Page 13 of Shardless

“Skye understands too,” Sarina went on. “Not in any tangible way, of course. He hasn’t yet experienced that kind of loss. But he’s always known you were human, Taly. He knew the risks, knew that you would one daydie, leaving him behind. It just never mattered. Not until you decided it did.”

Taly stopped and stared moodily at her feet. While the story she had fed Sarina didn’t reveal her true motivations in leaving the manor, it still had some truth to it. Her mortality was a problem—one she felt acutely, if not for the reasons she had just stated. While she had always known that she would eventually outpace those closest to her—she would grow old while they stayed young—she had never realized just how differently fey society viewed her. A human. To most fey, she was little better than an animal, and after spending almost her entire life under the Marquess’ protection, that had been a hard lesson.

Doing her best to ignore the sudden tremble in her hands, Taly finally mumbled, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

Sarina stood there for a long moment, hooking a finger underneath Taly’s chin as she observed the younger woman quietly. Taly’s cheeks burned, and her eyes felt oddly damp as she focused on the spattering of freckles on Sarina’s nose, unable to look her directly in the eye. She had been on the receiving end of that furtive stare too many times, and though she had gotten much better at hiding her emotions over the past year, she knew Sarina would see right through her.

Finally, seemingly satisfied, Sarina waved her forward. “I have a job for you.”

“What kind of job?” Taly muttered, wiping at her eyes discreetly.

Chuckling, Sarina replied, “I thought that might pique your interest. I have someone that needs to be escorted to the Aion Gate.”

“What kind of someone?” Taly asked suspiciouslyas she followed Sarina around a corner. The evasive tone in her old governess’ voice was all-too-familiar, and it immediately put Taly on edge.

“The kind that wants to go to the Aion Gate. It’s been a tough year, and our regular guides have all been hired out. You know the area as well as anyone else, so I recommended you.”

Taly eyed her skeptically, noting how Sarina had yet to tell her this mysterious someone’s name.

“He’s offering to pay you,” Sarina added. Still no name, but maybe it was real? Sarina wouldn’t offer a job that wasn’t real. “And provide food and equipment. It’s a good deal.”

Taly absentmindedly chewed on a hangnail as she considered the offer. She could use the work. And while the Aion Gate was dangerous, it was less than a day’s ride there and back.

It’s fast coin.

Completely absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice when Sarina reached over and pushed her hand away from her mouth. She had always hated it when Taly chewed her nails.

Looking at the woman in startled irritation, Taly asked, “What’s the catch, Sarina?”

Sarina ignored the question. “I told him you’d want to speak with him before agreeing to take the job,” she said with an evasive smile. “We’re almost there, actually.”

There’s definitely a catch,Taly thought, fighting the urge to turn around and walk the other way.

They were nearing the southern edge of town now, and in the distance, a man paced back and forth restlessly.

Taly squinted her eyes against the brightsunlight. She couldn’t make out his face, but she could clearly see that his clothing was expensive. His blue waistcoat looked to be made of silk, and the clean white shirt underneath was crisp and pressed. He wore black, loosely fitted slacks, a style that was currently favored among the highborn gentry, and a navy greatcoat trimmed in gold trailed out behind him.

At least it looks like he has coin.

Something was off, though. The way he moved was familiar. The way he would scuff at the dirt with his heel. And how he kept running his hands through his hair—almost like a nervous tic? She’d seen it before.

The realization hit her hard.

“No.” Taly stopped abruptly and glared at the traitorous woman beside her.

Unsympathetically, Sarina grabbed her shoulders and pushed her forward, paying no mind to the villagers that had to dodge out of the way. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, she said, “Think about it. Do you really have the luxury of saying ‘no’ right now?”

“I’m not sure if you heard, but we didn’t exactly part on good terms the last time we spoke.” Taly dug her heels in as Sarina continued to push her forward. That was, perhaps, a bit of an understatement. Skye had tracked her down just a few weeks after she had left the manor, and the exchange had become… heated. They had both screamed some things in anger that could never be unsaid.

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad,” the older woman replied airily. Even though she didn’t have shadow magic, Sarina was still highborn and, therefore, far stronger than even the strongestmortals. She easily rebuffed the younger woman’s struggles.

Taly leaned back, trying to use her weight to slow down their progress. “I don’t know.‘Fine. Die for all I care. I never want to see you again,’seems like a pretty straightforward way to wash your hands of someone.”

She felt Sarina pause behind her and used that as an opportunity to push back. She actually managed to gain a foot or two before Sarina renewed her efforts. “Hmmm. He left that part out.”

“Yeah? I’m not surprised. In light of this new information, I think it’s clear why you should just let me slink off into cowardly anonymity. If you think about it, it’s really best for everyone involved.” Taly, to her great dismay, was still losing ground.

“It’s for your own good,” was all Sarina said before giving her a hard shove.

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