“Specific people. I also need to know how to get through any protective charms they’ve laid down.”

Crow extended his hand, and lines of flaming spellwork appeared on the stone wall of the tower. “That’s the incantation,” he said. “You need to speak it at each entrance to your room—doors and windows. Anchor it to your enemies with this line, using their hair, blood, or flesh.” More spellwork appeared. “Not only will this keep them out, but it will mark them so you can tell if they’ve tried to cross your threshold.”

“Mark them? How?” Han asked suspiciously.

Crow smiled crookedly. “Boils and pustules,” he said. “Lots. Now, here’s how to disable charms of protection they may have laid. It’s very versatile, and you don’t need to know what charms they used.” He reviewed more spellwork.

Han studied it over until he was sure he had it down. But the hard knot of suspicion in his stomach wouldn’t go away.

“I’m taking a big chance here,” he said. “If I snabble their rooms, and your charm doesn’t work, I’ll be in a world of trouble.” He waved his hand. “Show me something. I want to see you do magic in the real world.”

Crow thought for a moment, then said, “Fair enough. But we’ll have to leave Aediion in order to do that.” He walked straight toward Han. Han backed away, but he came up against the wall. The other wizard kept coming until he seemed to slide into Han, chilling his bones like an icy wind out of the Spirits.

“Now speak the charm to close the portal,” Crow said inside his head.

Han took hold of his amulet and spoke the charm.

Again, the passageway through the darkness.

Dancer looked up, startled, as Han opened his eyes. The slant of the light told Han he was back in Mystwerk Tower—the real one. He wore his regular clothes, the sling supporting his right arm. His collarbone throbbed, suddenly painful.

Dancer scrambled to his feet. “Hunts Alone! What happened? Why did you come back so soon?”

“This requires very little power, which is all you have,” Crow whispered in Han’s ear. “Use the same anchor charm with this one, too.”

Han’s fingers described a charm, and conjure words spilled out of his mouth as Crow spoke through him.

For a moment it seemed that nothing had happened. Then Han heard a rush of sound, thousands of tiny movements all around him. The walls of the belfry seemed to come alive, with bright eyes and whiskered faces and rodents’ teeth.

Rats and mice poured from every crevice and crack, swarming out onto the floor and rolling toward him like a furry gray sea capped with flickering wormlike tails.

Han heard a flapping sound overhead, and clouds of bats dropped from the highest reaches of the belfry, soaring down toward him, opening triangular mouths, exposing needle-sharp teeth.