Page 26 of Shardless (Tempris #1)
-From the personal notes of Ivain Castaro, Marquess of Tempris
The 26 th day of the month Luna, during the 247 th year of the Empty Throne
They’re doing it again—right in front of me. Eleven years and Skye and Taly still don’t think that anyone has caught on to their little game.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why they felt the need to invent their own language. It was primitive in its beginning stages, but now, I dare say, the lexicon has become quite sophisticated. Every time they start this nonsense up again, I always find myself asking the same question: why tapping? They’re both intelligent individuals—surely, they could’ve come up with something less obvious .
Thankfully, their use of this alternative method of communication has tapered off over the years. When they were younger, it was literally a never-ending percussive racket echoing back and forth across the hall. Sarina has always thought this little quirk of theirs to be “cute,” but, as I’ve told her before, she’s not the one that has to hear it vibrating the walls of the house at all hours of the night. Over time, I’ve tried reinforcing the wards on their rooms, playing music, as well as a myriad of other stratagems, but nothing has succeeded at completely drowning out the noise. I believe there was a mortal poet that summed up my plight quite succinctly: “It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.”
I don’t know why I find myself so particularly vexed this afternoon. Perhaps it’s because ever since my two young wards sat down to take their exam for applied interdimensional mathematics, the dull, rhythmic thud of tapping quill tips has pervaded my thoughts, dashing whatever hopes I had of accomplishing any of my own work this hour.
At first, I thought they had devised a way to cheat. But, no. I wish they were cheating. I wish with everything that I am, everything that I own, that they were cheating. That would be less aggravating than what I’m currently having to witness.
Allow me to summarize the situation. Skye has done something to irritate Taly—certainly not surprising considering he goes out of his way to pester the poor girl. If my translation is accurate, he’s unhappy that Sarina is allowing Taly to venture into the village unattended this evening to meet with a young suitor. Skye is insisting that Taly bring him along even though she has now told him to “shove it” no less than 22 times.
I think tomorrow I shall begin a small experiment—purely for my own research. By now, I’m quite fluent in the language of tapping, and I think that I will start embedding hidden messages into my lesson plans and including them in their tests. I’m curious to see how long it will take them to catch on. If they can stop making moon eyes at each other from across the room, I’m guessing maybe six months.
Skye had been right about one thing. The group that now comprised the highest-ranking members of the Gate Watchers were a bunch of ineffectual, self-important dipshits. After almost an hour of pointless jabber, they still had yet to accomplish anything useful.
Taly tapped her quill on the polished oak of the conference table, doing her best not to roll her eyes as Lord-something-or-other once again reminded the room that his family would execute swift and merciless retribution on the perpetrators of this attack. The lordling’s empty promises would be far more comforting if his family and militias weren’t currently on the other side of the Seren Gate.
The delegation had decided to hold the meeting in the assembly room at the top of the main tower, a soaring, circular structure that jutted up from the center of the compound. Floor- to-ceiling windows surrounded them on all sides, offering panoramic views of the churning bank of storm clouds that now seemed to hang at eye-level. Every so often, a flash of light would illuminate the shadowy mountains of fog and smoke, but the crash of thunder never came. The air wards that had been so artfully etched into the glass to resemble coiling vines dotted with moonflowers kept the sounds of the outside world at bay.
Taly let her eyes drift over the various Lords and Ladies seated at the table. Skye was to her left. Although she had tried to hang back and take a seat by the door with the assistants, he had insisted she sit next to him. That had raised a few eyebrows, but one look from Eula, who sat to the other side of Skye, had silenced any objections.
Kato sat to Taly’s right, that mask of boyish charm firmly in place. The smile on his lips never wavered, but his eyes were cold and his responses, though somewhat crude and artless, were leading.
As for everyone else, Taly had met them all at one point or another over the years. There was Lady Lissa Riette—a lovely creature with fiery hair and a permanent sneer. Lady Reya Riette sat next to her. Taly couldn’t remember how the two were related. Cousins perhaps, but something in her said they were probably sisters. Although the second woman had dark hair and almost violet eyes, she had the same square jaw and pert, upturned nose as her companion. They also wore matching amulets around their necks—a single shadow crystal surrounded by what appeared to be hyaline carved into the shape of a serpentine dragon eating its own tail. Seated next to each other, the two women looked like the living embodiments of day and night .
Continuing around the table, there was Mr . Swift and Merciless Retribution, Lord Rask Ridic, whose sallow skin already looked flushed from all that pontificating. Beside him sat a man Taly recognized as having visited Harbor Manor just last year—a merchant’s son. A lowborn by birth, Lord Timo Paysan’s family had managed to buy a title when several highborn families migrated to the mortal realm during the Hunt. If he had managed to pass the entrance exams to the Gate Watchers, that meant he probably had a fair amount of magic lurking beneath that skinny, almost child-like exterior.
And then rounding out the group was a man that Taly knew very well—Kane Harin. A fire mage, the man had very little magic, but he was clever and managed his aether well enough to make do. Taly had met him on her first trip to the compound when she was only seven. She remembered being terrified of the swirling scars decorating his hands and face, and she still laughed every time she recalled the look of pained embarrassment on Ivain’s face when she had asked why the gruff lowborn wore a patch over his right eye. But even after almost 14 years of visiting the compound on and off, she hadn’t really gotten to know Kane until she’d befriended his son—another salvager. There had been several nights over the past year when she didn’t have enough coin for both food and a bunk, and his family had been kind enough to offer her a warm bed and a hot meal in exchange for mucking their stable.
Lissa caught Taly’s eye, and her sneer turned into a scowl.
“Don’t mind her,” Kato whispered, winking at the hateful woman, who promptly turned away with a soft huff. “Lissa hates everyone.”
Taly covered her smile with a hand, letting her reply die on her lips. Except for Kane, every person in the room was a shadow mage, and she was sure that each one was channeling their aether, honing those enhanced fey senses to root out the things that weren’t being said.
“Shades, Skylen?” Lissa’s shrill voice rang out, interrupting Kane mid-sentence. “You truly expect us to believe that those creatures were shades? And based on what? Something a human found in the Vetiri? Truthfully, I didn’t know humans had the mental capacity to learn to read the common tongue, much less Faera.”
“Lissa, that is enough,” Eula barked, her red lips set into a stern line. Beside her, Skye stiffened, and Taly could just hear that faint inhuman, fey growl—a warning.
One that Lissa did not heed. “I’m just saying—”
“No,” Taly whispered, placing a hand on Skye’s arm as he leaned forward, intent on reprimanding the vile woman. Taly didn’t mind in the slightest if these people hated her. She was used to it. But Skye needed to keep them on his side.
Taly tapped out a seemingly random rhythm against Skye’s wrist before pulling away. When she saw his lips twitch, she knew he’d deciphered her message as he relaxed and let Lissa keep talking.
Their old code. Originally devised as a way to communicate after bedtime, it had evolved over the years, enough that they had figured out ways to hold entire conversations without ever saying a word. Unfortunately, they’d had to stop using it when Ivain caught on and started pranking them during their lessons.
Actually, now that you mention it , I don’t think I’ve ever seen that woman smile , came Skye’s silent reply. Odd. The rest of her family is quite lovely.
Crossing her arms, Taly tapped out, Well, if I had a stick that far up my ass, I probably wouldn’t be too happy about it either.
Skye coughed, his shoulders shaking, and Taly noted that they had now drawn Kato’s attention. The other man eyed them with a mixture of amusement and irritation, giving Taly a playful pout when she raised a questioning brow. It seemed the older shadow mage didn’t like being left out of the loop.
“That’s all well and good, Lissa,” Skye finally said, interrupting the noblewoman’s tirade. She growled in reply but bit her tongue. “However, regardless of whether you want to believe it or not, that’s what the research says.”
“Again, based on the word of a human . Have you at least had it verified, Skylen?” Lissa argued stubbornly.
Growing tired of the woman’s snide comments, Taly picked up one of the books she and Skye had brought with them from the library and skidded it across the table. “If you don’t believe me, then verify it yourself.”
Lissa snatched up the book, her expression stoic as she flipped through the pages.
“You can read it, can’t you?” Taly prodded, smiling when she saw the fiery redhead’s face falter. “Faera? Or should I translate? I think you’ll find my accent is quite good. ”
The book slammed shut, and for a moment it looked like Lissa was going to make a reply, but her strange blood-red eyes flicked to her sister, who shook her head. “Continue,” she said, anger simmering just beneath the surface of that strained tone and porcelain facade.
Skye’s eyes found Taly’s, and the proud smile he gave her made something in her chest tighten. “If that’s settled,” he said evenly, “can we move on? We need a plan. We can’t just hole up in the compound and pray that we don’t get attacked again.”
“Why not?” Timo, the merchant’s son—his voice was soft and reedy, like he wasn’t used to speaking up. “Time on Tempris and the mainland will be synced up for at least two more days. We could try to pry open the gate and retreat to the Port of Marin.”
Eula sighed, her brow furrowed. “Skylen and I discussed that possibility last night, but the gate’s time crystals were stolen early this morning. It’s completely inoperable.”
“What?” Kato leaned forward. “Stolen? How is that possible? Why weren’t there guards stationed?”
“There were,” Skye replied gravely. “But they were found tied up and unconscious. Both men remember a woman bringing them wine shortly after the first bell rung, but neither can remember any details about her—her name, her face, nothing. We think they may have been drugged with bloodbane, but we’re still waiting on the earth mages to confirm.”
Taly felt cold. Bloodbane was hard to come by, even with the right black-market connections.
Kane’s gravelly voice was the first to break the silence. “That means that whoever is doing this has someone in the compound.”
“I think that’s a safe assumption at this point,” Skye replied, his fingers steepled in front of him. “The explosion that tore a hole in the back wall during the attack yesterday… it came from inside.” There was a round of hushed murmurs, but Skye held up a hand, shushing them. “That coupled with the sudden disappearance of the leadership—Commander Enix, his Precept, and his Lieutenant—I would say we’re dealing with more than one person. Possibly a team that has now managed to create an army of monsters, infiltrate the compound, destroy our chain-of-command, and weaken our defenses.”
“How do we find them?” Kato snarled, all signs of mirth gone. There was nothing but cold, unyielding anger left in its wake.
Skye caught his brother’s eye, passing on some unspoken message that had the older man reluctantly backing down. Turning back to the table, Skye said, “I’ve already assigned a team of Ensigns to take a census of everyone in the keep, and we’re still questioning everyone that may have seen something last night, but beyond that—”
“We have no way to weed out the traitors without turning this into a witch hunt,” Eula concluded grimly. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing three violet lines that had been tattooed on her forearm.
“What do they want?” Reya’s cold, listless voice lilted across the table. “If we could figure out what they want, maybe they would leave the rest of us be.”
“For the time being, I’m not sure that matters,” Skye answered. “They’ve made no effort to contact us with a list of demands. What we do know is that these things fight to kill and that we can’t stay here. We need to move to Ryme.”
Kane ran a scarred hand over his shorn head. “I disagree. We’ll be too vulnerable out on the road. At least here, we have the walls. We have some measure of defense.”
“Last I checked, there was a hole in the wall,” Kato interjected. “If one of the fire mages sneezes in the wrong direction, that patch the earth mages managed to slap together isn’t going to be anything more than ash. The compound is breached.”
Skye crossed his arms, looking at Kane pointedly. “Kato’s right. Just because we’ve had a moment to catch our breath doesn’t mean we should get complacent. We’re not safe here. The scouting parties we sent out this morning have confirmed that there are still shades moving around the city. They know our weak spots, they have a spy inside the compound—we should expect another attack. Soon.”
Eula flipped through a stack of ledgers. “I agree with Skylen. Even if the compound were defensible, food and supplies would eventually become a problem. Although Kato’s team wasn’t able to retrieve Lord Brenin, they did confirm that the supply stores on the edge of the city were burned during the first attack. By my estimate, we only have enough food to last us until the end of the month. Ryme is the most fortified town on the island. They’ve been preparing for the Aion Gate connection for the better part of a year, and they have enough land, enough people, and enough resources to be self-sustaining if need be.”
“It’s too risky,” Kane argued. “Without the scrying relays, we don’t know if there’s still a Ryme to retreat to.”
“Have we looked into fixing the relay?” Rask spoke up. He had quieted down after his initial overtures, most likely cowed by the bleakness of the situation.
“Yes,” Eula replied. There was a tightness around her eyes, and she placed both hands flat on the table. “At first, we thought it was nothing more than a glitch, and maybe it was at the beginning. But, under the circumstances, we now suspect sabotage.”
A hushed silence fell over the room, the floor underfoot trembling as a particularly violent peal of soundless thunder shook the tower. The runes etched on the glass flashed as the magic strained against what was most likely a deafening crash.
“What about the other scrying relays?” Taly asked, her eyes scanning the room. “Della’s was still intact as of yesterday morning. And Plum, even Vale—both are less than a day’s ride. We could send scouts.”
“We’d likely be sending them to their deaths,” Eula countered quietly.
“Eula’s right,” Skye agreed. “Anyone actually capable of making the journey—we need them here. The men and women we could spare… it would be suicide.”
“I vote we go to Ryme,” Rask said. “If I’m going to be stuck behind a wall, I’d like it to be intact.”
Kane pounded a fist on the table. “If we have nothing but bad options, then I say we stay.”
“I’m with Kane,” Timo declared, his voice timid.
The two women of dawn and dusk nodded their agreement .
Interesting , Taly thought. It seemed the remaining leadership was starting to split, half for Skye, half for Kane. Crossing her arms, she let her fingers drum out a rhythm against her arm. If you get Kane, you’ll get the others.
Skye’s eyes flicked over to her, his thumb tapping the arm of his chair. I think so too, but Kane hates me. He’ll disagree with me just on principle.
Taly raised a brow. Nonsense. You’re just not using the right bait.
Another drum of Skye’s fingers, this time against the side of his leg as he pretended to shift in his seat. Well, don’t keep me in suspense . Although he kept his eyes trained ahead, he tilted his head, listening for her reply.
They had attracted Kato’s attention again, so Taly leaned forward in her seat, making a note of something on the stack of papers in front of her. When she saw Kato’s eyes slide away, she covertly slipped her hand into Skye’s beneath the table and lightly tapped out her message against his palm. Last I heard, Kane’s son was in Ryme.
The exchange couldn’t have lasted more than a minute, maybe two, but Taly could already see a plan formulating in Skye’s mind. Sitting up a little straighter, he said, “Kane. I understand the need to exercise caution, but in light of everything that’s happened, I think we have to take the risk. If anything, think about how many people downstairs have family that’s gone missing. Family that may very well be on their way to Ryme right now. If we’re dead either way, don’t we owe it to them to try to make the journey?”
The shift in Kane’s attitude was immediate. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes became shuttered as he looked to Taly. A question.
“Avi was headed to Ryme night before last,” she said quietly. “I saw him in Della with my own eyes.”
Shaking his head, Kane stared out into the churning sea of gray rippling past the windows. “It’s a risk.”
“One we can mitigate,” Skye replied calmly. “We can repurpose the debris outside the compound to fortify our caravan, keep the lowborn civilians in the center, train the mages so they can respond more quickly as a unit. If we go, we stand a chance. If we stay, we’ll starve—assuming the shades don’t get to us first.”
Kane hesitated for a long moment, wavering. “Alright,” he said slowly, tiredly. “I’ll go.”
“And me,” Timo chimed almost immediately, just as Taly had predicted.
“Are you out of your minds?!” Lissa hissed as she shot to her feet. “This is ridiculous. I will not leave this compound until I know Ryme is safe.”
“That is my feeling as well,” Reya said far more calmly, pushing herself to stand. “If it is the wish of this delegation to leave, then my sister and I will not be a part of it.”
“I can’t fault you for that,” Skye said with a sigh. “Anyone that wishes to stay with you, I won’t interfere. So long as you grant us the same courtesy.”
The two sisters departed shortly after their outburst, but it was of little consequence. The meeting was already winding down as Eula and Skye doled out orders. Taly idly wandered over to one of the windows, only half-listening as she stared out into the fog. With her human eyes, she couldn’t see anything through the somber, gray haze. Even the flat crystal planes of the Seren Gate that she knew to be standing no more than 100 feet away were invisible.
When the last of the delegation had left, Skye came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and tucking her underneath his chin. They stood there for several minutes, just staring out into the storm.
Taly was the first to break the silence. “Why would they take the time crystals? Of all the ways to shut down a gate, why did they remove the time crystals?”
She felt Skye shrug behind her. “I’m not sure. A part of me thinks that whoever is behind this might be trying to recreate the enchanted armor, but that’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“No time mages,” Skye replied simply. “No Time Shard either. Even if the crystals didn’t go dark as soon as the preservation enchantment was removed, you’d still need a time mage to inscribe the crystal with the proper spell.”
That’s right. Taly had forgotten about that small detail. The Gate Watchers had enchanted each gate before the time crystals went dark, completely losing their ability to channel and convert aether. Without the Time Shard, they were little more than useless. But what had Aiden said? Taly’s very existence was evidence that the Time Shard had been revived. Which meant that maybe re-creating that armor wasn’t so impossible. Not anymore at least.
And then there was her. What would their unknown attacker do if he (or she or they) found out that there might be a living time mage? A human one, but still… Taly shuddered at the idea .
“It’s okay, Tink,” Skye said, most likely having heard the sharp spike in her heart rate. His arms tightened around her. “We’ll figure something out. All we’ve got to do is stick together, you and me, and we’ll be fine.”
“What are you not saying?” Taly whispered, noting the slight edge in his voice.
“Am I that obvious?”
Taly shook her head, smiling softly. “Only to me.”
Skye sighed. “I’m worried about Ryme and how we’re going to get all of these people there. Kane’s concerns are valid. Even if we fortify the caravans, we will lose people if we get attacked out in the open. I’d feel a lot better if I knew we had backup coming.”
A sharp stab of guilt lanced Taly’s chest. She stepped away, moving back over to the table to start gathering up the scattered books, notes, and journals. She needed to keep her hands busy.
Reya’s dull, lifeless words filtered back through her mind: What do they want? Or maybe more precisely, who did they want? She didn’t have any evidence, but Taly was starting to suspect she knew the answer to that question. And it made her stomach churn.
“There’s no one you can send?” Taly asked shakily, glancing at him over her shoulder. A gnawing sense of guilt took root deep inside her, and she took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the urge to gasp for air. How could she fix this? If this really was her fault, if they were after her, how could she fix this? “What about… woah.” A prickling sting rippled up and down her arm, and then the world tilted sideways. She stumbled, grabbing at the table for balance .
A spectral golden hand gripped her arm moments before she felt Skye come up behind her.
Damn it! She’d dropped her guard—allowed her attention to slip. She prodded at the mental wall, frantically searching. The patches she’d put in place were still holding but… There! A tiny, almost insignificant trickle of power seeping out from between the stones. Shoving every bit of willpower she had at the leak, the glimmering, golden haze creeping in around the edges of her vision slowly abated.
“Taly?” Skye’s voice was soft yet urgent as the world around her came back into focus. “C’mon, Tink, talk to me.”
Taly blinked up at him, confused. How had he gotten up there? For that matter, how had she come to be sprawled on the floor with Skye crouching over her?
“I’m fine. What happened?” She tried to sit up, but her head swam as soon as she shifted.
“Easy,” Skye said, gently lifting her and leaning her body against his. “You were talking, and then you just went down. I caught you before you could hit your head, but I still think we should take you to see the healer.”
“No!” Taly exclaimed. She couldn’t have that healer looking at her arm again. Skye’s brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to protest. Before he could say anything to the contrary, she added, “I think this is just a case of too much coffee and not enough food. Sleep would probably also help.”
“I guess we have had a pretty rough go of it lately,” Skye conceded, his eyes tight with worry. “Still, I’d feel better if you saw the healer. Especially since you were just getting back on your feet again after the harpy.”
Taly shook her head. “No, Skye. Let the healer tend to people that actually need healing. I’m fine.”
“Hey?” a new voice inquired. “What happened?”
Taly groaned, but Skye cut her off before she could protest. “Taly needs the healer.”
“No, I don’t,” she reiterated.
“What?” Rounding the table, there was genuine concern in Kato’s expression as he crouched down beside them. “Is she sick?”
“No.” Taly shook off Skye’s hold and shot to her feet, wobbling slightly. “I don’t need a healer. I need a snack. That’s all.”
Skye stood. “Taly, please—”
“I said no .” Taly slapped his hand away when he reached for her, wincing when she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. “You know that medicine Aiden has me on has my metabolism all messed up. I just need to eat something.”
Turning to Skye, Kato asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be meeting with Kane right now? I can take her to the commissary.”
“I don’t need babysitting,” Taly muttered. Nor did she want to get stuck spending any time alone with Kato—not with how unstable those spells on her arm were becoming.
“Maybe you don’t,” Kato replied with a grin, “but I do. I’m known for finding trouble—just ask my brother.”
Skye chuckled, his eyes zeroing in on Taly when he saw her lean against the table for support. “It’s true. All I hear from Mother when I visit is how she always thought Kato would finally grow up once he passed the turn of his second century. But alas… ”
“Better a troublemaker than a celibate country hermit,” Kato retorted sharply.
“Is that what she says about me?” Skye asked, completely unfazed. “Could be worse, I suppose.”
“Okay, boys.” Taly held up her hands when she saw something mean creep into Kato’s expression. She was starting to get the impression that it irritated the older mage to no end when his barbs didn’t find their mark. “That’s enough. I’ll go with Kato if it means the two of you will shut up and leave me the hell alone.”
“You know what, I don’t like it, but I’ll take it,” Skye said abruptly. Lightning streaked the cloudy sky behind him as he turned to Kato, who looked just as shocked as she felt. “But if she collapses again, take her to the healer. No arguments. That’s an order, Marshal .”
Taly opened her mouth to protest, but Skye shushed her by pressing a chaste kiss to her brow. “Yes,” he said, ducking down to glare at her affectionately. “Eat. Get some rest. But if you’re still unwell after that, go see the healer. We all need to be at our best.”
“Fine,” Taly conceded grumpily. “But be prepared to eat your words later on because I’m not going to need a healer.” Even if she did, once they had a chance to talk that evening, he would see why that wasn’t a possibility.
“Thank you,” Skye said, pressing another kiss to her brow. His eyes dipped to her mouth, but instead of closing the distance, he just smiled and shook his head before quickly exiting the room. Apparently, he had learned by now to take whatever meager offering of peace she gave him and not ask questions.
“Well!” Kato exclaimed once Skye had left the room. “I must say I’m impressed at my brother’s efficiency.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Taly just stared at the arm that Kato offered.
He gave her a disarming grin as he reached for her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. “My dear baby brother just managed to back you into a corner of your own making—a feat that I’m starting to suspect isn’t easy.”
“Your flattery is wasted, Kato,” Taly countered, a shiver slithering down her spine. His fingers caressed the back of her hand, and she could just make out a faint tremor of aether prickling her skin. Most humans probably wouldn’t have even noticed the almost imperceptible swell of magic, would play it off as some sort of static charge, but she had grown up around shadow mages. Stress and fatigue tended to make their magic slightly unstable, creating tiny ripples in the surrounding aether.
As Kato pulled her along, down the hallway and towards the aether lift that would take them down the 25 floors it would take to reach the courtyard, she tried to play off the weakness in her limbs as hunger, assured him that she was just tired every time she stumbled. But that tickle at the base of her skull, the feeling of his magic ghosting across her skin, was unnerving, almost predatory. It awoke some long-forgotten primal instinct, the need to survive, the need to run. When they crossed the threshold of the aether lift, she pulled her hand back and stepped away, leaning against the wall of the lift and pretending to nurse a headache as she rubbed at her temples.
The rain was coming down in earnest as they stepped through the doors of the main building. Water had started to collect in the courtyard, and they had to carefully navigate the rapidly forming puddles. As they approached the line for the commissary, Kato offered her his coat, a plain, standard-issue Gate Watcher’s cloak made from waterproof canvas. The queue trailed out the door of the kitchens, through the mud and trampled down hay, and Taly accepted the garment gratefully, pulling the hood over her hair as the wind picked up.
“Lovely weather we’re having,” she said, trying to break the heavy silence.
Kato’s lips twitched. “Yes. Funny that the weather should take such a nasty turn as soon as you arrived. In fact, a lot of things seemed to have taken a turn as soon as you arrived. Why do you think that is?”
“Bad luck.” Taly took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heartbeat and praying that the dull patter of the rain would confuse Kato’s enhanced senses. “Some might even say I’m cursed.”
That’s certainly not a lie , she thought, prodding carefully at the mental barrier.
“Very bad luck,” he countered blithely. The smile on his lips fell, seemingly washed away by the rain. “You know I’m not sure what I’m angrier about—that someone’s creating shades or that there are those inside our walls selling out their own people. I’ve been thinking about it, and if I had to guess, I would say that our traitor most likely infiltrated the compound as a refugee during all of the confusion. I would also guess that she’s looking for something.”
“She?” Taly pulled at the coat, trying to pass off the trembling in her hands as a shiver .
Kato nodded, unaffected by the wet and the cold. Fey tended to run a few degrees warmer than humans. “Yes. That’s what the guards said when they were questioned—a woman brought them wine just before the time crystals in the gate went missing.”
Taly’s throat bobbed, the only reaction she would allow herself as she continued to stare straight ahead. Why did everything always circle back around to time magic?
“You know what I find myself wondering?” Kato mused. Although his face was the picture of concerned confusion as he scuffed at the edge of a puddle with his boot, his eyes were cold. “Now that our traitor has the time crystals from the Seren Gate, what do you think she’ll go for next? What is she after?”
“I don’t know,” Taly replied stoically.
“Are you sure?” Kato pressed. “Come on, you’re a smart girl. You don’t have any ideas?” Taly shook her head, unnerved by the ruthlessness she could see lurking just beneath the surface of that boyish facade. “That’s too bad,” he said with a convincing sigh. “Because if I knew what she wanted, I’d be tempted to just give it to her. Anyone would. Especially if it would save the lives of all these innocent people.” He held out his arms, gesturing toward the hundreds of displaced refugees milling about the courtyard. “How many more people have to die, Taly?”
Because of you , her subconscious hissed at her. Time mage. Freak.
Taly took a step back, her appetite having grown cold. “You know, on second thought, I’m not feeling very hungry. I think I’m just going to go to bed.” Shrugging out of his coat, she tossed it to him as she turned to walk away.
His hand grabbed her wrist, and as he whirled her around to face him, a crest of pain, the sharpest one yet, tore through her, almost bringing her to her knees. She managed to bite back her cry, but when she looked up, what she saw in Kato’s eyes had her backing away. Suspicion. Betrayal. Anger . There was so much anger behind that deceptive smile. “Now, now… I promised my brother I’d take care of you,” he said with just the right amount of concern. “You’re starting to look a bit piqued. Stay in line. Let’s get something to eat.”
“I’ll get something later. Promise,” Taly replied hastily, stumbling over her feet in her attempt to get away. This time he let her retreat, and it was all she could do not to run as she forced herself to slow her pace, edge around the courtyard as she pretended to shy away from the rain.
He knew. Kato knew what she was. Maybe the first pulse of magic in the library really was an accident, and each spell that had subsequently snapped had been nothing more than a link in a chain reaction that had already been set in motion. But when Kato grabbed her arm just now, when he took her hand in the tower and looped her arm with his—she had felt it. The subtle, deliberate bite of shadow magic. Searching. Seeking. Its claws strummed the fraying cords of the enchantments woven across her skin, scraping across the barrier that was just barely holding back her magic. He hadn’t been sure before, but now… he had everything he needed. And he must have come to the same conclusion she had. Whoever was doing this was after her. Innocent people had died because of her .
As soon as she passed through the doors of the main building, Taly started sprinting, choosing to take the servants’ stairs. The darkened stairwell was deserted, and she finally allowed herself to sag against the wall, panting. Another whip-like snap of pain jolted her body, and her lip bled as she desperately attempted to shove the released power back behind the wall. Gasping for breath, she started taking the stairs at a far more sedate pace.
She couldn’t stay here, not anymore. She couldn’t knowingly endanger more innocent lives just so that she could stay hidden. And no matter how much she may have wanted to, she couldn’t tell Skye. Because if she did, he might not make the right decision. He might not send her away. She couldn’t take that chance.
You’re the only thing keeping me going . That’s what he had said to Taly just hours earlier. Bursting into their room, she hesitated. This was going to kill him. He would never forgive her. If she ran out on him a second time, that was it. He might still care about her, but he would be well within his rights to wash his hands of her. For good.
But maybe it was better that way. Maybe she had been right the first time. He really was better off without her. Everyone was.
Peeling off her now-sopping wet coat and sweater, Taly paused as three tiny, bell-shaped blooms fluttered to the floor. She had found them growing in the courtyard and stopped to pluck them as she and Skye made their way to the tower to meet with the other members of the leadership.
Snowdrops. The same as the twining mass of flowers that Skye had so lovingly etched onto the crystal frame of her pistols.
Picking up one of the wilting buds, Taly twirled the stem between her forefinger and thumb, gently prodding at the wall and teasing out a small trickle of magic from between the stones. As she watched the golden mist snake its way between her fingers, she couldn’t help but think it felt familiar in a way, this power—like an old friend. The golden threads wove themselves around the bloom, pulling and tightening until the petals were once again smooth and supple and new.
She had to leave. About that, she was sure. But this time, she wouldn’t just disappear into the night with no explanation.
This time, she would say goodbye.