Page 97

The Queen’s viewing area had become quite grand. Plush rugs concealed the jagged flagstone underneath, and comfortable chairs and couches had been artfully arranged inside the cramped space, each one covered with jewel-colored suede and decorated with plush, silk pillows.

There was even a chandelier hanging overhead, and though Taly couldn’t see the bejeweled monster from where she lay on the ground, she could hear the delicate chime-like tinkle of the crystals as they clinked together.

“You’re a cheat,” Taly huffed. “You just couldn’t stand the fact that I was about to win.”

“If you feel better believing that, then go right ahead.”

Taly scowled, squinting against the rain that continued to drip into her eyes. It did make her feel better. Granted, she should’ve known about the additional fairies. The Queen wasn’t exactly inconsistent in the way that she cheated. But it still felt good to believe that the unfairness of the situation was the reason she kept losing. Not her own recklessness. Or stupidity. Or pride—what little of that she had left.

Taly muttered a curse as the water began to pool beneath her.

Great—now she was paralyzedandwet.

Taly sighed when she felt the Queen’s magic wash over her, wriggling her fingers, then her toes. Every part of her ached, but at least she could move again. “I still hate you, by the way.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” Azura held out her cup as Leto moved to refill it. “Do come in from the rain, dear. Your tea will get cold.”

Pulling her legs to her chest, Taly kicked up to her feet. She peeled off her vambraces, then her tunic, revealing a soiled camisole and plain white undergarments, and began wiping at the sweat, mud, and rain streaking her skin. A small mental tug was all it took to release the suspended fairies, and Anka—one of the few fairies that seemed to have taken a genuine liking to her—chittered as she drifted across the training yard and rested on Taly’s shoulder.

“I know you’re sorry,” Taly said to Anka, who seemed to shiver in relief. The orb of light pulsed before twirling back into the air, trilling out a chiming giggle as she rejoined the other fairies.

Taly frowned as she watched her go. As long as the fairies stayed inside the loop, they were safe, but if they ventured outside, back to where time followed its natural rhythm, they started to lose parts of themselves—pieces from when they had been alive. Leto had confided in her one evening that Anka had spent a considerable amount of time in the real world, and it showed. The poor fairy was barely capable of stringing together a few words, much less sentences, and most often communicated in chirps and flashes of light that the other fairies seemed to understand instinctively.

Leto was standing at the entrance to the Queen’s viewing area, and Taly gave the ghostly woman a wan smile as she took her soiled clothing, handing her a fluffy white towel that smelled faintly of lavender.

Thank the Shards for Leto. Without her, Taly was pretty sure she’d have already lost every one of her marbles.

“You still fight like a shadow mage,” Azura remarked, eyeing Taly from head to toe and frowning at the blood trickling down the side of her face.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Taly asked with a tired sigh, sinking down onto a green settee. Leto brought her a glass of water, and she gulped it down eagerly.

“You’re a smart girl,” Azura said with a dismissive wave. “Surely, you can figure it out on your own.”

“That’s not helpful.”

Azura met Taly’s glare with one of her own. “You’re still allowing yourself to get hit,” she said.

Taly couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Right,” she drawled, flexing her fingers. Her entire arm still tingled uncomfortably, and she was pretty sure there was going to be a sizable bruise right on her tailbone. “I’mallowingmyself to get hit. Because this game is so much fun. I just love getting my ass kicked every day while some crazy lady sits on the sideline, commenting on my performance while taking her tea.”

“Get up,” Azura snapped, rising from her seat in a single, fluid motion, flicking her skirts behind her.

Setting her glass down with an audibleclink, Taly rose to face the Queen. She had to crane her neck to look the woman in the eye.

“Good.” Azura clasped her hands in front of her. “Now then—kill me.”

“What the hell are you on about now?”

“Kill me,” Azura repeated. “Using only your magic, I want you to try to kill me.”

“But…” Taly hesitated, going through every spell she knew, both in practice and theory. There were very few offensive spells, and the ones that did exist were far beyond her current ability. It would take her centuries to learn the kind of magic that could accelerate a person’s timeline to the point of decay. “I can’t.”

Azura’s eyes went comically wide. “Wait, do you mean to tell me… Oh my—whata revelation! Here I am, the High Lady of Time, and I never once realized that time mages have so few offensive spells.”

“You’re mocking me.” Resisting the urge to mutter a curse, Taly kicked at a fragment of a chipped cup that had rolled next to her foot, still there from earlier that morning when Azura had sent the entire tea service flying into the air just to prove a point.

“You’re still not using your head,” Azura said. “We’ve been at this for almost two months, and you still charge headlong into the fray without ever stopping to think if this is a battle you need to be fighting.”

“But you told me I have to play,” Taly pointed out. “Believe me, if I didn’t have to play this stupid game, I wouldn’t.”