The best I can give him—could ever give him once Dorian upheld Talisa's marriage—is this time to watch over and protect her until..."

Rain's voice trailed off, but Ellysetta knew what he'd left unspoken. The madness caused by an unfulfilled matebond would eventually take hold of Adrial's mind, as it did all Fey males who found their truemates but could not complete their bond. When that happened, Adrial would either commit sheisan'dahlein, the honor death, or Rowan would have to kill his brother—at the cost of his own soul,

"We are grateful for that much," Rowan said. "Even though he cannot let her know he's here, at least he can watch over her when she sleeps at night and keep her safe from harm. That brings him a measure of peace."

Ellysetta's heart ached. Rowan, the laughing prankster of her first quintet, had been drained of all humor and happiness. He was watching his brother die a slow and painful death, and she knew each terrible day killed a piece of his own soul.

"We must get back to the king," Rain said. "Before we go, Rowan, you should know we think there are Mages at work in the city, possibly even inside the palace. Have you seen or heard anything suspicious since you've been here?

"No hint of Azrahn, if that's what you mean."

"Do you know who is fostering the increased hostility towards the Fey?"

Rowan shrugged. "Talisa doesn't come to the palace much. She spends most of her days in her father's house in the company of her brothers, and we stay with her. From what little we've seen, most of the public discord comes from the same group as last time. Sebourne and his cronies. The queen. A few of the lesser lords looking to gain power."

"Keep your eyes and ears open, and not just for that." Rain told him quickly about Truthspeaking the Mage and what they'd learned. "Stay alert. If you see or hear anything suspicious, send a private weave to Bel straightaway. Don't use the Warriors' Path, in fact, you shouldn't even use it amongst yourselves."

"Understood." Rowan bowed his head in acknowledgment of the command.

Rain glanced at the closed door to the bedroom where Adrial lay in his weave-induced sleep. "Tell Adrial I am sorry I did not have a chance to speak with him. As soon as we finish with the king, Ellysetta and I head for Danael and Elvia."

"I will tell him."

Rain held out a hand. "May we meet again in happier times, kem’chajeto."

Rowan clasped his forearm. "Gods will it so, Rain."

Bel and Gaelen bade Rowan their own farewells; then they and Rain exited the room. Rowan's spine remained straight, his shoulders squared, as they filed out the door, and when they were gone, he drew a shaky breath and returned to the bedroom where his brother lay. "We should go, too."

Ellysetta followed him. "Teska, let him sleep." She stood with Rowan at the bedside, looked down at his sleeping brother. Adrial's lashes lay thick and dark on his pale cheeks, and his hair spilled like a skein of black silk across the pillows. The tension had faded from his face, leaving tender, youthful beauty in place of his hard warrior's mask. His hands lay across the chest that her lu’tans had stripped of steel. "He looks so peaceful."

Rowan murmured a wordless agreement. "It's a shame he can't just sleep like this until Talisa is free to complete their bond."

The moment he spoke, it was as if a great Light suddenly burst forth from the darkness. Ellysetta looked up at Rowan, hope sparking in her eyes. "Why couldn't he?"

"Why couldn't he what?"

"Sleep like this until she is free to come to him?" Excitement shot through her. "Rowan, that's it!" She grabbed his arms. "Just like the Fey tale of the sleeping princess."

"What Fey tale? What are you talking about?"

"Have you never heard the Fey tale about the sleeping princess? An evil witch spurned by a handsome king took her revenge on him by cursing his firstborn child to prick her finger on a rose and— Oh, never mind about the Fey tale." She waved her hand dismissively. "Why can't we put Adrial in a weave that keeps him sleeping peacefully until Talisa lives out her life with Lord diSebourne? Then when Lord diSebourne dies, she will be free to go to Adrial"

"But that could be decades from now."

She laughed. "What's a little time to the immortal Fey? Rowan, don't you see? She could go to the Fading Lands as a ninety-year-old crone and the shei'dalins could heal her back to youth. Her age would make no difference. Keeping Adrial safe from the bond madness is all that matters."

"You're assuming the bond madness won't afflict him if he's sleeping."

She nodded. "Yes, I am. But it's a chance, at least. All he faces now is certain death."

Rowan frowned down at his sleeping brother. "I don't know. Nothing like this has ever been done."

"There has to be some sort of weave the shei'dalins could spin on him. The Fey made the Faering Mists, and that takes people out of time. If they could spin a similar weave on Adrial—or even put him to sleep and take him into the Mists to wait for Talisa. Then Talisa's quintet could continue to watch over her and bring her to the Fading Lands when she's free."

"The Mists do take people out of time," Rowan agreed. "It's possible whatever weaves the Fey spun to create the Mists are still recorded somewhere in the Hall of Scrolls."

"We can ask Tealah to look into it. She's the Keeper of the Hall of Scrolls now."