Page 30 of Shardless (Tempris #1)

Heavy footsteps were echoing down the upstairs hallway. “Uh-oh. I need to go. Just to be safe, I wouldn’t trust any more transmissions from this relay or Strio.”

“Taly, wait—” Sarina called frantically.

Taly cut the connection and fell to the floor in a defensive crouch. Peering around the edge of the base, she unsheathed the new air dagger Skye had gifted her—Snowdrop as she had decided to call it—and waited as the footsteps came closer. Whoever it was sounded big.

Damn it, Caro, she thought desperately. This may not have been your best idea.

Taly shook herself and took a deep breath. She had gotten the warning out. If that saved even one life, if it got Skye the backup he needed, then the risk would have been worth it.

Plan, plan, I need a plan. Wait! She had almost felt bad about it at the time, but she had stolen Skye’s aether concealment charm before she left. So far, she had been using it to hide the scent of her magic from the beasts in the forest, but if she drained all the charm’s aether in one go, she might be able to hide her presence well enough to sneak past this guy.

Swiveling the silver bracelet around, the crystal set into the center glowed a bright cerulean as she ran a finger over the faceted surface.

The toe of a boot, un-scuffed and newly polished, stepped out of the shadows of the third floor, followed by measured footsteps down the spiraling stairwell.

Taly’s hands were surprisingly steady as she pressed a finger to the tiny blue crystal. The tickle of water magic crawled across her skin, making her shiver, and the glow of the water crystal dulled as the aether stored in the shadow crystal set on the inside of the band was consumed.

“My, my, my,” came a cultivated voice. “What is that delightful bouquet?”

The man finally descended the last stair and stepped into the light. He wasn’t a shade. No, he was very much alive. Although the bearded man was short for a fey, his arms were thick and striated with muscle underneath the navy silk of his rolled-up shirtsleeves. His burly fingers toyed with an amulet that dangled from his neck—a single shadow crystal surrounded by a serpentine dragon carved from hyaline.

He circled the base of the relay, stopping just on the opposite side from where she hid.

“Tell me, little mage—what kind of magic do you practice?” He paused to languidly sniff the air. “Even underneath that glamour and that fabricated human scent, I smell aether. But what kind? The iron makes it so hard to tell.”

Shit , Taly thought, a faint tremble shaking her body. A shadow mage .

He came closer, forcing Taly to shrink back against the relay base. As a mortal, she wouldn’t even have a chance in a hand-to-hand fight. He would be too strong. Instinctively, she placed a hand on the butt of her pistol as she began prodding at the wall erected in her mind, teasing out a little more magic. She saw the man’s auric specter walking a few steps ahead of him as he prowled around the base, and as he came nearer, she desperately tried to remember what it had felt like when she had frozen that group of shades.

Nothing happened, though. Nothing at all.

“Oh, that won’t work, little mage.” The man sounded amused. “Although, I haven’t felt that spell in a long time. How interesting. ”

The air around her started to feel thin, and she clasped a hand to her throat, trying to muffle the sound of her desperate wheezing.

“What’s wrong? Does that hurt? Don’t worry. It’s a nasty trick, but it won’t kill you.”

Taly struggled to stay upright as her legs started to give way. She tried pulling more magic out from behind that wall in her mind, and though that helped to alleviate some of the pain, it wasn’t nearly enough. He was almost upon her now, but her entire body felt like dead weight as she feebly slumped to the floor.

Still, even if her legs refused to respond, she wasn’t going out without a fight. With her remaining strength, she tightened her grip on her dagger and pulled a pistol with her free hand.

Eventually, she felt the glamour around her break, the magic popping against her skin as the enchantment shattered, and a rough hand grabbed her, seizing her up by the arm and slamming her against the nearest wall. Her head whipped back, striking the wall with a dull thud, and for a moment it felt like her ears were stuffed with cotton as everything went quiet and then crashed back into focus. Something warm and wet dripped onto her neck as her toes left the ground.

“You’re not supposed to exist,” the man moaned. She could feel his breath on her skin as he sniffed her, starting at her neck and then, almost gently, nuzzling her hair. “Oh,” he whimpered, “but you are special.” He punctuated this sentence by bringing a hand up and pinching her breast painfully. “And so pretty. I don’t think my master will mind if you and I have a little fun before I take you to see him.”

Finally snapping out of her daze, an enraged scream tore from Taly’s throat. She writhed and kicked at him, but that just made his grip on her wrist tighten as he shoved a leg between her thighs.

NO! No, no… oh, Shards! Please, no. Not like this. His fingers continued to caress her breast, cupping and weighing it as he pressed her against the wall. When he pulled her hips higher, rubbing himself against her and hitching one of her legs up around his waist, she had no doubts about what he intended to do.

“Don’t worry,” he cooed. “I know you’re scared now, but very soon, you won’t remember this. You see, we’re going to strip away everything inside that pretty little head of yours and replace it with something new. Now then” —one hand came up to firmly grasp her chin, and those strange yellow eyes studied her intently— “let’s get this nasty glamour out of the way, shall we? Then we can get a good look at you.”

Taly’s back arched as a wave of magic crashed into her, searing her from the inside out. It felt like her skin was being burned away from her body, layer by layer, and though the pain was fleeting, it left her breathless and trembling. Sweat beaded on her brow, making her skin prickle as the chill air wafted against her.

“That’s better,” the man purred, dragging his tongue up the length of her neck and catching a trickle of sweat. “Now I can really see you. Taste you.” He pulled back slightly, ripping out the tie that held her braid and untangling the weave. When his hand grazed her ear, it sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine. “Lovely. Not perfect, mind you. I always hated how desecration spells dull the eyes.” Here, he paused to prod at the skin around her eyes. “But at least the scent is right—no more iron. My, my… I have a feeling you’re really going to be something once we get to the bottom of all that spell work.”

Taly’s free hand still clutched at her pistol, wedged between her body and the wall. She couldn’t kill this guy. That she knew. But even if he was fey and a shadow mage, she could still make him hurt.

“Now then, my dear,” he said as he began to fumble with the buttons on his pants. “Don’t be afraid to scream. I like a little bit of struggle.”

“Sorry,” she bit out as she raised her pistol and thrust it beneath his chin. His eyes widened at the feel of the cool barrel pressed against delicate flesh. “But you’re just not my type.”

Smiling maniacally, she pulled the trigger.

She fell to the floor, her finger still squeezing the trigger as she fired off round after round. The man stumbled back, dazed, and a grim smile curled Taly’s lips when his body burst into flames. She’d decided to give those incendiary rounds another shot , so to speak. The immolation rate still wasn’t where she’d like it to be, but Ivain had shown her some tricks to increase the burn temperature. As it turned out, the old man had also experimented with different types of ammo.

The shadow mage flailed about as he desperately tried to snuff out the flames, and his legs gave out beneath him when his back hit the relay. His body writhed, flopping a bit like a fish out of water and smearing the mosaic of blood, bone, and hair that had been splattered across the crystal surface.

Taly forced her legs to move. They resisted at first, but she didn’t give up, and eventually she managed to claw her way up the wall until she was standing.

There was a loud bang and a crash behind her—the sentries were trying to come through the door, but it was locked from the inside. The doorknob rattled feebly, holding firm, but it was only a matter of time before they succeeded in knocking it down.

Move!

Some of the heaviness from the man’s strange spell started to lift, and Taly lurched forward. She needed to get back to the window and down the ladder and back to the woods where Byron was still tethered.

“You bitch!” A hand clamped down on her ankle, pulling her off her feet. The man groped at her legs, his hands and arms nothing but smoldering magma clinging to bone. The skin on his face had all but melted away, and tendrils of smoke rolled out from between mangled sinew and bone. His curses were punctuated with pained moans and gurgles.

Taly gripped Snowdrop, but before she could thrust it deep into his chest, he grabbed at the dagger. The blade bit into the skin of his palm, releasing a flood of crimson that welled up between the cracked and charred pieces of mangled flesh, but he didn’t seem to care as he ripped the dagger from her hand and threw it off into a corner.

“How dare you,” he snarled. The skin on his face was already starting to reform, the peach veneer slowly creeping across the burned flesh. As he spoke, wisps of smoke wafted out from between his scorched lips, and Taly gagged as the smell of overcooked meat filled her nose. “If you knew who I was, who it is that I serve, you would be on your knees begging for my favor.”

“Good luck with that,” Taly choked out, still struggling feebly against his iron grip. She couldn’t reach Zephyr or her second pistol, but she still had one trick left. Her breaths coming in ragged gasps, she started tearing at the wall in her mind, ripping out the stones and clawing at the power buried deep inside her.

Gold dust filled the room, and the man’s bloodshot eyes surveyed the scene with irritation. Taly felt a force push back against her, and with a growl, she brought her knee up and kicked him right between the legs. The man barked in pain, wrenching back and slapping her across the face, but the force dissipated. Not completely, but just enough.

With a furious, primal howl, Taly summoned every ounce of will, every scrap of pain, and threw it against that wall. She pushed, she thrashed, she flung herself at the mental barrier until she finally felt something inside her break. Her body began to burn as sharp, whip-like cracks of pain snapped at her skin, and the weight on top of her was blown away as the world exploded in a blinding eruption of light.

The power was flowing out of her, bursting through the dam, carrying the stones of that mental barrier far away. She kept pushing, even when she felt the magic start to wane. Even when she felt a tug at something that felt… important.

Throwing away caution, throwing away sanity, she dove into that hidden well of power and immediately hit another wall—although this one felt different, almost like it was coming from outside of her. The world tilted, and it felt like she was slipping. Her raging heartbeat stumbled and then… quiet.

Darkness and then…

Taly found herself back at… the townhouse?

She looked around in confusion. The Castaros had always kept a townhouse inside the walls of Ryme—a formal set of rooms and hallways that had always felt too new, too polished and unused to ever really be a home.

She recognized the room instantly, even if she didn’t know how she had gotten here. Ivory columns graced the center of the circular space, and the walls were adorned with what she assumed were great masterpieces. Sarina had once told her that the room “celebrated the theme of the soul bond,” and since she had never really had an eye for art (not in the way that Skye could look at light and shadow and color and see such beautiful stories hidden within), she had no choice except to believe her.

Taly’s eyes scanned the room, finally alighting on a small, wood block calendar resting on the corner of a dark wooden desk.

But… She shook her head, blinking in confusion. That’s the wrong month. It was still Meridian. The moons hadn’t moved into the Janus cycle. Not yet.

“Skylen!”

Taly started. She had never heard Ivain’s voice sound so stern . Looking around, she finally noticed the older fey noble standing on the far side of the room. Skye stood opposite Ivain, his arms crossed defiantly, and Sarina, Aiden, even Kato all milled about the room, ignoring the scattering of green velvet furniture.

“Enough of this!” Ivain barked. “We all want her back, but you have to accept the truth. She’s gone.”

“She’s not!” Skye insisted. His clothes looked unusually rumpled and stained, and his hair was too short. Everyone else was dressed in black.

“I’ve seen her,” Skye insisted, his hands raking through his hair. “I see her every night. She’s not gone!”

“Skye.” Sarina’s voice was full of pity. “I know how hard it is to accept the loss of a—”

“She’s not gone!” Skye bit out. His eyes were wide as he looked to his brother, who was the only one to meet his gaze.

A moment later, Kato hung his head in resignation.

“She’s not gone,” Skye repeated, this time more feebly.

“Surely you know what this looks like,” Ivain said, his tone a little gentler. “We’re worried about you.”

“What’s wrong?” Even to her own ears, Taly’s voice sounded garbled, almost like she was underwater.

Five heads whipped around at the sound of her voice, and Taly felt her cheeks warm when five disbelieving sets of eyes found hers. Barely a second had ticked by before Skye was rushing forward, grabbing for her as he fell to his knees. His hands passed right through her body. The vision was already starting to blur as the sound of rushing wind filled her ears.

“Stabilize her!” Ivain’s voice sounded far away. “It has to be you, boy!”

Taly’s eyes drooped shut, and she felt something pulling her back to the relay room—a gentle tug, almost like there was a string attached to one of her ribs.

A rush of magic washed over her, abruptly jolting her awake, and then someone was shaking her. Opening her eyes, she discovered that she was still in the townhouse. Skye gripped her shoulders, and she felt the distinct tingle of shadow magic anchoring her in place.

“Taly?” Skye’s voice was laced with panic. “Taly, where are you?”

Taly reached up to grasp at his wrist, but it was like trying to hold on to smoke. Something warm trickled down her cheek, and she wiped at it, expecting dirt or sweat, maybe even tears. Her eyes widened when she pulled her hand away only to see that her fingers were stained red. She blinked, and more blood began leaking from her eyes, then her nose, even her ears.

Something was tugging at her again. More forcefully this time. Urging her to return to the relay room.

“What’s happening to her?” someone snapped. Sarina? Maybe?

“Hold on to her!” But again, the voice was distant, jumbled.

Another spark of shadow magic and Skye was tapping her cheek. His hands remained clean even as they wiped at the streaks of red staining her skin. “C’mon. Stay with me. Just a little longer. Where are you? Are you still on Tempris? Are you at the palace?”

“Oh, my little one,” Sarina sobbed. She tried reaching for her, grasping at Taly’s shoulder, but it was like trying to touch a ghost. “What have they done to you?”

Taly stared at the blood dripping down her fingers until Skye gently wrapped a hand around her wrist. When she looked up, he was watching her, a mixture of terror and despair distorting his features. “I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she murmured.

“Where are you?” Skye’s voice was gentle and sad. “Please. I know you’re hurt; I know you’re tired. But I need you to tell me where you are. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”

Taly shook her head, not sure how to answer that question. She didn’t know where she was anymore, if she was anywhere at all. So, she said, instead, “I found the relay. I talked to Ivain.”

Skye jerked his head. “Taly, I know, but—”

The world abruptly dissolved into a haze of light and sound and color. Voices whirled around her. She was being pulled in too many directions at once, but Skye—he dragged her back somehow.

“Taly, please.” Skye grabbed her chin, forcing her to look back at him. There were tears in his eyes now, and the room still blurred around the edges, snapping in and out of focus. She felt his magic pulling at her, willing her to stay in place, but he was losing his grip. “Please, Tink. Come back to me. Just stay alive.”

As the vision continued to fade, Taly did her best to smile. “I’m glad I got to see you one last time, Em.” She looked around the room, taking in the faces of everyone she held dear—Ivain, Sarina, Aiden. And Kato—well, she still felt a bit lukewarm about him, but he looked so stricken she couldn’t help but feel a pang of reluctant affection. “All of you.”

“Taly!”

A sharper tug this time and then she was falling.

The next time she opened her eyes, motes of dust and ash hung suspended in the air, intertwined with sparkling pinpricks of golden light. Taly winced, shrinking back. Everything was too bright, the colors too vivid. Even the shadows seemed to come alive, and the quiet stillness was a raging tempest of sound to her overly sensitive ears.

Don’t do that again , a feminine voice whispered in her ear. The command was stern yet kind, and it stirred something inside her, some distant, forgotten memory. Now get up!

Taly pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her lungs. She forced herself to focus on her surroundings, despite the dull ache that had settled behind her eyes. She was back in the relay room, but there was light pouring in through the walls. It took her a moment to realize why. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the room, turning the platform into a ruined hulk. The relay had cracked and shattered, and the wooden frame that made up the walls of the building had been splintered—erupting outward in a spray of fragmented pieces.

But the scene stood frozen in front of her—a moment of devastation suspended in time. Shards of crystal and wood hung in the air, and she turned, looking for her attacker, only to see that the shadow mage’s body had been flung to the side. His face was constricted in a distorted howl of rage as he reached for her, but his body was still, his limbs contorted in a motionless struggle.

Go! the voice screamed. It was clearer now, almost musical. Stop dawdling, you stupid child!

The ground was uneven beneath Taly’s boots, and the crunch of shattered wood echoed in the stillness as she staggered forward. The sentries that had been banging at the door as well as the shades that had been drawn by the gunfire had been thrown back by the blast and were lying motionless on the ground outside the relay building.

Not quite believing her eyes, Taly pushed her hair off her face, coming up short when she felt a sharpened point where her ear should be. “What the…” she mumbled, running a finger over the foreign shape.

In a daze, she stumbled through the main entrance, stepping over the door that had been flung off its hinges before setting off at a full sprint toward the forest and where she had tethered Byron.

A myriad of questions boiled and frothed in her mind. What the hell had just happened? Was that real? Had she really talked to Skye or was it just some sort of hallucination?

No , she thought, looking down at her hands. Hands that didn’t quite look like her own. Her fingers were too long, her skin too pale, and her wrists looked thinner, more delicate. There was fresh blood staining her fingers, and she could still feel a telltale wetness dripping from her ears. Definitely not a hallucination. If she were to look in a mirror, she was sure that her face would be streaked with drying trails of blood.

She searched for that wall in her mind, but it was gone now. Damaged beyond repair. There were still a few runes inscribed on her arm, but not many. The flesh there looked cleaner than it had in weeks. The remaining lines of Faera were faded and unevenly spaced, and although she didn’t recognize all of the characters, she did notice one marking that she was sure hadn’t been there before. The symbol for arho—a spiral of evenly spaced dots—had been inscribed on the top of her right hand, and the flesh around the impossibly neat strokes of shadow magic was still red and healing.

All will be explained in due time, child , the voice whispered soothingly. For now, run. Go to the palace. I will meet you there when I am able.

Taly shuddered but kept running. Byron reared back when she approached but settled quickly when he heard the sound of her voice. He still seemed uneasy as she swung herself into the saddle but apparently grasped the urgency of the situation as he set off at a gallop through the trees, easily responding to the faintest press of her leg against his flank.

The sound of time restarting followed them—a thunderous explosion interlaced with screams of pain and rage cascading through the dense underbrush of the forest. The distant clamor bounced off the trees but sounded far enough away that Taly could be confident in her escape.

She had no idea what had just happened. Everything was a blur of confusion as she ducked out of the way of the leaves and branches that tore at her skin and clothing. The only thing she knew for certain was that, for better or worse, whatever was inside her had been set free, and she had been transformed—changed. But into what and to what end, she wasn’t quite sure.