with vitality. The flame was now twice its normal size.
“That turyn didn’t come from me,” said Arrogan. “Just in case that’s what you were thinking. It came from you. I’m just controlling it. Everything I am about to show you are things you are capable of doing for yourself, once you learn how.
“The turyn in our bodies comes from a limited source. Think of it as the candle. Make it burn faster, and the candle shortens more quickly, while the flame grows brighter. Ordinarily a wizard wouldn’t do this, since I’m essentially causing you to age faster, but in a pinch it’s a handy way to recover your turyn in a hurry.”
Will’s eyes lit with interest.
“It’s also stupid,” added his grandfather. “This is the main reason why wizards these days live such short, stunted lives.”
Will felt a strange sensation, as though he had relaxed a muscle, though it had nothing to do with his physical body. The candle flame returned to its normal size and at the same time his strange vitality vanished.
Arrogan held up his left hand. “Would you like to see what my flame looks like? Here.” A new flame appeared above his palm, though it was hardly deserving of the term. It was more of an ember, barely more than a speck of orange. After a few seconds, he let the illusion vanish. “Tiny, isn’t it? Some would say it’s hardly enough to sustain life, but controlling your flame is the secret to longevity—and power.
“Even in my day, many wizards would teach their apprentices simple magics first. Would you like to know why?”