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And after another hour of waiting and pacing and flipping through the various stacks of paper and discarded books decorating the many shelves and tabletops scattered about the room, any anticipation she might have felt about finally meeting with the Queen a second time had given way to frustration.

It was a power play. Taly knew it, though it did little to calm her rising anger. The Queen wanted her to know just how small and insignificant she really was. That was no doubt why she had waited more than two weeks to call for her. Why she still continued to keep her waiting.

Hands clasped behind her back, Taly wove between the now intimately familiar stone columns and dark leather and mahogany furniture, the silk rugs muffling the sound of her footsteps. The long coattails swishing around her knees caught on the edge of a table for not the first time, and she growled as she tugged them free.

An Initiate’s uniform, Leto had said. Every mage guild had some sort of regalia it used to distinguish its members, and as Taly had been informed earlier that morning as Leto draped her body in silk and braided her hair with ribbons to match, the Queen had requested that she appear for her first official day of training in formal dress.

The beryl-blue robe was long and loose with whorls of gilded thread that swam across the whole of it. A red sash cinched her waist, drapedand pinned so that it wouldn’t bunch the fabric of her white silk tunic, and a single time crystal, gold and glittering with aether, had been fastened in the center—a perfect match to the crystals that decorated her ears and wrists and fingers. Tailored gray leggings and soft kidskin boots tied just below the knee completed the ensemble.

Could be worse, Taly thought, smoothing a hand over the braids that had been coiled around her head like a crown. When Skye had started his training, his uniform had looked far more ridiculous. He’d been so adorably gangly as a youth, and the closely fit layers of violet and black that heralded his discipline had only served to emphasize his teenage awkwardness.

He had, of course, eventually grown into his looks. And the uniform. Filled it out quite well actually.

“Good morning!”

Taly jumped at the sound of the voice, whirling just in time to find herself crushed against the Queen.

“I always forget just how tiny you are!” Azura exclaimed, giggling at the squeal Taly let out when her feet abruptly left the ground. “Skylen’s right—you’re like an angry kitten. All you need is a fuzzy set of ears.”

“Put me down!” Taly snapped, wriggling like her life depended on it. The moment her feet found solid ground, she stumbled back, desperate for space. She hated when people picked her up. And from the way Azura smiled serenely, pressing a finger to her lips as she struggled to keep in her laughter—she knew it.

Shards, this woman—she was poking at Taly like an animal in a cage.

Azura was dressed similarly to Taly. She wore the same white tunic, and her robe had long, bell-shaped sleeves that nearly touched the ground. But instead of a single golden crystal, the Time Shard’s crest hung from her neck.

“I always did like this uniform,” Azura said, brushing an invisible speck of dust from Taly’s shoulder. “Of course, you should’ve seen the regalia when Graysen still held the throne. Anything would’ve been an improvement over that man’s horrendous sense of style.”

Chuckling at the memory, Azura turned and strode across the room to the table with the exam booklet—

“I finished already,” Taly said a bit testily, watching as Azura laid a hand on the completed exam. “I’ve been waiting for three hours. I’m not sure what else you expected me to do.”

Azura paused a moment. Then straightened. “Well… there goes my entire lesson plan for the day,” she said, turning on her heel as she strode for a small sitting area in front of the window.

The test booklet remained unopened.

“Aren’t you going to grade it?” Taly asked.

“No, dear. I trust you.”

Taly shoved down her frustration. After ignoring her for two weeks, the least this infuriating woman could do was look at the damned thing. “I don’t think that’s how tests are supposed to work.”

“I’m a queen,” Azura replied, gracelessly falling into an overstuffed red velvet chair next to the window. “They work the way I say they work, and I always did hate grading papers. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an Initiate, and we can begin thesecond seal.” Azura waved a hand towards a small dagger sitting on a nearby table. “Now—throw.”

Taly paused, confused. “What?”

Azura just snapped her fingers. “Throw - it. The second seal requires combat training, and I need to assess your strength.”

Taly tentatively reached for the knife. “Where should I—”

“I don’t care. Just throw the damned knife.”

Taly hesitated only a moment, and then flicked her wrist.

A new body. That’s what it felt like sometimes. One that was faster,stronger,and still not quite her own. Her washroom door—a great massive slab of sturdy oak—had cracked down the middle the first time she shut it too hard, and she’d broken so many wine glasses at this point, Leto had started bringing extra.

And her poor piano… Taly sighed. She’d only tried to play it once, giving up after she’d cracked half the keys.

So, it was no surprise that the dagger flew across the room fast as a shooting star, embedding itself down to the hilt in the nearest bookshelf.