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 notchoose 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 youwillbe 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 hisshei’taniwell 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 withtemper, 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 gosailing? 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. Thereismagic 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.”
