Aiden reached into his bag and pulled out a small packet of black powder. Pouring it into a cup of water, he began to stir absentmindedly. “Skye, I think you should go get some rest now. I can take things from here.”
“Yes, you’ve made your point. I’ll take a break,” Skye grumbled as he stepped across the room and began checking the bundles of fire crystals laid across Taly’s feet. Glancing up at her, he said, “By the way, Sarina’s headed into town this afternoon. She wanted to know if there’s anything you need from your room at the tavern.”
They think I’m here to stay, she realized, guilt welling up inside her.
Taly stared down at her hands, the image of the harpy flashing in front of her eyes. No matter how much she wished it could be different, there was no coming home for her now. Because nothing had changed. If anything, her reasons for distancing herself from her adoptive family had only multiplied, and it was even more imperative that she leave and never come back.
That left her with only one option.
“Aiden?” she asked, trying to push herself up. She fell back against the pillows when a searing stab of pain shot down her spine. “How long until I’m back on my feet?”
Aiden glanced at her over his shoulder. “You’ll be hurting for a while yet, but I’d say you’ll probably be getting back some mobility by tomorrow morning. Maybe tonight if I give you something a little stronger for the pain.”
Taly jerked her head decisively. Then, taking a deep breath, she gathered up her courage and braced herself. “Skye, while I’m grateful for what you all have done for me this past week, I’m not staying. Tell Sarina to leave my things where they are. I’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning to go back to Ryme.”
With a low growl, Skye tucked the edge of the quilt back under the mattress and stood. His eyes found hers, and he said, “Aiden, could you give us a minute?” He didn’t turn around as the earth mage quietly excused himself, nor did he say anything once the door clicked closed. He just stood there, quiet and unmoving, staring at her with that molten green gaze until she looked away.
Finally, he huffed out a cheerless laugh and hung his head. “So, let me get this straight. You can’t even sit up on your own, but you’re already planning to stagger your way back to Ryme? Let me guess—is it because you’re mortal and we’re not? Hmm? Or is it something else now? C’mon. Let’s hear it. What lie have you come up with this time to avoid having to tell me the real reason you decided to leave home?”
Taly flinched at his harsh tone. You’re doing this for them, she tried reminding herself. Her lip began to tremble, but she shook her head, steeling herself. What she was about to do… it was going to kill her, but she had to do it.
“Shards, Skye!” Taly exclaimed weakly. “Fine. You want to know the real reason I left? The reason I’m not coming back? Okay, here it is. I got tired of being treated like some mortal pet, so I went to where I could be around my own kind. I’m not like you. You can teach me to walk and talk like some highborn fey, dress me up all you want, but I’m always going to be shardless.”
Skye winced—he hated that word. Which was exactly why she’d chosen it. Already winded, her chest heaved from the exertion of these few clipped sentences, and she fell back against the pillow. Her eyes stung, but she viciously blinked back the tears.
Skye paused to take a deep breath and then gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Taly, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re full of shit. When are you going to stop lying to me and tell me why you’re pushing us away—why you’re pushing me away?”
“I just did.”
Skye stepped closer, turning the corner of the bed and coming to stand beside her. “Another lie,” he replied sadly. Taly made to refute his claim, but he cut her off. “Just talk to me, Taly. Please.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she mumbled, refusing to break eye contact. “You brought me back here when I clearly stated that I wanted to return to Ryme. What did you think was going to happen?”
“Are you kidding?” Skye snapped, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You would’ve died if we’d tried to take you to Ryme. Aiden says we were lucky to get you back to the manor when we did. Another hour and you would’ve been too far gone. I’m sorry, Taly, but you’re absolutely crazy if you think that I should’ve knowingly done something that would’ve endangered you, maybe even resulted in your death.”
He hesitated for a moment, shaking his head in frustration. “That’s it. I… I can’t do this anymore.”
“Skye, I—"
“No, Taly. You’ve said enough. It’s my turn.” Sinking down onto the bed next to her, Skye reached out and took her hand in his. “I’m done fighting you on this,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I’m just… I’m done, Taly. If you’re telling me that you want to spend your life salvaging and barely making enough coin to keep yourself alive—I’ll respect that. If you say that you don’t want me in your life, then you don’t ever have to see me again. Even though I know you’re lying, even if I can see how much you want to come home, how much you’re hurting… I’ll back off.”
Skye stopped, and the hand that still gripped hers tightened. His eyes turned glassy. “You’re my best friend, Tink. For 15 years, you’ve been my best friend. And even though I’ve tried to be there for you, I can’t do this anymore. This fucked up back-and-forth, where one minute everything’s fine and the next you’re telling me that you’re just some pet? It’s not fair. I don’t know what your game is, but I don’t want to play anymore. It hurts too much.”
Taly wasn’t sure what to say. Something in her chest felt impossibly tight as she watched Skye wipe at his eyes, and tears were already starting to roll down her cheeks as he slowly stood and left the room.
Aiden was waiting outside the door, but Skye pushed past him. Taly jumped when she heard the door to his quarters slam shut.
Aiden looked between the two rooms, his face impassive, before stepping inside. Closing the door behind him, his hand pressed against the carved surface. A crest of white light swept through the wood and the surrounding walls as the silencing wards engaged—a necessary precaution to preserve any semblance of privacy in a house full of shadow mages.
He didn’t look at her as he crossed the room, nor did he say anything as he retrieved the forgotten cup from her worktable and began mixing in an assortment of powders from various jars and vials.
His voice was low and even when he finally broke the silence. “You’ll need to drink this mixture three times a day until the soreness goes away.” He regarded the brew for a moment before adding another small pinch of white powder and handing it to her. “I’ll have to mix it up for you to take with you if you really do intend to leave.”
Taly took the cup and drank, wrinkling her nose at the taste. The strange prescription was slimy and bitter, more so than anything she had ever tasted.
“So, what are you two really fighting about?” Aiden’s tone was casual, but there was something sharp in his expression.
“You were eavesdropping?” Taly asked, her words mumbled into the cup. She ignored the obvious tear tracks on her cheeks.
Aiden snorted. “I didn’t need to eavesdrop. Skye looked like he’d just had his heart ripped out, and you’re still crying. I’m no scholar, but I’m not stupid.”
“With all due respect, our fights are none of your concern.” Shuddering, Taly finished off the foul-tasting medicine and handed the cup back to him.
Aiden watched her closely. “Do you know what it is that you just drank?” he asked, shaking the cup for emphasis.
“No idea, but it’s disgusting,” Taly quipped, avoiding the healer’s piercing gaze. The way he was looking at her—suspicion tinged with curiosity—had her shifting uncomfortably.
“It’s faeflower,” he replied, setting the cup down on her bedside table with a thud.
Taly’s hands flew to her throat. Faeflower was a common antidote for everything from aether depletion to virago venom—for the fey, that
is. The plant was highly poisonous to mortals. In fact, it could kill them almost instantly if the dosage was large enough. “What have you done?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
“I saved your life,” Aiden stated tersely. “Over the last two days, I’ve given you enough faeflower to kill a human three times your size three times over. And yet here you are—back from the brink of death. So tell me, Taly—and you better answer this next question honestly… What exactly are you?”
Ignoring the sudden tremble in her hands, Taly pushed her hair back behind her ear. “What do you see?”
“A human ear.” Aiden ran a gentle finger along the rim of her ear.
“That must mean I’m human then.” Taly raised her eyes to meet his. “You must’ve been mistaken about the faeflower. Lucky for me, I guess.”
Aiden sat next to her on the bed, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Taly, I treated you with mortal medicine, and you got worse. In fact, over the last eight days, you’ve presented with all of the symptoms I would expect to see in a fey woman of your size that had been exposed to harpy venom. The progression, the timeline—everything was completely textbook, right down to what would’ve been the time of death. And then, wonder of wonders, when I treated you with fey medicine, you got better.”
He held up a hand when he saw her open her mouth to protest. “Also, I was watching your match with Skye the other day before we left for the Aion Gate. He’s fey, Taly, and highborn. Even without engaging his magic—his instincts, his reaction time, his speed… I know you’ve been sparring with Skye your whole life, but there’s still no way a human could dodge a fey’s attacks like that. And after hearing about your bet, I can tell you with complete certainty that Skye wasn’t trying to let you win that day. If you were truly human, you never would’ve gotten to two hits. I think you were using magic.”
“Stop it, Aiden,” Taly croaked, panic starting to set in. Her breath quickened, and she could feel her pulse fluttering at the base of her throat.
“No,” he replied harshly. “You stop it. You better level with me right now. If you don’t, then it’s my duty to tell the Marquess what I know. He needs to know that the girl that he raised as his own, that he allowed to live in his home, isn’t who she says she is.”
Aiden turned away for a moment, massaging his temples. “Truthfully, the only reason I’m giving you an opportunity to explain is because I’ve known you for so many years.” His voice trailed off, and his eyes found hers. “You have to realize what this looks like. Are you a plant? A spy from one of the other noble houses?” Sighing in frustration, Aiden moved to stand. “I’m sorry, Taly, but I have to tell Ivain.”
“No! Just wait.” Taly reached out and grabbed his sleeve. She whimpered when her muscles protested sharply against the sudden movement. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’m not a spy. I don’t know what I am. I really don’t. If you look mortal, then you’re not supposed to have magic. That’s how it’s supposed to work, right? This isn’t supposed to be happening.”
“What isn’t supposed to be happening?”
“Last year…” Taly choked back a sob. “Last year, I started seeing… and then the harpy…” She stopped, the words getting caught in her throat.
Could she really do this? Could she really reveal her biggest secret? Looking up, she saw the dogged determination in Aiden’s eyes. He had meant what he said. If she didn’t tell him, he would go straight to Ivain. They would figure her out, and then she’d no longer be able to protect the people she loved most.
Taly hung her head, a heavy weight settling on her shoulders as she whispered the words she hadn’t dared utter out loud. “I have time magic, Aiden.”
Aiden’s eyes widened, and he stared at her for a long moment, completely still. Then, without warning, he pushed himself off the bed in one explosive movement and started pacing restlessly in front of the bed. “Shards!” he hissed in a low voice. “Just…” A garbled stream of cursing fell from his lips as he raked his fingers through what was left of his hair.
“That was my reaction too,” Taly said quietly, not quite able to lift her head to meet his gaze.
Aiden rushed back over to the bed and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. His grip loosened when he saw her wince. “Are you sure?” he implored. “Are you absolutely certain? What even makes you think…?” He shook his head. “Start at the beginning.”
“The visions started about a year ago,” Taly mumbled. “Skye and I were sparring in the yard, and I’m still not sure what happened exactly. Right after he discharged the dagger in my hand, this gold haze, almost like dust, clouded my vision. It wasn’t very distinct—not like now—but I could still see enough to know what he was going to do a few seconds before he actually did it. Needless to say, I panicked. I’m still not sure why, but I just ran.”
Taly picked at the sleeve of her nightdress. “At first, I only meant to stay away until the visions stopped. But they didn’t stop. There were some days when I couldn’t see because of the dust. It was all so confusing… I thought I was going crazy!” she insisted. Her chin dipped, and she whispered, “I hoped I was going crazy.”
“If there was something wrong with your mind, I would’ve seen it during my examination,” Aiden interjected, his voice low. “Everything seemed normal, but based on what you’ve described, that would still be more plausible than… but then the faeflower…"
“There’s more.” Aiden’s eyes found hers, and Taly hesitated, recalling the events at the Aion Gate. “What happened a few days ago was different—it wasn’t just visions. That harpy was about to kill me. I was dead. There was no way I was getting out of there alive,” she said, looking at the healer with a pleading expression. “Then it froze. The harpy just… froze. I told it to stop, and it did.” Her face screwed up, and she wiped at her cheeks as Aiden finally released her and sank to the floor.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me, Aiden. The only thing I know for sure is that the Sanctorum would kill me without a second thought. They’ll do anything to make sure that the Time Shard never revives—even if that means killing anyone and anything that displays even the faintest trace of time magic or precognitive ability. And if Skye and Sarina and Ivain… if they tried to protect me, they’d die too.”
“I think I understand,” Aiden murmured. “Because Ivain, Sarina, and Skye—they would try to protect you. They hate the Sanctorum. They love you. There would be no question.”
“Please don’t tell them,” Taly begged. “Please, Aiden. The less they know, the less contact they have with me, the harder it will be for the Sanctorum to go after them if I’m found out.”
Aiden pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s your plan then?”
“What?” Taly asked, a hitch in her voice.
“Your plan?” Aiden repeated tersely. “You ran away to protect them—I get that. What do you plan to do next? To survive?”
Taly shrugged, fidgeting with the edge of the quilt. “I don’t know. Stay out of sight until the Aion Gate opens? Sarina taught us a little bit about the mortal world. I thought I might be able to travel to one of the human cities. Even if I’m not completely mortal, I still look human. I was hoping I could just… disappear.”
Aiden stood and began pacing again.
“I’m not your responsibility, Aiden.” Taly’s eyes followed him as he traversed the length of the room. “You’ve already done more than you needed to just by healing me.”
“Except that’s where you’re wrong.” Turning and leaning against the table, Aiden sighed. “If you have time magic, then it’s my duty as a member of the Crystal Guard to protect you.” He stopped and ran a hand over his head, scratching the fuzz at the back of his neck. “Whatever you might be—mortal, fey, or something else entirely—the fact is that you’re the first indication we’ve seen in almost 200 years that the Time Shard might be trying to reappear. New mages can’t attune to a school of magic unless a Shard calls to them. At least, that’s the theory.�
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Aiden cocked his head to the side, lost in thought. “We have the Attunement Ceremony to force a child’s magic to manifest itself,” he said, mostly to himself, “but I wonder what would happen if a mage was never taken to the temple. Since you looked human, no one would’ve thought to give you a ceremony, but what if the Time Shard still made the call? Maybe it just took your magic longer to manifest itself.”
“I’m not a mage,” Taly argued stubbornly. “I’m human.”
Aiden snorted. “Not from where I’m standing. The faeflower aside, do you know why harpy venom is so deadly to the fey? It’s because it binds to the aether in our blood. If the venom affected you, that means it found something to bind. Something you needed to survive. You’re a mage.”
“But I don’t look fey,” Taly countered. “Even if I’m not completely mortal, I still don’t look fey. That would make me a… I don’t even know. Something that looks human but has magic? That’s unheard of. There are people who would kill me just for that!”
“I’m aware,” Aiden replied grimly. He stared out the window, a faraway look in his eyes. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you. I’ll keep your secret, and I’ll accompany you to Faro. That’s where my regiment is stationed. The High Lord of Water has declared all fey cities in the mortal realm a sanctuary for time mages and their sympathizers. The Crystal Guard will be able to protect you there. We don’t answer to the Dawn Court or their Sanctifiers. Our duty is to serve and protect the Shards—all of the Shards.”
Taly opened her mouth to respond, but Aiden held up a finger. “In return,” he paused, making sure he had her attention, “you have to stay here, at the manor, until the Aion Gate opens.”
“Absolutely not,” Taly objected.
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