Page 5

Thunder cracked, splitting the sky. Each boom sent golden afterimages flickering at the edges of her vision. Sparks of possibility pulled in different directions. The forest blurred as the Weave twisted, threads tangling and tearing apart.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Taly breathed deep. It was too much sometimes. Most of the time. The real world, with its unpredictable weather and ever-changing circumstances,buzzed and scraped against her nerves, rough-edged and always moving.

Everything collided at once. Past events shimmered like reflections in puddles while futures spun out like gossamer webs. Every raindrop was a spark, igniting threads that splintered into a thousand fragile paths.

So, she focused on the nearest threads—the ones that represented the next few seconds—and tried to tune out the rest.

Then she saw it.

A flicker of gold in the corner of her vision. An afterimage that pulsed with a subtle urgency, weaving a path through the woods.

Taly gathered her herbs, stuffed them in her pack, and started back towards the palace.

She moved swiftly, boots splashing through muddy water, the afterimage trailing behind her like a glittering shadow.

Through the trees, she could see the iron fence of the palace coming up. She knew when to jump.

The shade stalking her did not.

A crash. A guttural groan that echoed.

At the bottom of the pit, impaled on spikes, the shade writhed weakly.

They rarely came this close to the palace. Maybe they sensed Azura, too. Regardless, she had yet to see any sign of the “swarms” of undead Kato swore circled him all night. Only the occasional straggler that fell into their pits.

Muddy rainwater pooled beneath it, rippling as Taly stared down from the lip of the pit trap.

“Go on,” she told Calcifer. “Put the poor thing out of its misery.”

His large, bat-like ears twitched in confirmation, throwing off droplets of water. Jumping into the pit, he scaled the muddy sides like a giant salamander.

Bone crunched. Then silence.

When Calcifer emerged, black fur matted with rain, he dropped the shadow crystal held firmly between his jaws into her waiting hand.

Pieces of rotting flesh still clung to it, but the size was good.

Waste not, want not. She’d figure out something to do with it.

Taly wiped it clean and dropped it into her bag.

There was no dawn, only a fading of the gray as she made her way back to the stable. She put the herbs and her cloak near the fire to dry—Kato still slept beside it, thanks partly to the extra pinch of sandman’s whisper she’d been adding to his pain potion. It was the only way to get any peace and quiet.

A snap of her fingers, and the mud wicked away from her clothes. She did the same for Calcifer, who promptly stretched belly-up near the flames.

In the loft, Taly slipped back into her bedroll. There was a rustle behind her, then the rumble of a male voice.

“…e’rything okay?”

“Fine,” Taly answered, closing her eyes. “Go back to sleep.”

But an arm slid over her waist. “You smell like outside,” Skye murmured, nuzzling her hair as he pulled their bodies flush.

“Because I was outside.” Her bedroll was cold, but his was warm. And so was he… She tucked herself in closer, tangling their legs.

“Couldn’t sleep again?” She nodded into her pillow. “Another nightmare?”

“Yeah.”