"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."