Page 28 of Acolyte (Tempris #2)

“It’s alright,” she cooed softly, and the creature gave a little squeak. It moved like it had been dunked in molasses, every twitch of its legs exaggerated and slow. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She gave its ears a gentle scratch, and it blinked. It seemed to like that, so she did it again.

Moving away from the door and back to the table, she cleared the debris and set it down, still gentle, still keeping a hold on the spell in case it tried to run. When it didn’t, she released the spell entirely, watching as it gracelessly rolled back to its feet.

It stared at her.

She stared at it.

“Hello,” she said.

It gave a soft, trilling mew in return.

And just like that, she’d made a new friend.

Taly didn’t let herself worry about the solarium. The damage was done, and if Azura killed her, she figured that death was also an escape. One that seemed more likely, not to mention quicker, than earning her third seal.

What she worried about instead was bathing all the berry juice and soil from Calcifer and then fixing him up with a bed that she’d made out of a teacup filled with fire crystals for warmth.

Calcifer —that’s what she had named the little creature.

She’d also decided that it was a he . She didn’t know why.

Wasn’t even sure what the beast was or if it had a sex.

But there was something about him that was distinctly goofy, something good-natured that reminded her of Skye, so she went with it.

“Hey now,” she chided gently, laughing when he swiped at her fingers. His claws clacked delicately against the wood of her dining room table. “I am not food. This—” She pushed a piece of ham in front of him. “This is food.”

But just like everything else she’d tried to feed him so far, he turned up his nose and went back to trying to gnaw on her fingers. She gave him the end of her braid instead, and he climbed up her hair like a rope, perching on top of her head.

She popped the ham in her mouth. “Not a carnivore then.” Or an anything else for that matter.

She’d tried meat, vegetables, fish, fruit—he didn’t want any of it.

“I hate to say it,” she said, shivering as Calcifer crawled down her neck to her shoulder, his needle-like claws scraping against her skin, “but I think I’m going to have to ask the Queen just what you are.

Eventually, you’re going to get hungry.”

Calcifer’s ears twitched—his only reply as the main door to her tower apartment opened and closed.

“Taly,” Azura called. “Now, I’m not angry.” Funny, she sounded angry. “But the fairies said there was some kind of commotion, and then…” She stopped in the doorway to the dining room, face going pale .

Taly eyed the broken sugarberry branch clutched in the Queen’s hand. “I suppose it’s a bit cliché to say that it wasn’t me.”

Azura didn’t laugh, didn’t smile, didn’t frown. She just stood there, so deathly still. “Don’t move,” she breathed.

Taly immediately froze, though it was hard to keep from laughing as Calcifer’s tail began to tickle her ear. “Why?”

Like a beast freed from its leash, Azura snapped into action. She dropped the sugarberry branch, and her entire body began to glow. The air grew heavy, even the palace seemed to shake as she summoned her aether—summoned the power of the Time Shard in all its devastating glory.

Golden tendrils of magic began snaking forward, creeping across the marble like liquid vines, lifting up, rising from the floor and moving towards—

Taly jumped from the table, grabbing Calcifer and holding him protectively to her chest. “What are you doing?”

“Taly, don’t move!” the Queen snarled, and Taly backed up another step. “Just put the mimic down,” she said a bit more gently, like she was negotiating. “Put it down and move away. For once in your life, please don’t question me, child.”

“A mimic?” Taly looked down at Calcifer. “Is that what you are?”

Azura held out a hand. “Give it to me, Taly. That is a direct order from your High Lady.”

Taly clutched Calcifer closer to her chest. The Queen had told her to start training her instincts, and right now, her instincts were telling her that her new friend was in danger. “I don’t understand. ”

“And that is my fault, I suppose. I didn’t think their kind would be able to find their way into this world.

” Azura took a cautious step forward. Her aether dimmed but didn’t extinguish.

“That is a mimic. It’s an eldritch beast, a creature that lives alongside the Weave.

They only ever come to our world to feed. ”

“On what?” Taly watched as the Queen edged closer. “I’ve tried everything, but he won’t eat.”

“That’s because it doesn’t want food. It wants time aether.”

Taly blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” Azura’s eyes never left the mimic. “It feeds on time aether— us . That one is small right now, but when it’s older, it will be impossible to track and even harder to kill, and believe me, girl, it will drain you without remorse.”

Taly held up her hand, letting Calcifer climb onto her upturned palm. His hind legs splayed out to the sides as he tilted his head. “He doesn’t look dangerous.”

“Because it’s young—newly hatched. This is the only point in their life cycle when they’re vulnerable. I don’t know what drew this one here, but we need to kill it. Now . While there’s still time.”

Azura was almost close enough to grab him, so Taly plucked Calcifer up by the scruff of his neck, placing him back on the table. Reaching for the plate she’d brought up from the kitchen, she overturned its contents as she bit down on her thumb.

The Queen’s power guttered, and she looked on in mute horror as Taly smeared a trail of blood across the white porcelain .

Calcifer immediately pounced, making the strangest little purring sound as he began to lap at the plate. Azura had been right. He wanted time aether.

At least, that would make feeding him easy.

“His name is Calcifer,” Taly said. “And I don’t care if he is dangerous. The Sanctorum judges people based on the things they could do rather than what they’ve done. I won’t be the same.”

Azura stumbled back a step. “You’re insane,” she murmured. Then, louder: “Do you not understand? That thing will eat you when it’s grown. Do you have no sense of self-preservation whatsoever?”

“If I did, I probably wouldn’t have ended up here.”

Azura only frowned.

Point. Set. Match.

Before the Queen could lodge another complaint, Leto drifted into the room, pausing in the doorway. The set of her shoulders immediately stiffened; her glow slightly dimmed. The tea service she held in her ghostly hands began to rattle.

“Leto,” Azura hissed. “Please talk some sense into her.”

Leto looked from the Queen to Taly to Calcifer and back again. “I believe,” she said after what seemed like an eternity, voice soft and careful, “that the Lady Caro has often spoken of a pet named Calcifer.”

“That’s a housecat,” Azura whispered harshly, as if Taly wasn’t right there.

“We assumed it was a housecat,” Leto corrected just as quietly, drifting to Azura’s side. “It was never explicitly stated. ”

“No,” Azura said to Leto. “No, no, no. It’s too dangerous—”

“Consider the timeline, Majesty.”

Azura hesitated at that, a frown creasing her brow. She and Leto exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.

“Fine,” Azura finally relented. Turning back to Taly, she said, “If you’re intent on gambling with your life, there’s not much I can do. But I don’t want to see that thing outside of this tower. You keep it away from me, away from the fairies, away from… everything.”

And with that, Azura turned on her heel and swept out of the room. A moment later, the door to the apartment slammed.

Taly looked to Leto. “I think Azura might need something a little stronger than tea tonight.”

Leto made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sigh as she placed the tea service, originally meant for the Queen, on the dining table. “I suspect you are right,” was all she said as she drifted out of the room.

Taly watched her go, then turned back to Calcifer, who was now curled up in his teacup bed, snoring contentedly. “I’ve never had a pet,” she said, resting her chin on her folded arms. A slight smile curved her lips. “Let’s just hope you don’t eat me in my sleep.”