Page 30 of Shardless
“Say what now?” Skye asked, arching a brow.
Aiden grinned. Being the same age as Skye, the two men had become natural rivals, and it seemed like they were always vying for something, be it women, prestige, or anything in between. However, as they matured, their relationship had evened out, and they tended to get along more times than not.
Of course, they did still like to poke at each other on occasion.
“Now, c’mon, Skye,” Aiden drawled, crossing his arms and widening his stance. “You know that I’ve always thought of you as a little brother—emphasis on thelittlepart. It’s my duty as thebiggerman to make sure you get to the Aion Gate safe and sound.”
Skye rolled his eyes. Aiden had grown to be just a hair taller than him, and he never let him forget it. Well, two could play that game. “Yes, that extra fraction of an inch is quite intimidating. Although, now that I look at you, I think it may have been all hair. We might need to re-measure.”
Skye smirked when he saw Aiden’s smile falter slightly. And before the earth mage could formulate a response, he pivoted, saying, “Also, I’ve been meaning to say that I’m sorry I missed you at court last summer. I heard that you and Lady Aliya were seen together. I also heard you couldn’t quite close that deal. If you’d asked, I could’ve told you she only goes for shadow mages now.” Skye gave an unapologetic shrug. “That’s my fault, by the way.”
As Aiden was opening his mouth to make aretort, Taly stepped between the two men. “No!” she snapped, waving her hands. Turning to Skye, she gave him a stern look that he knew all too well. “We are not starting up this bullshit again. Shards! Sometimes I really wish the two of you would just whip ‘em out and get it over with already.”
Aiden laughed and ruffled Taly’s hair. “Nah, I wouldn’t want to ruin you for other men.” Looking towards the stable, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oh Shards! That poor groom. I should probably go save him from my sister’s wrath.” He gave them a sheepish smile and then jogged off towards the stables.
Skye scowled after him. “Why don’t you have a problem with Aiden coming?”
Taly crinkled her nose as she glared up at Skye. “Because he’s not a dumbass.”
By the time the pair arrived at the stables, the groom had finally managed to saddle Aimee’s horse to her satisfaction and had brought around two others. Ignoring the tittering woman, Taly sidled up to the smaller of the two unsaddled animals. The little gelding nuzzled her cheek with its nose as she pulled an apple from her bag and reached out a hand to stroke its neck.
“He missed you, you know,” Skye said, leaning down so only Taly could hear him.
She raised an eyebrow, glancing at Skye from the corner of her eye as she ran a hand down the white stripe on the horse’s nose. “Well, with only you for company, who could blame him? Isn’t that right, Byron?” She inclined her head, pretending to listen before turning back to Skye and saying, “He saidyes.”
“Princess Tink can still talk to animals?” Skyeasked with a laugh.
“She can.”
Feeling a little awkward after his outburst, Skye placed a tentative hand on Taly’s shoulder, smiling when she reached up and twined her fingers with his. After a moment, he moved to start saddling his own horse.
“Aiden. What are you doing here?” Aimee asked as her brother led another horse out of the stable.
“You’re not the only one interested in the Aion Gate, dear sister. I’m crossing over to the mortal realm in a few weeks to join my regiment, and I figured I would go take a look before that happens. I hear the Aion Gate is quite a sight, even when it’s closed.” As the groom approached Aiden to assist with his mount, he waved the man off. “I can saddle my own horse. No need to worry.”
“Talya,” Aimee began, inspecting Taly’s clothing and equipment distastefully, “you could almost be pretty if you tried. I will never understand why youinsiston dressing like a man.”
“And I will never understand why youinsiston dressing like a cupcake,” Taly replied with a smirk. Seeing that Aimee was opening her mouth to make a retort, she quickly added, “You’re certainly not dressed for a trip to the gate. That outfit" —she hesitated, looking Aimee up-and-down disapprovingly— “is entirely impractical.”
“Well,” Aimee huffed, sensing that she wasn’t going to be able to get underneath Taly’s skin, “I would rather be pretty than practical.” Taking a deep breath, Aimee ran her hands over her velvet bodice and smiled serenely. “For what it’s worth, I liked your hair better when it was longer. Thathaircut and those clothes? You look like a child.”
As Aimee walked away, Taly gave Skye a meaningful look. Not knowing what else to do, he just shrugged and smiled apologetically as he continued readying the bay stallion standing restlessly in front of him.
As their small band passed through Ryme, Taly spurred her horse into the lead, setting a brisk pace. Skye could see that she held a stack of papers in one hand and a map in the other, the reins wrapped around the horn of her saddle. Between the two of them, she had always been the better rider. While he was far more comfortable in the saddle than most, she could ride literal circles around him.
A densely wooded forest separated the town of Ryme from the wasteland that surrounded the Aion Gate. The air was slightly cooler in the shade of the massive trees, and Skye couldn’t help but admire the austere surroundings. In a few weeks’ time, this area would be teeming with life as the animals awoke from their winter slumber and the plants reemerged to start a new cycle.
Alongside the road, a flash of steel caught his eye, and when he looked closer, he could just make out the outline of an old set of air tram tracks peeking from beneath the underbrush—the remnants of a direct line that used to connectRyme to the Aion Gate. When the Time Queen was still alive, the air tram made it possible to travel the entire length of the island and back in only a matter of hours. But the fast-travel system was just one more thing that had fallen into disrepair after the Sanctorum ravaged the area. The Marquess had tried again and again to have the air rails restored, but there just never seemed to be enough tax revenue to fund the project.
“Tell me about the Aion Gate, Skylen,” Aimee said suddenly, her tone dripping with false sweetness. “I’m sure you’re an expert.”
“Huh?” Skye hadn’t been listening again. He really should stop doing that. “Oh, right. What would you like to know?”
“Well? Why is everyone so eager for it to open? I’ve heard such horrible things about the mortal realm. All of thosehumansthat don’t even believe in magic. I don’t know why anyone would want to go there.” Skye had managed to get a few steps ahead of her, so Aimee urged her horse forward. It promptly ignored her and continued its slow, deliberate pace.
Skye slowed his horse. The stallion’s ears twitched, and it pulled on the reins. “Well, I suppose the primary reason most people look forward to the Aion Gate opening is because there are three members of the Genesis Council that have chosen to make the mortal realm their home. It certainly benefits us all if we can maintain contact with our rulers.”
“Why don’t those Lords come over here then?” Aimee asked. “Staying in the mortal realm—I’ve always felt that was very irresponsible on their part.”
