Page 44 of Shardless

“My mother is just a Feseraa,” Aimee murmured. Her stomach turned. “And our father was wrong to have stolen her away from the family in the way that he did—to have invalidated her breeding contract by taking her as his wife aftermy family was kind enough to grant her the privilege of immortality. My brother and I are lucky that our family chose to honor our father’s widow by giving her such an advantageous match, regardless of the fact that she’s human.”

“You don’t believe that,” Sarina said sadly.

“That is what my stepfather tells me I am to believe.” Aimee turned back to her embroidery and began stabbing the needle through the cream silk. “The same way he tells me that I am to marry Skylen. And unlike my brother, I don’t have the luxury of escaping to Faro to join my regiment. I have no other choice but to stay in Picolo and, as my stepfather says, fulfill my familial duty.”

Aimee jumped when she felt an arm drape around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. Her chest felt uncomfortably tight, and her shoulders trembled, but it wasn’t until Sarina started gently shushing her that Aimee realized she was crying. “You don’t really believe I would deliberately hurt Talya, do you?” she quavered, giving in to the hiccupping sobs and burying her face in Sarina’s shoulder.

Sarina gently rocked her back and forth, smoothing a hand over her hair. “No, my dear. No. I know it was an accident. And once we figure out what sort of infection Taly has, I’m sure the two of you will go back to passive-aggressively bickering over Skye just like you’ve always done.”

Aimee huffed out a laugh, pulling away and wiping at her eyes. “You want to know the truth? Talya can have him for all I care.” Throwing her needlepoint off to the side, she slouched down to match Sarina’s relaxed posture. It only felt a little awkward and unnatural. “If Skylen and I were to begin courting, my stepfather would probablymake me move to the island. And while I enjoy visiting Tempris, I prefer the city. I like attending court. I’ve heard rumors that Skylen’s mother is doing everything within her power to lure him back to the mainland, but he… well, I think he wants nothing more than to stay on this island for the rest of his life. On the rare occasions that our paths cross at court or at his family’s estate in Ghislain, he looks so miserable—like he’s counting down the days until he gets to leave. Something tells me that if he could hand over his duties as the heir of Ghislain to his older brother, he would’ve done so already.”

Sarina chuckled softly. “You’re probably on to something there. Ivain and Skye are cut from the same cloth, I’m afraid. If those two could get away with it, I’m pretty sure they’d spend every day of the rest of their lives out in that dusty workshop, drinking cheap beer and working on things that are better done sober.”

Sarina’s eyes took on a faraway look, and Aimee knew that the noblewoman’s thoughts had drifted back to the girl upstairs. “Skye told me what you did at the gate,” she said after a moment. “That you tried to protect Taly with your magic. That was very brave.”

“I couldn’t even do that right, though.” Aimee stared down at her hands. “My father was one of the greatest water mages of his generation. He was a Knight of the Crystal Guard, trained by the High Lord of Water himself. I can’t even form a basic water whip.”

Sarina reached for her forgotten teacup. “Your father didn’t become all of that overnight. He practiced—usually on his little sister. Of course, she was a shadow mage, so she alwaysmanaged to get him back. Shards, those two…” A small smile tugged at the older woman’s lips. “You could be just as good as him if you wanted to be. You have the talent.”

Aimee sighed. “My stepfather says that offensive magic is unladylike and that I am to only focus on those skills that will help me to secure a match. Like my glamours.”

“Last time I checked, your stepfather wasn’t here,” Sarina mumbled into her teacup.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, and a moment later, Aiden poked his head in the room. Dark smudges stained the skin underneath his eyes, and his clothes were streaked with blood that had long ago faded to black. “Sarina? I need you upstairs.”

Sarina set her teacup aside with a clatter as she shot to her feet. “Is something wrong?”

Aiden’s eyes flicked to Aimee and back. “No. Nothing’s wrong. But… I do need your assistance.”

Sarina gave Aimee a tight-lipped smile before following Aiden. Aimee listened, sighing when she heard their footsteps taper off as they hit the stairs that led to the fourth floor.

Eyeing her needlepoint in irritation, she threw the hoop across the room and repositioned herself in front of the window. She held out her hands and began channeling her aether. A long ribbon of water materialized between her outstretched palms, but it sputtered and evaporated after only a few seconds. Her stepfather’s words came to her mind unbidden:No man wants a woman that knows how to fight back.

With a very unladylike growl, Aimee jerked open a small drawer on the small tea table next to her chair and removed a pouch of water crystals,spreading them out on a nearby ottoman as she sorted them by size and enchantment. The delicate Faera runes carved into the faceted surfaces programmed each crystal to perform a single type of spell, and in an experienced mage’s hands, the simple modification could decrease the mental and physical burden of a spell exponentially. In her case, however, the runes were a training tool. A crutch.

Aimee picked up one of the crystals, feeding a small amount of magic into the stone. Another stream of water coiled between her hands, stronger this time, with tiny eddies of current rippling through the center. She gave the spell a small mental tug, smiling when the water reformed itself into a flock of songbirds that she sent flying through the window. Her father, herrealfather, had taught her that trick. He always used to say that was the spell that made her mother fall in love with him.

For the rest of the afternoon, Aimee sat there, forming and reforming that same ribbon of water, switching over to a crystal modified for use as a simple focusing talisman when she was finally able to cast the spell unaided.

A heavy sheen of sweat coated her skin, and a dull burn settled in her lungs as she continued to use more and more aether. But despite the satisfaction she felt at seeing the curling streams of water that she had set afloat dancing in the space around her, Aimee couldn’t stop thinking about Talya.

Nothing’s wrong.That’s what Aiden had said when he came to fetch Sarina.

Aimee’s eyes drifted to the ceiling, and for a moment, she once again saw that dark room andSkylen kneeling at his friend’s bedside, her lifeless hand clutched in his—as if that simple touch was the only thing still anchoring him.

Aimee flicked her wrist, and the swells of water magic drifting around her evaporated into steam.

Nothing’s wrong.She sighed as Aiden’s words repeated in her head. Why was it that after so many years, her brother still foolishly believed that she didn’t know when he was lying?

Chapter 9

- An excerpt from The Essential Guide to Fey Pathophysiology, 1,263,856thEdition

Though the fey display accelerated healing and immunity to injury and disease, they are still susceptible to certain poisons and venoms. Reactions can vary from mild to life-threatening depending on the individual, the poison, and the time of treatment.

The list of documented poisons and their effects is quite lengthy and will be covered in the next chapter. For now, we will concentrate on some of the deadlier venoms found throughout the fey world.

By far the most dangerous venom is that of the Tempris harpy. Only the females are venomous, and, unlike other creatures which may inject their venom using stingers or fangs, the harpy’s venom isproduced by a specialized gland located underneath its anterior claws.

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