Scholar of Magic (Art of the Adept #3) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,58

for you to learn how to make it smaller.”

“None of this makes sense,” Selene grumbled. “How long did this stage take you?”

Will thought about it for a moment, but he wasn’t certain. He counted fingers silently. “A year? Two years? I’m not sure.”

“A year! I can’t wait that long!” she exclaimed. “The last six months have been miserable.”

That caught his attention. “She didn’t use the candle spell on you until six months ago? She should have done that from the first day.”

“That was the first day,” confirmed Selene. “Six months ago.”

“It’s been a year, Selene,” he said softly.

She shook her head firmly. “No, it has only been six months. Trust me, I’ve been counting the days.”

“Look out the window.” He pointed. “Spring is here. This is the beginning of my second semester in my second year.”

“That can’t be right,” she muttered weakly, going to the window. “What’s the date?”

“It’s the third of Marta, in Earrach, the year 462 of the Terabinian calendar.”

Her face was ashen. “Are you sure? From my count it should still be Mean, of 461.”

Will chuckled. “And what calendar year is it where you’ve been staying?”

“That’s why I counted days, their calendar isn’t the same as ours—” she stopped suddenly, putting a hand in front of her mouth. “Forget I said that.”

“Well now that I know, I’ll have to ask Aislinn why—”

“Please! Don’t make things worse for me! You have no idea how she is.”

There was genuine fear in her eyes, and Will felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I wouldn’t. I only meant to tease you.”

She took a deep breath, then changed the subject. “Is there anything else you can tell me about what I’m supposed to be learning?”

He shook his head. “Not really. It isn’t as much something you learn with your head as with your body, so there’s not a shortcut.”

“At least I know she isn’t deliberately wasting my time. Why do you think Laina wanted my help?”

Will blinked, trying to shift mental gears. “I have no idea, except she didn’t think I could help her. It was you or no one.”

“It wasn’t necessarily capability,” opined his wife. “In fact, knowing Laina, it was probably a matter of trust. She doesn’t trust very many people.”

“Certainly not me.”

Selene’s expression turned sad. “That’s my fault. She blames you for my disappearance.”

“She didn’t like me before that,” countered Will. “Marrying you and then having you vanish only made it worse, but I think it’s better now. We were sort of getting along when I left her house.”

She brightened. “That’s good. Are you going to see them again?”

His face darkened. “Probably not. Our—their father doesn’t want me around.”

She kissed him forcefully, then stared in his eyes. “I’m going to fix all that when I’m done with this stupid training.”

“You can’t—” He was forced to stop as her finger pressed against his lips.

“I will,” she said firmly. “Believe in me.”

Will’s eyes began to well with tears. “Goddamnit,” he swore. “I didn’t want to be sad. We’ve only got a few minutes more.”

“Then let’s not waste them,” she suggested as her lips closed in on him again. When Aislinn opened the door a few minutes later, they were still in each other’s arms, locked in a quiet embrace. Will felt Selene’s grip tighten momentarily, then she reluctantly released him.

He struggled to do the same, then turned to face his grandmother. “So soon?”

“You’ve had as much time as I can give you. Find my daughter as quickly as you can. The slaughter will likely begin tonight. Be prepared,” she told him, gesturing to Selene to approach. “We must go.”

“Wait,” he protested. “What do you mean, ‘slaughter’?”

“The ring will explain.” Taking Selene’s hand, she led his wife from the room and closed the door behind them. Will rushed to follow, but when he opened the door, he saw no sign of them. He ran down the corridor,