“I thought you were immortal?”
“In the fae realm,” she whispered without opening her eyes. “Here the connection is too weak. You shredded my insides and exhausted my power. If I don’t go back, I’ll die.”
Something occurred to him then. “Would it help if I gave you some of my turyn? Like before—?”
“I’m too weak. It would only make me sicker,” she answered.
The only entrances to the fae realm that Will knew about were in the vicinity of his grandfather’s house. It would take the rest of the day to reach either of those—longer since he had to avoid the road. “It will take a while to get you back,” he told her. “How long can you last?”
“There’s a place close to here,” she replied softly. Tailtiu lifted her arm to point toward the south, and Will couldn’t help but notice the tremor in her muscles. “That way.”
Lifting her again, Will began walking. He began to wonder at his own stamina. He had been at the end of his rope the night before and he still hadn’t eaten or had a proper rest, yet he felt no hunger. His body was tired, but when he drew in more turyn and focused it, the fatigue in his arms and legs all but vanished. He could only think that Tailtiu’s healing had done more than cure his frostbite.
As the sun rose toward the middle of the sky, he noticed that his vision seemed better as well. In the past, things at a distance had always been slightly blurry, but everything was razor-sharp now. He could see the flows of turyn more easily as well, though his grandfather had told him that that would improve naturally over time.
“Did you do something to my eyes?” he asked as he went.
“You asked me to heal you,” answered his aunt, her voice sounding raspy and faint.
“There wasn’t anything wrong with my eyes.”
“They weren’t quite round enough,” she responded.
Will wasn’t sure why that mattered. He thought about what she had said for several minutes, then asked, “So you fixed everything you thought was wrong?”
She smiled faintly in his arms. “Who knew humans had so many flaws? I fixed as much as I could—before you tried to kill me.”
The first thing that came to mind was his cheek. The scar there had bothered him for years, though he rarely admitted it. “What about my face?” he asked, since his hands were full and he couldn’t check.
“You went berserk before I could,” said Tailtiu. “Besides, it isn’t so bad. It makes you look a little sinister.”
Will didn’t really agree with that assessment, but there was no point in arguing. It was then that he noticed a strange movement in the turyn flows ahead. Coming closer, he realized it must be the congruence she had been referring to. It was definitely easier for him to spot them now. He wondered if there was a connection between his physical sight and his magical sight. Could one have improved the other, or were the two entirely separate?
He stopped next to the congruence and Tailtiu spoke before he could ask. “You’ll have to take me across,” she said.
Will started to, but she shook her head. “Wait. The place this touches is dangerous for you. It’s very close to the Lord of the Hunt’s home. Leave me there and return as quickly as you can. I will find you once I am recovered.”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to do that. I feel bad already for what happened to you.”
“Three days, William,” she responded, her voice firm. “My service isn’t done.”
Will nodded, then moved forward. Standing in the right spot, he could see both worlds at once in a sort of double vision. Moving sideways in that odd way that he had done once before, he took them to Faerie.
As before, the other side was very similar to his own world, though the colors seemed brighter and the turyn in the air was much more concentrated. Taking a couple of steps, he knelt and eased Tailtiu to the ground.
“Who are you?”
Will froze at the sound of the stranger’s voice, then slowly turned his head. A man stood not far away, though perhaps the term ‘man’ was a bit generous. The fae had small horns sprouting from his skull, and though he wore no armor he carried a long, deadly-looking spear in his hands. It didn’t have a metal point, but the tip was carved bone or horn of some sort.
The man pointed it at him with the confidence of someone who knows what he’s about, and the abundance of muscles in the fae man’s arms and chest only served to underscore the danger. Will and the stranger stared at each other for several long seconds without saying anything.
The guardian’s eyes fell on Tailtiu and he hissed. “What did you do to her?”
What do I do? Will had no idea, but past experience had given him one role model. He straightened up slowly, keeping his hands relaxed and away from his weapon. There was no need to tempt fate. Grinning slowly, he made sure to angle his face so the stranger could see the scar on his cheek. Maybe looking sinister will help. “She displeased me,” he said coldly.
The fae soldier’s eyes narrowed angrily. “You dare?” When Will took a step toward the congruence, the fae threatened him with the spear. “Don’t move.”
Keeping his eyes cool, Will responded, “Don’t interfere with our bargain, or your fate will be worse.”
The horned man studied Will’s face, focusing on a point just above his eyes. “You’ve been marked.” His features showed uncertainty. “Who are you?” he challenged, regaining his resolve.
“Abelund, don’t,” warned Tailtiu from her position on the ground. “He’ll destroy you.”
“My name is not for your lips,” said Will arrogantly, warming up to his role. “You need only know that I am Arrogan’s student. If that name means nothing to you, I will be glad to teach you one of his…lessons.”
The fae soldier took a step back, and before he could say anything else Will stepped into the congruence and shifted back to his own world. Once there, he drew his sword and waited. If one of the fae followed, he would see just how effective iron really was against them.
A quarter of an hour passed before he relaxed. The adrenaline had worn off, and his body began to shake as the stress of all that he had been through sank into him. I never should have left home, he thought. Mom was right. A few seconds later, he chuckled nervously. Damn, I was cool, though. Even Grandfather would have been impressed.
In his mind he could almost hear the old man’s reply. Yeah, I was always impressed—by what a witless dumbass you are.
It was late afternoon already, and Will’s need for rest was starting to make itself known to him again, but he didn’t want to sleep near the congruence point, so he headed north again. After thirty minutes he stopped and decided to make a fire. The forest was thick enough that there were still plenty of areas that hadn’t received much snow beneath the boughs, and he was able to find enough dry grass and small twigs to kindle a flame.
He was far enough from Barrowden that he hoped whatever smoke rose from the trees wouldn’t be noticeable. Even so, he stuck to using deadwood and avoided fuel that would tend to smoke a lot, such as leaves or greenwood. Once he had a good bed of coals, he used a spit to roast the meat he had brought. It wasn’t until the first bite that he understood just how hungry he really was. His appetite came flooding back to him, and he wound up roasting the rest of the meat and two carrots before he felt full. All he had left now was dried peas.