"It is beautiful," Ellie murmured as the last golden-red rays of sunlight glimmered on the water.

"Aiyah. Celieria has always been beautiful.”

As twilight settled over the city, the warm glow of candlelight rose up from thousands of street lamps to replace the brightness of the Great Sun. Once, long ago, the lamps had been lit by small armies of lamplighters carrying lit wicks from lamp to lamp, but now a Fey Fire-spell performed the task in one magical moment each evening. It was one of the gifts from the Fey, like the Velpin Water-cleansing spell, that had been bestowed centuries ago when Marikah vol Serranis became Celieria's queen.

"It's been a thousand years since last you were here," Ellie said. "What was it like then?”

"Not so different from now. Many of the buildings are new, which I would expect, given all the years that have passed, but the city itself remains remarkably unchanged. Except, of course, there are no Elden Mages wandering the streets and working their evil in the palace, thank the gods. And the only Fey here are the ones that came with Marissya.”

"Do the Fey despise all Eld, or just the Mage families?" He gave her a sharp look. "Why do you ask?”

She shrank back from the suspicion in his eyes and the sudden frightening fierceness of his expression. "N-no particular reason," she stammered. "I was just curious. A number of Eld families have come to live in Celieria over the last few decades—none from Mage lines, of course—but they've always been quite nice to me." His hand shot out to capture hers. "Who? Who are these Eld you have befriended?”

Shocked, she tried to pull her hand away. "I haven't befriended any of them," she protested. It wasn't technically a lie. Selianne wasn't Eld, she was Celierian born and bred. "And even if I had, it wouldn't be your business”

"You are my truemate. Any Eld folk who've befriended you are utterly my business. Give me their names, Ellysetta." When she set her jaw and remained stubbornly silent, his eyes narrowed. "Must I summon Marissya?”

Fear shot into Ellie's heart at the thought of the Truthspeaker invading her mind and stripping her soul bare, but even that frightening threat wasn't enough to make Ellie betray her dearest friend. Her spine went stiff. "If you ever order the shei'dalin to Truthspeak me, I assure you, I will never accept your bond.”

Rain released her hand as if it burned him and spun away.

Bel, who had fallen back to give them a measure of privacy, took one look at their set, angry faces and stepped forward to mend the breach. "Ellysetta, kem'falla, you must understand, we have dealt with the Eld for centuries before you were born. The Feyreisen has only your safety at heart. The Eld can do you great harm.”

"Because the Mages soul-bind their followers to them," Rain snarled, "enslaving them for their own evil purposes. Once a soul is claimed by the Mages, that person's will is no longer his own. A man would slay his own parents, even his own children, if the Mages ordered him to do so.”

A muscle flexed in Rain's jaw. Not even to please his shei'tani would he abandon a millennium of suspicion and outright hatred for all things Eld. What the Eld touched, they corrupted. Even an Eld who loved Ellysetta the woodcarver's daughter could be turned into a tool for the Mages to use against Ellysetta the Tairen Soul's mate. Through Ellysetta, the Mages could strike a mortal blow to the entire Fey race. "Promise me you will not go near anyone with Eld blood, especially not someone born in that cursed land." His voice was a whip cracking with the demand for complete obedience.

"But—”

"Nei! You are innocent of the evil in the world, Ellysetta. You have no idea what the Mages are capable of, what they will do to accomplish their goals." Her chin was set stubbornly, and Rain forced himself to take a deep breath. For thousands of years, the daughters of Celieria had been taught obedience from the cradle. How was it that his shei'tani was the one Celierian girl in the whole miserable kingdom who had not? "Ellysetta … shei'tani … I am sorry I threatened to summon Marissya. I should not have done so. But promise me you will never again go near these Eld. The danger is too great. Even to them. Your presence would bring them to the attention of the Mages.”

Her out-thrust chin lowered. Uncertainty crept into her expression. That possibility had obviously not occurred to her. "They would be in danger because of me?”

"The gravest danger.”

Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them back quickly, but he saw them. And the sight nearly broke his heart. "You have my word," she vowed, her voice barely audible.

"Beylah vo. Thank you." He reached out, wanting to comfort her and mend the breach between them, but she turned away and took a quick step to avoid his touch. He grimaced. Less than one day into his courtship and he'd already all but alienated his shei'tani completely. Marissya would scorch his ears if she knew how badly he was bungling.

Gravel crunched beneath his booted heel as he turned, looking for something, anything, to distract Ellysetta. His eyes fell upon the twins, who had ceased playing Stones and were now begging Kieran and Kiel to show them some Fey magic.

"So you would like to see Fey magic, would you?" The forced heartiness in his own voice sounded false to Rain’s ears, but the twins didn't seem to notice. Their eyes lit up and their little mouths curved wide in eager grins.

"Oh, yes, My Lord Feyreisen! Please!”