Dorian frowned after the Feyreisen's rapidly departing figure.

"The tairen are creatures of great power and great ferocity," Dax murmured. "So, likewise, are the Tairen Souls, and with them temper is always closer to the surface than with other Fey. It is worse for our king, because of shei'tanitsa." Dorian turned and gave Dax a cool look. "You should never apologize for your king.”

"I do not apologize, bond-nephew. I merely explain."

Ellie glanced at her escort of sword-bristling shadows and sighed. She'd hoped to enjoy a quiet outing in the park with her sisters before completing the rest of her day's obligations, but "quiet," it seemed, was a quality she'd lost when she'd inadvertently called Rain Tairen Soul out of the sky.

Despite her objections, all thirty of the warriors who'd accompanied her this morning had insisted on following her to the park as well. They'd posted themselves throughout the park and surrounding streets, drawing all manner of attention and increasing the crowds of curious bystanders. It was just as well Mama had stayed behind at the Grand Cathedral with Father Celinor to discuss the upcoming ceremonies in more detail and make her daily devotions. She'd have curled up in shame over the attention such a conspicuous Fey presence was drawing.

On the bright side, at least the twins were having fun. Earlier, Kieran had made them toys out of Earth magic—a little bear that walked and roared, a tiny kitten that sat in the palm of Lorelle's hand and meowed sweetly, a small yellow bird that tweeted when Lillis stroked its silky feathers. In return, the twins brought their own little gifts to Kieran—a gaily painted wooden top their father had made, a small rag doll with red yarn hair and green button eyes.

He accepted the gifts, to the girls' delight, and let the teasing of his fellow Fey roll off his back. He was courting a pair of infants, the warriors joked, and the infants were courting him back. Lorelle hadn't taken too kindly to being called an infant, and had promptly and fiercely set the record straight. The warriors now bowed and called her "Little Fey'cha" just as the blond warrior Kiel did, which seemed to suit Lorelle just fine. A delicate, tinkling laugh chimed, and Ellie groaned. The day had just gone from bad to worse. She tracked the familiar laugh back to a crowd of twittering local beauties drawn by all the handsome Fey warriors in the park. In the midst of the crowd stood Ellie's nemesis, the golden-haired, Fey- beautiful Kelissande Minset. Her large, limpid blue eyes, exactly the same pure blue as a summer sky, flirted beneath thick rows of fluttering brown lashes. The delicate heart- shaped face and lush red lips that had brought countless suitors calling over the years now smiled invitingly at the Fey.

Ellie couldn't prevent the stab of envy she felt any more than she could have stopped the pang of wistfulness. She had always longed for a complexion as smooth and creamy as the one Kelissande guarded beneath a wide-brimmed hat and delicate blue parasol, for a figure as petite and curvaceous as the one so exquisitely displayed in a form-fitting powder-blue gown of Capellan silk overlaid with delicate Elvian lace.

Ellie watched from the corner of her eye as Kelissande sauntered towards her. Ellie was instantly and painfully aware of the grass stains on her skirts, the sturdy woolen cloth and simple cotton of her navy dress and white chemise, and the unruly hair that had snuck free of its plait to wave in wild tendrils about her face.

"Hello, Ellie." Kelissande's voice was a honeyed whisper, a perfection of sound cultivated by years of speech tutoring. "Hello, Kelissande.”

"I heard the most amazing story," Kelissande announced, "but I didn't believe it was true until just now" She eyed Bel, Rowan, and Adrial and flashed them a beguiling smile. "People are saying that a Fey warrior has claimed you as his mate”

"The Feyreisen has claimed her," Bel corrected before Ellie could answer. "More than just a warrior." He took a step closer to Ellysetta.

She looked up at him in surprise. His face was expressionless, his eyes flat. That was when she became aware of the tension that tingled in the air. The humor that had danced so subtly between the warriors only moments before was Completely erased. Ellie blinked. The Fey were not watching Kelissande with the goggle-eyed admiration Ellie expected. Rather, they had once again affected the stone-faced demeanor that had become as much a hallmark of Fey warriors as the weapons that adorned them. How odd.

Kelissande appeared blithely unaware that she was surrounded by lethal killers. "The Tairen Soul? Isn't he the crazy one who almost destroyed the world?”

Irritation flashed. "He's not crazy." Ellie got to her feet. "Girls, would you like to play Stones?”

"Yes! Yes!" The twins jumped up and raced off to round up a group of local children.

"Will you join us, Kelissande?" Ellie asked politely, though only because she was certain of refusal.

The West End's reigning beauty did not disappoint her. Giving a delicate shudder, Kelissande declared, "And ruin my dress playing a silly child's game? Of course not. Unlike some girls I could name, I'm too mature for such nonsense.”

"That's right," Ellie murmured, her hand closing about the hilt of the dagger at her waist. "You're older than I am. Your twenty-fifth birthday is only a few weeks away, isn't it?”

"Four months," Kelissande snapped.

Ellie shook her head. "Who'd ever have thought I would be wed before you?”

"I'm still trying to decide which of my ten suitors to select." Kelissande closed her parasol with a quick jerk. "And who'd ever have thought you, Ellie Spindle-Shanks, would have any suitors at all? Let alone two. Of course, calling a crazy half-man and that loathsome little slug Den Brodson `suitors' may be a bit of a stretch.”