off quickly, and in a very short time the sorcerer’s body was reduced to a pile of smoldering greasy ashes. Then the elemental faded away. Will was glad to see it gone, but the smell of burnt flesh and hair that lingered after was something he would never forget.
Will climbed through the window, then stood on the porch, uncertain, trying to absorb everything he had seen and heard, but he snapped out of his reverie as his grandfather slowly sank to the ground. At first, he thought perhaps the old man was merely exhausted, but something about the way Arrogan cradled his stomach made him think otherwise.
Then he spotted one of the crossbowmen at the edge of the forest. The man had snuck back at some point and was kneeling with his weapon aimed at Arrogan. Before Will knew what he was doing, he began running at the crossbowman, waving his staff and shouting to try and distract him.
Startled by Will’s mad charge, the crossbowman jerked and fired, then he raised his weapon to ward off a blow from Will’s staff.
Will let him catch the first swing with the crossbow, then shifted his grip and thrust the staff’s end into the man’s face. That effectively ended the fight, but he bludgeoned the crossbowman several more times to make certain before running to his grandfather’s side.
“I knew you didn’t have the sense to stay out of it,” said the old man, holding his stomach with one hand. Will could see the end of a crossbow quarrel sticking out between his fingers, and the front of his grandfather’s tunic was soaked with blood.
“Lie down,” said Will. “I’ll get Mom’s tools. We have to get that out and stitch you up.”
Arrogan shook his head. “Don’t bother. I’m dead already.” He looked at the bodies around him and chuckled. “Those fools were too dumb to realize it. If they’d backed off and waited a bit, I wouldn’t have been able to stop them.”
Will was still numb from seeing his aunt and cousin die. It felt as though he had no tears left to cry. “You’re still talking, so there’s hope. I just wish I had seen the crossbowman sooner. This is my fault.”
“Nah,” said his grandfather. “This wasn’t from him. He missed after you startled him. This was from the first volley. One of them shot before the command to fire. I wasn’t ready.”
Will started for the house. “Let me get Mom’s kit.”
Arrogan stopped him with a word. “It hit an artery, Will. I’ve been bleeding through the whole fight. My heart stopped before I killed that jackass over there.” He jerked his thumb toward the still smoking remains of the sorcerer. “I’m dead. It’s pure stubborn will and magic keeping my blood moving.”
Will shook his head in denial. “That can’t be. You’re going to be fine,” he insisted. “Don’t joke about this.”
“Shut up,” said the old man. “I don’t have time for this. Listen. The house is yours, but my room is locked. Give me your hand.”
As his grandfather spoke, Will could see the old man’s turyn shift, growing weaker. When he reached out, Arrogan took his hand and touched his palm. A shining pattern appeared in the air above it and then sank into the skin. It burned for a second before fading away. “Ow,” said Will reflexively. “What was that?”
Arrogan ignored his question, focusing instead on Will’s chest. He placed one shaking finger on Will’s breast, just above his heart, and Will felt the spell-cage within him dissolve. “Almost forgot to take that off,” said his grandfather with a weak grin. “You’d have been cussing me for years if I had left that there.”
He’s really dying, Will realized, and he felt his heart break all over again. In the span of less than an hour, he would have lost almost half the people he cared about. New tears began to well in his eyes. “This can’t be happening,” he whispered.
“Life’s a bitch, William,” said his grandfather. “Sorry I couldn’t finish teaching you, but you have to…” His eyes closed, and his words trailed off.
“Nooo,” moaned Will, his voice beginning to crack. “You can’t do this.”
Arrogan’s eyes opened again. “The goddamn cat,” he said softly.
“Yes?” responded Will, blinking to clear his eyes.
“Don’t piss him off. Make sure to read my—”
His grandfather didn’t finish his sentence, although Will waited several minutes, refusing to move. When he had finally given up hope, he lifted the old man’s head and torso, squeezing them against his