by C. L. Wilson
“Here, come have a seat before you fall.” The archbishop put a supporting arm around her and led her to one of the empty wooden chairs. He pulled up a second, sat beside her, and patted her hand with a gentleness she hadn’t known he possessed. “This isn’t an interrogation, and I didn’t bring you down here to cast blame or frighten you. You came to me for help, and I’d like to provide it, if I can. But first, I need to know what happened in Hartslea all those years ago.” He bent forward, his blue eyes solemn, sincere, free of even the slightest hint of reproach. “Is it true your daughter was diagnosed as demon-possessed when she was a child?”
Lauriana swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes.” She forced herself to speak, telling him about the seizures and the doctors’ eventual diagnosis.
“So you sought assistance from the Order.”
She closed her eyes briefly in pained remembrance and nodded. It had been the hardest decision of her life. “I did. Sol didn’t want me to, but I insisted. They came to our house with their prayer books and needles…It was awful, what they did to her. She screamed and screamed.” She could still see little Ellie’s face contorted in agony, hear her shrieking and crying out for her mama and papa to save her, to make the pain go away.
“I know the rites can seem brutal,” Father Bellamy said softly, “but they are necessary. Demons do not easily release their prey.”
“But the exorcism wasn’t completed,” Greatfather Tivrest prompted.
She shook her head. “Sol couldn’t bear it. He stopped it and threw the priests out. We left Hartslea. We prayed and prayed, and eventually the episodes stopped on their own.”
“Did they?”
She couldn’t hold his too-knowing gaze. “For the most part. It’s been more than five years since she last had a seizure. She only gets an occasional nightmare now and again—at least until the Tairen Soul came to town.”
“Her nightmares have increased?” Father Nivane asked suddenly.
She cast a wary glance his way. “Yes.”
He exchanged glances with Father Bellamy. The older priest nodded. “Madame Baristani,” Father Bellamy said gently, “once a demon claims a soul, it does not leave until it’s driven out. It may lie dormant for a while, but it is still there.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “You must authorize the completion of the exorcism.”
She lurched back, yanking her hand from the archbishop’s, then leapt to her feet and turned to face them. “No.” Her heart pounded against her ribs, and her lungs felt starved of breath. She began to back away, towards the stairs.
“My dear lady, your concern and deep love for your daughter is obvious. And it is obvious that your own love and dedication to the Bright Lord has been of invaluable assistance in keeping her on the Bright Path, but you cannot abandon her now, in her time of deepest need.”
“You don’t understand. My husband made me swear on the Book of Light that I would never turn Ellie back over to the exorcists. I can’t betray my solemn oath.”
“The Bright Lord would never ask you to keep an oath to surrender your child to evil,” the archbishop replied. “Your husband was wrong to demand you make such a vow. I grant you dispensation to do the right thing.”
Lauriana shook her head with frantic emphasis. “Sol would never forgive me. It would destroy our family.” Mild-mannered and loving though he was, Sol had a spine of tempered steel and an unswerving sense of honor and loyalty. He could forgive many things, but not a personal betrayal of the sort they were proposing. “Even if Sol did understand, the Fey wouldn’t. They’d kill anyone who touched her. The Tairen Soul won’t even let the queen’s Master of Graces hold her hand in dance lessons, for the Haven’s sake! They’d slaughter us all…these exorcists…you…me…maybe even my entire family.” She ran trembling fingers through her hair. “No, it’s madness even to contemplate such a thing.”
“Madame Baristani,” Father Nivane interjected, “would you change your mind if you knew we could conduct the exorcism without anyone knowing it ever happened?”
“How on earth could you promise that? She shares a bond with the Tairen Soul. He…senses things. And all the Fey can read minds. They’d know the instant you touched her.”
“No, they wouldn’t.” Eagerness lit the younger priest’s pale eyes. “We recently discovered a forgotten text in the Church archives that proves we can conduct the exorcism without the Fey’s knowledge. They could be standing right outside the door and not sense it.”
“Most victims of demon possession have no memory of the exorcism once it is complete,” Father Bellamy added. “The Fey would never know. Your family would be safe.”
The archbishop stood, adding his voice to theirs. “Madame Baristani…daughter…I know this is a difficult decision, but it’s the right thing to do for your child.”
She backed away, shaking her head. It was too dangerous. No matter what they said, she didn’t dare risk it. “I appreciate your concern, Greatfather—more than you’ll ever know—and I know I was the one to come to you asking for help, but this isn’t the help I was looking for. I was hoping you could simply convince the king to dissolve the betrothal. Once I can get her away from the Fey, things will go back to normal and she’ll be fine.”
“There’s no possible way I could break your daughter’s betrothal. Not only was it decided by the Supreme Council, but between the king and the Tairen Soul, they’ve made it a matter of state. Even if I had such authority—which I don’t—haven’t you been listening to Father Bellamy? Your daughter isn’t fine, and never will be until the exorcism is complete.”
“And I’ve told you I can’t authorize an exorcism. I just can’t.” Lauriana turned and rushed towards the stairs, but before she could set foot on the first step, a hand caught her wrist in a steely grip. Father Nivane held her fast.
“Think of your daughter, woman. Think of her soul. How can you make such a self-serving, cowardly decision and call yourself her beacon?”
“Nivane!” Father Bellamy rapped out. “You forget yourself. Unhand Madame Baristani at once.” Turning a conciliatory face to Lauriana, the chief exorcist approached, hands outstretched in a gesture of peace and entreaty. “Madam, forgive my young Brother. He has long fought the agents of the Dark, and such work requires a certain fervor. It is easy, sometimes, to forget that others are not so acquainted with the perils of evil as we.”
She pressed back against the wall. The stone felt icy against her skin. “I know what evil is, Father, believe me.”
He searched her eyes and nodded. “I do believe you, daughter. I can see in your eyes that you have confronted it before.” Sorrow and compassion lay in his, and the simple kindness she saw made her start to weep. He obviously regretted what he was asking her to do, and knew how difficult a decision it was. “We cannot force you to do this, but will you at least promise to consider it? You can give us your answer tomorrow.”
“I—”
“You cannot stop her marriage,” he added, “but you can save her soul. And isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along?”
Lauriana nodded, tears trickling from her eyes. “Yes.”
“You’ve been a good mother to her, and an exceptional beacon. Without you, she no doubt would have been lost long ago. For her sake, will you promise to consider our request?”
Nivane bowed, his expression penitent. “Forgive my outburst, Madame Baristani. It was unbefitting my vocation. I want only the best for your daughter. Here, please, take this.” He removed a golden pendant from around his neck and held it out to her. The pendant was a golden sun, set with an amber crystal. “It’s a charm, blessed by some of the Brothers of the Order to ward against magic. I know the Fey have surrounded your home. This will help protect you and your thoughts against them.”
Bellamy laid a hand of thanks on Nivane’s shoulder. “Madame Baristani, if you still wish to refuse tomorrow morning, simply send the charm back to Greatfather Tivrest here at the cathedral. We will know you have declined our offer, and we will
depart with no one the wiser. Neither your family nor the Fey will know we approached you.”
Lauriana reached out slowly and took the pendant from Nivane. The metal felt warm to the touch. “I will consider everything you’ve said, and give you my answer in the morning.”
In his room at the Inn of the Blue Pony, Kolis Manza smiled with satisfaction as he sensed the amber crystal change hands from Nivane to the Feyreisa’s mother. The Feraz witchspell anchored to the stone didn’t suppress thoughts but rather siphoned off the loudest of them and channeled them to the receptor crystal Kolis wore around his neck. Short of a deliberate Spirit assault on Lauriana Baristani’s mind, the Fey would not be able to hear her thoughts, while Kolis, on the other hand, sat like a little fly on the periphery, hearing everything louder than a whisper.
Rain and Ellie flew farther and faster than they ever had. As they’d departed Celieria City, she’d asked the innocent question, «How fast can you fly?» and with a wicked tairen laugh, he’d shown her.
He’d wrapped them both in a cocoon of magic and shot so high they could see the deep twilight cusp of the sky and the dim shine of stars gleaming just beyond the blue heavens. No breeze stirred in the shield of Air around them as they flew, and Rain’s wings weren’t even moving. They were swept back, fully extended but held close to his frame while magic alone propelled them forward at tremendous speed.
“That was incredible,” she breathed when at last they landed and Rain Changed back to Fey form. “How fast were we going?”
Rain smiled. “Very fast. We’re halfway to Queen’s Point.”
Her jaw dropped. “Halfway to—but Queen’s Point is more than five hundred miles from Celieria City!”
“A little over four hundred as the tairen flies. I could have gone further, but then I would have had to feed to replenish my strength, and tairen dining can be a little unsettling to those unused to the sight.”
She thought of Love and the kitten’s penchant for leaving the gnawed, half-eaten bodies of mice and lizards lying about, and her stomach took a queasy lurch. How easy it was to forget that tairen were, first and foremost, predators, with a predator’s instincts and a predator’s habits. “What do tairen eat?”
“When they’re hungry? Anything that moves.”
“And are you…er…hungry now?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Only for a meal we can both share. In fact, why don’t you set it out now while I spin the protection weaves.” After a quick glance at their surroundings to find what he needed, he spun a rapid Earth weave. A folded blanket and a small basket appeared beneath a nearby pella tree.
Leaving her to lay out the blanket and basket of meats, cheeses, and various fruits and salads, Rain wove a large five-fold dome around them and secured the threads firmly in place. Not even here, on the beaches of Great Bay two hundred miles from Celieria City, would he relax his guard. Whatever was hunting her—be it Mage, demon, or dahl’reisen—would have no further opportunity to prey on her as long as he could prevent it.
He joined her on the blanket to share their meal. When they were done, he leaned back on his elbows and watched her walk towards the gentle surf lapping at the white sand. She stretched her arms up high over her head and lifted her face towards the warmth of the Great Sun, all but purring as the ocean breeze ruffled her hair and filled her lungs with the wild, fresh scents of the sea.
The sight of her standing there in the bright waves reminded him of the long-ago days of his youth when he, Rainier-Eras, Tairen Soul of the Fey’Bahren pride, would join his soulkin to swim in the warm, sparkling waters of Tairen’s Bay and later bask on the silvery sands to dry his wings in the ocean breeze. His father, Rajahl, would bask as well, but never far away from his son and always with one watchful eye open, while Rain’s mother, Kiaria, would lean against her mate, her slight Fey body shining and pale against his tairen darkness, her eyes closed, a smile of utter contentment on her face.
Ellysetta lifted her skirts and dipped a slender foot in the water. A wave crashed, sending spray and sand flying to soak the hem of her gown.
“That is not quite the right attire for a visit to the ocean,” Rain said. He summoned Earth and wove it. Her heavy silk dress shifted, becoming a light, flowing white robe and gown that blew back in the breeze and molded to her body in ways that made his heart beat a little faster. She glanced down and gasped, and her arms slapped into place to cover all her most interesting bits. He grinned. The robe and gown were sheer and he had not spun undergarments.
She scowled. “This is not what I would call being ‘very, very good.’”
“That is a matter of perspective, shei’tani. From where I’m standing, it looks very, very good indeed.”
“Ninnywit.”
“Happy mate,” he corrected. He spun Earth again. His weapons disappeared and re-formed in a neat pile on a blanket spread beneath the broad fronds of a nearby pella tree. His leathers were transformed to a robe and loose trousers as flowing and sheer as her garments. Unlike her, he didn’t try to hide his bits, not even the one growing more interesting by the moment. Her eyes went wide. “And impatient groom,” he added with a shrug and another grin.
It felt good to stand in the sun and laugh with his truemate as though neither of them had a care in the world. Too good, almost. The gods were rarely so kind for long.
He jumped to his feet and held out a hand. “Come swim with me.”
She hung back. “If I get in the water in this outfit, the cloth will turn completely transparent.”
“I know, and I’m looking forward to it more than you can imagine.”
Her cheeks turned a pink so bright it put the pella tree’s blooms to shame.
He laughed and swept her up into his arms, twirling her around in circles several times. “You bring me such joy.” He kissed her until they were both breathless, then tugged her once more towards the waves. “Come. Swim with me.”
“You’re serious.”
“You’ve never seen the ocean as a Fey sees it. I’d like to share the experience with you.” That was part of what he had been doing during their courtship bells, sharing with her the joys of being Fey. Showing her in every way he could that for all the difficulties and danger that came with being his mate, there were great rewards, too.
She hesitated for a moment, then put her hand in his and let him lead her into the surf.
Yet another little act of courage. There’d been so many in the last few days. She was still so innocent—she likely always would be in some ways—but beneath that innocence was a spirit of adventure. For years, Ellysetta had suppressed every hint of it, wanting desperately to be the modest, obedient daughter she thought her parents expected, but now, like a tairen kitling driven by an instinctive yearning for the sky, she was learning to spread her wings and fly. He encouraged her, true, but the effort, the desire, was all hers.
He tossed his robe to the sand, leaving only the thin trousers covering him from waist to ankle. She stared at him for several long moments, a look he could only describe as hunger on her face, and then, with a slow deliberation that nearly drove him mad, she shrugged off the outer robe he’d woven for her, leaving only the simple shift, held up by two narrow straps. The tops of her breasts rose above the bodice, alluring curves that drew attention to the small points of her nipples thrusting against the thin fabric. The bodice flowed down into fuller skirts that swept across her ankles and trailed behind in a short train.
It was Rain’s turn to stare, and his look wasn’t merely hungry—it was ravenous.
She lifted a brow, cast a siren’s look over her shoulder, and dove into the waves.
“Spit and scorch me.” Shaking himself free of his dazed paralysis, he closed his mouth and dove after her.
A simple weave of Air and Water let them both breathe under the water and see with as much clarity as they did on the surface, and together they explored the secrets of the world hidden beneath the waves. Sunlit reefs not far off the sandy shore
s gave way to deeper waters with mysterious caves and undulating fields of shimmering kelp alive with darting fish and other sea creatures.
In the glittering aqua depths, Ellysetta’s hair shone like waving fans of coral. Her sheer gown was molded to her and the skirts fluttered languidly in the current, teasing him with flashes of smooth, pearly skin—a thigh, a calf, the delectable curve of her buttock, and the soft, rounded fullness of her breasts tipped with the darker circles of small, puckered nipples. He swam slightly behind her to torment himself with the view.
As he watched, she knifed downward through the water, her hand reaching out towards a school of rainbow-colored fish swimming near the kelp beds. They scattered quickly when her questing fingers came too close. Bubbles of air billowed around her as she laughed and chased after them again.
Even with the long—and very pleasingly transparent—skirts of her gown trailing behind her, she swam as if she’d been born to it like the Sea Folk who inhabited the warm waters of the western ocean. He would take her to meet them too. As delighted as she was by this small bay, he knew she would adore the Sea Folk, with their glittering tails and long, flowing hair that came in all the shades of the sea.
«Look!» Ellysetta called.
She reached down to the sandy ocean floor and lifted a large shell the size of both his hands. It was oval-shaped with long spikes curling back from the mouth, and it had a wide, broad lip colored a deep opalescent blue, with streaks of green and purple. The snail that had once occupied the shell was long gone.
«Isn’t it beautiful?»
He looked at her smiling face and shining eyes. «You are beautiful.»
Her smile faded as he swam closer. He reached for her hand and pulled her up from the ocean floor until her body was pressed lightly against his and they were floating, weightless, beneath the surface of the sunlit waters. He kissed her, offering her all his joy and devotion.
Rain summoned Earth, and the tantalizing, translucent fabric of her gown parted beneath his hand, falling away to bare the perfection of silky skin and gentle curves. She was beautiful. Her long, bright hair, like flame on the water, floated about her, as lovely as any Sea Maid’s, her limbs long and slender. Her small, round breasts fit perfectly in the palms of his hands. He bent his head to draw the soft bud of one nipple into his mouth, and the dark skeins of his hair floated in the current, teasing her other breast with feathery brushes.