Page 83 of Shardless
Kit’s boots hit the floor of the ramparts with a heavy thud. As soon as he deposited her on the ground, Taly collapsed against the wall of the parapet, her chest heaving as she desperately tried not to splatter the contents of her stomach across the walkway.
“Shards,” she gasped, closing her eyes and turning her face towards the cool breeze drifting over the top of the wall. “How do you shadow mages do that without losing your lunch?”
Kit smiled as he crouched down next to her. “A lot of us do the first few times. I take it you’ve never run with a highborn shadow mage at full speed?” When Taly shook her head, he laughed and offered her a canteen of water. “Well, I’mhonored to have been your first.” He gave her a sly wink and a winsome smile.
“Are you flirting with me?” Taly asked as she accepted the canteen and took a long sip.
Kit hung his head. “Maybe. Although, if you have to ask, that means I’m not doing a very good job.” When he looked up, his eyes were crinkled with mirth. “Stay here. I need to go take care of that thing out there, but I’ll be back soon. Then we can go find your Lord Emrys.”
“Thank you,” Taly breathed. “And be careful.”
Kit gave her another wink as he stood to his full height. “As my lady commands.”
With that, he stepped off the edge of the curtain wall. When Taly was able to pull herself to her feet, she could see him sprinting across the market to rejoin the battle. The shadow mages were circling the beast, but it paid them no mind. Instead, it lumbered across the square, its motley collection of limbs grabbing at the mutilated bodies strewn across the ground as it shoved the dead flesh into whichever mouth was nearest.
As Taly tore her eyes away from the sickening sight, someone shoved her to the side. There was more movement around her now as mages streamed in from a set of stairs at the end of the narrow corridor.
“Line up!” a woman called as she marched down the parapet behind the group of mages that were clumsily trying to arrange themselves between the gaps in the wall. Grabbing Taly’s arm, she whirled her around. “What are you doing up here… Taly?” The woman’s azure eyes widened, and Taly suddenly found herself enfolded in a familiar set of arms.
“Hi Eula,” Taly mumbled, returning thewoman’s embrace.
“Paravani sora,” Eula whispered. “When Skye told me that you were still out there, I thought the worst.”
Taly smiled at the old nickname. Paravani sorawas ancient Faera and roughly translated tolittle sister. Eula had been one of the few Gate Watchers to take an interest in Taly when Ivain let her tag along on his trips to the compound, often inviting Taly to accompany her to the shooting range. If not for Eula, Taly might never have learned how to use a pistol.
“I’m fine. Really,” Taly said reassuringly.
Eula raised a perfectly groomed brow, her eyes lingering on the red stain on Taly’s hip. Before she could press the matter, Eula’s hand flew to her ear, and for the first time, Taly noticed that the Gate Watcher was wearing a scrying comm strapped to her waist.
“Yes,” Eula replied tersely into the earpiece, smoothing back a raven lock of hair that had escaped from the braid coiling around her head. “We’re not sure, but it’s under control. Yes, the search and rescue team have it surrounded. No, sire. I’ve got her right here. Yes, sire.” Eula keyed off her comm before jerking her head, indicating that Taly should follow her. “Come with me.”
“What happened here, Eula?” Taly asked as she followed the older fey woman along the battlements.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Eula replied, glancing over her shoulder as they weaved through the crowd of mages lining the walkway. “We’ve barely had enough time to lick our wounds since this mess started. Skye’s arrival was a Shardsend, especially with our chain-of-commandin shambles. He may be young, but Ivain trained him well.
“You!” She snatched a young fire mage by the sleeve of his robe, pulling him to his feet. “How many times do I have to tell you?! You’re no good if you deplete your supply of aether. Find a shadow mage to help you regenerate your magic.”
Eula let out a low growl. “Whelps. Nothing but untrained whelps. Can you believe that?” Eula asked as she stopped on the far side of the battlement. “Almost 200 years old and he still doesn’t know how to use his aether efficiently. I’m telling you, I have no idea why these damned noble families nowadays think they’re too highbrow to teach their children basic spells. That showy shit is all well and good if you’re trying to get laid in Arylaan, but the basics are what keep you alive in a siege. What good are you if you use up your entire supply of aether onone spell?!”
Taly jumped when she heard a sharp cry pierce the air. Both Eula’s and Taly’s heads whipped around to the fight still raging through the market below. The creature had finally turned its attention to the shadow mages, and it looked as though it had managed to catch one of them by the leg. It threw the mage across the battlefield, and the others rushed in to try to keep the beast from charging the wounded soldier.
“Marshal Ora!” Eula snapped her fingers, grabbing the attention of a shadow mage at the opposite end of the wall roughly 20 feet away. The woman was stooped over a table, her hands glowing with shadow magic as she hastily recharged a stack of shadow crystals. The ground around her was littered with crystals centered on pieces of parchment, each surrounded by a faint,violet haze as they pulled aether from the air. “Back them up! They need fresh crystals!”
The shadow mage saluted by crossing an arm over her chest and tapping her fist twice before sweeping the stack of crystals into a bag, stepping off the wall, and darting across the square toward Kit’s group.
Eula’s eyes followed the shadow mage as she rushed out into the field to join the others. The search and rescue team had managed to herd the beast to the far side of the plaza, and the mages on the ramparts had begun to bombard it with balls of ice and fire, slowly whittling away at its decayed flesh.
Heavy footsteps echoed up the nearby stairs, and Eula turned, crossing her arm over her chest and bowing her head as Skye emerged from around the corner. He had discarded his greatcoat, and his armor was streaked with a thin layer of blackened gore. Smears of crimson blood stained his skin.
“Eula, report. Did the search and rescue team manage to get a handle on that creature yet?” Skye snapped before skidding to an abrupt stop. His brows shot up when he caught sight of Taly.
“Sire,” Eula said with a smirk. “Look who I found.”
Skye hesitated for a moment, disbelief written across his face. When he remained motionless, seemingly frozen in place, Taly gave him a sheepish wave. The movement seemed to break him from his stupor, and he rushed forward, crossing the distance between them in just a few short strides and enveloping her in a tight embrace. “Thank the Shards!”
Taly didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms aroundhis neck as he lifted her off her feet. After a long moment, he released her, holding her out at arm’s length. A frown creased his brow when his eyes flicked down to the gash at her hip. At some point, the wound had reopened, and Taly could feel a trickle of fresh blood running down her leg.
“So, I may have dawdled a little bit,” Taly said with a half-hearted laugh, wiping at the tears of relief staining her cheeks. “But it wasn’t my fault. These things just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
