Chapter Seventeen #3
out to form large semicircular platforms for the bowcannon and catapults.
“There’s something very important I need to ask of you,” Rain said as they circled the city. “As you know, our army marches
to Orest in three days, and I must go with them to secure the Veil. I’m going to appoint you my proxy on the council while
I’m gone.”
“You’re going to—” Her voice choked off and she stared at him, aghast. “Rain, have you lost your mind? Two months ago I was
a woodcarver’s daughter who’d never even seen the inside of a palace. Now you want to appoint me to a council that leads a
nation?”
“I know it is a great deal to ask, and if I had any other choice, I would not add this burden to the ones you already bear.
I need someone I trust to lead in my absence and ensure my will is carried out.”
“But—”
“The Massan are all honorable Fey,” he continued quickly, “but they are not comfortable with the changes I’ve introduced.
That’s why I need you to stay here and be sure my commands are carried out.
Tenn and Yulan may think to . . . reinterpret my orders.
And with Venarra taking Marissya’s place as the Shei’dalin, Nuri will not oppose them.
Loris won’t be back for another two weeks at least, and the others will silence Eimar’s objections
if you are not there to prevent it.”
Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “And you think they’ll listen to me? Half of them are waiting for me to turn into the Hand of Shadow and usher in the end of the world!”
He grimaced. He’d known this would be her reaction, but he had no choice. “If it’s any consolation, I’m not just throwing
you to the thistlewolves. Bel has agreed to stay behind in Dharsa to guide and advise you. There is no Fey I trust more.”
“Oh, well. That will do the trick then.” She spun away, her skirts twitching furiously as she stalked a short distance down
the battlements.
“Ellysetta. Shei’tani.” He went to her side and caught her arms, holding her when she would have turned away again. “I need you to do this. Listen
to me,” he ordered, giving her a shake when he saw that stubborn jaw of hers clench.
She glared at him in angry silence, then focused her gaze on a point in the distance.
He ground his back teeth together. Really, much as he loved her, there was no woman alive who could infuriate him more. “There
is another reason I want you to serve as my proxy. You need to understand how the Massan governs and learn how to work with
its members. Because if I don’t return, you will be the next Tairen Soul.”
Her gaze whipped back to his, horror etched upon her face. “Good sweet Lord of Light. That’s what this is really about.” She
gave a disbelieving laugh. “You’re preparing me for your death.”
She tried to wrench her arms out of his grasp but he would not allow it. “Stop. Parei! Flames scorch it, Ellysetta! We do not choose what tests the gods set before us. We only decide how we will endure them!”
“Well, I’m not going to stand here while you tell me what to do after you die fighting the Eld in Celieria. There’s no need
for this discussion because you will be coming back.”
“There is nothing I want more, shei’tani. But if I do not, you must rule. At least until Marissya’s child is old enough to claim the throne for himself.”
“But our bond—”
“—is not complete. You will survive my death.” He held her tight as she struggled against him. “Listen to me. Listen!” He
gave her a brisk shake, and she grew still. “The Massan will not make your rule easy. They are used to command and will try
to convince you to do as they want. Do not allow it. Tenn and Yulan delude themselves that if we leave the Eld in peace, the
Eld will not attack us—or that we can hide behind the Mists and somehow live in peace with an enemy whose sole desire is to
extinguish Light from the world and enslave souls for the glory of Seledorn. You cannot let yourself be swayed by their arguments—and
they will be good arguments, full of reasonable concerns. But they will be wrong. You and I both know the Fey will not long
live free if the Eld are left to spread their evil unchecked.”
“And why ever would they listen to me?”
“They will listen to you, Ellysetta, because you will be the Defender of the Fey.”
She yanked her hands free of his grip and crossed her arms. “I’m no warrior, Rain. And I’m no real Tairen Soul, either. I’ve
found neither my song nor my wings.”
“Sybharukai has accepted you into the pride. You are tairen enough. As for being a warrior, don’t forget I’ve seen you in
battle. You slaughtered two Primages and sent Eld soldiers fleeing like mice—and that you did with no wings and no training.”
“There’s a lot more to being a leader than just being good at killing people.”
His spine went stiff, then he gave a humorless laugh. “No one knows that better than I, Ellysetta.”
Remorse flickered in her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Perhaps you didn’t mean to, but truth is truth. I know my shortcomings all too well.”
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “You’re a good king, Rain. You have the best interests of the Fading Lands
at heart, and you’re willing to make the hard decisions, not just the easy ones everyone agrees with. That’s what leadership
is.”
“Up until the last month, I haven’t been making any sort of decisions. I’ve been letting Marissya and the Massan rule in my
name. It’s only because of you that I’ve finally begun to be the king I should have been all along.” He drew a breath and
squared his shoulders. “Teska, I need you to do this for me, Ellysetta. Promise you will serve as my proxy while I’m away—and that you’ll lead the Fey
if I don’t come back.”
Her arms crossed again and she scowled down at her feet. “Fine. I promise.”
“Beylah vo.” He wanted to say more, but he was coming to know his shei’tani well enough to realize that rock-stubborn clench of her jaw meant she was no longer listening. Anything he said now would
just be wasted words. He glanced up at the sky. The sun was well past its zenith, the afternoon more than half-gone. “It’s
getting late. Let’s finish the inspection.”
He offered Ellysetta his wrist, but she only gave him a dark look and stalked away without him. He sighed and followed. She
was not pleased with him or the plans he’d been making for her, and he couldn’t blame her. He was asking too much of her,
and he knew it. But what choice did he have?
They continued their walk of the perimeter, stopping occasionally to check defensive positions and greet the handful of Fey warriors manning the battlements.
Though her eyes still flashed with temper, Ellysetta was a woman of her word.
She clenched her jaw, listened to Rain and the Fey as they discussed the city’s armaments and defenses, and asked pertinent, probing questions that proved she was paying attention and trying to absorb and process the information.
By the time they circled back around to the northern wall overlooking the city’s sheltered harbor, the Great Sun was a scant
two bells from setting, and Eren was waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
“All is ready, Feyreisen,” he said when they drew near. “But you haven’t much time.”
“What is ready?” Ellysetta’s brows drew together in suspicion.
“The surprise I promised you, shei’tani. The real reason we came.” They returned to the fortress only long enough to change back into their leathers before Rain
led Ellysetta to Blade’s Point’s sheltered port, where a sleek, low-slung boat carved of gleaming golden wood bobbed in the
harbor, secured to the stone pier by thick woven docking ropes.
“You’re taking me sailing?” She stared at the boat in disbelief. “You bring me here, tell me you’re preparing me for your
death, and you think I want to go sailing? Have you lost your senses?” She planted her fists on her hips, her eyes snapping with outrage.
“Las.” He held up his hands in truce. “Not just sailing. This is the Bay of Flame, and the Great Sun will set within the next two
bells. I thought you might like to partake of its magic.”
Ellysetta remembered the legends of the Bay of Flame. According to ancient Fey myth, Lissallukai, the first tairen ever to
cast a wing shadow over the Fading Lands, had breathed her fire upon the waters of the bay at sunset and spun magic into the
world. Young Fey boys came here on their Soul Quest to swim in the waters of the bay at sunset and dream beneath the light
of the fairy-flies to find their soul’s true magic.
“This is another thing you think I need to do so I can take your place as Defender of the Fey, isn’t it?”
He sighed. “I simply thought that since you’ve never had a Soul Quest, you might want to give this a try. There is magic here. Perhaps even enough to help you find your song or learn to trust yourself. Perhaps even enough to show you the
path to completing our bond.”
The patience in his voice made Ellysetta feel petty. Rain was the one going to war. She was the one staying safely behind
in the Fading Lands, risking nothing.
Nothing except the possibility of spending the rest of her life without him. She bit her lip and looked away, blinking against
a sudden rush of tears. That possibility didn’t bear thinking about.
“Sieks’ta. I’m being childish. It’s just that . . .” Her chin trembled. Her throat grew so tight she couldn’t speak, and the tears
she was fighting spilled over. She swiped at them with the backs of her hands. “I don’t want to lose you, Rain.”
His arms enfolded her, drawing her against his warm strength. “That is an impossibility, shei’tani. I am yours forever.”
She turned, burrowing against him, pressing her face to the hollow of his throat. “You know what I mean.” She spoke against
his skin, feeling the pulse in his throat against her lips, the taste of him mingling with the salty wetness of her tears.
“I know.” He stroked her hair and held her. “If I could, I would stay by your side and never leave you. But that’s not a choice