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It shook out its new skin, holding it close to its body as if to examine the fit.

A beat of silence.

“Fine,” it said finally, its grin stretching wider, a glint of mischief cutting through its hollow face. “How can I say no when you bring me such exquisite fabrics?”

Chapter 51

The next two days passed in silence.

Not literal silence. There were words. Pass-the-salt, close-the-window, I’m-going-upstairs kind of words.

But the things that mattered—the grimble, the monster in the cistern, the fact that Taly threw herself headlong into danger yet again… Those remained untouched.

Skye kept thinking he’d say something. That she would. But they didn’t.

Beneath a heavy cover of clouds, the procession of horses pushed through the dark of the Long Night, crossing the sharp line that separated dense forest from stark wasteland. In the distance, the Aion Gate glowed like a beacon, the aurora lights flickering behind it.

Skye dusted snow off the hood of his fur-lined cloak, his breath clouding in front of him as he dismounted and led his horse forward through the piles of scrap spreading out from the base of the Gate.

They had departed that morning, leaving behind the town and the safety of the walls to ride north through a light flurry of snow. The roads were as bad as he remembered and even harder on the horses’ feet coated with ice. But it was a short ride, half a day at most, and their guide was knowledgeable. He assured them that despite the bitter cold, the snowfall worked in their favor, muffling the sound of their passage and covering their tracks.

There were twelve in their party, along with a wagon of supplies, fresh mounts, and six more suits of Mechanica to add to the ten already in rotation. With the island under siege,securing the Aion Gate had been one of Ivain’s first priorities. They maintained a permanent presence of no less than 100 mages at any given time.

Shelters leaned against the sturdiest scrap piles, the rest stacked into a crude barricade. The fire mages had no doubt done the welding. Campfires blazed brightly, smoke hazing the air, and the smell of hot stew drifted towards them as two shadow mages heaved back the gate of the barricade with a screech of metal, allowing them to pass.

They would be stationed here for the next three days before returning with the shift change. While Skye handled crystal maintenance, Kato would be taking point on the Mechanica. The tech was ancient, the machinery constantly breaking down. Skye could manage simple fixes, but Kato had worked alongside their grandfather for decades. He could build one from the ground up—which was good, since that’s exactly what most of them had needed.

“We haven’t seen shades,” Torin, a gruff and lean fire mage with a long black beard, said as Skye dropped his gear inside the shelter he would be sharing with his brother. “Harpies, though…”

“Oh, I know all about harpies,” Skye muttered. “My last run-in was right around here.”

It had only been a handful of months ago, though it felt like longer. Another lifetime almost. When Aimee knocked Taly to the ground, and the harpy took her. He could still see it—the rake of talons down her back,the spray of blood, the moment those wings caught the wind and lifted her up.

He hadn’t moved fast enough—could only watch as it carried her away, her body twisting in its grip, blood trailing in the air like a ribbon. She faded into the distance, became a blur, then a flicker… and then nothing.

Skye inhaled through his nose. Let it out slowly. He pushed the memory back down where it belonged.

Kato was watching him from where he already had his toolkit laid out on the small table. “Well, the Mechanica should help with the harpies,” he said to Torin. “Those overgrown featherbrains have tough skin, but they’re no match for a Mark III fire cannon. Anything else to report?”

“The mages are restless,” Torin said. “But that’s natural. Most of them have never seen a Long Night. It makes them nervous.”

“And how many volunteers do we have for Mechanica training?”

“Oh, more than you’ve got suits for certain.”

Kato nodded. “Good. Get them lined up. I’ll be out in a moment.”

Torin crossed an arm to his chest, pounded his fist twice, and then he was gone.

Kato returned to his tools, but his gaze lingered, catching the stiffness in Skye’s shoulders that hadn’t eased all morning. “You okay?”

“Fine.” But the word came out clipped. Skye had hoped the ride would burn it out of him—that restless edge he couldn’t seem to shake. But this place… there were too many bad memories.

Finding the buckles and clasps, he stripped his armor, dropping it in a pile. He yanked his dust and sweat-stained shirt over his head, pulling a clean one from his pack.

“I’m surprised you came,” Kato said, still watching him. “You know, just with everything…”

Skye huffed a laugh. “Everything,” he echoed. It was too small a word to cover the mess of the last few weeks. “Someone needed to handle the data transfer,” he said, tucking in his shirt.