Halfway hoping the knowledge would make her change her mind about blessing the rasa, Rain spread his hands and gave her the blunt truth. "Shei'tanitsa bond cannot form where any other holds sway. Tajik, Bel, and Gaelen have bloodsworn their souls to your service. That vow is binding in this life and the death that follows, which means there can be no shei'tanitsa bond for them until they are born again. A truemate's heart cannot be divided."

She swallowed and turned horrified eyes towards Bel, Gaelen, and Tajik. "You knew this, yet still you bloodswore yourselves to me? Why would you do such a thing?"

"Ellysetta, kem'falla, this is no burden," Bel said. "You restored our souls. Of course we pledged them to your service."

"But to give up any chance of a truemate of your own…"

"In this life only, kem'falla," Gaelen said. "We will be born to live again. Until then, we are free to accept love if we find it. The bonds of e'tanitsa are no less worthy and no less welcome to a Fey's heart, and for a warrior who has lived centuries unable to touch a fellana without causing her pain, even e'tanitsa love is a blessing beyond measure."

"But—"

"All great gifts come with a price, kem'falla," Gaelen said. "All choices come with consequence. And all Fey accept that."

"All men of honor, at least," Tajik said, giving Gaelen a pointed look. Gaelen's eyes narrowed.

Ignoring him, the Fey general cast out a hand towards the silvery white walls of Chakai on the other side of Taloth'Liera. "The rasa sleep there, kem'Feyreisa. If you still wish to bless them, I would ask you to begin with a particular two."

"I…" Ellysetta hesitated. She had never considered what cost her actions would have on the men she blessed. She'd thought only to stop their pain. And, all right, yes, some vain part of her liked seeing the wonder and joy on the warriors' faces when they realized the torment of all the lives they'd taken was gone. But how could she offer such healing now, knowing what price they would feel compelled to pay?

"I don't want to rob them of their hope for a truemate. It's bad enough I did that to you three without knowing it."

"Do not berate yourself for healing our souls, Ellysetta," Bel said. "The Fey number a mere forty thousand. If there were truemates to be had for us, we already would have found them."

"Yet Rain found me, and Adrial found Talisa," she pointed out. Though the ill-fated truemating of Air master Adrial vel Arquinas to Great Lord Cannevar Barrial's married daughter could only end badly—King Dorian had upheld the marriage rights of Talisa's husband, so Adrial could not claim her—Talisa Barrial diSebourne's mortal-born soul had nonetheless called a Fey's. "There could be more truemates in Celieria just waiting for their Fey to find them."

"The odds are unlikely, Ellysetta," Bel said gently. "How many other Celierian women descend from both Fey and Elvish blood, as she does? Nei, the rasa have already lost all but the smallest flicker of hope. Most of them will perish before their next battle's end—they are that close to shadow."

Rain shifted restlessly, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. "Which will in no way reflect on Ellysetta," he said, giving Bel a hard look. "The rasa live and die by the gods' decree, as they always have." He gripped Ellysetta's shoulders. "Shei'tani, if you are having doubts, then do not do this. The Eye of Truth said your purpose was to save the tairen; it said nothing about restoring light to the rasa. If the pain of their presence disturbs you too much, we can leave for Fey'Bahren now, without delay."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and troubled. "Is Bel right? Will those men die if I don't heal them?"

Right at that moment, Rain could cheerfully have put his hands around his best friend's throat and squeezed until his eyes popped. «Bel, my brother, what flaming maggot in your brain possessed you to tell her that?»

«I should have let her think she's stolen our hope instead?» Outrage colored Bel's voice. «What she can do is a miracle sent from the gods. I won't let her berate herself for it. Besides, you know as well as I do how many of the rasa cling to honor by the merest thread.»

«You are supposed to protect her from pain, not encourage her to embrace it!»

«And which do you think will be worse? The pain of knowing the rasa will have no truemates in this life, or the pain of knowing they chose sheisan'dahlein or slipped down the Dark Path when she could have healed them and did not?»

"Rain?" Ellysetta shook herself free of his grip and frowned up at him. "Answer me. Will the rasa die in the next battle if I don't heal them?"

His lips drew back, baring clenched teeth. He wished he could lie. He would lie to her now, if he could. But he was Fey, and Fey did not lie. "They live here, far from other Fey, because the shadow lies so dark upon them. If war comes, they will not survive it. At least not as Fey."

The admission hit her like a blow. She flinched and her face went pale. Then she caught herself, and Rain saw the reaction he'd been dreading. Her slender spine went stiff and straight. Her shoulders squared. Her jaw clenched, then lifted with a determined tilt. The small, now-familiar gestures made him want to shred things, starting with Bel and Gaelen.

Ellysetta Feyreisa had made her choice.

"Take me to the rasa."

When Rain held out his wrist so she could put her hand upon it, she looked startled.