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“And how,” she asked, “is a game of tag supposed to help me stay alive?”

Azura tilted her head, a small smirk curling her lips. “Tag is a ruthless, petty game, my dear.”She took a step forward, and those eyes—those strange, golden eyes—began to burn. “It is a test of spirit. Of valor and determination. It is a dance between predator and prey—a push for survival that even children can understand. Stalking one’s opponent, laying traps, doing whatever it takes to vanquish and conquer and slay until onlyoneremains. A champion, gazing out over the field of battle, standing victor over the corpses of the fallen.”

The Queen’s voice had continued to rise in pitch, and she stared down at Taly, still smiling that small, horrible smile.

Taly took a step back, clearing her throat nervously. “I think one of us has been playing tag wrong,” she rasped, worried that after only five months in this place, she couldn’t exactly say which.

“You need to learn to think on your feet,” Azura said, holding up a hand and signaling a small group of fairies that bobbed just outside the perimeter of the training yard. “And since there are no other mages for you to practice sparring with, this is the next best thing.”

“I thought you said to avoid close combat.”

“And how do you think one does that?” Azura waited, then said, “A shadow mage is deadly in close range, which means they will always try to pull you in. The only way to survive is to get very good at running away.”

“But—” Taly tried.

“Nobuts.” Azura waved a dismissive hand. “It is my wish that you play tag, and you will comply. Now then—the rules are simple. Freeze the fairies in place. Once you’ve captured all of them, the game is over.”

Taly gripped her staff. “That’s it?”

A vague nod. “You’re not to use time crystals during the match, and since I know you feel more comfortable with a weapon in your hand, I’ve instructed the fairies to respond to air attacks.” A glance at the staff in Taly’s hands. “Not that it will do you any good,” the Queen added as she moved to rejoin Leto underneath the stone arch.

Leto leaned in to whisper in Azura’s ear.

“Oh, that’s right,” Azura said and snapped her fingers. A massive silverleaf oak flickered into existence in the center of the ring. The bark was red like blood, and clusters of pearl-shaped flowers speckled a dense canopy of leaves that shone like burnished silver. “What game of tag would be complete without a place for your enemies to hide?”

Taly blinked, but the tree was still there, taking up space that had only moments ago stood empty. “How…?”

“Pocket universes,” Azura said simply. “They make wonderful storage. Now then—”

She clapped her hands twice, and Taly raised her staff, eyeing the fairies still hovering around the periphery. There were ten in total, and their forms began to shiver, churning the air around them with a near-electric spark. Their light began to deepen, going from a gentle blue to something more fierce, something that made Taly think of cold and ice, winter and snow. They were already moving to surround her when Azura shouted, “Begin!”

There was a beat of hesitation, and then the fairies were moving, hurtling through the air, little more than streaks of blue light painted against the brightening horizon. Taly dipped into her aether, already weaving the spell, but they crossed the wide expanse of the training arena faster than her eyes could track.

Instinct had her dancing back, and a swing of her staff sent out a shrieking gale of wind. The swipe was erratic, kicking up a cloud of red dust, but three of the fairies got caught in the blast, and they immediately pivoted, veering off to the left at a sharp angle.

Two more fairies converged on the right, but she waited.

Her aether shuddered, pulsing with each breath.

The air split behind her, and Taly dropped to the ground, releasing the spell as the fairies sailed overhead.

Gossamer threads of golden magic flickered and then faded.

The fairies abruptly halted, suspended and frozen as her web began to tighten. Even their light seemed to dim, and when they stopped moving altogether, Taly couldn’t help but let out a crow of victory.

Two down,she thought as she regained her feet.Maybe this wouldn’t be so—

Something slammed into her knee, throwing her to the ground. The pain was electric, like grabbing a live wire, and maybe she screamed. Maybe she was still screaming as the agony reverberated up and down her spine, singeing every nerve. She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure about anything as she spat out a mouthful of dirt and groped for her staff.

There was another crackle of pain at her shoulder, her wrist, then her other knee. The fairies were converging on her, barely grazing her skin, but each touch, each kiss of aether, made her body jolt. She only vaguely registered the veins of blue energy that spread along her arms and legs, down the length of her spine, as a voice announced, “Game!”

Azura waved a hand, and a rush of gold swept across the training arena, washing away the blue glow but only a fraction of the pain.

Still, she could move again, and Taly immediately flung herself to her feet, snarling as the Queen entered the ring. It was a vicious sound, and even after months of adjusting to this new immortal body, the instinctive reaction still surprised her.

“Oh dear,” Azura muttered. “Dear, dear, dear…” She picked a piece of gravel from Taly’s braid, and it was a struggle to plant her feet, to stop herself from reaching for her staff and knocking that smug grin off the woman’s face. “Did I forget to mention that the fairies can hit back?”

“What the hell was that?” Taly hissed.