Page 59 of Shardless

“You know Ivain’s not going to take it back. He’d give you more if he thought you’d take it.” Grabbing her hand, Skye placed the coin purse in her palm. “Besides, you earned this. Before Aimee decided to take you out, you were doing a damn fine job.”

Taly chewed on her bottom lip, fighting against the smile she could feel tugging at the corners of her mouth. Mumbling a shy “thanks,” she took the bag and set it aside as she reached for Zephyr, turning the blade so that the dazzling crystals set into the hilt caught the morning light. Skye had also made some improvements to her beloved dagger. The crystals had been replaced, and the leather around the grip looked new and expensive. She gave the dagger a practiced twirl, before setting it down and reaching for the swirled viridian blade. “You know, this really is some of your best work,” she said, admiring the way the pearls set into the scabbard shimmered.

As she stood and looked up, the sincere, unguarded smile on Skye’s face as he watched her inspecting her refurbished equipment took her bysurprise. That wasn’t a look she was used to seeing, and it made something in her stomach flutter in a way that she wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to examine too closely.

“Um…” she stammered awkwardly. Her cheeks started to feel warm. “I’m going to go finish getting dressed and maybe get in some target practice. I’ll be down in the training yard when you’re ready.” Standing, Taly scooped up the pile of weapons and beat a quick retreat, her blush deepening when she heard him chuckling behind her.

Chapter 12

-A letter from High Priestess Melinoe of the Faerasanaa to Lord Auberin Brenin of House Arylaan, High Lord of Earth

The 20thday of the month Luna, during the 250thyear of the Empty Throne

Auberin,

We need to talk about your brother. Kalahad was in my office again last night—asking about bodies. While this is hardly the first time this has happened, we had 15 Feseraa go missing last night.

I want them back—alive and unharmed. Otherwise, we may need to revisit our arrangement.

Walk in the Shards’ light,

Lady Khanna Melinoe of House Agno, High Priestess of the Faerasanaa

As Taly and Skye walked through the main gates of Ryme on their way to the Swap, Taly couldn’t help but notice the extra attention they received from the townsfolk. Well, not “they.” Mostly just Skye. The astonishingly rich color of a highborn fey’s eyes was always easy to spot, but Skye’s practically glowed. Green eyes were rare among the fey, and the members of House Ghislain were known for having eyes that were almost emerald in their intensity. Even to the casual observer, there was absolutely no question as to Skye’s parentage.

Taly felt a little uncomfortable standing next to him, but she resisted the urge to hang her head and fall into step behind him where she would be partially obscured. When they were younger, she had been oblivious to the attention they drew walking through town arm-in-arm—a highborn noble and a shardless. Everything had been so much easier then.

Taly fidgeted with the sleeve of her coat, trying to ignore the people around her. The protection spells woven into the fabric tingled against her skin and made her shiver. When she had rifled through her closet that morning, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Sarina had gifted her a new set of leather gear, perfect for salvaging, sparring, or just traveling outside the more populated areas of the island. The charcoal jacket she now wore was soft and pliable, and while it wasn’t exactly armor, the hide shell was reinforced for added durability. She had new boots as well. They were tall, ending mid-thigh, and would help protect her legs if she ever got pushedinto another pile of scrap metal. As she had learned by now, the mountains of junk that accumulated around tears in the veil certainly didn’t lack for sharp edges that liked to reach out and slash through clothing and skin.

“Damn it,” Taly cursed as she felt the cuff of her boot start to slip. Sarina had most likely had them made using her old measurements. Exiting the flow of traffic, Taly stood off to the side and inspected the strap buckled around the shaft of her boot. She had already tightened it as far as it would go.

“What’s wrong?” Skye asked, coming to stand beside her.

“It’s my boots. I’m still too scrawny.”

“Scrawny? Shards, you’ve been listening to Eliza—the same woman that still calls mescrawny. You look fine, Tink. You’re still a little lean, but you’ve got plenty of muscle tone.” Taly’s brows drew together in a frown as she looked up at him skeptically. It wasn’t like him to comment on her appearance. Not in a positive way, that is. Skye just shrugged in reply, tugging at the neck of his jerkin and then readjusting the lapels of the dark navy duster he wore over his armor. “What? You’ve been walking around in flimsy, little nightgowns all week. The restoration spells made your hair longer too. Or was I not supposed to notice that either?”

“Whatever,” Taly said, shaking her head. “I’ll just pay to get the straps fixed when we get to the Swap.”

“No need. I think I have something that may work.” Tugging the strap of his bag over his head, Skye crouched down beside her as he began digging through his pack.

Taly sighed, vainly trying to adjust the scabbard of one of her daggers. The harness for her knives was new and stiff, and an intricate border of tiny snowdrop flowers was stamped into the side along with her initials. Looking up, she started when her eyes met the bright violet gaze of another highborn. A sneer was painted across his perfect features. In fact, most of the people passing by were looking at her with icy contempt. She pulled at the collar of Skye’s greatcoat. “Get up. People are staring.”

“So?” he asked distractedly, still rifling in his pack.

“So, I—”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, shardless?” a gruff voice practically spat.

Taly yelped when a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and twisted her around. She instinctively reached for Zephyr as she struggled against her attacker’s grasp, vainly trying to shrug off the hand that was fisted in the fabric of her coat. The man’s iron grip didn’t loosen. He gave her a vicious shake, throwing her off-balance and wrenching Zephyr’s hilt from her grasp in the process. The dagger fell to the ground with a clatter.

She soon found herself face-to-face with a very angry shopkeeper. He was gangly and lean, but his grip on her shoulder was like a vice. He looked down at her contemptuously. “You think to have a highborn shine your shoes, human? Maybe someone should teach you your place.” Flames spiraled up his arm, coiling and converging around the hand that held her as he summoned his aether. The smell of smoke filled the air. Bracing herself, Taly waited for the heat of the fire spell to burn through her coat and hit her skin.

But the blistering pain never came. Before she could even blink, Skye was standing next to her. She hadn’t even seen him move from his position on the ground behind her. He just appeared next to her attacker, his hand around the fire mage’s throat.

“Put. Her. Down.” Skye’s voice was low and dangerous, and an animalistic growl emanated from deep within his chest. The air thinned as Skye pulled apart the man’s spell, literally draining away the aether that coursed through the fire mage’s veins. There was nothing more fearsome than a shadow mage, especially in close range. Skin-to-skin contact, however, was a death knell.

Taly let out the breath she’d been holding, glad that the heat at her shoulder was starting to abate. Her attacker’s grip relaxed, and she scrambled away, eager to put some distance between herself and the angry fey.

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