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Kairó vuun’manii.

Taly’s breath formed frosty clouds in the biting cold as she ran through the quiet city streets. The sharp chill of the Long Night stung her cheeks. The city was bathed in a surreal glow, the sky alight with dancing auroras that painted vibrant streaks of green, purple, and blue against the velvety darkness.

Kairó vuun’maaa…nii...

She couldn’t sleep again. She’d tried. Really, she’d tried. But after lying there long enough to memorize the knots in the ceiling beams, she gave up and went for a run.

Even at your worst, you are worth it.

The words hadn’t left her alone since he’d said them. Love came with a cost. And yeah, maybe they chose it—but that didn’t make it easier to watch them pay.

And now, the price had changed.

Kairó vuun’manii!

It included dealing with a time mage who very well might be losing her mind.

Calcifer loped along beside her. He’d taken the form of a barghest hound, and his long legs easily matched her stride for stride.

Taly’s breath came in ragged gasps as she finally slowed her pace, her legs burning. She doubled over just inside the small courtyard in front of the townhouse. Her body was spent, every muscle aching from the exertion, but her thoughts remained restless.

She had half a mind to wake Aimee up. Kicking her around the training hall was always a fun distraction. But it was 5bells in the morning, and even Taly wasn’t that much of a sadist.

The kitchen light was on. Eliza was already making the day’s bread. Taly waved at her through the window, making her way to the workshop behind the main house.

Thecrack-crack-crackof flint echoed as she switched on the overhead firelamps. Inside, the familiar scent of metal and oil greeted her. It was warm, a stark contrast to the icy chill of the night air outside.

Her fingers twitched as she quickly scanned the cluttered space. For all the hell Azura put her through, there was one benefit—she’d been too busy to dwell on how miserable she was.Now, she had to scrounge for projects. Moving, at least—staying busy—gave her the illusion of control.

With a deep breath, Taly rolled up her sleeves and began to tidy, starting with her bench. Kato had been using it to work on their shared project, and the result lay scattered in tiny heaps of organized chaos. She placed tools back into their proper place. Springs, gears, and half-finished parts all found their labelled bins.

It was methodical, satisfying. Her thoughts kept rhythm. Ivain had his list of reasons she was worth keeping. So, she made one too—reasons she wasn’t.

Twenty-seven dead in the fire that took Vale. Sacrificed to get to her.

Plunk.

Her mother. Taly had killed her too.

Click, scrape.

Aimee and Aiden’s father. She was the reason their life was shit.

Bang.

She kicked the crate beneath the table, harder than she meant to.

The people she loved always paid the toll. So did the ones who never even get the choice.

That was the cost of loving her.

And no matter how hard she tried, how much she gave, she couldn’t make the math balance. She couldn’t pay it back. The debt just kept growing.

The broom scraped softly against the floor, the rhythmic swish-tap of her motions grounding her as she worked. In the back of her head, the bond pulsed—quiet, persistent. Her side was closed, and that’s how it would stay.

She knew what she had to do. Every night, she came up to the edge of it—and stopped. Because knowing the right thingand being able to do it? That was the gap. The one she kept falling into.

Breaking the bond would shatter his heart, but it would also save his life. He deserved that much, at least—someone to protect him fromher.