“Please…teska…try to understand. I must make my decision as the Tairen Soul who is their king—and I need you to make your decision as its queen. We must both put what’s best for all our people above our own desires and considerallthe lives at stake, not just these two—no matter who they are.”
She flinched and he hated himself for it. His admonition was more than a little unfair. She had always put the needs of others before her own. And now this thing she needed so much, he had to refuse.
An angry, mutinous light sparked in her eyes. “How many does it take, Rain? How many people must suffer for how many years before their lives become important enough to save?”
It was Rain’s turn to flinch. “You know that’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then explain it to me.”
Irritation spiked within him. Did she think he liked making this choice? Did she honestly think he would make it if there were any other solution available to him? “Whom should we send, Ellysetta? Your quintet? And leave you unprotected and vulnerable here, outside the Fading Lands, when we all know the High Mage is waiting for just such an opportunity? Should I go myself? The Eld bowcannons nearly killed me in Orest, but I’m sure I could fly straight into the heart of enemy territory undetected, locate your parents in a Mage stronghold, and rescue them without aid.”
Color flooded her cheeks and she drew back in affront. “Now who’s being ridiculous?”
“Am I?” he countered. “If not me or your quintet, who else should go? Shall I pull warriors off the Celierian borders? The battles have already begun, and we’re already seriously outnumbered, but I’m sure Dorian would understand our need to pull back a few of our troops. How many should I withdraw, do you think?”
“I’m not suggesting you pull men off the borders.”
“Then whom does that leave, Ellysetta? Thelu’tan? Their oaths to you supersede any loyalty to me or the Fading Lands. If you ask, they will joyfully die by your command. Are you ready to send them to their deaths? Because, of a certainty, if you direct them to blunder blindly through Eld in the hopes of finding where the Mage is holding your parents, theywilldie.”
“Of course I don’t mean that!” she exclaimed. “You’re twisting my words. You’re not being fair.”
“Fair?”He swooped on the word like a tairen on its prey. “This is life, Ellysetta, a Fey’s life. It’s almost neverfair. It’s hard. It’s thankless. We take what joy we find and treasure it so dearly because we know how rare such blessings are. Every Fey warrior andshei’dalinborn in the Fading Lands learns very early in life that, like it or not—fair or not—there will be many days when they must decide between a bad choice and a worse one. Today is such a day.”
He crossed his arms and leveled a hard look upon hisshei’taniand her quintet. “I will not send a single blade brother into Eld without some idea of where he’s going and what he can expect to find when he gets there. Do you hear me?I will not issue such a command. There are too few Fey left in this world to risk a single precious life for such madness.”
“So we do nothing?” Tajik cried. “We just leave my sister there to suffer?” His hands were clenched, and his lean, muscular body was trembling with scarcely contained fury.
Gaelen was right, Rain realized. They should have taken Tajik’s memories. The warrior was teetering on the brink of full-fledged Rage, and that did not bode well for any of them.
“Calm yourself—and I mean now, Fey,” he snapped, hoping a little brisk, plain speaking would pull Taj back from his Rage. “We’re at war, and I need cool heads and clear thinking—not warriors Raging out of control. You’re a general of the Fading Lands. Start acting like one.”
Tajik’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped.
“Your first duty is your bloodsworn bond to protect Ellysetta, followed by your general’s duty to protect the Fading Lands. If we don’t defeat the Eld, everyfellana—every sister, mother, daughter,shei’tani, ande’tani—everyonewill suffer the same fate as Elfeya. Do you think for one moment that she and Shan would want that? Do you think they would want you to abandon yourlute’asheivabond and leave Ellysetta unprotected while you go after them?”
Tajik’s nostrils flared and color rose and fell in his face, but he couldn’t hold Rain’s gaze. With a bitter, snarled oath, he pivoted on one heel and stalked to the far side of the room.
Jaw set, mouth grim, Rain seared each of the other warriors with a burning look. “We must win this war, no matter the cost. And you must protect Ellysetta with your lives until we do. When we defeat the Mages, we will find Shan and Elfeya and set them free. Until then, this subject is closed.” His hand sliced across the air and he leveled a stony, unequivocal glare upon the six warriors. “Is that clear?”
“It’s clear, Rain,” Bel and Gaelen said simultaneously. The other warriors agreed more slowly—and more grudgingly—but they agreed nonetheless.
That left only Ellysetta.
“Shei’tani?” Rain prompted.
Her lips compressed and for a moment he thought she would spit defiance in his face. But then she nodded and looked away.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Melliandra pushed open the door of the cell housing Lord Death’s mate and stepped inside.
The red-haired Fey woman lay frail and broken on the black stone of her cell. A large wound gaped grotesquely in the center of her pale, motionless chest, and scarlet blood ran across her ashen skin to gather in a dark, glistening pool beneath her body. Vadim Maur’sumagihad struck a death blow and left the corpse to be hauled away by the refuse collectors.
Fortunately for the red-hair, Melliandra was the refuse collector for the lower five levels of Boura Fell…and she had tended the red-hair’s mate enough to know not to come alone.
Beside her, the rag-shrouded Fey gave a gasp and began babbling in her native tongue.
“Hush!” Melliandra hissed. She rushed to close the cell door and spun around to glare at the Fey. “Keep your voice down, dim-skull! They’ll hear you!”
