licked his lips involuntarily. Closing his eyes, he remembered his grandfather. What would the old man say if he was here now? Then he asked, “Did you offer this to him too?”
His grandmother flinched, then withdrew her finger. “Never.”
“Why not?”
She sighed. “In the early days, I still loved him, and his hatred of my husband was always too great.”
“Why did you marry Elth—?” Will stopped, for Aislinn had placed her uninjured hand over his mouth.
“Don’t say his name or even my skills will not suffice to hide this meeting place from him,” warned his grandmother. He nodded and she withdrew her hand. “I did it to save his life.” Then she glanced at Tailtiu. “Though if I had known of the unborn life in my womb, I might have chosen differently.”
According to the myths Will had grown up hearing, Aislinn was the goddess of magic. While it was obvious that those stories weren’t strictly true, it made him wonder. He had seen his grandfather face down Elthas in the fae-lord’s own realm. If she had been Arrogan’s teacher, could she be any less powerful? “Do you fear him?” asked Will.
Aislinn laughed. “Not his power. The fae are bound by rules. I fear my oath. To save your grandfather’s life, I pledged my service to the Lord of the Hunt. I cannot disobey him.
“I was naïve in thinking all he would take was my life. After I accepted his bargain, he took me as his wife. Knowing the dangers of the fae realm, I refused to eat, but it was not food or blood that he used to change me. For years he tortured me with pleasures too great for human flesh to endure. It was a relief when my heart finally disappeared and even my memories could no longer bring me pain.”
As Will listened, the implications of her story began to sink in, rendering him speechless. No wonder the old man hated Elthas so much. Arrogan’s wife had given everything to save her husband, and he had probably blamed himself for what happened to her. And now he’s dead.
Aislinn watched his face carefully, as though she might read his thoughts. “Don’t pity me. I am beyond sorrow now. Let my tale be a warning to you, William Cartwright, as you deal with the fae—as you deal with me. Make a mistake and I could do the same to you.”
“No,” said Will, meeting her eyes evenly. “You’ve already helped me. My mistake with the bargain earlier, Tailtiu’s kiss, both of those things were done on purpose. You’re not the same as Elt—as him.”
“Such thoughts will lead to your doom,” said Aislinn. “Now, I have answered some of your questions, spoken and unspoken. Answer mine. Did you see how he died?”
Casting his eyes downward, Will nodded. “He saved me, as well as my mother and my cousin. Soldiers came to my house, along with a sorcerer.” He went on to explain everything he had seen, but he stopped short when it came to his grandfather’s final moment, telling her only that the old man had removed the spell-cage within him.
“Did he give you something else?” asked his grandmother, her eyes boring into him.
Unsure what to say, Will looked away. He still didn’t know what the spell was that his grandfather had given him, but it felt like a secret he shouldn’t share.
“He did,” declared Aislinn. “You passed the trials. He wouldn’t have died without giving it to you.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” said Will, stumbling over his words. “He was only beginning to teach me. I’ve only just learned the runes. I can’t even cast a spell yet.”
“Careful, William. Honest answers, remember? Break our bargain and no hidden sentiment will prevent me from extracting a penalty from you—a penalty you do not want to pay,” she warned him. “I know the way he taught you, because I was the one who taught him. If he taught you the runes then you had already passed the trials. Show me the seal.”
“I don’t even know what it is,” admitted Will, “or how to show it to you.”
Grabbing his right hand, she pulled it toward her in a grip that seemed made of iron. “I cannot take it from you unwillingly,” said his grandmother. “I can only examine it. Think of it and it will appear.”
As soon as she suggested it, the spell-construct rose from his palm.
“He never changed it,” said Aislinn, her voice dropping to a whisper. If Will hadn’t known better, he