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“Simple,” Aiden said. “Aneirin wasn’t touching her. He wasn’t… possessing her. You see, with any state change, there’s an exchange of energy. And in this case, the sudden snap of so much aether into a solid form would’ve absorbed an extraordinary amount of heat. In other words, it bled cold.”

“The portals,” Taly murmured. “Passing through them… It was colder than anything I’ve ever felt before.”

“Same when Aneirin touched me,” Skye said, just as quietly. “His hand was like ice.”

Aiden nodded. “The marks on Skye, on our victims—they’re burns .

Almost like frostbite. But you, Taly, never had direct physical contact, so whatever aether-altering property this thing has was acting externally.

And you just happened to have a high-level glamour protecting you from the brunt of it. ”

“At least that’s one use for water mages,” Kato muttered. Aimee shot him a look that could kill.

“So, this Aneirin then,” Eula said. It was the first time she’d spoken, leaning against the wall, separate from the family. “Is it safe to say that he can drain aether?”

“No,” Ivain murmured, rubbing his jaw as he pored over the file—like if he looked hard enough, the facts might rearrange themselves.

“No, I think he’s doing more than that. He’s taking aether and turning it into something else, into hyaline .

The only absolutely non -magical substance ever discovered.

That’s not a drain or transference. It’s destruction. Complete nullification.”

“Unless it’s not actually non-magical,” Taly said and dropped another bit of crystal into the sugar bowl. Plink .

Both Ivain and Eula turned to her, their brows raised.

“The collar,” she said. “The one we found on Kato. It was made of hyaline, but it was also enchanted.”

Ivain frowned. “We don’t know that for certain. There could still be foul play at work.”

“Sure,” Taly conceded. “But assume for a moment that there isn’t.

Think about it. Aether changes state all the time.

It has its base form, but when you alter it, its affinity shifts.

It becomes fire aether, earth aether, and each one of those variations has its own unique properties—smells, textures, even tastes.

What if aether crystallizing into a solid isn’t a change of state?

What if it’s just another affinity? Aether finding yet another way to exist.”

“Have you been dipping into my mirthroot again?” Aiden asked.

“Yes.” The process of having her aether siphoned out and crystallized on her skin had left her with a pounding headache. “But hear me out—what if hyaline isn’t inert? What if its power had something to do with, say, spatial anomalies?”

Ivain’s lips thinned. “Vacuum Theory.”

Taly picked off another flake of crystal and dropped it in the bowl.

“Bill, he’s… bending space, somehow. And he’s doing it independent of time.

Not even I can do that. Not even the Gates can do that.

Time and space are irrevocably interconnected—that’s why it’s called spacetime fabric.

But Vacuum Theory says that if you could create a condition where aether was completely absent, space would start to…

fold? Bend? Fracture? Nobody really knows because it’s all theoretical. But that’s starting to sound familiar.”

She paused, letting the words hang. “The riftways, anyone? We already know they don’t use time crystal to function, and shadow crystal is just a power source.

I looked at Kato’s notes on the riftway repair—there’s nothing else at work there.

Just hyaline. And when they inserted the core incorrectly, it triggered a spatial deletion event. Nobody else thinks that’s weird?”

“And Aneirin?” Skye said. “How does he fit into this?”

“One, it’s Bill. Everyone, please take note. I’ve told you this. And two…” Taly shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s doing something with hyaline, and space bends in the process. Maybe he figured out a way to enchant it.”

“No,” Ivain said, his frown deepening. “What you’re suggesting—if hyaline could be enchanted, that would make it magical.

And a magical crystal isn’t just some enchanted rock.

It’s a conduit. A conductor for magic. It doesn’t just hold energy—it transforms it, amplifies it, makes it something usable. ”

“From what I can tell, Skye and Kato left a pretty big hole in the ground,” Taly countered. “I’d classify that as both an amplification and an exploitation.”

“Do not make the mistake of confusing coincidence with intent,” Ivain said firmly. “Hyaline doesn’t conduct magic. It lacks the structural resonance and divine imprint required for channeling. It’s a rock. A dead end.”

“But—”

“I said no , Taly.”

The word settled over the room with finality. Taly’s face went hot. Ivain straightened in his chair, expression unreadable—but his eyes slipped, just for a breath, a flicker of unease creeping in behind them.

“I won’t waste time chasing shadows,” he said. “We stick to the facts, the provable, the measurable. Anything else is a distraction we can’t afford.”

There was something he wasn’t saying. Taly took a breath to keep arguing, but Skye tugged on her sleeve, motioning for her to let it go.

Growling under her breath, she pried apart another strand of hair.

“So, what happens next?” Aiden asked. “Yes, we know a bit more about who we’re fighting, but where does that leave us now? What do we do about today? Tomorrow?”

“I can answer that,” Sarina said, starting to look a little more alive. “We play politics. We still have a Curse to deal with, and a city under siege.”

Ivain picked up his knife and fork, digging into his forgotten plate. “Last night was… a success,” he muttered, his eyes shifting to Taly with a look that said, if you ignore the last part. “Brielle seems like she could be an ally.”

Sarina’s lips pursed. She stared into her tea like it held the secrets of the universe.

“Myridan’s going to be a problem,” Skye said with a look at Taly.

“Myridan’s always a problem,” Kato countered.

“Yes, but that was before Taly nearly castrated one of them in a public debate.” Sarina rubbed her eyes. “Not that he didn’t have it coming. Ainsley’s a bastard. Always has been. And true to form, he doesn’t let go of slights.”

“I would suggest the stocks to teach him a lesson,” Ivain grumbled into his breakfast.

“And I would suggest we try to avoid starting any more wars,” Sarina said, leveling a steady look across the table.

“For now, we ignore him. Bontu, Tyra, Corvell, and Arylaan all made public pledges last night. Agno is still considering, but they’re leaning in our favor.

He’s outnumbered and outmatched and won’t make a stand publicly. ”

“The Lord Shroud was sitting in his booth,” Taly said softly.

Sarina reached across the table to grip Taly’s hand.

“The Sanctorum is a small group separated from their source of power. They are not the ally he believes them to be.” Taly nodded.

Sarina gave her hand a squeeze, then straightened.

“So long as we maintain the favor of the people, we maintain our hold on this city. And after last night, it’s clear to me that morale has become an issue.

We have a Curse running rampant, and the food supply is in shambles.

People are scared, and while for us it was a night for building alliances, all they saw were their leaders squabbling. ”

Ivain was silent for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. “We need a show of strength.”

“We do.”

“You sound as if you already have something in mind?”

Sarina set down her teacup. “First Sunrise is in a week, and from what I overheard last night, the city is going ahead with the festival. They have no resources, hardly any food, and I’m pretty sure the decorations will be made of paper. But they’re still celebrating.”

“And you want to take over,” Ivain guessed.

Indeed, Sarina’s blue eyes were bright but steady. “You want to restore the people’s faith? Give them something to live for. Open the wine stores and increase the rations. Show them we’re not worried—with food, dancing, and music.”

Aiden said, “It’s going to take another three weeks to see a complete turnover in the food supply. With the infrastructure already in place, we’re producing enough to fill daily rations, but there’s no surplus. Not yet.”

Ivain rubbed his chin. “It would be a stretch.”

Sarina arched a brow. “You’re telling me we have nothing to spare?”

Ivain sighed. “I had a stockpile of goods put away for the Aion Gate opening.”

It wasn’t unusual. The Aion Gate always brought an influx of people, swelling the island’s population to ten times its normal size. That kind of surge demanded more of everything—facilities, resources, and, most of all, food.

“The perishables are being released into the population at timed intervals,” Ivain continued. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he added, “But I suppose I could… dig deeper, if necessary.”

“Good,” Sarina said. “It’s settled.”

“I never said—”

“I already told the mayor we’d help.” Sarina’s grin was all teeth and no apology, aimed directly at her brother’s frown. “We have nothing to lose. As you said—perishables. They’ll go to ruin anyway. Might as well enjoy a little luxury while we’re still alive to savor it.”

Taly dropped a few more bits of crystal into the sugar bowl. “So, it’s a festival then?”

“Looks that way,” Ivain muttered, stabbing at his eggs.

Taly was halfway up the stairs when Calcifer came bounding down to meet her. “Oh, I know,” she cooed as he jumped into her arms, nearly knocking her off her feet. “I know. You had to spend all night alone. And then no one was here to feed you breakfast.”

“Have you told him he’s fasting?” Skye asked, trudging up the stairs behind her.

Taly rolled her eyes, letting the hysterical mimic lick her face. “You don’t give him enough credit.” Calcifer was sniffing her now. He could smell the aether Skye had given her to help ease the strain and let out a low growl.