Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,193

threatened to overwhelm him, but there was only one thing he could do—hold onto Tailtiu and hope they would reach the next congruence quickly. Despite the strange sensations and intense pain, Will couldn’t help but notice how heavy his body felt. Not only that, but Tailtiu’s steps seemed to strike the ground with uncommon force.

And then it was over. He struggled to draw air into his wounded lungs. His throat was swollen to the point that air could scarcely pass, and when he opened his eyes the world was a red mess. He couldn’t hear anything either.

Trying to stay calm, Will dismissed the iron-body spell and summoned Dinner and a regeneration potion from the limnthal. He felt Tailtiu take the puppy and then wasted no time drinking the potion. For once, his mouth and throat were in such bad shape that he didn’t even mind the foul taste.

A minute later, his eardrums had healed, and he could hear his aunt speaking. “You should see yourself. There’s blood coming from your eyes and ears, and when you open your mouth you look like a fish.”

His response came with a thick lisp, as his tongue was still returning to its normal size. “That was worse than I expected.”

That turned out to be the worst part of the journey. Over the next half hour, they passed through four other planes, one of which had them underwater for more than ten minutes. Will was able to handle that one easily with a water-breathing spell, and the other three planar shifts were merely annoying in comparison.

The last part of their journey through Faerie was familiar to him, and Tailtiu stopped before they got too close to the last congruence point that would take him home. They were on a grassy plain again, close to the cave that was the goddamn cat’s lair within Faerie. “I can go no farther,” his aunt told him.

Will nodded. “I’ll call you when I’m ready, and we can meet here. I hope it will be just a day or two.”

She nodded, but when Will turned to go, Tailtiu spoke once more. “I should warn you.”

He looked back, his expression questioning.

“My stepfather is planning something.”

Stepfather? Will was confused for a moment. Oh, Elthas, the Forest Lord. “What does it involve?” he asked.

“I don’t know, and if I did, I have a feeling he would forbid me to tell you,” she replied.

“You have debts to him?”

She nodded. “Even more than those that Mother traded you.”

“None of them bind you anymore, though,” Will pointed out.

“He isn’t aware,” said Tailtiu. “However, defying a debt to one of my people isn’t a thing to consider.”

He raised one brow. “But it doesn’t bother you to do so with me?”

“Your lifespan is limited. In the end, you are only human,” she answered sincerely. “I am also aware that you are unlikely to seek to redress my wrongs against you. My people are different. Even if I can break the fundamental rules of my existence, they cannot. Were I to refuse to honor a debt, they would never rest until the payment had been made.”

“Would they kill you?”

“Only if I was lucky,” she replied. “My kind have different views on punishment. Betraying my stepfather would merit the worst torment, for as long as my people continue to exist.”

Will’s eyes widened. “Forever?”

Tailtiu nodded. “Interesting, isn’t it? Since our last conversation regarding good and evil, right and wrong, and my newfound freedom, I’ve done a lot of thinking. Before my change, I envied your kind their freedom. It seemed to me that one could do anything if you weren’t bound by iron rules, but now I’m beginning to understand that that really isn’t the case. I have some small choices I can make now—teasing you, or refusing your commands—but in all my choices that matter, nothing has changed. Mother says I’m an abomination, but in reality, my freedom is little more than a cruel illusion.”

He was shocked by the depth of her thought on the matter. Will had never considered his aunt to be a particularly serious thinker, but once again she surprised him. Years before, he would have been silent, unable to respond, but those days were long gone. His own experiences and trials had given him strong opinions on the topic. “Don’t make light of what you’ve gained. It’s true that often our choices seem insignificant, or too limited to have any meaning, but don’t be fooled. Your ability to choose still exists, whether you exercise it or