Page 36 of Shardless

“Good,” Skye said in a clipped tone. “It’s time to go.” He pointed to the horizon. The harpy was advancing. “Taly, I’m going to pick you up now.”

“Yeah,” she said with a weak nod. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she wrapped her arms around Skye’s neck, and she let out a small whimper of pain as he lifted her.

Aimee stood off to the side, her head bowed in shame. “Talya, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for—"

“It’s still not the time, Aimee. Move!” Aidensnapped, taking his sister’s arm and pushing her forward.

They made good time as they rushed back towards the forest. Even without channeling his aether, Taly weighed next to nothing, and Skye carried her across the field easily. Aiden and Aimee were behind them, and Aiden had an arm around his sister’s waist, lifting her over the larger pieces of scrap. Despite his aid, Aimee still clutched at her skirts as she tried to navigate the debris field.

Taly’s breath came in gasps as she pulled on Skye’s collar. “Put me down. We’re moving too slow.”

“Absolutely not," Skye protested vehemently.

“We can’t waste time.” Taly pulled on his collar more forcefully, pulling Skye’s eyes down to hers. “The harpy’s gaining on us, and Aiden and Aimee aren’t moving fast enough. It’s already after Aiden, so if you and he can lure the harpy away, that’ll give Aimee and me enough time to get to the tree line. We just have to get far enough into the forest so that it won’t be able to dive.”

Taly had a point. He could get her back to the forest easily, but that would leave Aiden and Aimee out in the open. And Aimee kept tripping over that damned dress.

“Okay,” Skye conceded reluctantly, his footsteps slowing. “You hear that, Aiden,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yup,” came the curt reply. “And I agree with Taly. Let the girls get to safety. You and I can hold our own.”

Stopping, Skye looked down at Taly. Her face was pale, but her eyes shone with grit and determination. Every instinct he had rebelledagainst him as he gently set her down on the ground. She winced when she tried to put weight on her wounded leg, grasping at his hands as she tried to find her footing. When Aimee and Aiden caught up, Aiden stopped long enough to release his sister but otherwise kept moving forward, trusting Skye to catch up. Without hesitation, Aimee slung an arm underneath Taly’s shoulders.

“Go,” Aimee insisted. Her face was streaked with sweat, and she’d lost her hat. “I’ll take care of her. You have my word.”

Giving them one last look, Skye gave a low growl as he forced himself to run ahead. He easily caught up with Aiden, and they both started running at a diagonal across the field. To Skye’s great relief, Taly’s hunch had been right. The harpy immediately changed direction, following them and moving away from the girls. They still weren’t moving fast enough, though. At this rate, the harpy would catch up to them before they managed to escape into the forest on the far western edge of the wasteland.

Using magic around the Aion Gate was never a good idea, but Skye didn’t really care about that anymore. There was barely any aether in the air around him, so he pulled a crystal from his pocket. All it took was a slight mental tug to release the stored aether from its stone prison and push it directly into his bloodstream. He felt the change immediately. The magic seeped into his muscles, soothing away the burn and fatigue as the augmentation spell took effect.

“Aiden!” Skye panted. “I’m really sorry about this, but you’re just too slow!” Without waiting for a reply, Skye stooped down, hoisting Aiden up and over his shoulder as he began to run in earnest.They flew across the field, great plumes of dust trailing after each footfall.

Still not fast enough.Pumping more aether into his legs, Skye smiled when the landscape started to blur. He felt Aiden clinging to a strap on his armor, but if the earth mage made a complaint, it was lost on the wind.

Approaching the southern edge of the tree line, Skye started skirting around the perimeter, trying to give the girls as much time as possible. He slowed his pace when he heard a pained cry, coming to a stop completely when he looked back and saw that the harpy had turned and was no longer pursuing them.

“No!” Skye shouted, setting Aiden back on his feet. Aimee was lying on the ground, grasping at that damned skirt. It had caught on something. She tugged at it frantically, but the fabric wouldn’t give. Taly lay on the ground beside the struggling fey noblewoman, her face scrunched up in pain as she grasped at her leg.

“Go!” Aiden barked, still stumbling. “Get them out of there! I’ll be fine!”

The harpy was getting closer. Giving Aiden a jerky nod, Skye turned and started running back towards the two women at a full sprint. He saw Taly pull Zephyr from her boot and start to cut at the green velvet of Aimee’s dress. Taly’s movements were stiff, but she managed to free the other girl. Now back on her feet, Aimee pulled Taly to a stand, and they began to run for the tree line once more.

They’re not going to make it.

Taly was having trouble. Her leg was practically dragging behind her at this point, and the harpy was almost upon them. They could nodoubt hear its mad screams as it streaked through the air.

Channeling more aether, Skye sharpened his vision. He saw Aimee’s lips moving as she said something to Taly, who nodded in reply. They stopped completely, and Aimee lowered Taly to the ground. Aimee tore off her ripped gloves, and a soft blue light coiled between her fingers as she channeled her aether and took on a defensive posture in front of the wounded girl.

But he didn’t see… damn. Aimee hadn’t brought any water crystals, and he doubted she was skilled enough to cast an offensive spell without a focusing talisman. Her primary study had always centered on glamours.

Skye kept pulling aether from the shadow crystals in his pocket, but it wasn’t enough. Desperate to go faster, he tapped his body’s aether reserve, forcing the magic into his legs. His feet barely touched the ground as he raced to reach them in time.

“Damn it!” Skye screamed, ducking his head and willing his body to move faster. The harpy had caught up, and it loomed over the girls as Aimee formed a long ribbon of water between her hands. She slung it forward, whipping the harpy across the face, but the lash of water glanced off the beast, nothing more than an annoyance.

Just a few more minutes and Skye would be there—he just needed to buy some time. Pulling a dagger from his belt, he ran his hand along the blade. “Hey!” he screamed, waving his bloodied palm in the air. The aether in his blood would be more than enough to lure the beast away. “Over here!”

The beast gave him an uninterested glancebefore reaching out a feathered claw and smacking Aimee to the ground. She fell and started backpedaling, thinking the harpy would pursue her. But it didn’t. Instead, it turned its eyes on Taly.

What is it doing?!Taly was mortal, and Aimee had just used magic. Harpies craved aether, not flesh. None of this was making any sense.

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