[English] LORD OF THE FADING LANDS

Lord of the Fading Lands
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"And what of you?" Sol retorted. "Your actions are certainly not beyond reproach. I don't know how things are done in the Fading Lands, but here in Celieria a man of honor does not approach an innocent girl and overwhelm her with intimate attentions the likes of which no decent, unmarried young woman should be subjected to.”

"Ah—" Rain's lips curved in a mockery of a smile. "Then I should have come into your house to `overwhelm her with intimate attentions,' as you allowed the butcher's son to do.”

"Don't twist my words."

"They are untwisted. I merely spoke them back to you.”

Ellie laid her hand on the Tairen Soul's arm. "Stop," she told him quietly. "He is my father. Do not mock him. In my own ignorance, I have shamed him not once but twice.”

The Tairen Soul took her chin between his fingers and compelled her to meet his eyes. "What is between us shames no one, shei'tani. And any shame brought by the mark forced upon you lies with your parents and the butcher's offspring, not with you. You are bright and shining.”

Despite Sol's distress, he couldn't mistake the astonishing gentleness in the fierce man's face. If Sol had been able to choose a husband for his daughter, he would not have hesitated to choose one who looked at her with such tenderness.

The Tairen Soul raised his other hand to brush a wave of bright hair away from Ellysetta's face. "Where is this mark that has caused such trouble?" When Ellie tugged her chemise aside, he bent his head and frowned at the dark spot on her skin. "Unattractive custom," he murmured. "Why blemish beauty to claim it?”

"I'm not beautiful," she protested.

"You are to me." He raised his head and rapped out a command in Feyan that brought the red-shrouded shei'dalin and her mate to his side. When the shei'dalin reached out a hand, Ellie shrank away from her touch. "Do not be afraid, shei'tani," Rain said. "Marissya will only remove the mark. Like she healed your hand. There is nothing to be afraid of”

"She won't try to pry into my mind? You promise?”

"Nei, she will not. I promise" Black brows arched. "Would you rather keep the mark? I had thought it distressed you and that you would be pleased to be rid of it.”

"It does distress me. I would like it removed, if she can do it. But nothing more than that. No … probing." Ellie stared at the red-veiled face beside her with trepidation.

"I was wrong to trespass before, Ellysetta Baristani," the shei'dalin said. "I will not do so again. You have my oath as Celieria's Truthspeaker. May I touch you to remove this mark?" Marissya waited for Ellie's nod before proceeding. Even then, Ellie flinched as the shei'dalin's fingers touched her throat. "Peace, little sister," Marissya murmured. "You will feel heat and tingling where I touch. I call upon your body to unmake the stain on your flesh, to break it down and expel it." Her thumb brushed over Ellysetta's collarbone, removing the dry dust that was all that remained of Den Brodson's attempt to claim a Tairen Soul's mate. "There. The mark is gone as though it were never there.”

Ellie touched her throat, rubbing the spot that still tingled. Her eyes widened in surprise when Rain produced a mirror out of thin air and presented it to her.

"It is made of Spirit," he told her, "but the reflection is true.”

"I see," she said, though she didn't really. Understanding the engineering nuances of magic was far beyond her realm of comprehension. "Thank you." She lifted the mirror and ran her fingers over the spot where Den had bitten her. The mark was gone. She released a breath, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her. "Thank you, Lady Marissya”

"Sha vel'mei. I am glad to be of service to the Feyreisa.”

Rain turned back to Sol. "You were chastising me. You may continue.”

Sol shook his head. His anger, justified though it had been, was gone. "My point," he said wearily, "is that you are a stranger to me. And you have sent other strangers—lethally armed ones at that—into my home to work gods only know what magical mischief. You appear to care for my daughter, but that doesn't excuse your behavior. You summoned my family to a public forum and put our most private family matters on display for the titillation of the masses, including things better saved for the privacy of a bedchamber. And you've done it all without having the common decency to present yourself to me as any honorable man would have done when seeking to win my daughter's hand”

After a moment of silence, the Tairen Soul bowed his head. To Sol's surprise, twin flags of color stained the man's cheeks. Who would have thought the king of the Fey could be put to blush? It made Sol like him a bit better.

"The father of my shei'tani is right to upbraid me for failing to introduce myself and request his blessing. Even in the Fading Lands, a man must approach his mate's family before he begins the courtship. My only excuse is that the bond caught me unawares and has left me … unsettled." The Tairen Soul grimaced, and Sol had the feeling there was a great deal left unsaid on that subject.

"As for the Fey I sent into your home, they are there to protect Ellysetta and your family. I am not without enemies, and they might do you harm to hurt me through her. With your permission, Master Baristani, I would introduce you to the warriors who protect your daughter." At Rain's wave, the five Fey who served in his truemate's quintet came closer.

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"This is Kieran vel Solande." He gestured to the brown- haired, blue-eyed Fey who always seemed to be smiling. "He is the son of Marissya and Dax, and as you may have already learned, he enjoys a good joke. There are none among all the Fey who can wield Earth better than he." Four hundred fifty years old, Kieran was the last child born to the Fey people. Though he had only recently completed the final level of the Dance of Knives and earned the right to guard a shei'tani outside the Fading Lands, he was so strong in Earth, Air, Spirit, and Fire that Rain had not hesitated to appoint him to Ellysetta's quintet.

"This is Kiel vel Tomar." The lean, blond-haired, blue- eyed Fey bowed low with a supple grace that exceeded even Fey standards. "He is a master of Water magic. He likes small children, and they usually like him, though it appears your Lorelle may have a different opinion." The black eye and scratches Kiel had earned yesterday had healed considerably thanks to the natural Fey recuperative powers, but he still bore the marks of Lorelle's displeasure.

"These two are Rowan and Adrial vel Arquinas." Rain gestured to the two black-haired, brown-eyed Fey who closely resembled one another. "They are brothers. Rowan is a master of Fire, and Adrial is unbeatable in Air." Both were also strongly gifted in Earth.

"Twins?" Lauriana asked.

"Nei. There are seventy-three years between them." Her look of surprise amused him. "That makes them almost cradle-friends by Fey standards.”

"And this"—Rain clapped a hand on his friend's leather- clad shoulder—"this is Belliard vel Jelani. The oldest and fiercest of all Fey warriors, and my friend. Bel is a master of Spirit." He was also a master of every elemental magic save Earth, which to his undying shame he could not wield at all. He had walked the earth for more than 1,400 years and was now the oldest unmated Fey warrior in the Fading Lands, a fact that made Rain both proud of and afraid for his friend. It would not be long before the burden of the many deaths on Bel's soul either sent him to eternal rest or eternal wandering as an outcast, a dahl'reisen, one of the death-and sorrow-shadowed lost souls who were forever banished from the Fading Lands.

"Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Each of these `strangers' I sent to guard your daughter masters one of the four elemental magics and the one mystic that we wield. Alone, they are more powerful in their particular magic than any Fey you are ever likely to meet. Together, they are nearly invincible. I sent the best warriors of the Fading Lands to protect your daughter, Master Baristani. Each of them has pledged his steel and his life to keep her safe. They will remain by her side whenever she is not by mine.”

"Well …" said Sol, eyeing the Fey warriors with new respect.

"And as for bringing you into this court to air your private affairs, I would never have done so had Den Brodson not tried to use your legal system to rob me of my shei'tani. King Dorian and Marissya persuaded me that this was the best way to handle the situation. It was not done to bring shame. The Fey are a very proud people, though I have not done them honor since entering Celieria. With your permission, I would begin anew”

With grave graciousness, Rain Tairen Soul bowed low before the spectacled mortal who, at less than one-tenth his age, would—gods willing—be his bond-father in the not too distant future. "Blessings and peace on the house of my beloved. Life, soul, steel, and magic I do pledge to her protection. May I prove worthy of her trust." In Feyan, then in Celierian, Rain spoke the tra***ional words of a courting Fey warrior to his mate's family. That much honor, at least, he could do this man, after all the unintentional dishonor Rain had shown him thus far.

Rain bowed again. "These are the words a Fey warrior speaks to the family of the woman he courts." He had spoken those words once before, to Sariel's parents more than eleven hundred years ago. Then, he had failed in his pledge. Sariel had joined him in the matebond and died while under his protection. It would not happen again.

After a moment, Sol held out a hand. "I welcome you as a suitor for my daughter's hand. And I thank you for the honor you do my house." He smiled a little. "Those are the words Celierian fathers speak to young men who come courting their daughters in the proper fashion.”

Rain stared at the extended hand in surprise. It took him a moment to realize he was supposed to shake it. Fey senses being what they were, the Fey did not use touch as casually as other races did, especially not the skin-to-skin contact favored by the non-Fey of the earth. Still, to refuse this handshake would be to insult his prospective bond-father.

Rain clasped his hand carefully around the smaller man's and was pleased to sense almost no darkness in the woodcarver. The brightness of his spirit was refreshing, and it proved that he was an honest, humble man who was happy in his life and his family. As Sol shook his hand, his thoughts poured freely into Rain's mind. Out of respect for the man's privacy, Rain tried to block most of them out, but he could not prevent himself from hearing the thoughts concerning Ellie's happiness, her safety, and Sol's related concerns about the security of his family.

Though Rain would have liked to erase the man's fears, he could not promise more than he already had. Danger always courted the Fey people. They had too much power, too much wealth, too much that other races coveted.

"For a Fey, the blessing of a truemate is the greatest gift that can be bestowed. Master Baristani, you have my thanks for guarding her so well and for keeping her safe until now. I add my strength and vigilance to your own until the honor of protecting her becomes mine alone.”

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"Thank you, my lord." Ellysetta touched the back of his bare hand with her fingertips.

Rain drew in his breath at the sudden rush of feelings that sprang from the simple feel of her skin meeting his. The strength of his connection to this young Celierian went so far beyond what he had felt for Sariel, he could hardly fathom it. She was so young, so incredibly new to the world and to him, and yet regardless of the cost to his soul, Rain would destroy anyone and anything that dared to stand between them. And if any dared to harm her, he would shred them without mercy and dance as he drank their blood.

Ellysetta misunderstood the fierce look on his face, because she snatched her hand back and apologized for touching him.

"Nei, do not apologize." Rain could barely restrain himself from reaching for that hand and putting it back on his skin. His fingers itched to do so, and he clenched them into fists. He craved her touch, ached for it as only a Fey warrior could. But admitting to his need was the same as admitting a weakness, something a Fey rarely did willingly. "I was merely surprised. You may touch me if you like." But she didn't lay that sweet hand upon him again. He cursed his own unguarded reaction that had cost him such a small but much-desired pleasure and wondered how he might contrive to get it back. He bent his head to her, his gaze intent as he willed her to touch him again. To his disgruntlement, she did not.

Laughter sounded in his mind. Laughter he recognized but had not heard in any form for centuries.

«Bel?» He turned to his old friend in disbelief. Though to most, the solitary Fey would still appear blank as a wall, Rain knew better. Bel's dark eyes glinted with amusement, and the grim stoicism of his face was less pronounced. There was even the faintest crinkling at the corners of his eyes—humor struggling to find expression.

«if you could see yourself, Rain. Pouting like a tzicaida whose lunch just got away.» The corner of Bel's mouth actually twitched. You could always just command her to put her hand back on you.”

Despite his amazement over Bel's incredible rediscovery of levity, Rain scowled. To issue such a command would be to admit he could not win his desire any other way. It would be the same as admitting defeat, another thing no Fey warrior would ever willingly do. Nei, he was tairen enough to be crafty, to lure his shei'tani into giving willingly that which he desired, without revealing to her how badly he desired it. You babble like a child, Fey.”

«Aiyah, but then the babblings of a child so often hold truth, My King.»

«What has happened to my fierce friend Bel?”«Your shei'tani, thank the gods. »

Rain's scowl was immediate, the hand reaching for a Fey'cha instinctive, though before Rain could pull the blade free, Bel's quick denial sounded in his mind.

«Nei, nei. Nothing like that! By the Flame, Rain, no Fey would dare.» In an odd tone, torn between shock and something that almost sounded like hurt, Bel added, «Red, Rain? You would pull red against me?”

Rain's gaze darted to the scarlet Fey'cha handle his fingers still clutched. With an oath, he snatched his hand away. «For-give me, Bel.» All Fey steel was tempered in Fire and imbued with magic as a result, but red Fey'cha daggers were doused in tairen venom as they were forged, making them deadly poison, even to Fey. Fey did not pull red against other Fey. To actually attack another Fey with red was a banishing offense. «These ... feelings ... drive me mad. I cannot think.”

«Peace, Rain. This is a difficult time for any Fey, you more so than others.”

Rain nodded curtly and lifted a hand to run his fingers through his hair, only to stop when he realized what he was doing. To continue showing his distraction was yet another sign of discipline unraveling. He forced his hands down and extended an arm to his shei'tani. "Come. We are through here. I will escort you and your family home.”

When Ellysetta would have linked her arm through his in the Celierian fashion, he stopped her. "Nei. In time of need, I would lose time untangling my arm from yours." He took her hand, straightened her fingers, and laid them on his wrist, bathing in the pleasure of her touch and ignoring the sound of Bel's laughter in his mind the whole while. "This is the Fey way. My hands and arm are free should I need to call steel or magic to your defense" In a flash, he had an unsheathed black Fey'cha in his hand. "You see?”

She eyed the naked blade with obvious worry. "You think there will be trouble here? In the palace?”

His lips thinned. "Trouble has begun here before." He regretted the fear that sprang to her eyes, but he could not lie to her. Outside the Fading Lands, danger was never far from the Fey. She must learn that and be wary enough to watch for it. Still, she was his truemate, and it was his duty to keep her from harm and worry. "Will there be trouble today, shei'tani? I doubt it. But we must always be on guard." He sheathed the blade and extended his arm to her again. "Come. Let us walk. I will send the Fey to bring your sisters to us.”

Before taking his arm, she adjusted a golden chain at her waist and curled the fingers of her left hand around the black hilt of a blade sheathed at her hip. Only then did she place the fingers of her right hand on his wrist in the manner he had taught her. If there were to be danger, she and her Fey'cha would be ready for it. Even as the gesture took him aback—no Fey woman would ever lift a blade against a living creature— gentle amusement and pride mingled inside him. His Celierian shei'tani might be foreign and far too young, but her spirit was fierce. She would not cringe from the possibility of trouble; she would meet it with steel.

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As Rain, Ellysetta, and her parents made their way through the palace, Rain looked more closely at the dagger in his shei'tani's grasp. His brows climbed skyward as he recognized the identifying mark carved into the black pommel. "You have made a conquest, I see.”

She blushed faintly. "Belliard gave it to me," she admitted. "In some sort of Fey ceremony. He said I should always look to you to be my first protector, but that he would always be my second. It's all right that I accepted the knife, isn't it?”

"Aiyah," Rain agreed, frowning. Bel had blood-sworn himself to her?

«That's what I was trying to tell you, Rain. She touched me and wished me joy, and now my heart weeps again.»

«What?» What Fey warrior wouldn't blood-swear himself to a woman who could lift the weight of centuries of death from his soul with a single touch? But who was his shei'tani that she would have such power? Even Marissya—the strongest of the Fey shei'dalins—could not work such a miracle.Rain turned to Ellie's parents. "Is there a history of magic in your families? Fey blood, perhaps?" Fey had intermarried with Celierians in the past.

Sol shook his head. "No, Laurie and I are both pure mortal. Simple folk from simple stock.”

"Not so simple. You have produced a Tairen Soul's shei'tani. That has never been done before in all of Fey memory.

"The Baristanis looked at each other, then back at him.

"Oh, no," Sol informed him. "Ellie's our daughter, but she’s not of our blood." The woodcarver quickly related the tale of how he and his wife had found the infant Ellie in the woods of Norban, a week's journey north of the Celierian capital.

"There was no sign of a parent? Nothing to identify where she came from?”

Sol shook his head. "Nothing except a note asking someone to take her. She was just there, sitting under a tree. I don't think she'd been there very long when Laurie found her. She was awake, but she wasn't crying." He smiled fondly at his adopted daughter. "She was a solemn little waif with big green eyes and the brightest hair you've ever seen. Laurie and I didn't think we could have children, so we took her in. Not that we had much to offer. Poor as mice we were. My hands had been crippled in an accident. I didn't think I'd ever carve again.”

"But your hands have healed.”

"Yes," Sol agreed, grinning and flexing his fingers. "Better than ever.”

"And the little girls with the brown hair? Are they adopted also?”

"No. Lillis and Lorelle are ours. Ellie'd been with us almost fifteen years when we were blessed with the twins. She was almost as happy as we were. She'd been wanting her own little sisters to love.”

"You enjoy good health?”

"The best. Hardly ever even get the sniffles”

"And good fortune.”

"We do well enough. We've never been rich, but we've never lacked for anything either. And now that we've received a royal commission, we'll not lack for money to dower our girls. We're simple folk with simple needs. And we're happy. That's all that really matters in the end, isn't it?”

"Aiyah," Rain murmured. "Happiness is a fortune beyond compare." He glanced at Bel and the other Fey and saw comprehension dawning in their eyes. «Bel, send two men to Norban. Perhaps someone there knows more.' Bel nodded, and Rain turned his attention back to Sol and Lauriana. "So, you took in an abandoned child. After that, your hands, which were crippled, were healed. Your wife's womb, which was barren, bore fruit. You have enjoyed excellent health and happiness, and you've never lacked for anything you truly needed. And when you needed a little more, you received a royal commission. Have there been any other small miracles since you took her in? Any other dreams that have come true?”

"We've always said she was our good luck charm, but surely you're not implying that Ellie… No. These are coincidences. Nothing more.”

"Any one on its own might be a coincidence. But taken all together, with Ellysetta also being a Tairen Soul's shei'tani, it can be no coincidence" The slender hand covering his wrist jerked. Rain caught it in a loose grip before she could pull away.

"What are you saying? That she's Fey?" Sol asked. "Fey? Possibly. Magic? Most definitely”

With a yank, Ellie pulled her hand free, crossing her arms and stuffing her hands in her armpits where he could not reach them. "I'm not magic. There's not a magic bone in my body. If there are miracles here, it's the work of the gods, not me.”

"Do not fear what you are, shei'tani. It is a wondrous thing.”

"No. I'm Celierian. Just plain mortal like my parents. I'm no different than they are.”

"Las. Peace, Ellysetta. I do not mean to upset you." The frightened, almost frantic look in her eyes reminded Rain of the desperate fear that radiated from an animal as he swooped upon it in tairen form. "I don't understand why you would fear your magic so.”

"What Celierian wouldn't?" That bitter question came from Lauriana. "How many magic-blighted forests do we have, thanks to you and the rest of your kind? How many dark places to trap unwary travelers?" Her mouth turned grim. "Sol and I both knew what it meant when we found Ellie abandoned in the woods. She was born in the dark lands, infected with magic left over from the Mage Wars. But neither of us could bear to leave a child to die, so we took her in and did our best to raise her in the Light and keep her safe from magic and magical creatures." She gave her husband a hard look.

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"You were compassionate, indeed, to take her in despite your fears," Rain replied. "But rest assured, she possesses no mere remnant of magic, dark or otherwise. Her power is bright and shining and very strong." It had to be, or she could never have reached Bel's heart.

"Arrogant Fey rultsharts. Think they can come in and take whatever they want. Thrice-damned soul-scorched sorcerers." Den Brodson sat at the bar of the Charging Boar pub and glared into his nearly empty pint of dark ale. "Another pint of Red Skull, Briggs," he growled as he downed a swallow of what was already his third pint in half a bell.

"Make that two." The smooth, accented voice behind him brought Den's head around for a quick, assessing glance. The newcomer, a foreigner wearing a blue sea captain's coat, smiled slightly and gestured to the barstool beside Den. "May I?”

Den shrugged. "As you like.”

The man straddled the barstool. "I couldn't help overhearing your story. The young woman claimed by the Tairen Soul—she was yours?”

"My betrothed. At least she was until that damned Fey sorcerer stole her from me." Den flicked another appraising glance over the foreigner, noting the man's oiled curls, woven with gold rings, and the dark blue tattoo in the shape of crossed swords high on one sun-bronzed cheek. "What's it to you?”

"A matter of interest. And perhaps a problem I can assist you with."

"What makes you think I need any help?”

The man held Den's gaze steadily, and for a moment, Den glimpsed something hard and dangerous in the man's vivid blue-green eyes. Then the man blinked, and said mildly, "Perhaps I misunderstood you earlier. I thought you wanted the woman back.”

"I do.”

"Then do not be foolish. A powerful immortal has claimed your woman, and the courts have upheld his claim. You cannot possibly hope to stand against him unaided.”

Briggs approached with two pints in hand. The foreigner pulled a money purse from an inside pocket of his coat and extracted a gold coin. "Shall I buy this round?”

Den shrugged again, his eyes watchful. "I never turn down a free pint.”

The man smiled, revealing impressively white teeth. He tossed the coin to Briggs, then held out a hand to Den. "The name's Batay. Captain Batay. I sail a merchantman from Sorrelia.”

"Den Brodson." Den shook the captain's hand. "And just how, exactly, do you think a Sorrelian merchantman can help me best Rain Tairen Soul?”

"Is there somewhere we can speak privately, Goodman Brodson?”

Without taking his gaze from the Sorrelian, Den called over his shoulder, "Briggs, is the back room open?”

"It is," the bartender replied. "Help yourself, Den.”

Den led the Sorrelian to a small, private room at the back of the pub. As the door closed behind them, he turned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? How can you help me?”

Captain Batay smiled. "Not I alone, Goodman. I am but the humble servant of a very powerful man. But first, as a gesture of your goodwill—" He pulled a small oval object from his pocket and held it out. The mirrored surface appeared cloudy at first, but then an image began to form in the misty glass. A wizard's glass, Den realized, used for scrying and for recording images. "—tell me everything you know about this woman.”

The wizard's glass was clear now, and the image of Selianne Pyerson, Ellie's best friend, stared up at Den from the crystalline surface.

CHAPTER EIGHT

My beloved is the sun

And I am the earth that thrives only in her warmth. My beloved is the rainAnd I am the grass that thirsts for her quenching kiss. My beloved is the wind

And I am the wings that soar when she fills me with her gentle strength.My beloved is the rock

Upon which rests the happiness of all my days.—The Elements of Love, a poem by Aileron v'En Kavali of the Fey

That evening, two bells before sunset, Rain presented himself in full ceremonial splendor at the door of Sol Baristani's humble home. Marissya and Dax accompanied him, along with Marissya's quintet and another five Fey warriors carrying several chests.

After introducing Marissya and Dax, Rain bowed to Sol Baristani. "This is how I should have begun, Master Baristani," Rain said. "In the Fading Lands, a man brings gifts to the home of his beloved to ask her family's blessing on the courtship. The gifts"—his hands gestured towards the three chests the Fey had carried into the room—"are intended to show the suitor's depth of feeling for his prospective mate. The stronger the bond to his mate, the more clearly he sees her family through her eyes. If my gifts please you, then I have seen you clearly and the bond is true. Please, open them.”

Needing no further prodding, the twins fell upon the chest that bore their name and flung back the lid. Inside, a selection of brightly colored clothes with matching shoes and hair- bows and a collection of porcelain dolls in full court dress elicited squeals of delight. For Lauriana, Rain had selected a dashing burgundy dress adorned with black lace at the cuffs and collar, matching hat and gloves, a pair of gleaming black boots with sturdy heels and buttons up the side, and a black cape with downy soft fur at the collar. The clothes were sensible, but of superior quality and workmanship, obviously expensive but discreet enough that Lauriana could wear them about the neighborhood without feeling as though she were putting on airs. On the collar of the dress, an exquisite sun-and-moonstone cameo set in gold filigree gleamed with subtle and very feminine elegance.

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Despite Lauriana's distrust of the Fey, the stern lines of her face softened when she beheld the gifts meant for her. "It's all lovely," she said, running a hand over the fabric before she could catch herself. "Thank you.”

Sol's chest contained a collection of raw woods, the finest to be found, including a large block of black, almost grainless ebonwood and a slightly smaller block of pale cinnamon- colored fire oak that would gleam like copper flame once it was properly polished. Also nestled inside was a pouch containing a new burlwood pipe and a selection of fine tobaccos that made Sol smile in pleasure when he sniffed them.

"Well," said Sol, caressing the wood with his master's fingers, already envisioning the beauty waiting to be revealed by judicious application of his chisels and gouges. "The bond must indeed be true. I don't believe you could have chosen better for any of us.”

Rain bowed low to show his appreciation of the fine compliment while Ellie's five Fey guardians nodded approvingly and spread the word to the rest of the Fey that their king had successfully made his amends with his prospective bond-family.

"With these, Master Baristani"—Rain touched the ebonwood and fire oak—"I ask that you make a particular piece." He carefully formed the image of what he wanted in his mind and, using a narrow weave of Spirit, placed that image in Sol's mind. "Do you see it?”

Eyes wide with wonder, Sol nodded. "Yes."

"Can you make it?”

"Yes" Rain released his weave, and the picture winked out of Sol's mind. Dazed, Sol touched his temple. "How did you do that?”

Rain explained, at least as well as he could to a mortal with no concept of magic. "It is like drawing a picture, only instead of paper, I use Spirit. All living creatures hold Spirit within them. It is the energy that allows you to think thoughts, to dream, to imagine. Because you possess Spirit, I can communicate with you using it. Fey magic is merely the ability to control the elements and the mystics, to open their natural paths and weave them to our will.”

"And the mirror you made earlier?" Ellie asked, beginning to understand.

"Was Spirit. Not real, but a mental projection of a mirror that I created using Spirit. A bit more complex, because I tied to the image the ability to reflect the natural world. The mirror was both a picture of a mirror and a picture of what the mirror would see at any given moment. A master of Spirit can tap all of your senses, building taste, touch, smell, sound, everything into the weave, but an object created of Spirit remains an illusion at heart.”

"Bel told me that Kieran commands Earth and that things made of Earth are real.”

"Aiyah, but to weave Earth in*****bstance, you must first have the substance to weave. You can pull it from the world around you, but that is difficult and takes great care and concentration as well as exceptional command of Earth. If you pull too much from something else, you damage it." Rain's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Fey magic is not without its limitations, despite what mortals believe.”

"What of the wizards that come to Celieria? Are all their feats illusion also? Do they control Spirit like the Fey?”

"Some do. Most are charlatans. Others tap the dark magics, Azrahn chief among them. They use spells and charms to trap otherworld spirits and force the elements to their command.”

"You're speaking of the Elden Mages," Ellie said. The Tairen Soul's face hardened instantly into cold, unyielding lines. "Aiyah. The black-souled spawn of demons. They use Azrahn and other magics for their own evil purposes. They covet what the Fey possess and kill without remorse—how can death stain a soul already given over to the dark?”

«Rain.”

Even without Marissya's silent warning, Rain saw the worry on Ellysetta's face. Frightening her with his hatred of the Eld was no way to court her. "Enough of the Eld," he commanded. "It is never a pleasant subject with me.”

He looked at Sol and Lauriana. "I asked Marissya and Dax to accompany me so that we might negotiate the Celierian marriage contract. Is there somewhere we may sit and speak?”

"Of course. Lauriana has prepared the parlor and set out a plate of refreshments in anticipation of your visit. If you will follow me?" Sol led the way into the parlor.

When Ellysetta did not immediately accompany them, Rain paused and held out an arm. `Join me, shei'tani. Celierian customs may leave such negotiations to the parents, but in the Fading Lands, the con***ions of courtship and matebonding require the consent of both mates.”

Surprise and gratitude warmed her eyes. She placed her fingers on his wrist and allowed him to lead her into the parlor.

The small parlor seemed to grow smaller when the two Fey Lords entered. It had been built for Celierian comfort, not Fey, and the ceiling was slightly lower to create a cozy feel. Too cozy, Rain thought, as his head almost brushed the ceiling.

He moved to take the most vulnerable seat in the room, a large green wingback chair with its back to the window, and gestured for Ellysetta to sit beside him on a matching ottoman that placed her securely between the protective strength of himself and Dax. Lauriana bustled about the room serving keflee and frosted hazel-cakes before settling down beside her husband. "In twelve days' time, immediately after the Prince's betrothal ceremony, the Fey return to the Fading Lands," Rain began. "Ellysetta must accompany me." He felt Ellysetta's quick spurt of surprise and trepidation. «Peace, shei'tani. I cannot leave you here alone and unguarded, but I cannot stay either.»

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"Twelve days," Lauriana breathed, staring at him in shock.

"I hoped to return sooner, but Marissya has convinced me that Ellysetta needs time to prepare for her new life." Rain chafed at the delay. He wanted Ellysetta safe in the Fading Lands, protected by the magical barrier of the Faering Mists that surrounded the Fey homeland. He could not court his truemate properly here in Celieria, where he must remain vigilant, always on the alert for an attack. Neither could he forget his obligations to the tairen. If the Eye had steered Rain true, Ellysetta was the key to saving the tairen and the Fey, and that meant he must bring her to the Fading Lands as soon as possible. "If you are amenable, we will draw up the Celierian marriage contract tonight and hold the ceremony in two or three days.”

"Two or three days?" Lauriana exclaimed. "Impossible!" She clasped her hands to her cheeks, horror etched on her face. "The Church alone requires seven weeks for devotions and the Bride's Blessing. Not to mention all the other necessities. She needs a wedding dress, a trousseau. We must notify our friends and family. And then there are flowers, food, prenuptial dinners, receptions .... She shook her head. "No. I'll need three months at least. Unless you wish to shame us and our daughter with some shoddy, rushed little affair?”

Rain's spine stiffened. Shame his truemate? The insult was outrageous. "This I would never do." His voice was cold and clipped. "I do not have three months to give you. In twelve days, I leave Celieria. Ellysetta will accompany me then.”

"It is very little time, I know," Marissya broke in. The shei'dalin cast a warning glance at her king. «Their ways are not ours, Rain. You brought me here to negotiate. Allow me to do so.» Turning her attention to Lauriana, Marissya continued, “Your daughter's wedding will be as grand as you desire and will bring your family honor, I assure you.”

The sudden clearing of Sol's throat made everyone turn to look at him.

"The wedding will not take place until the blessings and ceremonies required by the Church are complete," Sol stated in a mild but firm voice. "In that regard, my wife and I are in perfect agreement. Speak to the Archbishop, if you like—I know the Church will abbreviate their ceremonial timescales under special circumstances—but until the Bride's Blessing is complete, there will be no wedding. And irrespective of the Archbishop's decision, the wedding will not take place sooner than one month from tomorrow. That gives my wife at least some time to prepare, and gives our family and friends a bit of notice so they can have a chance to attend.”

"Two weeks," Rain countered.

"Three," Sol returned swiftly. "And that is the absolute minimum”

Rain met his future bond-father's eyes in a brief visual skirmish that ended when Ellysetta placed her hand on the arm of Rain's chair and whispered, "Please.”

Though it chafed him to wait a moment more than necessary, Rain put aside his impatience. "Three weeks," he agreed. "But at least three bells of every day will be set aside for our courtship. And the Fey will continue to guard her and your family as they do now. That is not negotiable.”

Sol considered the offer for a moment, then nodded.

Rain sat back. "Then we are agreed." His hand covered Ellysetta's, his fingers threading through her smaller ones. Pleasure filled him at the simple touch and made Ellysetta blush.

"This may actually work out better," Marissya said. "Prince Dorian's betrothal ceremony will be over by then, so the wedding won't conflict with those celebrations. Which is good, as I know the king and queen will wish to attend.”

"The king and queen? Oh, my." Lauriana sat back in her chair, fanning a hand before her face. "Three weeks to prepare a wedding the king and queen will attend …”

"It will be fine, Mama. Don't worry." Ellysetta gave her mother a reassuring smile. "No one will be expecting a huge celebration, and I would be happy with something simple. A priest, perhaps some flowers." But her words only seemed to distress her mother more.

"Nei, shei'tani," Rain interrupted. "Since there is to be a ceremony, it must be grand, else it would not bring honor to your family or the Fey." The Celierians had always adored pomp and ceremony, and that had not changed in over a thousand years. Because Dorian and Annoura were planning to attend, the high-ranking Celierian nobles must also be invited, and Rain would not leave his shei'tani vulnerable to their cruel, wagging tongues.

He looked at Lauriana and Sol. "Marissya is correct. I will assign a group of warriors to help you. Those talented in Earth can make what your Celierian merchants cannot provide on such short notice. You may also hire whatever Celierian help you require. Marissya will have Queen Annoura provide the names of tradesmen supplying services for the Prince's ceremonies." Annoura wouldn't like it, of course, which almost made Rain smile. It would be a subtle punishment. Bel had told him of the way she'd dared to test Ellysetta's mettle earlier in the day.

"We will discuss the marriage ceremony again, but for now, let us attend to the matter of the marriage contract." Rain nodded at the shei'dalin. "Marissya is more familiar with your customs than I, and I have asked her to speak for me.”

Marissya leaned forward slightly. "With your permission, Master Baristani?" She waited for Sol to incline his head before proceeding. "I have taken the liberty of modifying a standard Celierian marriage contract." She nodded at Dax, who produced two copies from thin air and handed them to his truemate. She passed one to Sol. "There is no need to settle a bride price. What Ellysetta brings to this union is be-yond price. In that, Den Brodson was correct. The Fey would have paid twenty times, a thousand times, what we did to break her betrothal.

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"We will speak to the Archbishop, and if he is amenable, the wedding will take place in three weeks, at which time Rainier will accept full responsibility for Ellysetta's wellbeing, in accordance with your customs. Though the shei'tanitsa bond will not be fulfilled by this ceremony, in the eyes of Celieria, Rain and Ellie will be man and wife. When the Fey depart Celieria, she will accompany us to her new home in the Fading Lands. Your family, Master Baristani, may travel with us to the Fading Lands and remain there until the Fey matebond ceremony is held. Or we can send escort for you when the time comes.”

Sol set his copy of the marriage contract on the small table beside him and pulled a pipe and tobacco pouch from his pocket. He hesitated and glanced at his Fey guests. "Do you mind?" When the Fey shook their heads, he filled the pipe's bowl with dark, moist tobacco, tamped it down, then lit a match against the sole of his shoe and cupped the flame over the pipe bowl. The room was silent except for Sol's quiet puffs as he lit the pipe. Fragrant smoke filled the air, a deep, rich aroma that smelled of flowers and spice. He puffed the pipe for a few moments more, then picked the contract back up. "Why would you not hold the Fey ceremony at the same time as the wedding?”

"Ellie must accept the bond before the ceremony can take place.”

"Didn't she already do that this morning in Council?" Marissya shook her head. "Ellysetta only recognized the bond today. She has not yet accepted it within herself."

"I don't understand" He frowned.

"It is confusing, I know" The shei'dalin smiled gently. "Acceptance of a truemate bond is not a conscious act. Ellysetta cannot just say `I accept' and complete the bond. When she opens her soul to Rain and allows him in without reservation, when she willingly enters into his, then she will have accepted the bond. No one, not even she, can say when that moment will come. The path is different for every truemated couple, and it is never a simple one. Both Rain and Ellysetta will be tested, as will the strength of their bond, and they must prove their worthiness before the bond can be complete. She and Rain will know when it happens, and so will all the Fey. Until then, he must court her, as all Fey warriors court their mates.”

Marissya turned her head and captured both Rain and Ellie with her gaze. The shei'dalin's voice lowered and grew so gentle it was almost hypnotic. "He must prove himself strong enough to protect her, gentle enough to win her heart, and worthy of the great gift of her love and her uncon***ional trust. She must find the courage to embrace the darkest shadows of his soul, and the even greater courage to bare the shadows of her own soul to him. When all barriers are sundered, all secrets revealed and accepted, she can complete the bond; and they will no longer be two separate people, but rather one person, one soul, complete for eternity, stronger together than either could ever be apart.”

A fierce longing rose up in Rain, closing his throat and clasping a tight, aching fist around his heart. Ellysetta turned her head, and her eyes locked with his. Of its own volition, his hand reached out to touch her cheek, even as her hand reached out to touch his.

Your soul calls out. Mine answers, beloved.» The sending was a tender caress. Her lashes fluttered down, half veiling her eyes. «One day, Ellysetta, you will say those words, and this Fey will at last know joy.»

"What happens if Ellie cannot accept this Fey bond?" Lauriana asked with obvious agitation. "We've raised her in the Church of Light, and she believes as we do that all souls belong to the Bright Lord. Ellie pledged her soul to him at her first Concordia ten years ago.”

"Madame Baristani, the Fey worship the same gods as Celierians, including the Lord of Light," Marissya reassured her. "Shei'tanitsa does not violate the bond between believers and the gods. Indeed, truemates exist only because the gods decreed they should.”

But Lauriana wouldn't be soothed. She cast a frightened glance at her husband. "I don't like the sound of this at all. Sol, you know why I insisted she complete her Concordia. And haven't I been right?" Lauriana turned back to Ellysetta, and to Rain's surprise, there were tears in the older woman's eyes. "I know you hated me for pressing Den's suit, Ellie, but at least with him, I knew your soul would be safe from the perils of magic.”

"Mama!" Ellysetta pulled away from Rain and crossed the room to kneel at her mother's feet. "I could never hate you." She grasped her mother's hands and pressed them to her face. "You're my mother, and I love you. Even with Den, I knew you had only my best interests at heart. But you heard Lady Marissya: the Fey aren't evil. They walk the Bright Path, just as you've raised me to do." Ellysetta's voice dropped lower. "I promise you, I will not forget the vows of my Concordia. And I do not believe the Bright Lord would abandon a soul in his service. So, please, be happy for me. I want this. It's what I've always dreamed of.”

A nearly imperceptible wave of power whispered in the room.

Rain exchanged a look with the shei'dalin and her mate. «Marissya. Dax.”

«We feel it too, Rain.”

All three of them turned their attention to Ellysetta. Surprising, amazing Ellysetta was weaving Spirit. The weaves were delicate, incredibly subtle, invisible even to Fey eyes but faintly perceptible to their heightened senses. Had they not been in such a small, confined room, sitting close to her, with the weaves around the Baristani house buffering them from the random surges of power that came naturally from all living creatures, Rain doubted they would even have sensed her magic at all. Ellysetta was weaving a shei'dalin's calming power with an untutored expertise so natural, and yet so powerfully and flawlessly done that even Marissya could not hide her astonishment. Compared to Ellysetta's weave, the delicate probing touch that Marissya had tried to use on Ellysetta's mind was as subtle as a hammer strike. It was obvious that Lauriana had no idea she was being influenced. It was equally as obvious that Ellysetta had no idea she was doing anything more than offering comfort, and that made her skill all the more incredible.

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"Ah, kit, perhaps you're right and I'm being a silly old woman, seeing demons in every shadow." Lauriana wiped her eyes and nose with a handkerchief. "Your faith in the Most High makes shame of my doubts. You've always been a bright soul, even at the worst of times" More tears spurted when she embraced Ellysetta again, and she gave a self- conscious bark of laughter. "Well, now I know I'd best bring several handkerchiefs to the wedding.”

Ellysetta laughed, too, as did Sol, and the emotional moment passed. The spidery weave of Spirit dissolved, leaving no trace of its existence.

"Rest assured, Master and Madam Baristani," Marissya continued, "if for any reason Ellysetta does not accept the matebond, she will have the choice of remaining in the Fading Lands or returning to Celieria. Should she elect to return, the Fey will dower her sufficiently so that she may remarry or live independently for the rest of her life.”

Sol's brows rose at that unusual generosity. "That is very kind.”

The shei'dalin inclined her head. "The Feyreisa will be expected to attend at least some of the upcoming court functions. Am I correct in assuming she's had no training in the noble graces?”

"There was no need. We're simple folk.”

"I will arrange for her to meet with instructors who will teach her what she will be expected to know, both about the Celierian graces and those of the Fey. Once we return to the Fading Lands, the Fey will see to any further education she requires to fulfill her duties as our queen. The rest of the marriage contract is standard. If you wish, I can leave it with you so you may have your solicitor review it.”

"That's not necessary. I'll look at it now" Sol took the contract and began to read. When he was satisfied there were no nasty surprises, he went to the writing desk in a corner of the room and signed both copies of the contract. Rain signed them also and affixed his seal, a tairen rampant, in a blob of purple wax. Behind them, Lauriana, Ellie, and Marissya began to discuss wedding preparations.

Rain settled back in his chair and let the conversation flow over him. To his cre***, he managed to sit through three- quarters of a bell of wedding plans before the first yawn hit him. He managed, admirably he thought, to stifle it, but Sol looked at him and grinned.

"Ellie girl, why don't you take your betrothed for a walk in the park? He looks like he could use some fresh air.”

Rain was far too pleased with the idea of escaping the detailed discussion of flowers and color schemes to take offense at Sol's teasing.

The twins, who had been listening at the doorway, jumped into plain view. "Can we come to the park, too?" they asked in eager unison.

"Girls," Lauriana rapped in a stern voice.

"Nei. It is all right. They may come." Rain nodded at the young girls and hoped their presence would put Ellysetta at ease. His consideration earned him the silent laughter of the Fey warriors, who were amused their king would stoop to bringing infants along on his courtship. He deserved the teasing, of course. Courtship among the Fey was as much a masculine rite of passage as the Soul Quest and the Dance of Knives. Fey men vied openly with one another to prove their greater strength, bravery, and skill in all such rites. But Rain was the first Tairen Soul ever to claim a shei'tani, and he would shamelessly employ whatever methods he could to win her.

* * *

Ellie's quintet accompanied them, along with thirty other Fey who, fortunately, were little more than dark shadows that she glimpsed now and again as she, Rain, and the twins walked through the streets to the riverfront park a scant mile upstream from the National Museum of Art.As could only be expected, they garnered a following of curious Celierians, all of whom were suddenly inspired to take in the view of the Velpin River at sunset.

Though the Fey warriors deterred the onlookers from venturing too near, Ellie was painfully aware of the many eyes focused on her party as they made their way to the park. The stares made her realize just whose company she was keeping, and how inadequate and inexperienced she must seem to him.

"What are you thinking?" Rain asked after the silence between them had dragged on for several chimes.

"I was just thinking that I must seem very young to you," she admitted.

"Aiyah. Indeed you do.”

"I'm sorry." She clasped her work-roughened hands before her and stared hard at her ragged fingernails. "I'm sure you would have preferred someone older, more experienced.”

"Nei, you misunderstand. If anything, I envy you" When she cast him a startled, disbelieving glance, he nodded. "It is true. To you, everything is still fresh and new. That has its own appeal to someone like me. I had forgotten, you see, what wonder felt like. You have reminded me." He paused. "Those older, more experienced women, they have lost their wonder too, and in their endless searching for something to make them feel it again, they have let darkness into their souls. I would never prefer that.”

They had reached the park, and with a natural courtly charm, Rain Tairen Soul opened the gate and ushered her into the park. Thick, green grass rolled out before them like a carpet, while brown graveled paths offered stately, symmetrical walks bordered by blooming flowerbeds and immaculate hedges. Benches sat in select locations alongside the river and beneath the shady canopy of sheltering trees. The clear, Fey- cleansed purity of the Velpin flowed past, singing its soft water music. Rain led her to the walk that bordered the steep granite embankment. There, they stood together and watched the Great Sun set over Celieria, while Lillis and Lorelle played Stones nearby.

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"It is beautiful," Ellie murmured as the last golden-red rays of sunlight glimmered on the water.

"Aiyah. Celieria has always been beautiful.”

As twilight settled over the city, the warm glow of candlelight rose up from thousands of street lamps to replace the brightness of the Great Sun. Once, long ago, the lamps had been lit by small armies of lamplighters carrying lit wicks from lamp to lamp, but now a Fey Fire-spell performed the task in one magical moment each evening. It was one of the gifts from the Fey, like the Velpin Water-cleansing spell, that had been bestowed centuries ago when Marikah vol Serranis became Celieria's queen.

"It's been a thousand years since last you were here," Ellie said. "What was it like then?”

"Not so different from now. Many of the buildings are new, which I would expect, given all the years that have passed, but the city itself remains remarkably unchanged. Except, of course, there are no Elden Mages wandering the streets and working their evil in the palace, thank the gods. And the only Fey here are the ones that came with Marissya.”

"Do the Fey despise all Eld, or just the Mage families?" He gave her a sharp look. "Why do you ask?”

She shrank back from the suspicion in his eyes and the sudden frightening fierceness of his expression. "N-no particular reason," she stammered. "I was just curious. A number of Eld families have come to live in Celieria over the last few decades—none from Mage lines, of course—but they've always been quite nice to me." His hand shot out to capture hers. "Who? Who are these Eld you have befriended?”

Shocked, she tried to pull her hand away. "I haven't befriended any of them," she protested. It wasn't technically a lie. Selianne wasn't Eld, she was Celierian born and bred. "And even if I had, it wouldn't be your business”

"You are my truemate. Any Eld folk who've befriended you are utterly my business. Give me their names, Ellysetta." When she set her jaw and remained stubbornly silent, his eyes narrowed. "Must I summon Marissya?”

Fear shot into Ellie's heart at the thought of the Truthspeaker invading her mind and stripping her soul bare, but even that frightening threat wasn't enough to make Ellie betray her dearest friend. Her spine went stiff. "If you ever order the shei'dalin to Truthspeak me, I assure you, I will never accept your bond.”

Rain released her hand as if it burned him and spun away.

Bel, who had fallen back to give them a measure of privacy, took one look at their set, angry faces and stepped forward to mend the breach. "Ellysetta, kem'falla, you must understand, we have dealt with the Eld for centuries before you were born. The Feyreisen has only your safety at heart. The Eld can do you great harm.”

"Because the Mages soul-bind their followers to them," Rain snarled, "enslaving them for their own evil purposes. Once a soul is claimed by the Mages, that person's will is no longer his own. A man would slay his own parents, even his own children, if the Mages ordered him to do so.”

A muscle flexed in Rain's jaw. Not even to please his shei'tani would he abandon a millennium of suspicion and outright hatred for all things Eld. What the Eld touched, they corrupted. Even an Eld who loved Ellysetta the woodcarver's daughter could be turned into a tool for the Mages to use against Ellysetta the Tairen Soul's mate. Through Ellysetta, the Mages could strike a mortal blow to the entire Fey race. "Promise me you will not go near anyone with Eld blood, especially not someone born in that cursed land." His voice was a whip cracking with the demand for complete obedience.

"But—”

"Nei! You are innocent of the evil in the world, Ellysetta. You have no idea what the Mages are capable of, what they will do to accomplish their goals." Her chin was set stubbornly, and Rain forced himself to take a deep breath. For thousands of years, the daughters of Celieria had been taught obedience from the cradle. How was it that his shei'tani was the one Celierian girl in the whole miserable kingdom who had not? "Ellysetta … shei'tani … I am sorry I threatened *****mmon Marissya. I should not have done so. But promise me you will never again go near these Eld. The danger is too great. Even to them. Your presence would bring them to the attention of the Mages.”

Her out-thrust chin lowered. Uncertainty crept into her expression. That possibility had obviously not occurred to her. "They would be in danger because of me?”

"The gravest danger.”

Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them back quickly, but he saw them. And the sight nearly broke his heart. "You have my word," she vowed, her voice barely audible.

"Beylah vo. Thank you." He reached out, wanting to comfort her and mend the breach between them, but she turned away and took a quick step to avoid his touch. He grimaced. Less than one day into his courtship and he'd already all but alienated his shei'tani completely. Marissya would scorch his ears if she knew how badly he was bungling.

Gravel crunched beneath his booted heel as he turned, looking for something, anything, to distract Ellysetta. His eyes fell upon the twins, who had ceased playing Stones and were now begging Kieran and Kiel to show them some Fey magic.

"So you would like to see Fey magic, would you?" The forced heartiness in his own voice sounded false to Rain’s ears, but the twins didn't seem to notice. Their eyes lit up and their little mouths curved wide in eager grins.

"Oh, yes, My Lord Feyreisen! Please!”