And my body abruptly went numb and useless from my stomach down.
That scared the hell out of me and confirmed one of my worst fears. When I'd consented to serve Mab, my back had been broken, my spine damaged. Taking up the mantle had covered what would probably have been a crippling and long-term injury. But without it, my body was only mortal. Better than most at recovering over time, but still human. Without the mantle, I wouldn't have legs, bladder or bowel control, or, most important, independence.
I was on the ground like that for a subjective week, but it could have been only a few seconds before Thomas reached my side, with Murphy, Butters, and Molly right behind him. I knew they were there because I could see them, but their voices swam down to me from what seemed like a great distance among the cacophony of raking sensations scouring my nervous system. They lifted me to a sitting position-and then abruptly the pain was gone, and my legs started moving again, jerking in a single, gentle spasm.
The mantle had been restored.
"Okay," I said in a ragged voice. "Uh. Maybe we won't screw Winter Law."
"Harry," Thomas said, as if he'd said my name several times already. "What happened?"
"Uh," I said. "I think it's . . . a side effect. Fallout from defying the order of things."
"What?" he asked.
"Faeries," I said. "They're kind of insane, and mischievous, and dangerous as hell, but they all share one trait-they're good to their word. They obey what they recognize as law. Especially Mab."
"You aren't making much sense right now," Thomas said.
"The mantle of power comes from Mab. And now it's in me. But it's still a piece of her. If I go violating her own realm's laws, it looks like the mantle isn't going to have my back."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning I'd better figure out what the laws are pretty damned quick," I replied. "Help me up."
Thomas hauled me to my feet and I looked at Toot. "You know the Winter Law?"
"Well," Toot said as if I were an idiot, "of course."
"Where can I learn it?"
Toot tilted his head. "What?"
"Winter Law," I said. "Where can I learn it?"
"I don't understand," Toot said, tilting his head the other way.
"Oh, for the love of . . ." I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. "Toot. Can you read?"
"Sure!" Toot said. "I can read 'pizza' and 'exit' and 'chocolate'!"
"All three, huh?"
"Absolutely."
"You're a scholar and a gentleman," I said. "But where did you learn Winter Law?"
Toot shook his headas if mystified. "You don't learn it, Harry. You just . . . know it. Everyone knows it."
"I don't," I said.
"Maybe you're too big," Toot said. "Or too loud. Or, you know-too human."
I grunted. Then I eyed Hook, who had continued to sit in the same spot during the entire conversation. "So I've gone and made him my guest, eh?"
"Well. More like your vassal."
I frowned. "Uh? What?"
"That's what surrender is, duh," Toot said. "His life is yours to do with as you please. And as long as you don't starve him or make him an oathbreaker, you can tell him to do whatever you want. And if his liege wants him back, he has to pay you for him."
"Ah. Medieval-style ransom."
Toot looked confused. "He did run some, but I stopped him, my lord. Like, just now. In front of you. Right over there."
There were several conspicuous sounds behind me, the loudest from my apprentice, and I turned to eye everyone else. They were all either covering smiles or holding them back-poorly. "Hey, peanut gallery," I said. "This isn't as easy as I'm making it look."
"You're doing fine," Karrin said, her eyes twinkling.
I sighed.
"Come on, Toot," I said, and walked over to Hook.
The little faerie sat there, apparently ignoring me, which took considerable nerve. If I fell or stepped on him, it would be like a tree falling on a lumberjack. If I were trying to hurt him, physically, I could twist him up like Stretch Armstrong.
On the other hand, Hook was a faerie. It probably never even occurred to him that I might violate Mab's laws.
"The prisoner will stand and face the Za Lord!" Toot shrilled.
Hook obediently got up and turned to face me.
"Identify yourself, please," I said. "I don't want your Name. Just something to call you."
"By some I am called Lacuna," he replied.
"Suits me, Lacuna," I said. "Remove the helmet, please. I want to see who I'm supporting."
Lacuna reached up and removed the face-shrouding helmet.
She was gorgeous.
Fine black hair bound into a braid at least a foot long spilled down out of the helmet when she did. Her skin was paper white, her huge eyes black all the way through. There were small markings or tattoos of some kind in deep purple ink on her skin, but they shifted slightly as I watched, some fading from sight, others appearing. Her features were long and very lean. She had a straight razor's elegant, dangerous beauty.
Toot's jaw just about dropped off of his head. "Wow!"
"Hmmm," Karrin said. "That's the one who beat you up last night, is it?"
That scared the hell out of me and confirmed one of my worst fears. When I'd consented to serve Mab, my back had been broken, my spine damaged. Taking up the mantle had covered what would probably have been a crippling and long-term injury. But without it, my body was only mortal. Better than most at recovering over time, but still human. Without the mantle, I wouldn't have legs, bladder or bowel control, or, most important, independence.
I was on the ground like that for a subjective week, but it could have been only a few seconds before Thomas reached my side, with Murphy, Butters, and Molly right behind him. I knew they were there because I could see them, but their voices swam down to me from what seemed like a great distance among the cacophony of raking sensations scouring my nervous system. They lifted me to a sitting position-and then abruptly the pain was gone, and my legs started moving again, jerking in a single, gentle spasm.
The mantle had been restored.
"Okay," I said in a ragged voice. "Uh. Maybe we won't screw Winter Law."
"Harry," Thomas said, as if he'd said my name several times already. "What happened?"
"Uh," I said. "I think it's . . . a side effect. Fallout from defying the order of things."
"What?" he asked.
"Faeries," I said. "They're kind of insane, and mischievous, and dangerous as hell, but they all share one trait-they're good to their word. They obey what they recognize as law. Especially Mab."
"You aren't making much sense right now," Thomas said.
"The mantle of power comes from Mab. And now it's in me. But it's still a piece of her. If I go violating her own realm's laws, it looks like the mantle isn't going to have my back."
"Meaning what?"
"Meaning I'd better figure out what the laws are pretty damned quick," I replied. "Help me up."
Thomas hauled me to my feet and I looked at Toot. "You know the Winter Law?"
"Well," Toot said as if I were an idiot, "of course."
"Where can I learn it?"
Toot tilted his head. "What?"
"Winter Law," I said. "Where can I learn it?"
"I don't understand," Toot said, tilting his head the other way.
"Oh, for the love of . . ." I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. "Toot. Can you read?"
"Sure!" Toot said. "I can read 'pizza' and 'exit' and 'chocolate'!"
"All three, huh?"
"Absolutely."
"You're a scholar and a gentleman," I said. "But where did you learn Winter Law?"
Toot shook his headas if mystified. "You don't learn it, Harry. You just . . . know it. Everyone knows it."
"I don't," I said.
"Maybe you're too big," Toot said. "Or too loud. Or, you know-too human."
I grunted. Then I eyed Hook, who had continued to sit in the same spot during the entire conversation. "So I've gone and made him my guest, eh?"
"Well. More like your vassal."
I frowned. "Uh? What?"
"That's what surrender is, duh," Toot said. "His life is yours to do with as you please. And as long as you don't starve him or make him an oathbreaker, you can tell him to do whatever you want. And if his liege wants him back, he has to pay you for him."
"Ah. Medieval-style ransom."
Toot looked confused. "He did run some, but I stopped him, my lord. Like, just now. In front of you. Right over there."
There were several conspicuous sounds behind me, the loudest from my apprentice, and I turned to eye everyone else. They were all either covering smiles or holding them back-poorly. "Hey, peanut gallery," I said. "This isn't as easy as I'm making it look."
"You're doing fine," Karrin said, her eyes twinkling.
I sighed.
"Come on, Toot," I said, and walked over to Hook.
The little faerie sat there, apparently ignoring me, which took considerable nerve. If I fell or stepped on him, it would be like a tree falling on a lumberjack. If I were trying to hurt him, physically, I could twist him up like Stretch Armstrong.
On the other hand, Hook was a faerie. It probably never even occurred to him that I might violate Mab's laws.
"The prisoner will stand and face the Za Lord!" Toot shrilled.
Hook obediently got up and turned to face me.
"Identify yourself, please," I said. "I don't want your Name. Just something to call you."
"By some I am called Lacuna," he replied.
"Suits me, Lacuna," I said. "Remove the helmet, please. I want to see who I'm supporting."
Lacuna reached up and removed the face-shrouding helmet.
She was gorgeous.
Fine black hair bound into a braid at least a foot long spilled down out of the helmet when she did. Her skin was paper white, her huge eyes black all the way through. There were small markings or tattoos of some kind in deep purple ink on her skin, but they shifted slightly as I watched, some fading from sight, others appearing. Her features were long and very lean. She had a straight razor's elegant, dangerous beauty.
Toot's jaw just about dropped off of his head. "Wow!"
"Hmmm," Karrin said. "That's the one who beat you up last night, is it?"
