Reyn shook his head. “I don’t want that kind of power.”

“But you already have it! You’ve already exercised it, willingly or not. You’ve shown you can impact people by using your magic. You’ve caused people to die! Even if you didn’t intend it, you can’t deny the fact. You command power enough to cause people to explode at the sound of your voice. If you chose to, you could cause them to wither like flowers. You need to accept this, and then you need to find a way to control it. Because sooner or later, it’s going to break free again. If you recognize how it works, you have a better chance of being able to manage it. And not through manipulating images, but through contact with actual people, working through your difficulties by discovering how they can be managed.”

The boy just stared at him for a moment, trying to take in what he was saying. “You’re talking about experimenting on people? Testing my magic on them?”

“That’s it exactly. That’s how you learn. Fortunately, we have the right subjects for you to test yourself against. Men and women who believe in testing themselves against others, although mostly against those who can’t fight back. Imagine their surprise when they come up against you.”

“The Red Slash.” He shook his head vehemently. “I won’t do it.”

“Oh, I think you will.”

“You promised me I wouldn’t have to kill anyone! You gave me your word!” Reyn felt a surge of desperation wash through him. “Did you lie to me about everything?”

Arcannen looked offended. “I lied to you about nothing. I’ve tried to help you. I’ve tried to teach you what having your magic requires of you. I’m still trying. We just need to advance your methods beyond make-believe.”

“But you promised! You said I wouldn’t have to kill anyone!”

“Did I say anything about you killing anyone? Are you listening to me or not? What I said was that you learn how to manage your magic through contact with real people, not through projecting images. I’m not asking you to hurt anyone.”

Reyn shook his head. “That was what you said the last time. Look what happened there! These are trained soldiers; they’ll have experience I don’t! They won’t let me do anything to them. They’ll get behind me or slip past me, and then they’ll kill me or I’ll have to kill them! They’ll come for me and you won’t be there!”

He was practically hysterical. He could feel his control over himself slipping; he was on the verge of crying, already shouting in dismay. He was beginning to shake. But Arcannen reached out, took him firmly by the shoulders, and held him fast.

“You won’t have to kill anyone—and I won’t let anyone harm you. I will be right there with you, standing at your side the whole time. We won’t be fighting our way through mist and darkness. We won’t have to deal with rabid beasts and wild-eyed predators of the sorts we encountered before. The Red Slash and Dallen Usurient are soldiers. They’ll come at us like soldiers, and we will treat them as such. But they must be made to face the consequences of their willful and egregious transgressions, Reyn. They can’t be allowed to get away with murdering an entire village of innocent people. We’re agreed on this, aren’t we?”

The boy nodded reluctantly. “We’re not agreed on how it should happen, though.”

“Listen to me.” He held a finger in front of Reyn’s nose. “You won’t have to hurt anyone. I promise you. I told you I wouldn’t ask that of you. What happened in Arbrox was unavoidable—an accident, an unfortunate turn of events. But that won’t be the case here. I will make sure of it. You just have to do what you’re told. Just this one last time. Then, maybe you’ll want to apprentice with me when this is finished—you and Lariana! Why not? I can teach you both about magic. I can train you.”

There was nothing at this point that Reyn Frosch wanted less, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Arcannen seemed to sense the boy’s reluctance. His mood turned dark again. “Don’t mistake the reality of our situation, boy. Don’t think your troubles will be over even after you’ve mastered your magic. The Druids will still be looking for you. The Federation will still try to hunt you down. You’ll always be a danger in their eyes, no matter how you change what happens with your gift. You frighten them. You are an aberration, and they want you gone. They’ve never stopped hunting me, so don’t expect that it will be any different with you.”

Reyn nodded slowly, mostly to show he understood, because he wasn’t at all convinced his situation was the same as Arcannen’s.

“Will you do as I tell you, then?” the other asked.

“You haven’t told me what it is you want me to do yet.”

“No, I haven’t, have I?” He gave a weary sigh. “But, really, I shouldn’t have to tell you. Not after what I’ve done for you. Not after all the help I’ve given you. It should be enough that I simply ask the favor.” He paused, his gaze hard and fixed. “So why don’t you just tell me you will do what I ask, and then I will tell you what it is.”

Reyn stared, confused. “Just tell you I’ll do it? Without knowing what it is?”

Arcannen nodded. “Yes, that’s it exactly. Demonstrate a little gratitude for once. Show a little faith. Go on.”

And if I don’t? he almost said. But something in the other’s look stopped him. “All right. I will do what you tell me.”

“Now, that wasn’t so painful, was it?” The sorcerer gave him a look. “You make everything so hard, even when things should be easy.”

He shook his head in a remonstrative gesture. “Lean forward.”

Reyn did so, stretching out over the table to meet the sorcerer halfway. As he did so, Arcannen placed an arm across his shoulders as he might have a child’s. And as if someone else might hear, he began whispering in the boy’s ear, revealing in detail exactly what was going to happen and what part Reyn was to play. As the whispered words filled his ears, the boy felt his horror grow by leaps and bounds, and he shuddered inwardly, fighting not to pull away in repulsion.

When Arcannen had finished, his smile was much wider and so frightening that the boy flinched at the sight of it. “Appalled, are we?” the other asked softly. “Hesitant, now that we’ve heard what’s intended?”

Reyn couldn’t make himself answer. He just stared at the sorcerer wordlessly.

“That’s why obedience is so important. That’s why I asked for your commitment first. That’s why I insisted you give it. So you wouldn’t be tempted to refuse me later.” He paused. “You’re not thinking of refusing me now, are you?”

Reyn shook his head, aware that any other answer would be a mistake. “No, I’m not refusing.”

Arcannen nodded. “That’s good. That’s very good. But if you should be tempted at any point to change your mind, think carefully before you do. You wouldn’t like what would happen if you crossed me.”

He rose, came around the table, and gave Reyn a clap on the back. “I have to go, make some preparations. I want you to rest and be ready for when its time. Dawn approaches. Think about what you need to do and how you will do it. Think about whatever mental preparations you should make. I need you to be strong for me when it’s time. I need you to be able to make your magic work.”

He crossed to the door and stopped, looking back. Reyn was still staring straight ahead and did not turn. “One last thing. About what I just said? If you change your mind on me, I will gut Lariana from neck to navel right in front of you.”

Then he was out the door and gone.

Deep within the abandoned Federation army barracks, Paxon and Avelene were examining the floor through which Lariana had disappeared. They kept crisscrossing the stonework, searching for the bolt-hole they knew must be there, but try as they might they could not find a trapdoor or even a hint of whatever magic had served to provide her with an escape.

Finally, after long minutes had passed and nothing had been gained, Avelene called a halt. “That’s enough. We’re not going to find anything. Lariana’s gone. Whatever magic was used to aid her, it’s sophisticated beyond anything I’ve seen. This has to be the sorcerer’s work.”