Page 49 of Acolyte (Tempris #2)

-From the personal notes of Ivain Castaro, Marquess of Tempris

Breena is gone.

She left last night through her window, and though Sarina is begging me to forgive the child, I cannot.

I warned Breena time and time again of the dangers of bloodcraft, but she’s always been a curious one.

Ever since she was a girl, she’s insisted on pushing boundaries, and for the most part, I’ve allowed it.

However, her most recent stunt was seen by the entirety of the Genesis Council, and I fear there’s little I can do now.

If I speak out, it will draw too many eyes to my own household, and Sarina and Madoc have finally found a little bit of peace.

I will not risk drawing them into the public eye—not after everything they had to sacrifice just to find each other .

Still, Breena has been my student for nearly five centuries now, and I will not leave her to the wolves. I am considering writing to Atlas. He’s new to the Council, and he’s always liked Breena, ever since I introduced them in Arendryl.

Perhaps he will be able to protect her where I cannot.

Skye had barely closed his eyes when he found himself pulled into the dream.

A snow-veiled forest surrounded him on all sides, quiet save for the howling gust of wind that rattled the branches, shaking loose a rain of ice and sleet.

His breath hung in the air, and his boots crunched as he turned in a circle. Thankfully, he was dressed for the cold in heavy, fur-lined wool, a long cloak, and—

Wait .

Skye turned again, taking in the long, even rows of trees, the half-buried basket in the middle of the aisle, the snow-covered barn just visible through the grove.

This wasn’t a forest, he realized. It was an orchard.

Full of apple, sweetpear, and even a few sickly lemon trees that Sarina had always insisted would eventually take root and grow.

Looking to the west, he smiled when he saw smoke curling above the trees. Harbor Manor. He was back at Harbor Manor. This time, he really was dreaming of home.

Something tugged at him—that same thread from the ballroom—and he began to move. Walking, then running as the pull became stronger.

The rows of trees began to stretch and repeat.

The world turned on its side—twisting and whirling and bending reality in the way that only dreams could. He grabbed at branches, lunging from trunk to trunk.

Abruptly, the world righted itself, and he fell to the ground with a thud and a groan. Rolling, he was back on his feet again, following the tug of that thread once more.

He ran and ran for what could’ve been minutes or hours, reaching for his aether only to find it faraway and sluggish. Sleeping.

Panting, he tried to go faster. Towards that thread and the girl he knew would be on the other end.

The trees flew by, throwing down more snow and ice. And when the lanes began to twist, circling back around, in and over in ways that didn’t make sense, he imagined that thread. Saw it in his mind’s eye and reached for it. Reeled it in before giving a vicious yank .

The world blurred and then snapped into focus as he hit something solid.

Or rather, someone. A very startled human woman that gave a sharp cry as they both went tumbling down the hill in a tangle of limbs and into a bank of freshly fallen snow.

For a few, breathless moments, all Skye could do was stare at the woman that had landed on top of him.

She was pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, bundled against the cold in white and blue wool.

She’d lost her hat halfway up the hill, and her golden hair spilled around her shoulders, already damp from the snow .

Alive. Taly was alive and whole and… staring at him like she wanted to hit him.

He should probably say something. Not just to escape the beating he knew was coming, but to get as much information as possible before one of them woke up.

Questions raced through his mind, blurring together, each little more than a half-formed thought.

W here are you?

Are you safe?

How are you here?

How did you know about the tunnels?

Why did you leave?

Why haven’t you come back?

They all seemed critical, all a good place to start.

She saved him the trouble of having to decide.

“What fresh hell did you wander in from this time?” she asked, placing a hand on each of his cheeks. He felt the faint tickle of aether, just at the edge of his senses—most likely a part of whatever spell she was using to pull him into this shared dream.

When he didn’t answer, just continued to stare up at her wide-eyed and panting, she gave a low huff.

“Never mind.” She rolled away, and he immediately missed her warmth. “I don’t care where you came from, but if you sit down and don’t touch anything, I’ll let you stay.”

She was on her feet now, looking out across a large frozen pond. Skye moved to follow, but her eyes snapped to his, pinning him in place.

“I mean it.” She stabbed a finger at him. “I don’t know how you’re here or why, but I’m not watching you die tonight. Your only job is to sit there and keep yourself alive. Think you can handle that?”

Skye held up his hands in surrender, almost laughing when Taly gave a suspicious yet satisfied nod. “You said that last time too.”

“Said what?” she asked, dusting the snow from her clothes.

“That I always die.” He waited for her to turn. “Why do you keep saying that?”

“Because you always die.” The idiot was implied.

“Every night, I dream about you dying. So far, you’ve been eaten by shades, killed by mages, ripped apart by beasts.

I even saw Sarina set you on fire in a fit of temper once.

Granted, it wasn’t the fire that killed you.

But you were still just as dead after you fell off the city wall and into that swarm of shades. ”

Skye swallowed. “It sounds like you really want me dead.”

“The exact opposite actually,” she said as she sat on the ground beside him.

“Leto says that my subconscious is instinctively seeking out the things I’m most afraid of and…

running the variables. Trying to find a way around it.

Which is why” —she glared at the pond— “I can’t figure out why I keep ending up here night after night.

This is the past. The past doesn’t change. ”

Groaning, she fell back into the snow. “It’s so cold.

And wet. And cold. And why couldn’t I dream of someplace warmer?

If I’m going to be stuck in the past, I’d rather be at that beach in Faro we went to the last time the Aion Gate opened.

It was so nice and sunny, and they had those fruity drinks with little umbrellas.

The humans really struck gold on that one—all drinks should come with little umbrellas. ”

“Taly?” Skye said, leaning over her. When she didn’t open her eyes, he flicked her nose. “I don’t understand any of that.”

“That’s not surprising.” She reached up, blindly patting him on the head. “But you’re not real, so it would be a waste of time and energy to try to explain.”

Skye’s stomach clenched. She thinks this is just a dream. And that meant she wasn’t the one doing this. She hadn’t used some kind of spell or device to signal him. Not intentionally, at least.

He shook his head. Later . They could figure out the how later. Right now, he just needed to know one thing.

“Where are you?” he asked. “Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come find you.”

A snort. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Skye bit back a growl. They didn’t have time for this. “Where are you?” he asked again, almost succeeding at keeping his tone even.

“You know,” Taly said, turning her face towards the sun, “I’m pretty sure I told you not to come looking for me.”

Oh, she had. In that damned note he was still carrying around in his pocket two weeks later.

“That was a really shitty thing to do, by the way.” He didn’t try to hide the hurt in his voice.

Because surely—surely, she had to know she had ripped his heart out and taken it with her when she left.

“What did you expect me to do when I found that note? Huh? ‘I’m sorry, but I have to make this right. Don’t come looking for me. ’ What kind of bullshit was that?”

Taly finally cracked open an eye .

“You promised me you weren’t going to lie anymore.” He ran a finger along the downy line of white fur on her collar. “You promised, and you did it anyway, and that’s not fair, Tink. It’s not fair that I’m always the one that gets left behind.”

Taly sat up, and he’d never seen her eyes so sad.

“Where are you?” He was begging now, but he didn’t care. “I know you think this is just a dream, but for one minute, pretend it’s not. Pretend that’s it’s real, that I’m real, and tell me how to find you. Please, Tink. Just tell me how to find you.”

“You can’t.”

“Please, this isn’t—”

“I mean it.” Her hand came up to cup his face, and he leaned into the touch, reaching up to thread his fingers through hers. “Even if you looked, you wouldn’t be able to find me. It’s not as simple as where I am. If it was, I’d already be home.”

“Explain,” he demanded. “If it’s not about where , then what is it?”

Taly sighed. “We live on an island where the veil between worlds is naturally porous. An island that’s been ruled by time mages ever since it was discovered eons and eons ago.

And even though they’re gone now, that doesn’t mean their magic no longer exists.

The gates alone are proof of that. Which means that on Tempris, the question of where starts to get complicated.

It gets all tangled up with when, and that’s why no matter what you do, no matter what kind of magic you wield, you’re never going to find me. I’m not there for you to find.”

Skye wasn’t sure if he was breathing anymore. “So, are you saying… If it’s a matter of where and when…” He closed his eyes, trying to co llect his scattered thoughts. “How long have you been gone?” It seemed like a silly question, but important, nonetheless.

Taly turned to gaze across the pond. “Six months.”