Page 85 of Shardless
Lady Khanna Melinoe of House Agno, High Priestess of the Faerasanaa
With a deafening roar, the abomination charged at the retreating line of shadow mages. The piercing wail carried across the square, finally breaking the fey on the wall out of their stupor. With a clamor, they all moved at once, stupefied bewilderment replaced with unmitigated panic.
The death of a highborn, a shadow mage noless, was unthinkable—a testament to the mortality of an otherwise immortal race. Screams rang out as the fey rushed for the stairwells. Their bodies pressed together, and Taly would’ve been knocked off her feet, maybe even off the side of the wall, if Skye hadn’t kept a firm grip on her waist. He was a steadfast island in the midst of a churning sea of bodies, and Taly had no choice but to cling to him.
“Back to your posts!” Skye roared, his voice carrying over the cacophony of screams and shouts. When that didn’t stop the terror-stricken chaos, he reached down and pulled one of Taly’s pistols. Three shots rang out, startling the fleeing mages into silence. “I said, back to your posts,” he repeated in a harsh tone that Taly had never heard from him before. His face was hard, and his mouth pressed into a grim line. “We will not leave our people out there to die.”
“You heard him!” Eula ordered, stomping her boot. The aether-infused blow caused the stone of the rampart to tremble underfoot. “Get moving!”
Taly recognized most of the terror-stricken, tear-stained faces filing past them. She had seen each one of them at one time or another during her many trips to the Gate Watchers’ compound with Ivain and Skye. These weren’t soldiers. They were scholars and scientists, and she’d be willing to bet that most of them had never seen combat before—much less the final death of another fey. Eula shared a look with Skye before turning on her heel and disappearing into the crowd of mages trying to line up along the wall.
“Taly,” Skye said gently, grabbing her by the shoulders, “there’s nothing you can do here. I need you to get inside the keep. Go inside Ivain’s oldroom and barricade the door. No matter what you hear outside, don’t come out.”
“What do you mean?” Taly asked incredulously. “I’m not going to leave you.”
“You don’t have any magic, and that thing out there is killing trained shadow mages,” Skye insisted. When he saw the rebellion in her eyes, he placed a gentle hand on her face. “Please, Taly. I can’t lose you. I just…can’t.”
With that, he turned Taly around and pushed her towards the stairs before retreating further down the rampart, bracing himself on the ledge of the walkway as he prepared to leap over the wall.
Rushing forward, Taly grabbed Skye’s arm and gave him a sharp tug. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he sputtered as he stumbled back. “They need backup.”
Taly punched him on the shoulder. “So you’re going to hole me up in Ivain’s bedroom while you go out there half-cocked without a plan? Was one shadow mage dying gruesomely not enough for you? You need a strategy to take that thing down.”
Skye looked like he was going to argue, so Taly tried again. “Just stop and think about this for a minute, Skye. This creature is as fast as you, as strong as you, and more resilient. How are you supposed to kill something like that?”
“Damn it, you’re right,” Skye growled in frustration as he raked a hand through his hair. “It has to have a weakness. Everything has weaknesses—even shadow mages.”
Taly’s eyes drifted back out to the battlefield. “What about the crystals?” she asked after a moment. “The creatures I encountered hadcrystals. I’d bet good coin that this one does too.”
Skye turned to look at her, confusion written on his face. “What are you talking about? What crystals?”
A light drizzle had started to fall, and Taly wiped at the droplets accumulating on her cheeks. “You seriously didn’t see the bright, flashing shadow crystals embedded in these things’ chests?”
“I was a little busy,” Skye replied dryly. “How did you… no, never mind. I don’t want to know right now. Still, a shadow crystal would suggest that this thing is being powered by shadow magic. If that’s the case—"
“Then taking out the crystal should take out the creature,” Taly concluded. They both moved to stand by the edge of the rampart, gazing down at the battle unfolding below. The shadow mages had scattered, and the creature had broken off to chase a group that skirted along the edge of the square. The beast’s footsteps created great plumes of mud, dirt, and debris in its wake as it charged after them blindly.
“It’s a decoy,” Skye muttered, running a hand along his chin. “They’re trying to cover the rest of the team’s escape.” He leaned against the rampart, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t see a crystal, though.”
The thud of boots sounded from the opposite end of the wall walk. The first group of shadow mages had made it back to the rampart. They were panting and wheezing. Some bent over at the waist while others sunk to the ground, their shoulders trembling beneath their cloaks and armor.
“You there,” Skye snapped at a young girl asshe passed. Her bright, highborn eyes widened in surprise, and she ducked her head. “The shadow mages that just got back—take them to the earth mages and see that they get priority. I need them back on their feet and ready to fight immediately.”
“Sire.” The girl bobbed her head before taking off at a jog, pushing people out of the way as she tried to navigate the walkway.
“How close would you need to be to be able to sense the crystal?” Taly asked when Skye turned back to face her.
“Maybe twenty feet,” he replied with a frown.
Taly swallowed against the lump in her throat. That was too close for her liking. “Can any of the other shadow mages do better?”
“No.” Skye crossed his arms. “If Ivain, or Commander Enix, or his Precept were here—they could sense the crystal at 30 feet. Maybe 40. But they’re not here. I’m the best option.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Taly muttered. Even though Skye was several centuries younger than the average Gate Watcher, he was strong. Some of the most powerful shadow mages in all of fey history had been born to House Ghislain.
Skye placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off. She didn’t want his comfort. She wanted a plan. The cloudy sky paired with the setting sun made the evening unusually dark, and she had to squint to get a better look at the creature raging through the courtyard. “The crystal is probably buried somewhere inside its body. If you have the mages on the wall focus their fire, they could whittle it down so someone can move in and destroy the crystal.”
