Scholar of Magic (Art of the Adept #3) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,201

he would have some explaining to do later, since several of them had almost certainly recognized him, or rather his body, as Arrogan sent them hurtling along. They reached the Alchemy building in record time and the disk slowly descended to the ground. When the spell was dismissed, it felt apart, leaving an ugly pile of crumbling stones and mortar on the walk. Will hoped no one noticed who had made the mess.

Back inside, they breezed past Lawrence with a quick series of hellos, and then they were up the stairs, heading for Will’s rented laboratory. Despite his anxiety, Will was relieved to see that Tiny was still there, safe and sound, sleeping on the floor.

“Holy Mother! Look at the size of him,” exclaimed Arrogan on seeing the slumbering squire. “This is your friend, Tiny?”

Laina nodded.

“The name is a little misleading, don’t you think? What do they feed him? A few more soldiers like him in the army and the kingdom will be bankrupt.”

Will felt himself beginning to prickle like a hedgehog. He wasn’t fond of people making fun of Tiny’s size. “Mind your tongue when I wake him,” he warned.

“Why? Is he violently disposed?”

He glared at his mentor. “No. He’s one of the kindest, most intelligent, thoughtful, and genuinely sincere people I have ever known. I won’t have you insulting him.”

“Wow. So he’s your complete opposite. Perhaps you two should consider making your relationship more public! I’m sure Selene would love that.”

Will and Laina growled synchronously.

Arrogan ignored them, but a thoughtful look came over his face. “I’m not going to get to see Selene, am I?” He dipped his head at Laina. “It was nice seeing your face, Miss Nerrow, and Tiny’s too. I hear about everyone through Will, and sometimes I get to hear conversations directly, but I haven’t had any faces to associate with the names.”

The sudden change in tone caught both Will and Laina off-guard, and Will felt a sudden surge of sadness as his eyes grew misty.

Arrogan winked. “Don’t go soft on me now, asshole. Let’s wake him up.” He turned away and began shaking Tiny’s shoulder.

Tiny woke with a start, scrambling back against the wall as his eyes took in the scene, and he tried to figure out what had happened. From his perspective, they had been just beginning to fight a moment ago. His eyes locked onto Laina’s dress, noting the dirt and damage. Then he glared at Arrogan. “What did you do?”

Will spoke first. “Tiny, it’s me! That’s Arrogan in my body currently.”

Tiny stared at him, then Arrogan, then he closed his eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”

“An hour, maybe two?” offered Will.

“When you say, ‘it’s me,’ you put a certain emphasis on it. Should I infer that you mean you’re someone other than Miss Nerrow?”

Arrogan began to chuckle while Will and Laina struggled to explain the bizarre twist of fate that had led to their current situation. Tiny remained calm throughout, asking pertinent questions now and again to help him understand. Will couldn’t help but admire the big man’s aplomb. He doubted he would have been so rational if the situation were reversed.

“So what do we do?” asked Tiny at last.

Arrogan took over from there. “First, Will must remove himself from Laina and return to his proper flesh. Once that’s done, I’ll talk him through the process of resuming control of his body.”

“Is it that difficult?” asked Laina.

Arrogan nodded. “Ethelgren is still in here, locked away in the same fashion he had Will trapped. When I return to my own place, he will be freed, and they’ll have to start their battle for supremacy over again.”

Will was dubious about his prospects, but Laina was thoroughly dismayed. “He already lost once! You think he can win this time?”

Thanks for the vote of confidence, observed Will.

Hush, I’m worried about you, she snapped without a trace of shame. A phrase like that would have deeply embarrassed her just two hours before.

“How do I extract myself?” asked Will.

“How did you get out of