Scholar of Magic (Art of the Adept #3) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,166

and all that. No offense to you though, Will, still being a commoner, you probably wouldn’t understand.”

Will smirked. “None taken. So, do you want to hear what I intend to do?”

“Not really. If it’s so uncertain you have to share it with me then it probably isn’t very good. You might shake my confidence in you.”

“Are you done yet?”

“I’m out of ideas.”

“We’re going to steal the relic I was talking about a little while ago.”

“Yeah, I understood that part already,” said Tiny. “What’s the plan?”

“Well, that’s it really. I’ll sneak into the basement of the artifice building and use a few spells to spring it from where they’ve got it locked up. Then we clear out.”

Tiny was moving his hand in quick circles in front of him. “And then?”

“Then I’ll figure out how to use the relic. Hopefully once I know what sort of spells Ethelgren used, I’ll have a better idea of what we can do to stop all this.” Will waved his hands around to indicate the world in general.

“That isn’t much of a plan.”

Will nodded. “No, I suppose it isn’t. Do you have anything better?”

“We go to the king and report everything we know. With his authority and the men and resources at his disposal, not to mention the advice of his military advisors, I’m fairly certain he could do something significant.”

Just the thought of Lognion sent chills through Will and sparked phantom pains in the muscles of his back. “No good. The king whipped me half to death just a few days ago.”

Tiny stopped walking, his face blank. Will pulled up and watched him carefully. After a moment he noticed that the tips of the warrior’s ears were turning red. “You should have told me that, Will,” said his friend, his voice tense.

“We haven’t had a lot of time to talk since you got here. Are you all right?”

His friend was taking deep breaths. “Not particularly. You know I’ve been whipped twice myself.”

Both times because of me, thought Will.

“Did he have a reason of any kind?”

“Not really. He was threatening Laina for hiring an assassin, but in the end, it was mainly an excuse to take his frustration out on me, because I wouldn’t tell him where Selene was.” As he spoke, he saw a multitude of strange emotions crossing Tiny’s features. “Tiny, what’s wrong?”

“You know, I like how things have gone for me lately,” said his friend. Then he waved his arms in a circle. “Not the past few days, obviously, but I mean being a squire. Since joining the army I’ve gained a sense of purpose. I have friends, comrades, and we’re serving a higher purpose, protecting Terabinia—and serving the king. If I really start to believe the king is an evil bastard, that all sort of falls apart for me.”

Will was mildly shocked, not just at the big man’s convictions, but the amount of thought he had already put into them. He knew Tiny was a smart man, but his size still disarmed people. Always remember, he’s big, not dumb. “It’s always complicated, Tiny. Even if the king is a monster, which he surely is, the army still serves a noble purpose. Until he orders you to do something that directly contradicts your conscience, I don’t think you should fret over it.”

“Oh, I’ll fret all I want. Until I know exactly what to do in such a situation,” said Tiny. “For now, let’s stick to your stupid plan.”

***

A few minutes later, they were looking at the front entrance of the Artifice building. Will was familiar with the place, though he’d never been in its basement. He’d already put a silent-armor spell on his clothing, and he had a chameleon spell, a sleep spell, and an unlocking spell ready and prepared. He was fairly confident he wouldn’t have any significant problems.

“You just want me to wait out here?”

“I already know the place. You don’t. I’m a student, you aren’t. Plus, it’s easier to sneak around alone. If anything goes wrong, I’ll put them to sleep and