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That reasoning made complete sense to me. “It was good to get to know ya, One of The Three. I’m sorry ya’re stuck here forever. It doesn’t seem fair.”

“I am not alone, Aran of The Dagda. My comrades are always with me... and now I have you to converse with. This is more life than I’ve had in times past.”

I rose carefully from the chair. My legs were like jelly, and I wavered on them. “Could ya help me get back? I’m not sure I can make it.”

He blew out a breath. “Well, I could help you, but you probably should do it on your own. It’s for the best. Please tell Connlander of the Fir Bolg hello for me. I appreciate the great care he took of the stone all these years. Tell him I finally believe he was right.”

“Right about what?” I asked.

One of The Three chuckled. “There’s no time to get into the details. It’s a very old matter between us, but he might want to know how much I have changed. Is he happy these days?”

“Yes,” I said. “Conn has fallen in love again. Mulan is a Wu Shaman.”

“Is she the strangely amusing woman you consider a friend?”

“Don’t ya already know what I think and feel for Mulan? She has people like ya powering her staff as well. A dragon mage explained things to me.”

His unconcerned shrug surprised me. I felt my eyebrows raise.

“I can see why you would think that we would know. But we know only what we need to know, and that amount varies from day to day. It is a concept you wouldn’t understand, but the primary effect works like short-term memory loss. In times of trouble, though, I can access those memories as if I thought of them every day. I just don’t walk around with them all the time.”

“Ya might be surprised by what I can understand,” I said to him with a smile. “The guardian—the watcher ya mentioned—he thinks I can’t understand him, but I know him better than he realizes. I don’t alwayslikehim, but I know him.”

My host pointed his finger. “Hurry now. Go back through the hallway. Don’t let any dead ends bother you. Beings of light pass through stone with no problems.”

Beings of light? Was that what I was?“Will I ever see ya again?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll be in touch. If you need me, simply tap on your chest. I have no choice except to respond. We have a contract with you and The Dagda. It is much like the one you made with the demon king.”

“Okay,” I said, limping away. Half of my body felt like it would never work again.

“Watch your head, Aran. Don’t beat it against the stone when you pass through it.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful,” I said as I hobbled back through the room with the other sleeping mages.

When I found the hallway walled up at the end, I sighed in frustration.

“I’m going home,” I said aloud, announcing my intentions.

Then, I made a run for the stone wall blocking my exit. I hit the wall, bounced off it, and found I hurt more physically than I ever imagined I could.

Then, suddenly, I got sucked up and passed right through.

I screamed at the same movement and sat up in bed with every cell in my body protesting the effort.

Rest, One of The Three ordered in his commanding voice.The recovery spell needs you to remain as still as possible. Stay in bed, stay still, and think healing thoughts.

Strong arms caught me in reality and gently pushed me back down on the pile of pillows under my head. “Where did you go?” Rasmus asked softly.

“I fell unconscious from the blood loss. I traveled astrally and met the mages who power the Dagda stone. Not all of them, though—just the one that is awake for all three of them. He doesn’t remember his old name. He calls himself One of The Three. He was pleasant enough but refused to help me get back here. I had to run through a stone wall to escape.”

“The void is not a tranquil place to be. It can be very confusing to someone who isn’t dead.”

“Is that where I was?”

Rasmus searched my face. “Do you not know where you went?”

Now, I was doubly confused. “No. I think I went there to ask if they could keep me from dying. One of The Three said he would regenerate me if necessary. He told me not to be afraid.”