Page 60 of Shardless

The immediate threat extinguished, Taly finally had a chance to look at her assailant. Though his ears were pointed, he looked too much like a mortal to be highborn. Still, the expensive silk of his frock coat and his clean-shaven jaw indicated that he had money.

The lowborn man started to sputter, his face turning red. “I… I thought she was trying to rob you, milord. Her hand was on her dagger.”

“So, instead of simply asking, you made a biased assumption and decided to attack a lady unprovoked? And not just that, you attempted to attack her with fire aether—all in broad daylight for an unsubstantiated observation.” Skye lifted the man onto his toes. “Apologize.”

“Skye, that’s not necessary.” Taly tugged atthe sleeve of his coat, her other dagger now drawn and held at her side.

“Yes, it is, Taly,” Skye replied, glancing at her over his shoulder. “This man needs to learn some manners. Now,goodsir” —Skye tightened his grip, lifting the man a little higher— “please apologize to the lady.”

The man spared a frightened glance at Taly. She could see hatred mixed with the terror in his expression. “I’m sorry,” he choked out, “I acted in error.”

Skye arched a brow, and his face hardened. Taly tugged at his coat again, and when his eyes found hers, she shook her head. “That’s a piss-poor apology, but it’ll have to do,” he hissed through clenched teeth as he lowered the man to the ground. “You’re very lucky, you know. If either the Marquess or his sister had been here, they wouldn’t have been so kind.”

The man visibly paled as he finally took in Skye’s appearance, and Taly could see the pieces start to click into place as he realized just who he had inadvertently picked a fight with. Almost everyone on the island was aware that the Marquess had a mortal ward, even if they couldn’t be bothered to remember her name or face. “L-lord Emrys? My deepest apologies, sire.” He turned to Taly and bobbed his head before stumbling down the street and back through the door of his shop.

Skye watched the man scurry out of sight before finally turning back to Taly. His jaw was clenched, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. “I think I understand now why you pulled a knife on me the other day in town.” He pulled back the collar of her jacket, running a finger over a row of crystals sewn into the lining and checking her skinfor burns. “The protection spells in your coat are working, so I guess that’s good. Does this happen often?”

“More often lately with so many visitors in town for the gate opening,” Taly replied shakily. “Anti-mortal sentiment is always running high when the tourists visit. Seems worse than normal, though. People are on edge for some reason.”

Scooping up Zephyr from the pavement, she sheathed both her daggers and then shook out her hands to hide the sudden tremble. While this wasn’t the first time she’d been threatened by some lowborn trying to assert his dominance, she couldn’t exactly say the experience was improving. “So,” she said, taking a deep breath and trying to lighten the mood, “I think this is the part where I’m supposed to say ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh,’ right?”

Skye barked out a laugh, and some of the tightness around his eyes started to melt away. As he pulled her over to a bench, he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “No. The appropriate time would’ve beenwhileI was performing the impressive feat of strength. See—I knew we should’ve practiced.”

Skye pushed her to sit as he fell to one knee in front of her, and Taly’s eyes darted from side-to-side, watching the passersby. She started to grow nervous and was about to pull him up to sit beside her until she noticed that he had positioned himself so that if anyone else made a grab for her, they’d have to go through him first. He glanced up, giving her a reassuring smile as he continued to dig in his pack. After a moment, he produced a small leather repair kit and set to work refitting the straps around her boots. Blowing out a slow breath, she leaned back, content to watch as heeasily pushed a metal belt punch through the thick leather with nothing more than a flick of his wrist. Every so often, his fingers would graze the inside of her thighs as he adjusted the fit, sending small, not entirely unpleasant shivers down her spine.

Taly shook her head. Skye had helped her with her belt straps at least a hundred times before. This time was no different.

“All done,” Skye announced a moment later, patting her knee.

After a long pause, he had still made no move to stand, prompting Taly to look down. He gave her an odd look, his eyes unblinking as they held her gaze. Then, seeming to come to a decision, he abruptly stood, slinging his pack over his shoulder. As Taly moved to follow suit, he reached down and pulled her to her feet, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and pressing his elbow firmly to his side. Without another word, he continued forward.

Taly’s first instinct was to pull away—they were drawing even more attention now as they weaved through the crowd at an unhurried pace. Instead, she found herself stepping closer, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

Thankfully, they weren’t far from the Swap now, and she managed to brush aside any lingering unease once they passed through the doors. It was busy that morning, making it easier to disappear into the sea of people. Taking the lead, she started pushing her way to the back of the main room.

“Where are you going?” Skye asked, allowing himself to be pulled along. “Shouldn’t we be looking for Sandulf?”

Taly rolled her eyes. Sandulf was thereconnaissance expert employed by the Marquess. His job was to gather as much intelligence about the island as possible and provide up-to-date information to salvagers and guides. Unfortunately, he was terrible at his job. And lazy.

“I’ve got someone better,” she yelled over the din. “Just let me do the talking. He hates nobles.”

“This is going to be good,” Skye muttered quietly, smirking when she turned her head to glare at him.

Finally managing to push and shove her way to the back of the room, Taly released Skye’s arm as she veered off into a narrow, partially concealed hallway. Back when the Swap was still a lord’s manor, this area had been used by the servants.

“Hey Dimas,” Taly said in a sing-song voice, approaching a sandy-haired youth. He had a baby-face and freckles, and Taly had mistaken him for a teenager when she first met him. She knew better now not to be taken in by outward appearances. He usually kept them hidden, but she had once spotted the pointed tips of his ears. This “kid” probably had 150 years on her, at least. “Got anything good for me?”

“Hey Taly,” Dimas drawled, watching Skye warily as he came to stand beside her. “You’re lookinggood. I see you’re keeping a little different company these days. What’s with the toft?”

“He’s a friend.” Taly placed a warning hand on Skye’s arm. Derogatory terms for the nobility aside, she could already tell Skye didn’t like the way that Dimas leered at her. But to be fair, the seedy merchant did that to just about everything female that walked by. “I heard that Marcos came back yesterday. Have any more guides returned?”

Dimas shrugged and started picking at hisnails with a rusty dagger. “If they have, I haven’t heard anything. I didn’t even get to talk to Marcos before the Marquess snatched him up last night. The last guide I saw in Ryme left for Ebondrift last week. Apparently, Lord Kalahad Brenin decided to make an unexpected visit to the island.”

“The High Lord of Earth’s brother?” Taly asked, her eyes wide. Turning to Skye, she said, “I wonder if that has anything to do with why the other Watchers have been so unresponsive.”

“It’s possible,” Skye replied. “I’ve only met Lord Brenin a handful of times, but he seems…difficult.”

Dimas chuckled. “What a very diplomatic way of calling someone a right royal bastard,” he drawled, raking a disdainful eye up and down Skye.

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