“I’m fine,” Taly argued stubbornly.
“Jacket off,” Iona commanded, rolling up her sleeves. Those strange black eyes immediately zeroed in on the jagged gash peeking through the tear in Taly’s coat. “And” —the healer’s hand shot out and grabbed Taly’s wrist— “your shirt. I need to see your arms.”
Taly gave Skye a withering glare as she stood and started peeling off her clothing, revealing a plain camisole that had been layered over lace underclothes. Under any other circumstance, Skye might have noted the toned muscles of her stomach and arms, but his attention was immediately drawn to her injuries.
“Holy shit!” Skye exclaimed when he saw the angry streaks of purple and red dotting the skin of Taly’s right arm. “What happened there?”
Taly looked at her arm in mild surprise. “I guess that explains the soreness.”
Iona ran a gentle hand over Taly’s skin, her fingers hesitating when they came upon five perfectly spaced patches of discolored flesh.
“I ran into some of those creatures on the way to the compound,” Taly explained, a strange twinge of nervousness coloring her tone. She tried to pull her arm away, but Iona kept a firm grip on her wrist. “They managed to grab me. That’s all.”
“And you still got away?” Iona asked, skeptically. “You’re human. How did you manage that feat?”
Taly opened her mouth to reply but winced when Iona poked at a particularly large welt on the back of her bicep.
“Shooting them in the head stuns them,” Taly bit out between gritted teeth. “And it’s hard for them to chase you if they don’t have knees.”
There was something evasive in her tone that Skye didn’t like. “How many?” When she didn’t answer immediately, he asked again. “How many, Taly?”
“Just hold on a minute.” She held up a hand. “I’m counting.”
“You have to count?” Skye sputtered in reply.
“Three at first.” Taly turned when Iona started prodding at her shoulders. The skin of her back and left arm was unmarred. “Then four more came running when they heard the gunshots. Then another three. So, ten at the end. I stopped using my pistols after I got away from that group since they were drawn to the noise.”
Skye took a breath, unsure of what to say. Ten?! How had she managed to get away from ten of those monsters? From what he had seen, only a shadow mage would be capable of outrunning them.
“You must be quite resourceful,” Iona said distractedly. “Still, some of these contusions are quite severe. I’m actually more worried about the bruising than the wound at your hip. Did they grab you anywhere else?”
Taly exhaled sharply. “Yes. My legs, my ankles… I think they may have even ripped out some hair.” She frowned, pulling at the tie still holding her hair and combing out the tangles. When she pulled her hand away, her fingers were stained red with blood.
“Arms out,” Iona said tersely. When Taly extended her arms, Iona waved a glowing earth crystal over the length of her body. Threads of gossamer earth magic coiled around the healer’s fingers, branching off and spiraling around Taly’s form in a protective cocoon of healing magic.
“That should do it,” Iona said with clinical professionalism a few moments later. “I’ll need to see you again tomorrow. Lord Emrys, if you please.” She turned to Skye, who dutifully held his arms out in front of his body. The web of healing spells flickered to life, and she nodded. “Good. You may leave now. But remember what I said—no casting until I can examine you in the morning.”
Skye nodded in reply, and both he and Taly watched as the healer once again set off to deal with her never-ending stream of patients. Turning to Taly, he said, “They’ve given me Ivain’s old room if you want to go upstairs and get cleaned up.” Picking at a fleck of black blood that had dried on the back of her hand, he asked, “Do I want to know how this happened?” He let his eyes rake over the splattered gore that covered her skin and clothing, staring at her pointedly.
“I killed one of them,” she replied flatly, pulling on her shirt. “It sort of, well… exploded.”
“Come again?”
Taly waved her hand tiredly. “Later. That is a story for much later. What about you? Are you coming up?”
Skye groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, gesturing for her to follow him as they made their way to the main building of the compound. “In a bit. There are a few things I need to see to before I retire for the night.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Skye shook his head. “No. It’s mostly just making sure that people are doing what they need to be doing. We need to get a team of mages going through the square and burning the bodies. I also need to speak with the researchers and find out if they’ve figured out what these things are. Oh, and I should probably set up a meeting with the leadership.” Skye ticked off the tasks on his fingers before a large yawn punctuated his train of thought. “Other than that, I think we need to take the night before we decide our next steps. Mourn the dead, tend to our wounded… those things come first.”
“Okay,” Taly said as she followed him across the courtyard.
The rain had dwindled to a light mist, but they were both soaked by the time they approached the front entrance of the main building. Taly hadn’t bothered to put her filthy coat back on, and the stained shirt she wore underneath had started to turn translucent as it clung to her form. Skye could just see the outline of the camisole she wore beneath the damp fabric.
“I’m going to take the longest shower in the history of showers,” she said tiredly. “And then when I get the gore washed off, the longest bath in the history of baths. At least the day can end on a positive note.”
“Shards help us. Have some mercy and save me some hot water. Please,” he begged as Taly rolled her eyes and walked on ahead of him toward the stairs leading up to the upper floors of the keep. He’d had to share a washroom with her on more than one occasion, and he knew from experience that she felt no remorse when he had to start the day with an icy-cold shower.
Turning to glance at him over her shoulder, she gave him an innocent smile. “I’ll consider it.” With that, she started climbing the stairs, weaving between the people milling about in front of the main building.
Skye stood there for a moment, staring at the place where she’d disappeared through the main doors, and halfway debated running after her. After spending most of the day wondering if he’d ever see her again, it was hard watching her walk away from him.
“So that’s little Talya Caro,” a cocky voice drawled. “Shame on you, Skye. You never told me how pretty she was.”
Damn. Skye had been hoping to put off this confrontation until tomorrow—after his magic had fully recovered and he could pummel his so-called cousin.
“You told her your name was Kit?” Skye asked, refusing to turn around to face the lanky man standing behind him. “And a cousin? What are you up to, Kato?”
“We have a cousin named Kit, don’t we?” Kato asked mockingly. “I’m sure we do. Or maybe it was Kat. Kae? No. Kata. It was definitely Kata. See? I told you—old age does things to your memory.”
“What are you doing here?” Skye asked in a bored tone, glaring at his older brother. “The last time we spoke, you called the Gate Watchers a group of ignorant, human-loving stooges. Now I find out that you’ve been masquerading as one for…”
“About 8 months now,” Kato supplied, smirking. “And I’m not masquerading. I applied and passed the exams, same as you. In fact, I’ve already worked my way up to Marshal.”
“Why?” Skye pressed.
“I have my reasons.”
Skye suppressed a growl as he turned to face the older fey. Though they were both tall and thin, that was where the similarities stopped. Kato had taken after his human father, inheriting his copper hair, freckled skin, and deceptively guileless expression.
“Thank you for what you did today.” Skye bowed his head. “And thank you for helping Taly with the tower gun. I probably owe
you my life.”
Kato’s rust-colored eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly schooled his expression into casual disinterest. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” Skye replied. “Nevertheless, I’m in your debt.”
Skye didn’t wait for Kato’s reply as he started to walk away. If he didn’t engage, his brother would eventually get bored and move on.
“She’s not how I’d pictured she’d be—your Taly,” Kato remarked suddenly, bringing Skye up short.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Skye asked suspiciously.
The older mage rubbed his chin, softly chuckling to himself. “She’s not like other humans that I’ve met. She’s smart… and brave, despite her weaknesses. For a minute there, I thought I was looking at Sarah.”
The brief flicker of intense pain and longing that flashed across his brother’s face almost made Skye wince. Kato had never volunteered any information about the woman he claimed to have once loved, and Skye had never asked. This was just one more issue they steadfastly avoided talking about.
“Don’t pull Taly into your games, Kato,” Skye said, a dangerous edge to his voice. “Stay away from her.”
“Temper, temper little brother. We’re all having fun here.” Kato’s shoulders pulled up in a good-natured shrug. But then his eyes narrowed, and something sinister crept into his expression. “I wonder… have you told her yet?” he asked, still smiling.
“I’m warning you. Back off,” Skye growled.
Kato’s head cocked to the side, and then he was howling with laughter. “Shards! After all that agonizing, and you still haven’t told her?! Are you serious? You know, I’ll do you a favor. The next time I see her, I’ll just casually mention—"
Instinctively channeling his aether, Skye rushed his brother, grabbing at his shirt and lifting him to his toes. He wasn’t supposed to use magic. He knew that. His head felt like it was going to crack open, but he ignored the pain, enjoying the slightly panicked look in Kato’s eyes. “I said… back the fuck off, brother.”
Kato shook him off, not interested in starting a fight. “Shards! Relax, would you? Everyone’s forgotten about that bullshit last summer except for you. It was just a human, Skye.”
Scowling, Skye once again turned to walk away.
“Of course,” Kato called after him, “that’s why it bothers you so much, right?”
Despite his better judgment, Skye replied, “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough to see the connections.” When Skye ignored him and started up the stairs, Kato tried again. “Taly’s human. Ava’s human. Or, was human. It’s not hard to connect the two.”
Skye stopped in the middle of the stairs, Kato’s words bringing him up short.
“Struck a nerve?” Kato cooed mockingly.
Squaring his shoulders, Skye turned to face his brother. “Marshal Emrys. I’m assigning you to funeral pyre duty.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” Skye said with a deceptively innocent smile. “As High Commander Ivain Castaro’s Precept, I’m the highest-ranked member of the Gate Watcher leadership in the compound. That means you’re mine to command, Marshal. And we need people on pyre duty.”
Kato chuckled grimly, knowing when he was beaten. “Of course, sire,” he drawled, giving Skye a practiced bow. As he marched away, he waved a hand, looking over his shoulder as he said, “Tell Taly I said hi. I assume you’ll be keeping her in your room tonight. That’s smart. A pretty little thing like that is probably good at finding trouble.”
Skye didn’t grace him with a response. That’s what his brother wanted—to rile him. To push him to say something that he would later regret. He wasn’t going to give the older fey noble that satisfaction.
With a sigh, Skye retreated into the keep. The sooner he saw to his duties, the sooner he’d be able to retire. And Kato was right about one thing—he had no intention of letting Taly get away from him tonight.
Chapter 20
-An excerpt from the Dawn Codex
The anima is what connects us all. It is our essence, our soul, our light. Be ye fey or mortal or beast—the Shards have blessed you with a fragment of eternity and a place in Moriah.
With a groan, Skye fell into one of the chairs situated in front of the fireplace. He had spent the last two hours giving orders to the Ensigns, the newest and greenest members of the Gate Watchers. Then he’d tracked down what was left of the Gate Watchers’ chain-of-command, before he finally, mercifully, managed to make it up to his room.
Letting his eyes drift over the oaken fixtures, gilded fireplace, and various other flourishes decorating the suite typically set aside for Ivain, Skye almost felt guilty. How many people would be sleeping outside in the rain and cold while he slept in a soft bed with a fire happily crackling in the background?
Another sharp stab of pain lanced his shoulder, chasing away any lingering doubts. If the other Gate Watchers wanted to give him a plush bed and a warm fire, who was he to argue?
Though he couldn’t hear the shower running in the background, the door to the washroom was shut, and he could just make out the sound of Taly humming to herself on the other side. In fact, now that he was looking, he could see signs of her sprinkled all throughout the room—small indicators that told him what she’d been doing before he came up.
Through the wide, open entry leading to the antechamber, her things were scattered across a long table set against the wall—both pistols, disassembled and cleaned, as well as the two air daggers. Her jacket and stained clothing had been washed and hung up to dry in the closet, and the remains of a half-eaten sandwich were sticking out of the front pocket of her pack. Like him, it looked like she hadn’t been able to stomach more than a few bites of food, just enough to keep her strength up despite the ever-present memory of those sickening creatures. She had even started a fire, and the warmth now permeated every inch of the spacious room.
Though Taly had apparently managed to keep herself busy since they’d parted ways, that did little to explain to Skye just how she was still in the washroom. He was suddenly very glad that he’d decided to play it safe and jump in the Ensigns’ shower in the bunkhouse downstairs. While using a semi-communal shower wasn’t exactly optimal, at least the water had been warm.
Sinking down even further into the impossibly soft, overstuffed chair, Skye decided to close his eyes for a moment, comforted by the gentle, tuneless melody emanating from behind the washroom door. He started when the sound of hushed cries drew him back to the waking world. Slightly dazed, he looked around for the source of the sound, only to find Taly sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. She stared at her hands, the cuffs of an oversized shirt pulled back to reveal the bruises marring her skin. Her shoulders trembled beneath the billowy fabric.
Dropping to the floor, Skye crawled across the narrow space and wrapped his arms around her. “Hey,” he said gently, twining his fingers with hers and pulling her closer. Taly jolted, drawing in a sharp breath. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted. Her shoulders tensed, and she tried to push him off. “It’s just the smoke from the fire making my eyes water.”
“Of course it is,” Skye agreed readily. “Unfortunately for me, though, I don’t have your emotional fortitude, and I could use a hug.” She glared at him even as she leaned into him, and he smiled when he felt her body relax. “Hell of a day, huh?”
Taly barked out a mirthless laugh. “Your ability to understate is truly unparalleled.”
“What can I say? I try.”
Taly sniffed and viciously wiped at her cheeks. “Why do my eyes keep leaking? Every time I turn around lately… Shards, what an annoying habit to pick up.” She shook her head, turning to stare into the fire. “I was actually doing okay until I stopped long enough to think about all of this. Has it really only been a single day since we left Della?”
“Less than that actually—we didn’t leave unt
il midday.” Skye moved a hand up to gently comb through her damp hair. “At the very least we’ll have some good stories to tell when all this is through. You especially. How many mortals can say they managed to kill one of those creatures? None of the humans downstairs, that’s for sure.”
When she turned away, her face crumpling as a fresh wave of tears streaked her cheeks, Skye realized his mistake. “Shit. You’d never killed anything before, had you?”
Taly shook her head vehemently. “No. When I was salvaging, I had to protect myself, but most things left me alone if I fired off a warning shot. I think the closest I ever got was about two months ago when I got hungry enough to try to hunt a rabbit.”
Skye buried his face in her shoulder, trying to hide his smile. Taly. Hunting. That was something he never thought he’d see. He would never forget the look on her face when Ivain asked if she wanted to learn how to hunt—scorn, outrage, and just the slightest bit of uncertainty since she had been right in the middle of spooning herself out a second helping of Eliza’s lamb stew.
“This isn’t going to end well, is it?” Skye asked.
Taly wrapped her arms around her knees. “My hands were shaking so badly, I only managed to clip it on the foot—just so it couldn’t get away from me. It looked so pitiful, and it was crying, and… I just didn’t have it in me to pull the trigger again. I had to sell my coat just to get enough coin to have the menders heal it.”
“What’d you name it?” Skye asked knowingly.
Taly’s ears flushed. “How do you know I named it?”
“Because this is you we’re talking about.” Reaching for the iron poker near the mantle, Skye stabbed at the fire. “You used to name every chick in the chicken coop. Of course, you named the rabbit. You probably named it before you tried to kill it.”
“Fine…” Taly chewed on her bottom lip, looking up at him sheepishly. “I named it Marshmallow.”
“Marshmallow?” Skye arched an incredulous brow.
“Yes,” Taly replied with a small smile. “Like the human snack? It was a very fitting name, or at least I thought so at the time. Marshmallow lives beneath the tavern now, and Laurel feeds him leftovers from the restaurant. Actual leftovers—none of that shit Jay makes and then tries to pass off as food.” When Skye started laughing, Taly tried to glare at him, but it was a feeble attempt at anger. Moments later, she ducked her head, smiling.
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