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“I see the light!” Kato moaned.

“Good, go toward it,” she called back, pushing to her feet.

Skye watched her walk away, eyes fixed on the holy land—the way it swayed, every flex and slide of muscle beneath wool-lined trousers. The ladder creaked as she descended. A moment later, he heard her voice—soft, exasperated—berating Kato for not looking sick enough.

Outside, the thunder had faded to a distant rumble, the rain now a steady drizzle instead of a downpour. The storm was winding down, loosening its grip on the island.

One more night. Then tomorrow, they’d be off to Ryme. It had been nice, this little bubble of quiet. But even now, Skye could already feel it slipping away, worry creeping back in.

Why couldn’t she have been a secret air mage? Or a charming little illusionist? Something harmless. Something that didn’t make the entire fucking world want her dead.

But no. Time magic. Of course.

It was Taly. If she was going to have magic, it was always going to be the most dangerous kind. Because Shards forbid she make his life easy for once.

It occurred to him that he’d fallen for, perhaps, a slightly high-maintenance woman. Not that he would change a damn thing. The world made more sense when she was in it. Always had.

So, he’d do what he always did. Keep her safe. Keep her breathing. Because not doing so wasn’t an option.

He’d already lost her once. He’d felt that absence. The hollow it left behind. If it happened again…

He didn’t let himself finish the thought.

Skye glanced at Calcifer, still glaring at him with those empty eyes. Exhibit A that he had his work cut out for him—because Taly, for all her brilliance, had the survival instincts of a lemming.

It would help if she at leasttriednot to get herself killed. In a perfect world, she might even stop adopting pets inclined to eat her.

“Yeah, yeah. I know you’d love to maul me, but let’s not pretend you’re the only one suffering here.”

Calcifer growled, low and menacing.

“Right back at you, buddy.”

Chapter 4

As dawn broke, the forest was a world of muted colors, shrouded in a cold mist that clung to everything. The air still smelled of rain, fresh and wild. Droplets shimmered on leaves, the ground damp and softened beneath their boots as they finally left the shadow of Infinity’s Edge behind.

Skye took the lead, cutting a path through the forest with long, steady strides.

Kato followed close behind, occasionally swatting at branches and loudly announcing every rock he stumbled over.

At the back, Taly huffed and puffed and cursed under her breath. The palace had an aetheric aura that remained immune to the cycling of the Aion Gate. No one understood why or where it came from, but she sure as hell felt it once they stepped outside its perimeter.

It started as a tight, uncomfortable pressure in her chest, as though a fist had reached inside her.

The farther they ventured away from the palace, the more that fistsqueezed.

Aether sickness.

Skye came down with it every time he left the island and returned. After spending a year in the time loop—where the magic was so thick the air practically hummed with it—her body needed time to acclimate to the low-aether environment.

By mid-morning, she’d already guzzled two canteens of faeflower. The slimy texture coated her tongue, the cloying peach flavor somehow making it worse. While it did nothing to dull the burn in her lungs, she did feel less lightheaded as she started on the third.

They made good time. The pace Skye set wasn’t punishing, but it wasn’t kind either.

Heat prickled at the back of her neck despite the cool air. Sweat pooled beneath her collar, the damp fabric clinging to her spine. Her thighs burned. Her pack dragged at her shoulders, straps digging in.

If she asked, he would’ve slowed down.