Page 84 of Acolyte (Tempris #2)

-From the personal notes of Azura Raine, High Lady of Time

Breena came to the palace today. Not here, of course—inside the loop.

She came to the real version that even those upstarts at the Dawn Court were too afraid to touch.

The fairies report that she screamed and cursed at my empty throne for hours—things like “Why would you curse my child?” and “Did you even think of the world you were creating for those that came after?”

Since there is nothing I can do for the child until the time is right, I had the fairies deliver a small gift in my name—a necklace. Breena wasn’t pleased, as indicated by the vulgar gestures she made on her way out, but the fairies said that she did stop screaming .

Taly frowned when Skye pushed her back another step.

He was growling deep in his chest, bristling with that innate fey instinct to protect and defend.

She didn’t know how he recognized the Queen; how he had gotten here; how he was alive and not still lying in a pool of his own blood, unmoving, unbreathing—but right now, none of that mattered.

The Queen glided across the clearing—a spot of pure white in a world full of blood.

“How disappointing,” she muttered. “And here I thought today was going to be a day for introductions… All these men and no one has said a thing about my dress…” She picked at her skirts.

Despite the spreading pool of blood at her feet, the fabric was still unstained.

“But then again, I don’t know why I even bother to be surprised anymore.

You were always the more even-keeled of the pair, Skylen.

Taly would’ve gotten herself killed multiple times over without you there to cool her heels. ”

“Taly?” Skye dared a glance over his shoulder, one hand still resting on his sword. Taly could see the question in his eyes: was this woman a threat? One word and he would stand down, even if he didn’t like it.

“She won’t hurt us.” Taly placed a hand on his shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt him relax, if only slightly. “And even though I know it doesn’t make any sense, she does know you. And me. Like I said—it’s a long story.”

“One that you are more than welcome to tell him later ,” Azura said as she began circling the still-cooling corpse in the center of the clearing. “Right now, I want to talk about this, because this — ”

Guilt twisted in Taly’s gut. There was too much blood. It itched as it dried on her skin.

“—is marvelous .” Azura clapped her hands, laughing as she daintily hopped over a puddle of blood. “The timelines are always twisting and tangling around you—I had no idea what was going to happen when I brought Vaughn here, so naturally, we all started making bets.”

On cue, the fairies began to peek over the tops of the hedges, their soft blue light nearly disappearing against the cloudless sky.

“Leto—” Taly followed the Queen’s gaze to a softly glowing orb floating just inside a break in the hedges.

It seemed Leto had given up her feminine shape, and her light pulsed, dimming in shame.

“—thought that when you walked in and saw Skye on the floor, pale and bleeding out, that you would just fall to your knees, weeping. She said this was a terrible idea; that it was going to end badly. Most of the fairies were on her side, though I had a little more faith in your abilities. Not much, mind you. I did still have the fairies make some emergency preparations just in case this all went south.”

Taly’s heart was beating too quickly, her breath coming too fast. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, faint at first but growing louder with each piece that clicked into place.

“You planned this?” she whispered. Vaughn…

Azura had meant for her to kill Vaughn—taken her worst fears and constructed a series of events to ensure it.

The stab of betrayal should’ve left her bleeding.

“I trusted you.” This time when Taly went to step around Skye, he didn’t stop her, though she did feel his aether spark, perhaps in warning. Perhaps reacting to her pain. “I told you about my dreams, and you used that. You used the things I told you to make me believe that…”

Taly couldn’t bring herself to even say the words. She’d thought Skye was dead, and her entire world had shattered.

“Yes,” Azura said. Unconcerned. Smiling like this was some grand joke.

“Don’t worry, though—I was never far away.

I saw the whole affair in all its delightfully vicious glory.

I especially liked how you used the mirrors to slow Vaughn up a bit.

Top marks for that bit of cleverness. Though you did destroy an entire collection of priceless art. ”

Taly wobbled, and Skye was there in an instant, placing a steadying hand on her waist. Shards, he must have been so confused, and he was so pale. He’d been wounded—that part had been real. She could see blood still leaking out of the rips in his armor.

Taly swallowed back the bile that began to rise. There was so much blood. On her, on him. The air reeked of it. “You planned this. You said that…” The realization ripped right through her. “This was my test?”

“Yes, my dear. Your final examination was to kill Vaughn,” the Queen confirmed.

“And I’m happy to say you passed! Congratulations, Acolyte —you’re a student I can be proud to call my own.

” Azura seemed practically giddy as she continued to circle the corpse, holding her skirts in one hand.

“This really is brilliant work, by the way. Better than Leto in her prime. Maybe that’s why she kept trying to dissuade me.

She knew just how vicious you could be with the right…

motivation .” Azura gave a small secret smile .

Taly began to shake her head as that ringing became a dull roar, as the pain and betrayal began to pound inside her, keeping time with her frantic heart.

Leto had known. The fairies had known. Everyone in this damned place had known what the Queen had planned, and not even one had cared enough to tell her.

Betrayal swept into grief, then sickness, then back again.

Over and over—until something inside her snapped.

Taly didn’t realize she’d launched herself forward until Skye’s arms were around her, lifting her off her feet as she struggled against him, wild with rage.

“ Let me go! ” she snarled. Her aether flared, and then hit a wall as Skye’s own magic wrapped around her like a vice.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” he hissed in her ear, “but I didn’t come all this way just to watch you die. That’s a Genesis Lord. She could kill you with a thought.”

“You should listen to him,” the Queen added. And that smile…

That stupid, smug smile …

Taly let out a shriek of rage. “You—”

“Gave you a test worthy of your skill?” Azura arched a brow.

“Allowed you to take revenge on a man that had not only wronged you, but your family, your island, your home, and countless others? A man that would’ve made you wish you were dead had he succeeded in capturing you?

” This time when the Queen laughed, it was humorless.

“Yes. That is exactly what I did. And now, this man is dead, slain by your own hand, and the world is better for it. You’re better for it because you’ve finally realized what you can do when you finally stop hesitating. ”

Skye’s magic continued to tighten around her, and the flames reignited in Taly’s lungs as he slowly took control of her aether, holding it just out of reach.

Giving one final jerk, Taly sagged against him, her heart twisting so viciously in her chest that the world went sideways.

“Why?” Taly whispered. Then louder, gaining strength: “ Why?! Why would you do this?”

The Queen smiled a bit, reaching down to pluck the amulet from around Vaughn’s neck.

“When faced with their worst fears,” she said, “many people fall down and never find the will to get back up. I’ve seen it happen many times before.

To good mages. Brave men and women that allowed their sorrow to cripple them.

Before I let you leave this place, I needed to know that you weren’t that kind of person.

I needed to know that even in your darkest moments, you had the strength to get back up. ”

The Queen passed the amulet from hand to hand.

“This test wasn’t about how many spells you’ve learned, or how much magical theory you can recite.

This test was about getting Talya Caro out of her own way.

This test was about finally getting you to embrace what you are and what you can do and to force you to let go of that girl that got tossed at my feet a year ago wounded and confused.

You keep holding onto her, but that girl was destined to die.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually.

Everything I have done has been to keep that from happening.

To keep you alive because that is the promise I made to your mother when she came to my palace, desperate for a way to keep her child out of the Sanctorum’s eye. ”

The Queen stepped around the body, making her way across the clearing.

Her face was impassive, her eyes serene, and when she was close enough, she reached for Taly’s hand and pressed the amulet into her palm.

“A gift.” A glance at Taly. Then Skye. “Given as a symbol of my everlasting friendship. Lord Castaro will know what to do with it.”

Taly stared at the amulet. Quiet. Unmoving. Blood had caked beneath the scales of the ouroboros.

The blood of a man she had killed.

“Now then,” the Queen said, straightening her cloak, “you are free to go whenever you wish. I would, however, recommend staying until tomorrow morning, perhaps the next day—take some time to rest and recover before going back to a shade-infested island full of people that want to kill you both.” She looked to Skye, her expression softening a bit.

“I’ll keep an eye on Kato in the meantime, so there’s no need to worry.

He’ll be a little rattled when you return, but, otherwise, unharmed. ”

Skye let out an audible sigh of relief that Taly didn’t quite understand. He and Kato hated each other. When had that changed?

The wind picked up, and the fairies began to whisper.

Azura was watching her, but Taly had nothing else to say. She was too numb, too exhausted. Despite the warmth of the sun, she felt cold .

The Queen turned, disappearing into the hedge maze without another word; the whispering of the fairies began to fade.

Still, Taly didn’t move, only stared at that amulet. At the blood, already flaking on her skin.

“Taly?” Skye’s voice was gentle as he closed his hand around hers. “Is there a place where we can get you cleaned up? You would feel better.”

She almost laughed. Typical Skye. Here he was, bleeding and wounded—Shards only knew what he’d gone through to get here. Yet he was still putting her needs before his own.

Taking a breath, she let her fingers trail down his chest. There were three rips in his armor. The leather was black with blood. “You’re hurt.”

“Bruised and sore, yes.” Skye caught her wrist, the movement making him wince. “And I think Vaughn had his mages using mistlewick venom—it’s painful but hardly lethal at such small doses. I’ll be fine.”

Taly gave a jerky nod, her eyes drifting back to Vaughn and that ever-widening pool of blood that was slowly devouring the circle of white stone.

Skye followed her stare, taking in the corpse, the pieces of armor lying off to the side, the crystals scattered on the ground. He was looking for the heart, she realized. The one she had turned to dust.

“You probably have questions,” she said softly.

“A few, yes. The least of which being just how you managed this.” She couldn’t read the emotion in his eyes, if it was judgement or pride. “But that can wait.” He removed the amulet from her hand, replacing it with his own. “C’mon. I know that palace has to have at least one shower. ”

Taly gave another nod, too numb to do anything else. And when Skye gave her hand a tug, she allowed him to pull her away from the center of the maze.

To lead her out of this place of death.