Queen of Song and Souls (13 page)

"What sort of information?"

She sighed. "We're outside the Fading Lands, outside whatever protection the Mists might have offered me. I bear four Mage Marks. Two more and the Mage will own my soul."

"That won't happen." He looked up, his eyes fierce. "I won't let it."

She laid her palm on the side of his race and smiled sadly. "Beloved, if we can't complete our bond, how
could
you possibly stop it?" He would die to protect her. Of that, she had no doubt, but it wouldn't be enough. "The risk is there, whether we want to admit it or not. So I went to Gaelen to ask what I should expect, and what sort of danger I would pose to the rest of you."

She motioned Gaelen over, then called the rest of her quintet as well. "Bel, Tajik, Gil, Rijonn, come closer. You four need to hear this, too."

When the warriors had gathered, she nodded to Gaelen. "Tell Rain and my
cha'kor
what happens to people with each successive Mage Mark. Tell them what you told me yesterday."

The former
dahl'reisen
lifted his chin. "As I told the Feyreisa, the first three Marks give the Mage access to the soul only during times of weakness. After that, the fourth and fifth Marks break down the victim's will and the barriers to his"—Gaelen paused, and a small tic near the spot where his
dahl’reisen
scar had once edged the corner of his eye made his lashes twitch—"or her—soul and mind."

“Tell Rain what will happen to me."

Gaelen held Rain's gaze and revealed the truth with blunt honesty. "With four Marks, she will begin to have thoughts and reactions that are not her own. She must learn to guard her mind because the Mage will be able to sense strong emotions and use them against her. He will use that power to sow doubt and fear, to isolate her from you and all others who would protect her. He will coax her into weaving Azrahn again so he can place more Marks upon her. After the fifth Mark, it will not be safe to have her witness military planning or be privy to any information we do not want the Mage to know. He will be able to pull it from her and use what she knows to his advantage."

With each word that fell from Gaelen's lips, Ellysetta felt Rain's temper rise, born of fear for his mate. "There won't be a fifth Mark," he interrupted. His eyes had begun to glow, the elongated pupils narrowing to catlike slits.

Ellysetta laid a hand on his arm. "Let him finish, Rain."

"At five Marks," Gaelen continued, "the Mage will be able to use her senses as extensions of his own. His hold on her is strongest at night and especially in her dreams. That is when Ellysetta will be both the most dangerous and in the most danger, because at those times he will be able to exercise a portion of his power over her. If he gains access to her mind while she is dreaming, he will be able to control her actions. He could command her to come to him, to lay a trap for any of us, even to kill."

"When you were with the
dahl'reisen,
did you ever see that happen?" Ellysetta asked.

"Only at the beginning. And only a handful of times. We quickly learned how many Marks a
dahl’reisen
could bear before he became a danger to the rest of us."

"How many was that?" Gil asked, his starry black eyes merciless and intent.

Gaelen glanced at Ellysetta. "Three."

Rain's spine went stiff. "Ellysetta is no danger to us. You will not even let the thought enter your mind. She is the Feyreisa. She was sent here to save the tairen and the Fey. She has sacrificed much to do just that."

She put a hand over his. "
Las
, Rain. Truth doesn't change just because we don't like it. It's better to know the worst that can happen so we can prepare for it." Even though Gaelen was only repeating what he'd told her yesterday, her heart was fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird, and her palms had gone clammy. "Gaelen, did some of those
dahl'reisen
become dangerous after the fourth Mark?"

Gaelen waged a silent, icy battle of wills with Rain before nodding.
"Aiyah.
After that, we took no chances. Anyone with four Marks died on his own blade—or ours."

Rain growled and leapt to his feet. He dragged Ellysetta up with him and shoved her behind him, putting his body and his blades between her and the rest of the quintet. "Try it, vel Serranis, and you will be the one to die. I promise you."

"Las,
Rain." Ellysetta tried to spin a soothing, weave on him, but he would not be calmed.

"Nei las"
he snapped. "I scorched the world once to avenge Sariel's death. I’ll scorch it again before I allow anyone to harm you."

"
Parei
! Stop!" Unmindful of the danger, she grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her. "Don't even think such a thing. You saw the same vision in the Eye that I did. And that was bad enough... but Rain, when I was in that Mage's mind yesterday morning, I learned something else. Something worse. The High Mage doesn't just want to enslave my soul and force me to do his bidding. He means to take over my body."

His spine stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he intends to live inside me. To become me—or rather, to wear my body and use my magic as his own."

"I don't understand."

The Mages manipulate souls, Rain. They aren't immortal like the Fey. They're long-lived, but their bodies age and die. So they find a new body—someone young, someone with powerful magical gifts—and then they transfer their soul into that body. They call it 'incarnating.' And that's why the High Mage is so desperate to capture me—he wants to incarnate into my body. That's why he made me. He doesn't want to command Tairen Souls to do his bidding—he wants to be a Tairen Soul."

Rain reeled back in horror. "The Mage in Orest—you learned all this from him?"

"Aiyah.
And it can't be allowed to happen. You saw the same vision in the Eye that I did. You know what will happen if the Mage soul-claims me. Death would be by far the kinder end—for all of us." She met Rain's gaze. «
Steli
has
already sworn
to do it, so you need not.»

His face crumpled.

She laid a palm over his heart and sent him all the love in hers. Her lips trembled when his eyes filled with a shimmer of tears. When first he'd flown into her life, he'd been so wounded by loss and full of despair, he had lost the ability to cry. As his
shei'tani,
she was supposed to bring him joy, but so far it seemed all she'd done was melt his heart enough so he could hurt again.

«
It's
the only way,
shei’tan
.» She lifted her hands to cup his face, thumbing away his tears.
«If we cannot complete our
bond, I must die before the Mage completes his
claiming. I saw in
my
nightmare what would happen if we don't. I saw your death.
Felt your soul severed for all eternity from mine. I won't let that
happen. I can't. Death offers us hope, at least. Not for this life,
but for another."»

«Ellysetta
...»

«Shh. My soul has found yours now. It will not forget. As long
as the Mage does not
complete his claiming, I will find you again.
Whether it takes one lifetime or a thousand, we will be together, just as the gods intended.»*

He bent his head. His arms crushed her to him while his lips touched hers with exquisite tenderness.
«Ver reisa ku'chae,
Ellysetta. Kem surah,
shei'tani. In this life and in every life yet to
come.»

She filled her hands with the silk of his hair and her lungs with the warmth of his breath.
«I will hold you to that, shei'tan.
Even if I never come to trust myself
enough to complete the bond,
you I trust
without question . . . and I love you even more than
that.»
Her mental voice hitched.
«But you and I both know, we
must prepare for the worst.»

His forehead touched hers in surrender. «
I know. Though
every spark of my being cries out
against it, I know.»

When Rain released her, he stepped to the side so she could see Gaelen and the others once more. "The tairen have already promised to ensure I never become that monster the Eye of Truth showed us," she told them. "But now I need your promises as well. If for some reason, Steli and the tairen cannot see it done, I want your Fey oath that you will. Rain cannot, so the duty falls to you. You will not be breaking your lute'asheiva vow. You will not be harming me. You will be saving me."

"We cannot, Ellysetta " Bel said. "Our souls are bloodsworn to yours. If you died by our hands, we would become Mharog— evil beings so foul even the Mages fear them. We cannot do this. Not even to honor your command."

She glanced around the circle at each member of her bloodsworn quintet. One by one, they dropped their eyes until only Bel and Gaelen held her gaze.

"Vel Jelani is right," Gaelen said. "No
lu’tan
can harm you. Not even to save the world."

Her shoulders slumped. "Then we must find someone who can—or I must do it myself. I don't know how much time I have left."

Rain's brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I think the Mage has already begun to influence my thoughts. First with Aartys, then again yesterday with the Mage, and this morning with that nightmare. Gaelen says he should not have been able to reach me through all those shields, but I can't think of what else could have caused that dream. I think part of him is in me, Rain, whispering to me, just as Gaelen said."

Rain went still as stone. He searched her face intently, as if looking for some hint of the Mage's presence, then said, "The Elves. We will go to the Elves. Hawksheart can see everything that was, is, or ever will be through that infernal Dance of his. If there's a way for us to complete our bond or rid you of the Mage's Marks, he'll know it."

"I thought you didn't trust him."

Rain gave a short, bitter laugh. "I don't, but what choice do we have? You're already willing to sacrifice your life to save your soul. What greater price could the Elf king demand than that?" He shook his head. "Much as I dislike them. Elves are no friends of the Dark. Celieria will have to wait. We head south, to Navahele."

"Rain,
nei."
This was exactly what she'd been afraid he'd say. "It will take more than a week to get to Elvia and back. Celieria doesn't have that much time. We must go to Celieria City first to warn King Dorian about the High Mage's impending attack, then to Danael to ask for their help. After that's done, we can go to Elvia."

His brows climbed up to his hairline. "Are you mad? Ellysetta, you've just convinced me I must accept your murder rather than risk your getting a sixth Mark. We go to Elvia first, and that's the end of it."

Ellysetta scowled. "We've been over this a hundred times. If Celieria falls, we've already lost. We can't hold out against the Eld alone. We need Celieria and the Danae."

"And if you fall to the Mage, you think there will be a different outcome?"

"You're being impossible!"

"And you're a raving crack-skull if you think for one instant that we're going to run around the countryside seeking allies while the High Mage freely torments you in your dreams!"

They glared at each other, sweet murmurs of love and devotion replaced by fiery temper and stubbornness.

Gaelen cleared his throat. "There is a way to help buffer her from the Mage. Something we have not tried yet."

"And what is that?” Rain snapped.

"Let me add Azrahn to her shields. It isn't a permanent solution, but it should buy us enough time to take our news to Celieria and still reach Navahele before the worst comes to pass."

Rain's teeth came together with an audible click. His jaw worked, as if the mere thought left a foul taste in his mouth. "Spit and scorch me." He threw up his hands. "Fine. Do it. I've already blackened my honor beyond repair. What's one more stain upon it?" He glared at Ellysetta and thrust a finger in her face. "One day, Ellysetta. One day in Celieria City. Then we leave for Elvia, no matter what."

"Danael first, then Elvia. There's no sense crossing the entire continent three times," she pointed out when Rain opened his mouth to object. "Besides, if we go to Elvia first, the Danae will be too late to help even if they do agree to fight."

Rain ground his teeth. "Fine. One day in Celieria City. Then we head straight to Danael and Elvia."

"Agreed."

Ten chimes later, Rain took to the air with his Azrahn shielded truemate on his back and the Fey began to run, heading east towards Celieria City.

Ellysetta turned for one final look at the Mists-enveloped mountains that marked the borders of the Fading Lands, wondering if she would ever see those Mists again—or the beloved family trapped within.

She closed her eyes briefly and sent up a silent prayer.
Adelis,
Bright One, Lord of Light, no matter what happens to me, please,
watch over the ones I love. Shine your Light upon their Path and keep them safe from harm.

The Faering Mists

Lillis sat up with a groan and lifted a shaky hand to her pounding head. Perhaps she shouldn't have left the place where she'd first woken up after all.

Wandering blind on a shattered mountain came with many a deadly peril—including roots and stones to trip small feet, razor-sharp rocks, abrupt dropoffs, and trails so steep a billy goat wouldn't tread them. Even so, she'd managed to survive most of the dangers with only a few minor bumps, bruises and cuts . .. until the ground disappeared beneath her feet.