Page 27 of Shardless
“And to you, Lord Emrys.” Aimee lowered herself into a deep curtsy, artfully arranging the voluminous, velvet folds of her skirts around her in a crimson halo.
Taly didn’t miss the subtle roll of his eyes. Gesturing for the young woman to rise, Skye asked, “What can I do for you?”
Aimee looked up, shock gracing her delicate fey features. “Oh! Talya. You’re here too?” She reached up to fidget with a raven curl, unable to completely conceal her irritation behind her schooled expression.
Really?Taly thought, recalling their unscheduled and uncomfortable meeting the night before.
Taly took a step forward, coming to stand next to Skye. She made no move to subserviate herself as the noblewoman’s superior station demanded. “Yes. I believe I had the pleasure of your re-acquaintance last night. I’m pleased to see the Shards blessed you with a safe journey.” Taly tried to smile, but it came off as more of a pained grimace.
Aimee smoothed her hands over the bodice of her gown, no doubt trying to draw Skye’s gazetowards the feminine dip of her waist. Even though the fey noblewoman didn’t participate in anything unladylike like sparring or being outdoors in general, her highborn blood still granted her a natural fitness and tone to her body that Taly had only ever been able to achieve after years of training in the ring with Skye. Seeing as how Taly had lost more muscle mass than she cared to admit over the past year, the disparity between the two girls was stark.
“I had no idea you were still…in residence. I offer you my sincerest apologies for any discomfort I may have caused,” Aimee replied in the cultured accent of the mainland nobility. The look in those inhumanely blue highborn eyes was anything but sincere.
Taly took that as her cue to exit and gave a curt nod. Skye grabbed her arm as she moved away. “Please don’t leave me with her,” he whispered desperately.
Prying away his fingers, she said through gritted teeth, “No. This is your problem. Not mine. So play nice, have fun, and keep her away from me.”
Walking back towards the workshop, Taly smiled when she heard Skye’s barely suppressed groan of pain. Since she had lost the sparring match, she wouldn’t get to see her little prank play out—but this would be almost as much fun.
Chapter 5
-An excerpt from The Fey Imperium: Institutions and Policies
The Genesis Council was originally made up of the six fey mages chosen to wield the Genesis Shards and functioned as the primary ruling body in the Fey Imperium. Chosen by the Shards—those six objects of ultimate power believed to house the souls of the slumbering gods—each mage was granted the title of High Lord or Lady of their respective magical discipline, and they were responsible for legislating and enforcing the rule of law within the confines of the Lycian homeworld and its territories.
The High Lord and Lady of Shadow and Time carried an added burden. Ruling under the titles of King and Queen, they were the peacekeepers of the Council. In times when the Council could not come to an agreement, their word was law.
In the wake of the Schism, the Genesis Council was effectively dissolved. The High Lord and Lady of Water and Fire as well as the Shadow King moved their courts to the mortal realm, and though the Council members have refused to comment, scholars believe that this division was the result of a disagreement concerning the Sanctorum’s brutal treatment of time mages. As a result, the Dawn Court is now the effective ruling body of both Tempris and the continent of Lycia.
Having finally extricated himself from the clutches of his overambitious, female suitor, Skye was now searching the manor grounds for Taly. He wasn’t exactly surprised that she had abandoned him when Aimee showed up, but he was irritated. And he planned on letting her know it—assuming he could find her.
The sun had finally melted away the last of the early morning frost, leaving crisp green grass in its wake. Skye tugged at the collar of his leather breastplate. Age had molded the hide armor to his frame, broken it down until it no longer protested and groaned with each movement. The heady scent of beeswax, oil, and saddle soap now clung to his skin beneath the heavy wool of his greatcoat. Even though he wasn’t expecting trouble at the Aion Gate, it was always a good idea to wear armor when venturing outside the main cities. The creatures of the island were dangerously erratic when the aether was thin, and even small amounts of the right venom could be devastating to the fey.
Coming around the corner of the house, Skyefinally spotted Taly. She had found herself a sunny spot and was stretched out on the front staircase like a lazy cat. He should’ve known. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d found her napping on the wide, stone steps. She made no indication that she heard his approach. Her eyes remained closed, and her chest rose and fell evenly.
“What are you doing?” Skye asked with an exasperated sigh.
Her lips quirked ever so slightly. Opening one eye, Taly replied, “Waiting. You were taking forever.”
“No thanks to you.” He took a seat on the step below her and leaned back. He was going to enjoy this next part. Without ceremony, he dropped a small dagger on her chest. “As per our agreement.”
“Shards. You’re not actually going to hold me to that, are you?”
“Yes. Yes, I am,” he replied mercilessly. “Every word of it, you little brat.”
Taly looked up at him and pouted, and there… there was a look he knew all too well. When they were younger, it used to get her whatever she wanted.
“That’s not going to work this time. I’m immune to your tricks.” Skye laughed and tugged playfully at her hair, enjoying the look of frustrated defeat on her face as she slapped his hand away.
“Fine!” Taly theatrically hoisted herself into a sitting position and settled next to him. Picking up the dagger, she studied the ornate scabbard. Filigreed metal swirls swam across the surface, sheltering opalescent flower petals within their silvery tendrils. As she unsheathed the dagger, the sharpened blade gleamed in the morning light. The crossguard was thin and nimble, and a tinyrow of shadow crystals peeked out of the poplar handle. The pommel was carved out of a single, glassy air crystal.
“It’s beautiful,” Taly murmured. “But I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
Skye pushed her hands away when she tried to return the dagger. “You can accept it, and you will. The bet was that you would let me give you a better dagger. That one’s better.”
“But this dagger is pure viridian! Even the scabbard! And these are all A-class crystals, Skye. How am I going to find someone that can repair a dagger with A-class crystals? This isn’t practical.”
Skye chuckled. Crystal quality was important when it came to spellcasting and magical crafting. Though higher-class stones could channel aether more efficiently, they could be temperamental. Every increase in crystal class required an exponentially more powerful shadow mage to perform the necessary repairs, and at the present point in time, Skye and Ivain were the only two shadow mages in Ryme that had enough magic to properly maintain a weapon with A-class crystals.
