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Long, ivory staircases reached into infinity, spiraling up among countless rows of books that contained more secrets than could ever be learned in a single lifetime. There were comfortable seating areas scattered about, and the reading rooms were still stacked with journals and papers, as if the librarians had only just stepped out and would be back presently.

Over 100 floors of unlearned knowledge. Over 100 floors of forgotten alcoves and darkenedcorners where neither the Queen nor Leto would be able to find her.

Even the fairies left her alone when she was “studying,” always hovering around the periphery, always curious, but polite enough to stay out of sight.

Taly stared at the page, the words and letters blurring together. Sometimes, if she tuned out the chirps of the fairies that floated listlessly through the stacks, she could almost pretend she was back at the Harbor Manor library. This one had the same feel. The silence was heavy but comfortable, completely free of expectation. The outside world and its problems had no power here. It was a place to justbe.

And the only place she would allow herself to just sit and think of home.

There were so many things she missed, things that almost made her glad for the year she’d spent as a salvager, if only because it had prepared her for the times when the longing would suddenly sneak up on her. Sitting in the kitchen while Eliza cooked breakfast, walking through the gardens with Sarina, smoking cigars with Ivain—those were some of the things she missed the most. She even missed the way Skye would tug on her hair just because he knew it irritated her.

Calcifer bumped his head against her leg from underneath the table, and she reached down to idly pet him. He was still getting bigger, and Azura said that he would get larger still. His head came up to her hip when he was standing, the tips of his ears reaching to her breast. His canines were the length of her palm, and his tail was long enough to swing over the edge of the table, swatting at the pocket watch she’d placed near the edge.

“Is it time to go?” she asked him, finding a particularly itchy spot that made his leg start to twitch. He gave an annoyed huff when she removed her hand to reach for the watch. “It seems it is. Thank goodness one of us was paying attention.”

With a sigh, Taly closed the book in front of her with a thud, sneezing when a plume of dust puffed into the air. A wave of her hand sent the scattered piles of books and papers that littered the desktop flying through the air, each individual item rewinding through time and neatly re-shelving itself with a hiss and a thump. She felt the slightest drain on her aether, but after countless hours of meditation, her body was already compensating for the loss.

There was a part of her now that was always keenly aware of just how much aether she had left, how quickly her reserves were regenerating, and how either of those two variables could affect her spellcasting ability at any given moment. It was like another sense, as crucial to her now as sight or scent or sound. She wasn’t sure how she had lived her entire life without it.

Gathering up a small pack and slinging it over her shoulder, Taly began wandering through the stacks, Calcifer loping beside her. His feather and fur-tipped wings dragged behind him, as did the leash that was hooked to his new golden collar. He was too big now to stay cooped up in her tower all day, so Azura had started letting Taly take him out for daily walks. After all these months, the Queen still insisted that he was going to kill them all, but the leash seemed to make her feel better.

At the end of every row, the dust on the shelf was streaked: one line for left, two for right, threeto go straight, and a dot to switchback. She’d come up with the system shortly after she’d arrived at the palace—it was always good to have some place to hide those things you didn’t want found—and she followed the marks, occasionally dragging her finger through the dust if she saw a line that was beginning to fade.

After several minutes, she arrived at her destination. The bookcase was identical to the thousands of others inside the library—old and dusty, stuffed from end to end with books bound in leather, paper, even wood and sometimes gold. She had to climb a nearby ladder to reach the top, count three spots to the left of center, and—

There, Taly thought, using a finger to tug the old book of mortal fables from where it was wedged between two other books on the same subject. The inside had been hollowed out, and she smiled as she began stuffing the contents into her bag.

She’d been working on her plan for weeks now, slowly gathering materials and hiding them away. She’d have to work quickly and quietly, avoiding detection and making sure to slip back into bed before Leto came to fetch her. It was a risk, but if she succeeded…

Taly’s grin widened. Azura had told her that if she wanted to beat the fairies, she’d have to get creative. And that’s exactly what she planned to do.

She was tired of playing that damned game. Tired of losing. Tired of knowing that it wasn’t a fair fight.

Today, however—today, she was finally going to win.

“Are you ready?”

It was a beautiful afternoon—warm and sunny, with just the right amount of breeze to ward off the summer heat. Each cloud, each subtle variant of color, each golden ray of sun was exactly the same as it had been the day before and would be the day after.

Beautiful. Picturesque.

Stifling.

What she wouldn’t do for a little snow. Or maybe a hurricane. Even a tornado. She wasn’t picky. Any violent force of nature capable of sweeping in and wiping the board clean would do.

“Yes,” Taly called back, giving the Queen a lazy smile. She rocked back and forth on her heels, listening to the dirt crunch underfoot as she scanned the perimeter of the training yard.

Another day, another game of tag.

Shards, she hoped this worked.

Azura sat in her usual seat wearing her usual regalia, sipping at her usual cup of tea. “Are you sure?” she asked, crinkling her brow. “You don’t look ready.”

Taly stuffed her hands in her pockets. It was a fair assessment. Usually, she would be checking her weapons, making sure that the shadow crystals were fully charged and probably taking up position next to the tree where her back would be protected for the first few minutes of the game.

But today—today, she stood dead center, no weapon in her hands. Instead of trousers and armor, she’d chosen a thin pair of blue leggings that breathed in the heat, and her tunic was sleeveless and made of matching cambric. She had even left her hair down, only bothering to tie off the sides.

“I’m sure,” Taly confirmed. After all, everything was in place, and if she didn’t do this today, she wouldn’t get another chance. The explosions would come, the world would reset, and all her hard work would be destroyed right along with it. “Let’s get this over with.”