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Azura looked up, a glass of red wine in one hand, a book in the other. It was late, far later than she would normally stay awake. But dreams had chased her from her sleep, and she’d just needed to be sure.

“And?” Azura asked as Leto drifted into the kitchens, her soft blue light bouncing off pots and pans and glass-lined cupboards.

“We are still on schedule,” Leto replied, her voice low and soothing. The woman had always been an unwavering force of calm, even in life. “They will be here within the week.”

Azura closed her book, sighing as that coil of dread that had been slowly tightening around her chest since the moment she awoke finally began to ease.Thank goodness, she thought. Taly was a strange one—the timelines were always tangling around her, getting so snarled it was hard to make sense of anything.

It was absolutely infuriating. Made trying to divine the future with any sort of accuracy nearlyimpossible.If that girl knew just how many of my plans are starting to come together…or the consequences if they fail…

She wouldn’t still be complaining about those pistols or that damned dagger. A time mage couldn’t dream without the proper tethers. She should know that.

Azura let out another soft sigh as she rose from the table, plastering on a smile and pushing back the ever-present exhaustion. It would do little good to let the others see how this place was beginning to wear on her.

“What a relief,” she chirped, but from the way Leto tilted her head, she knew she’d used just a tad too much enthusiasm. “I just love it when a plan comes together, don’t you?”

“If I may, Majesty?” Leto’s light dimmed in that telltale way Azura had come to identify as worry.

“Yes, of course,” Azura said. “Speak freely.”

“This plan is quite dangerous,” Leto said without missing a beat.

“I’m aware.”

“For Lady Caro.”

“Yes.”

“And Lord Emrys.”

“I know.”

“And for all of us here.” Leto paused. “Including you. Are you sure this is going to play out the way you intend?”

Azura glanced down at the book on the table—Taly’s journal. She made it a habit to review the girl’s dreams. They were often bloody and full of terror, and it was getting harder and harder to dissuade her from seeing the truth inthem. There were things she couldn’t know yet. For her own good.

“I’m not sure,” Azura said softly, letting her fingers graze the leather. “I’ve never coddled my students, but this…”

This would be one of the cruelest things she’d ever done.

Azura took a breath, steadying herself. “It’s the right decision,” she said, looking to Leto, her oldest and dearest friend. “Skylen must die. It’s the only way we’ll ever know if she’s ready.”

Chapter 26

-An excerpt from the Arylaan Times

Coming on the heels of last week’s controversial victory at the Pytchdrive Worlds Championship, time mages will no longer be allowed to compete at the professional level.

“This decision has been a long time coming,” Interspecies Pytchdrive Federation (ISPF) Commander Sterling Roe said. “Even with the special regulations put in place for time mages, their magic gives them an unfair advantage.”

The ISPF has not made any accusations regarding the Worlds Championship game, though foul play is still suspected. While a time mage’s skills allow them to assess the field, predict an opponent’s actions, it has not been confirmed whether the current Pytchdrive format would allow for a 623-point score within a 4.2-second period.

As one commentator noted, “Time mages are a bunch of cheats. The whole lot of them.”

To which Queen Raine responded directly, “That is accurate, yes.”

The orange glow of dawn brightened the long oval windows, and even the fairies that liked to haunt the upper floors of the palace library hushed their tinkling laughter, watching the light stretch towards the sky.

Taly yawned and turned the page. The bookshelves were dusty, and the floating platforms that would take her to the highest shelves had been grounded. The crystals in the reading lamps flickered, making the light dim and inconsistent. The entire area was rundown and just a little grimy, and yet this forgotten corner on the 32ndfloor of the main library had become her sanctuary. She had always loved the smell of books, the whisper of paper. Although the palace boasted dozens upon dozens of libraries—most hidden away in their own little pockets of spacetime—this one was her favorite.