by C. L. Wilson
“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 into substance, 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 conditions 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.»
“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 i
s 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 beyond price. In that, Den Brodson was correct. The Fey would have paid twenty times, a thousand times, what we did to break her betrothal.
“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 well-being, 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 unconditional 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.
“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 Land
s 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 credit, 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.