Page 18 of Shardless
“Skye! Come in here,” Ivain called as Skye passed by the open door of his study.
Skye’s footsteps creaked as he walked across the wooden floor. While Harbor Manor couldn’t compare with the grandeur of his family’s estate in Ghislain, it was far more comfortable. Homey. Whenever he was forced to visit his family on the mainland (twice a year, every year), he always found himself craving the warmth that seemed to emanate from the very stones of the aged mansion. He wasn’t looking forward to the day when he would be expected to take up permanent residence on the mainland as his role as future Duke of Ghislain would eventually require of him.
The Marquess stood near the back of the study, a fire crackling merrily in the great stone hearth beside him. He set down the book in his hand, turning to face Skye. “Where’s Taly? I didn’t think you would let her out of your sight now that you finally managed to drag her back here.”
“She’s taking a bath. It seems she still has a weakness for bubbles and hot water,” Skye repliedwith a smirk, coming over to stand beside his mentor. “And I have an aversion to being punched, so I let her be.”
“It’s good to have her back,” Ivain said with a sigh. “This old place seems so empty without the two of you screaming back and forth at each other from across the hall.”
“Yes, but she won’t stay. She’s out to prove something.” Skye frowned, staring moodily into the fire. “Whatever that may be.”
“I know. I didn’t expect her to come back for good,” Ivain said with a chuckle. “We might not like it, but Taly has her own path to follow. The only thing we can do is step aside and offer our assistance when she needs it. At least that’s what Sarina keeps telling me. My little sister is generally right about these sorts of things.”
“Yeah, Sarina has told me that too. ‘Let Taly find her own way,’ and so on,” Skye grumbled irritably. “The only way Taly’s going to find is her way into an early grave. Did Sarina tell you she took up salvaging?Salvaging,of all things. It’s like she’s trying to get herself killed.”
“Oh, I know,” Ivain said, placing a comforting hand on Skye’s shoulder. “That little detail did not escape me either. But you and I both know that if you try to dissuade Taly from something she’s set her mind to, you’ll just end up pushing her further away.”
When Skye remained silent, Ivain continued with a faint note of sadness, “Besides, whether you choose to believe what she’s told Sarina concerning her reasons for leaving or not, the fact of that matter is that Taly is not like us. She’s mortal, and a little distance will ease the inevitable pain that always comes with those associations. We may notlike it, but humans die, Skylen.”
"We both know there are ways around that," Skye said, giving Ivain a pointed look.
"True, but she would never consent to joining the Feseraa," the older man replied, his mouth set in a grim line. "And to be frank, that's not the life that I want for her."
"But it's just 50 years," Skye argued stubbornly. “50 years of breeding services in exchange for immortality.”
"I understand," Ivain conceded in a measured tone, “but even if the breeding term is only temporary, her children would be taken from her arms as soon as they're born, and she'd be passed around from noble to noble like some broodmare. I don't want that for her, and neither do you.”
Skye stuffed his hands into his pockets. “It wouldn't have to be like that. My mother has already offered to buy the full term of Taly's contract, and she's given me her assurances that Taly wouldn't be forced to uphold the breeding requirements. The contract would just be a way to bring her under the protection of my family. Taly would be safe, she would be respected, and most importantly, she wouldn’t have to grow old and die. That bullshit she fed Sarina about trying to get some distance before she starts aging would be moot.”
Ivain hesitated but then shook his head. “I can't say that the same idea hasn't crossed my mind a time or two this past year—execute a sham breeding contract purely as a means to receive the necessary authorizations required to perform the Rites of the Imorati and grant her immortality. But I still don't like it. The Feseraa have far more rights and privileges now than they did before theSchism, but that might not last. Anti-mortal sentiment has been on the rise lately. If the situation continues to sour, at least Taly, as a human, still has the option to retreat to the mortal realm. As a Feseraa, she wouldn't be able to survive in an aetherless environment. She would be trapped here.”
Skye blew out a sharp breath. As much as he hated to admit it, the older fey noble made some valid points. And it was for those very same reasons that he kept telling his mother “no” whenever she broached the subject. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Was there a reason you called me in here?”
“Ah yes!” the Marquess exclaimed. “Has Taly accepted the job yet?”
Skye barked out a laugh. “What do you think?”
“I see,” Ivain said tiredly, drumming his fingers on the mantle. “That’s ano, then.”
“You know, it doesn’t help that she probably thinks the job was just a ruse to get her here. You and I never go to the Aion Gate this far out from the actual bridging date.”
Ivain sighed and ran a hand across the stubble on his chin. “I am,perhaps, being overly cautious, but I just can’t shake this feeling that something’s off. I’d feel much better if you went and confirmed the last set of readings the Gate Watchers sent us.”
“The readings looked fine to me, but I’ll go where you tell me,” Skye conceded easily. “With or without Taly, I’ll make do.”
“Talywillagree,” Ivain insisted. “Just keep at her. I don’t care how much coin it takes—make sure she takes the job. If this works out, I’m hopingto offer her a permanent position. Guides are just going to become more and more scarce the closer we get to the bridging date. True—Taly is young and inexperienced, but Sarina assures me that our little one knows her way around the island. With a little training and the right resources, she could be far more skilled than any guide for hire—a valuable addition to the manor staff.”
“Wait.” Skye arched a suspicious brow, chuckling softly when the Marquess feigned confusion. “As part of the manor staff, wouldn’t she need to move onto the main property?”
Ivain shrugged. “Yes, that would be the most convenient arrangement. And since she’s been very clear that she no longer wishes to reside within the main house, there just happens to be a little cottage on the eastern edge of the estate I think she would like—very secluded but still inside the manor’s wards. As luck would have it, I’ve just had it freshened up.”
Skye turned away from the fire and stepped over to the large oaken desk stuffed into the far corner of the room. Picking through a stack of papers, he asked, “This wouldn’t have anything to do with those three mortal girls that went missing last week, would it?”
Ivain’s face was impassive as he stared into the fire. After a long moment, he said, “Tempris is always a much more dangerous place when the Aion Gate is charging, but I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t seem worse this cycle. The number of missing person reports that have crossed my desk this year is… troubling. Especially considering how many of them have been either mortal or magicless. I know my sister keeps a close eye on our little one, but I’d feel much better if Taly moved closer to the manor.”
“What happened to‘humans die,’and‘a little distance will ease the inevitable pain that comes with those associations?’Hmm?” Skye glanced at Ivain from the corner of his eye. “C’mon, which is it, old man?”
Ivain pulled away from the fire, scratching at the back of his neck as he came to stand next to Skye. “The cottage is all the way over on the eastern side of the property—how much more distance do you want?”
