Page 32 of Shardless
Skye walked his horse up to where Taly had halted the group. “What is it?”
She didn’t look at him. She just gazed off into the distance where the road veered right.
“I’m not sure yet. Stay here.” She gave the gelding a kick and trotted ahead of them.
Skye scowled as he watched her leave, but he decided to follow her lead. He had agreed to hire her after all. He might as well let her do her job. Straining his ears, he noted that he could no longer hear the echoes of the gypsum sparrows’ songs. The whisper of dry leaves was the only sound hissing through the densely packed wall of trees.
That’s odd, he thought with a twinge of unease.
Channeling a small amount of aether, he felthis senses start to sharpen, and he listened. He could just make out the crackling of leaves about a mile east, most likely a deer or a bear, but still no birds or insects. A strange hush had fallen over the forest.
That could only mean one thing—a predator was nearby.
Skye’s heartbeat quickened. Looking behind him, he could see that Aiden and Aimee talked quietly amongst themselves, completely unaware of the potential danger. And why should they be frightened? The main roads had magical wards put in place to protect travelers from the beasts that roamed the forest.
Feeding more aether into the augmentation spell, Skye focused on the arch of overhanging branches that Taly had disappeared through earlier. He could just make out the faint scent of iron and soap wafting on the air, and the crunch of dirt thundered in his ears. A horse pawed at the ground nervously.
Taly—she was no longer on horseback. She wasn’t even on the road. No, she was wading through the underbrush between the trees, past the protection of the wards.
Shit, Skye thought as he let go of the spell. His heightened senses dulled, and the world around him blurred before snapping back into focus. It was just as he feared—Taly had sensed something and set off to track it.
His first instinct in this situation was to go get her and drag her back to safety, willing or not. However, that would most likely destroy any goodwill he still had left after their little spat earlier that morning. He knew he should stay back—demonstrate that he trusted her to do herjob. But he had spent 15 years trying to protect her. Those habits were hard to break.
Just as Skye was about to ride after her, Taly returned. “We can’t go this way.”
“Why not?” Skye asked gruffly, relief washing over him.
Taly raised an eyebrow. “Because a harpy passed through. Not too long ago by the looks of it. It’s not too surprising since it’s their mating season. This is the only time of year they ever really come out during the day. I set out some lures to try to push it farther east, but we should still go around.”
Taly started to ride off in the other direction, but Skye grabbed her arm, pulling her up short. “Are you absolutely sure? We should be fine if we stay on the main road. The wards were repaired last month.”
Taly sighed impatiently. “Which would be fine if those drunken assholes in the Fire Guild hadn’t burned through a large chunk of them just ahead. How do you think the harpy got through? The wards on the back roads are spotty at best, and it’s going to add several hours to our ride. Still, I think it’s safer.”
“Damn it,” Skye cursed quietly. “Are you sure you’re not just messing with me?” He glanced back at Aimee and gave Taly a pleading look. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was spend more time with that silly noblewoman than he had to. “Is this revenge?”
Taly’s expression softened, and her lips quirked to the side when she saw his pained grimace. “I’m not happy about it either, but I know how to track a harpy.And, I know what a busted ward looks like.”
Shaking her head, she exhaled sharply and pulled out the same stack of papers she’d been reading earlier. “Scouting notes,” she mumbled distractedly when she saw Skye’s questioning stare. “The harpy was already headed east, so we should be able to stay out-of-range if we skirt around from the west. There was a kelpie sighted in that direction a few days ago, but it’s probably moved farther north by now—back to the coast. Just make sure you stick close to me and don’t get ahead. Some of these side roads are pretty overgrown, so we’re going to have to take it slow. I take it you brought the aether concealment charms?”
Sighing and falling in beside her, Skye said, “I handed out the charms before we left.” He held up his arm and showed her a simple silver band. Water and shadow crystals were set in the center of the bracelet.
“I meant to ask you what these did,” Aimee gushed with false enthusiasm, picking at the band on her arm. Being a water mage, Skye was sure that Aimee knewexactlywhat they did. “Tell me, Talya. Why don’t you have one?”
Taly mumbled something unintelligible under her breath and signaled for her horse to go faster. Louder, she said, “Because I’m mortal. I have no aether and, therefore, no magic.” Skye didn’t miss the slight quaver in her voice or the way her shoulders slumped forward. Glancing back, he saw an arrogant smirk twist Aimee’s lips as she pulled on the reins of her horse, deliberately slowing her pace.
As Aimee’s mare once again fell behind, Skye ignored her calls as he urged his own horse to keep pace with Taly.
Chapter 6
-An excerpt from When the Bridges Fell: Letters from a Lost Island
The 32ndday of the month Septane, during the 8thyear of the Empty Throne
Hey Lea,
We still can’t figure out why all this stuff keeps falling through. Since the gates went down, it’s just started accumulating in places where the veil is thin. A new wave of junk came through last night over at the Odyssea Gate, and there’s enough now that it’s starting to affect our ability to access the gate controls.
When you see her, can you ask Diantha where she wants us to put it for the time being? There’s a lot of metal, so maybe the fire mages can do something with it.
