Shardless

by Stephanie Fisher

  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 snatche
d 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 sho
ulders 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.