King of Sword and Sky (27 page)

"Papa!"

He pointed. "Go."

The girls pouted and trudged off. Sol frowned after them, shaking his head in dismay. Laurie would be beside herself. The last several weeks of living around magic had clearly spoiled the girls into forgetting the lessons of responsibility and discipline their mother had worked so hard to instill in them. But what was Sol to do? Their lives
had
changed. Forever. Cling as he might to mortal ways, magic was going to be a daily part of his daughters' lives, and there was no getting 'round it.

"Good morning, Master Baristani," Kiel greeted as he and Kieran walked in with Lord Teleos. The two Fey and the border lord had begun breakfasting with the Baristanis each morning before heading off to continue the restoration of Teleon. Not that there was all that much to do anymore. The warriors Rain had sent to accompany Lord Teleon to Orest had worked nonstop for the last seventy-two bells to repair the bulk of the fortress. They and Lord Teleon would be departing for Orest on the morrow.

"Looks like someone's been walking in the mud this morning," Kieran said with an eye on the muddy footprints. He lifted his hands and started to spin magic, but Sol stopped him.

"No, please, Kieran. The girls made the mess. I've told them they're to clean it up. I won't have my children turn into slovenly little pamperlings just because they live amongst the Fey."

"Kieran." Kiel spoke his blade brother's name in a strange, strangled voice, and poked him in the arm. "Kieran, look." He pointed to the breakfast table.

Kieran turned—and froze.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Both Fey were staring at the bouquet of white flowers on the table, and Sol's chest squeezed tight. Were the blooms poisonous?

But Kiel was reaching for the bouquet with shaking hands, and Kieran was making no move to stop him. The Water master lifted the bouquet to his face and breathed in deeply.

Even Lord Teleos was staring. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Master Baristani," Kieran rasped, "where did those flowers come from?"

"The girls brought them in. Why?" Sol was torn between alarm and confusion. The three men were acting as if they'd seen a dead man, but clearly the flowers were not dangerous. "What's going on? Did they do something wrong?"

Kieran didn't answer. Instead, he pivoted on a heel, marched back out into the hallway, and, in a very un-Fey-like manner, shouted, "Lillis! Lorelle!"

The twins came running, mop and broom banging behind.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Kieran pointed to the flowers in Kiel's hand and on their heads. "Where did you find these flowers?"

"Outside." Lorelle pointed through the arching stone windows to the graceful curving terraced gardens beyond. "In the gardens we helped Ellie and Lady Marissya plant."

Lillis beamed. "Aren't they pretty? There's lots and lots of them. They must have bloomed in the night."

«Fey! Ti'jensa! To the gardens! Hurry! Tell me what you see.»
Kieran sent the call on the common path, and outside, half a dozen warriors raced for the terraces.

Moments later the cry went up, "It blooms! The white bell blooms!" In voices that rang with excitement, they announced their discovery on the common path for all the Fey to hear, «
Amarynth, brothers! The white bell blooms in the gardens of Teleon!»

There was a moment of shocked silence; then a shout rose up throughout the keep, a great hurrah that rattled window glass in its panes. "Amarynth blooms!
Mioralas!
Blessings on this house and all who dwell here!"

"Amarynth?" Sol's brows drew together in surprise. Many woodcarvers used the six-petaled Amarynth blossom, also called the star flower, as a motif in their carvings, but he had never seen a live bloom. "They're real?"

"They are indeed, Master Baristani, and they bloom only in the footsteps of a Fey woman bearing young."

Sol's eyes went wide. "You mean Ellysetta…my Ellie-girl is—"

"Nei.
Not Ellysetta," Kiel said. "She and Rain are not yet fully united, and truemates do not breed outside the bond. These flowers bloom for Marissya and Dax."

Kieran had a silly, stunned grin on his face. "I'm going to be a brother. A brother, Kiel. My
mela
is with child." Tears filled his eyes.

Kiel smiled.
"Mioralas,
my friend. I couldn't be happier for you." He clapped his hand on Kieran's back. "You should be the one to tell them. Weave the news now, quickly, before our brothers shout it all the way to Dharsa."

"Aiyah…aiyah,
I will…right now." He could hardly concentrate. He closed his eyes and pressed the bouquet of Amarynth to his face, careful not to bruise the precious blooms. Weeping, laughing, soaring with joy, he spun the weave. «
Mela…gepa…it's Kieran.
…»

The Fading Lands ~ Plains of Corunn

Rain, Ellysetta, and the others were halfway to Dharsa when Kieran's weave reached them. They'd just stopped to eat and stretch their legs, which was good, because Dax's legs folded beneath him when he heard his son's words.

Kieran expanded his initial private weave to include them all as he heaped love and blessings upon his stunned parents. Dax was now sitting on the ground, holding his truemate in his arms. The fierce Fey lord wore a look of such staggering joy and devotion, it made Ellysetta's throat go tight.

Amarynth bloomed in Teleon. Marissya was with child.

Fertility had returned to the Fey.

Rain dropped to his knees beside the
shei'dalin
and her mate.
"Miora felah,
Marissya.
Miora felah,
Dax. Brightest blessings of the gods upon you."

Laughing and crying at the same time, Marissya enfolded Rain in her arms. "Joy and blessings to us all,
kem'maresk, kem'Feyreisen.
And joy to the Feyreisa most of all."

"Me?" Ellysetta blinked in surprise. "But I haven't done anything."

The
shei'dalin
turned a radiant, tear-stained face in Ellysetta's direction. "Your weave," she explained. She gave a choked laugh and shook her head. "That awful, inescapable seven-bell weave you spun in Celieria." Her joyous laughter pealed out, stealing any possible sting from her words. "Ellysetta…little sister…sweet gift from the gods. You wove much more than Spirit that night—and may the gods shower ten lifetimes of blessings on you for it."

«Steli! Fahreeta, Torasul!»
Rain sang the news to his pride-kin, who were chasing tavalree on the plains just to see them run. «
Come celebrate and wish us joy. Marissya of the Fey bears young!»

The three tairen joined them swiftly, and Steli bent her head to sniff both Marissya and Dax, then sang a few notes of tairen song. A soft, unevenly pitched and offbeat echo rang in Ellysetta's ears. The white tairen sat back with a satisfied look on her face.

«
So
that is the scent I smelled,»
she declared. She spoke not in tairen song but in plain Feyan, woven on Spirit so Marissya and Dax would be sure to understand. «
The Fey-kin bears one of the pride.»

Marissya and Dax both gaped. "I bear
what?"
Marissya gasped. She splayed one hand across her flat belly; the other clutched Dax like a vise.

"A Tairen Soul?" Rain threw back his head and laughed. He grabbed Ellysetta up and swung her around in circles.
"Shei'tani.
Ah,
shei'tani,
you wondrous woman. This is definitely not how I expected the gods to spin this weave, but I welcome it all the same. A child of the Fey—a Tairen Soul—thanks to you." He showered her face with kisses.

Dax started laughing. "You know what this means, of course, once word reaches Dharsa? Our women will insist the Feyreisa be fed a steady diet of keflee and pinalle until all the Fading Lands bloom white once more!"

Ellysetta's eyes went wide.

"Oh, no!" Marissya gave a laughing groan. "Gods save us all."

The Fading Lands ~ Dharsa

The remainder of the journey to Dharsa passed rapidly. Spirit weaves carrying exuberant greetings and well wishes continued to pour across the common path. By midday, the wide, rolling grasslands of the Plains of Corunn gave way to graceful swells of densely forested earth that rose and fell like waves on the ocean, all building towards the Shining City.

Constructed entirely of white stone, its many towers capped by gleaming gold spires and domes, Dharsa rose like a jeweled diadem from the rich greenery of the forested hills. The city was built upon a ring of five outer hills, all circling a larger central peak topped by an immense, shining palace. Graceful buildings of incredible beauty and delicacy soared amid lush stands of greenery, terraced gardens, and trees laden with scented blossoms and plump, shining fruit. Water cascaded from breathtaking fountains and artfully arranged cliffs, feeding streams that wound down the hillsides before merging into the wide, shining ribbon of the River Faer. Birds of every shape and color flitted and swooped from tree to tree, filling the sky with a rainbow of dancing colors and song.

Ellysetta had never seen something so perfect, so beautiful. «
Rain ,…oh, Rain
…»

The black tairen turned his head, his lavender eyes glowing bright. «
Welcome to Dharsa, shei'tani. The shining heart of the Fading Lands.»

Rain dipped his wing and banked left, soaring along the perimeter of the ring of hills. Steli, Fahreeta, and Torasul followed close on his tail, and the four tairen landed in a small clearing where the Fey returning from Celieria City waited with Ellysetta's
lu'
tans
and the rest of the former
rasa.

The warriors were smiling as they had not smiled in years. A palpable aura of joy surrounded them, and they had already buffed their gleaming black leathers and polished their steel to a mirror shine in preparation for their entrance into the city. Waiting Air masters spun Ellysetta, Marissya, and Dax clear of their saddles.

Gaelen was there the moment his sister's feet touched ground. He caught her in his arms and held her tight.
"Mioralas,
little sister. Gods' blessings upon you." Still holding her tucked against his side, he offered Dax a smile and a hand, which his bond brother clasped warmly.
"Te a
vo,
Dax. My heart sings for you both." He turned back to his sister, grinning proudly. "A Tairen Soul, no less. I never thought v'En Solande had it in him."

Dax was too happy to take offense. "Just wait, bond brother. When my son finds his flame, he'll teach you respect."

"Some miracles are beyond even a Tairen Soul's power." Bel smirked at Gaelen's narrow-eyed look and added, "Release your sister. There are other Fey who would wish her well."

While Dax and Marissya accepted the congratulations of the Fey, Earth masters enveloped the pair in swirling threads of power, changing their leathers to rich flowing robes in shades of green and white to celebrate the precious life growing in Marissya's womb. The hundreds of Fey surrounded her like the treasure she was, and each of the former
rasa
took a moment to kneel and touch her hand in a way they would never have allowed themselves to do only a few days earlier.

When all had offered Marissya their joy and she had spun a
shei'dalin's
blessing on the assembly, the warriors stepped back to form ranks.

Rain took his place at Ellysetta's side. He had changed into full ceremonial dress, black leathers, purple-silk-lined black cape, his boots tooled with the scarlet and purple outlines of tairen rampant, Tairen Crown resting upon his brow. Ellysetta, in her plain brown traveling leathers, felt out of place beside the others, but when she asked Rain to weave a more appropriate gown, he smiled mysteriously and nodded towards Bel, saying, "Your
lu'
tans
have prepared something for you."

Bel stood at the front of the gathered warriors. When all eyes were upon him, he bowed low and said. "It is the custom of the Fey that a
shei'dalin
who has won the bloodsworn bond of a warrior should wear his blade at all times, both for her protection and as a symbol of the honor in which she holds the warrior's bond. But three nights ago in Chakai, the Feyreisa proved yet again she was born to set tradition on its head."

The
lu'tans
laughed and shouted,
"Miora felah ti'Feyreisa!"

Bel waited for their shouts to die down before he continued. "Three hundred seventeen Fey bound their souls to the protection of the Feyreisa after her legendary night of healing. Counting Gaelen and me, Ellysetta Feyreisa now claims three hundred nineteen bloodsworn champions. No
shei'dalin
has ever won the bonds of so many."

"Nor ever will again!" the
lu'tans
cried.

White teeth flashed in a brief grin of agreement before Bel once again raised his hands to quiet his exuberant brothers. "This posed quite a challenge, since the Feyreisa clearly could not wear so many blades, yet not to do so would dishonor the bond. We"—he turned to gesture toward the assembled Fey—"the warriors who have bloodsworn ourselves to her service, have devised what we hope is an acceptable solution."

He gestured to Gaelen, Tajik, Rijonn, and Gil. The four Fey stepped forward, holding Fey'cha belts and a set of studded leathers in
shei'dalin
red.

"Gaelen and I have agreed that Tajik, Gil, and Rijonn should join us to serve as your primary quintet," Bel continued. "Our blades are here, in this hip belt. The other
lu'tans
threw lots to see whose blades you would wear in your Fey'cha belts, and the rest we transformed into the studs in your leathers. They are all here"—he gestured to the studded leathers and the weapons belts—"every one of your bloodsworn blades. Let a single drop of your blood fall on any stud or blade, and you will summon the warrior who bound himself to you."

Ellysetta accepted the gift with reverent hands.
"Beylah
vos.
I will wear these with pride."

"Sha vel'mei, kem'falla."
Bel bowed. "Today, however, we thought this might be more appropriate." He nodded at Rijonn and Tajik, who raised their hands and loosed bright weaves of Earth. The leathers disappeared and re-formed on Ellysetta's body as an ornately embroidered gown woven from the silvery Fey steel of her
lu'tans'
blades. Two sashes of purple and scarlet crisscrossed her chest like Fey'cha belts, holding dozens of sheathed bloodsworn blades, while the Fey'cha of her primary quintet dangled at her hips alongside the Tairen's Eye crystals of the warriors who'd died to protect her back in Celieria. Her hair they left in a thick rope of red coils down her back, bound by a series of silver rings.

"Nicely done, my brothers," Rain approved. Steli, Fahreeta, and Torasul purred their agreement. With the concentration of so many Fey nearby, Ellysetta's own power was rising. Her entire form gleamed with a golden-white radiance that made her gown of silvery Fey steel shine like a star. "You will dazzle them,
shei'tani."
He lifted his wrist for her hand. "Come meet your people, Feyreisa."

The main gate of Dharsa, flanked by a pair of crouching stone tairen, was an exquisitely carved white stone arch of immense proportions. Beyond the arch, an avenue lined by giant sentinel trees, whose intertwining branches formed a soaring, sunlight-dappled corridor, led the way into the fabled Fey city.

Thousands of immortal Fey had gathered on rooftops and the main thoroughfare. They cheered the arrival of the warriors returning from Celieria, but when they caught sight of Marissya and Dax in their robes of verdant green, a celebratory roar rose from the crowds. Celebration turned to tearful joy as more than a thousand former
rasa
returned to their city and loved ones for the first time in many long years.

Joy turned to awe as Fahreeta and Torasul stepped into view. Fahreeta roared and growled and held her shining wings high in a show of beauty and fierce majesty. She stopped occasionally to spout small jets of flame, much to the Fey's cheering delight. Torasul, stoic and deadly, padded with lethal grace at her side, lowering his head every now and again to glare at the Fey gathered along the avenue and bare a threatening fang, which made the warriors grin and bow.

Behind Fahreeta and Torasul marched Ellysetta's three hundred
lu'
tan,
and as they stepped into the streets of Dharsa, their voices rose in a song of their own, called "The Star of Chakai," which several of them had composed to celebrate the
shei'dalin
who restored their souls.

Finally, it was Rain and Ellysetta's turn to enter the city.

"Are you ready,
shei'tani?"
Rain's eyes were aglow with a mix of tenderness and pride.

Though the shy Celierian in her wanted to turn and flee, Ellysetta drew a deep breath and put her hand on his wrist.
"Aiyah,
I'm ready." Together they stepped from the sheltering avenue of trees onto the broad, white stone streets of Dharsa.

The moment she appeared, a deafening roar arose from the Fey.

"Ellysetta
Beilissa, Eiliss o Chakai.
Ellysetta the Bright, the Star of Chakai!"

The reverberant cry stole every ounce of breath from Ellysetta's lungs and startled thousands of birds into flight.

Ellysetta froze in dazed surprise. Fluttering wings filled the skies of Dharsa, and fragrant petals rained down from the blossoming orchards of the surrounding hills. From every road and rooftop garden, every path and walkway, the Shining Folk sang her name with breathtaking, boundless joy. Thousands of Fey hearts opened to her in an outpouring of love and welcome so abundant, so genuine, it stunned her to her soul.

The hand on Rain's wrist began to shake. Tears filled her eyes, turning vision to a watery blur until she could no longer see the faces of the thousands gathered to greet her. Never had she dared to dream of such a welcome.

"Meivelei, shei'tani."
Rain's Spirit whisper sounded oddly choked.
"Meivelei ti'Dharsa."

Somehow she kept walking, though her knees were quaking so hard she thought she would crumple in a puddle to the paving stones. The outpouring of love drew out her own magic, lighting her from within until she glowed bright as the star the
lu'
tans
had named her.

Behind them, Ellysetta's bloodsworn quintet followed in a protective semicircle, while Steli paced at the rear as the self-appointed sixth member of the quintet. The tairen strode like the
chakai
she was, proud, stately, her eyes gleaming sapphires in the pure white of her face. Her claws, half extended, clicked on the paving stones as she walked, and she held her wings unfurled in a show of protective might.

The procession halted at the base of Dharsa's central mount, where the five lords of the Massan and their
shei'dalin
truemates stood waiting. The warriors burst into their final song: a booming, joy-filled rendition of "Ten Thousand Swords." As the Fey voices built to a soaring crescendo, Fahreeta, Torasul, and Steli reared up on their hind legs, pawing the sky, roaring, and shooting jets of searing flame upward as their great wings beat the air: tairen rampant, the symbol of the Feyreisen's power. The three held their pose as the
lu'tan
sang in perfect, stirring pitch the song's final verse: "Ten thousand swords protect you, beloved of us all."

With a final roar that shook the ground like thunder, all three tairen leapt into the air. Mighty wings beat hard and fast, gaining speed and altitude until the tairen were circling the city overhead, the first true tairen to do so in a thousand years. They filled the skies with roars and flame, then soared north and disappeared from view.

Rain lifted his arms and called out both aloud and in a Spirit weave that carried to every corner of the city,
"Mioralas,
Fey!
Mioralas, kem'ilanis!
With pride, this Fey presents Ellysetta Feyreisa, truemate of the Tairen Soul, she who shines light on shadowed souls, restores hope where none remains, and brings fertility back to the Fey." He lifted her hand and raised it high.
"Miora felah ti'Feyreisa!"

The former
rasa
took up his cry:
"Miora felah ti'Feyreisa! Miorafelah ti'Feyreisen!"

The crowd burst into explosive cheers and applause, and thousands more Fey added their own voices to the exuberant cries.

Rain let his gaze sweep over the crowd, finding dozens of faces he knew, seeing the subtle nods that told him the message of this carefully orchestrated show had not gone unnoticed. And as his eyes met and held the gazes of the five Massan and their mates on the podium, he knew they had not misunderstood either.

If they had truly been considering Challenge, they'd just realized they were outmatched. Ellysetta had saved the
rasa
and been accepted by the tairen and, thanks to her powerful fertility weave, had brought the promise of life back to the Fading Lands in the form of Marissya v'En Solande's unborn Tairen Soul son.

Despite the looming threat of war, the gods were clearly smiling on the Fey once more. Thanks to Ellysetta Feyreisa, the Star of Chakai.

With a faint, deliberate smile, Rain leapt into the air, his body dissolving in a swirling cloud of rainbow-shot mist. Moments later, pure black, magnificent and deadly, his tairen form wheeled overhead. He swooped low over the crowds, and Ellysetta's
lu'tans
spun a whirling jet of Air that lifted her high and deposited her smoothly onto his back as he passed overhead.