Page 76 of Shardless

The one closest to her lunged, forcing her back as she raised her dagger. Her thumb found the switch, but before she could fire off another blast of air magic, something yanked at her foot, and she was pulled off her feet. The world rushed by her in a blur, and her head hit the pavement with a sharp crack as she landed flat on her back. Her vision clouded for a moment before coming back intofocus as she felt another tug on her leg.

Coming to her senses, she quickly realized that the creatures on the ground, the ones with shattered knees and bullets in their brains, were somehow moving again. One of them wrenched Zephyr from her hand, so she reached for the shiny new dagger Skye had gifted her. It was still tucked safely inside her boot, well within reach. But before she could grasp the handle, her hands were jerked above her head as one of the creatures standing over her seized her arms, pulling her body taut as it fell to its knees and pinned her to the ground.

The sharp clang of metal against stone followed by Taly’s scream echoed between the narrow walls. Another of those strange dead men had dug Zephyr into her side. It was a glancing wound, grazing the flesh of her hip and embedding the blade into the ground below. She thrashed and kicked, but the creatures had her pinned. The metal of her beloved dagger bit into her skin, ripping open the shallow wound.

The creatures on the ground crawled over to her, their bony fingers groping at her skin and clothing. Several more of these strange undead men appeared on the street, staggering out of narrow alleys and side streets, and they crowded around her, their lips pulling back to reveal grim, decomposing grins as they watched her struggle. There was something almost familiar about some of them—something that tugged at tucked-away memories—but she couldn’t focus. Not with the sting of Zephyr at her hip and the stench of death filling her nose.

Her body started to tremble uncontrollably. This couldn’t be it. She refused to die here.

“No, no, no, no…” Taly whimpered, her head whipping from side-to-side. The dead formed a circle around her as they started pulling her to her feet. Why hadn’t they killed her already? What were they waiting for?

Her side throbbed, and she could feel the warm blood spilling across her hip, soaking the fabric of her leggings and staining the cuff of her boot. One of the creatures grabbed her arm, wrenching it behind her at an odd angle, and she could already feel the bruises forming beneath its iron grip. It grabbed her other arm, twisting her wrist as she tried to vainly pull away and eliciting another sharp stab of scalding pain at the base of her palm.

Just like before.Taly’s eyes widened.

The familiar pain blossomed and spread beneath her skin as she continued to fight against her captor. Once again, her arm began to burn, setting her blood on fire. She recognized this feeling. The bruises on her arm, the ones that had yet to heal after her encounter with the harpy, flashed brightly, flickering to life and shining with an angry violet light. Golden dust started rippling the air, dancing between her fingertips.

That’s it!She clung to the pain, smiling as she felt it stretch and expand.

“Stop!” she cried weakly. Like the harpy. The harpy had stopped. She had made the harpy stop. She thrashed as the undead soldier tried to hold her. Its grip never loosened, and it growled as it gave her a rough shake, its rotted breath fanning out over her face.

“Stop!” More pain. There was so much pain now. She could feel the fire inside her, the flames lapping at the ends of her nerves, struggling to beset free.

The other creatures were crowding around her now, grabbing at her clothing, tugging at her hair. Three more sets of hands seized her arms, and the creatures on the ground tried to pin her legs. They were strong. She could barely move, but she kept struggling.

“Just stop already!” Taly screamed as the pain detonated, reverberating up and down her arm and coursing through her body until there wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t burn. She felt something inside her shatter, and then a rush of golden light exploded around her, branching out and curling between her attackers.

The world went silent. The ash from the fires hung in the air, suspended, and the trails of smoke from the smoldering, burned-out buildings looked like smears of paint against a frozen landscape. The creatures around her had ceased their assault, their mangled bodies fixed in a ghastly portrait of pain. Everything around her was still.

Time had stopped.

Though her lungs were on fire and every breath felt labored and strained, it was easy to shake off the hands of her attackers now. Taly staggered forward, gasping as she scooped up her dropped weapons and squeezed her body between the crowded circle of motionless undead. She had no idea how long this would last—this strange hushed stillness—and she didn’t intend to wait around to find out.

Just ahead of her, she could see the ash motes falling behind a thin, filmy magical barrier. It looked like she’d created a bubble, and the edges of the warped shimmer bent the light, forming a wall of distortion. Ignoring the pain in her side,she ran. She could already hear sounds coming from behind her, stretched groans pulled from putrefied vocal cords as the creatures began to recover, realizing too late that she’d somehow escaped. The tangles of golden strands crisscrossing the expanse of distorted time were already crumbling as the spell collapsed.

Blackness crept in around the edges of her vision as she felt that same drain of… something. It felt like her lungs were ready to collapse in on themselves, and her legs felt shaky, but she forced herself to keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other. She needed to find Skye. Had he run into these things too? Shards, she hoped he was okay.

Taly wiped at her cheek, grimacing when she saw the streak of black blood that stained her hand. Skyewasokay. He had to be. After all, shadow mages were almost indestructible. If she was still alive, then so was he.

The market square was just ahead now, and beyond that, the Gate Watchers’ Compound. That’s where he had been heading. That’s where she would be safe.

Chapter 16

-A letter from Lord Ivain Castaro of House Fairmont, High Commander of the Gate Watchers, to Lord Moryn Enix of House Myridan, Lt-Commander of the Gate Watchers

The 2ndday of the month Dranna, during the 248thyear of the Empty Throne

Commander Enix,

I am writing to inform you of my intent to appoint my ward, Lord Skylen Emrys, as my new Precept. Though still young, he has shown great talent and potential, and I believe he is ready to step in as my second.

I realize that this is unorthodox, and we do not usually allow Marshals to skip more than two ranks at a time. However, with the impending Aion Gateconnection, I believe the circumstances warrant an exception. Skylen has already been performing the duties of a Precept for several years now. The only reason I held him back from advancing as quickly as he should was so that he would not feel honor-bound to stay with the Order once his primary education concluded. However, he has recently expressed his desire to continue training under my tutelage rather than attending the University in Arylaan, so it is time he was awarded the rank and authority he is due.

I will be bringing Skylen to Ebondrift at the end of the month to complete the written and practical examinations. Please make the necessary arrangements.

Regards,

Lord Ivain Castaro of House Fairmont, Marquess of Tempris and High Commander of the Gate Watchers

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