Her fingers closed round the hilts of both knives and she yanked them free.

"'Ware!" one of the exorcists cried. "She's got blades!" He kicked out, catching her manacled hands with the toe of his boot. The two Fey'cha flew out of her hands and skittered across the room.

Ellysetta scrambled back away from him, her skirts tangling around her legs, hiding her calves and the thin, parallel cuts oozing beads of red blood.

Bel stood outside the Great Cathedral's Solarus door with the seemingly effortless stillness of a Fey warrior. Only his eyes moved, scanning the cathedral for the slightest hint of trouble. Beside him, Gaelen vel Serranis did the same.

At Bel's back, the utter silence emanating from the Solarus should have reassured him, but instead the tension humming through him intensified. He would have felt considerably better had Ellysetta sent him an occasional thought, just as the quintets stationed around the small island sent an update to him every ten chimes.

Suddenly every muscle in Bel's body stiffened. Beside him, Gaelen flinched as well.

Their eyes met in a fierce look, Fey First Blade to dahl'reisen leader, for once perfectly in accord. They turned in unison, hands raised, magic blazing to life, and loosed a joint five-fold weave powerful enough to turn the door into molten slag.

A concussion wave blasted back, flinging both of them and the rest of the quintet off their feet and smashing half a dozen pews into sawdust.

A soundless boom shook the Solarus, making the crystal chandeliers overhead shiver with a series of melodious, tinkling notes. Lauriana cried out in nervous fear.

The archbishop grabbed the edge of the altar to steady himself. "What was that?”

Father Bellamy cast a look at the Solarus door. "If I were to guess, I would say the Fey have realized what's going on in here and are trying to break in.”

The archbishop blanched and took a nervous step away from the Solarus door. He cast an accusing gaze at Bellamy. "I thought you said they wouldn't be able to detect the exorcism!”

"They should not have. But either someone betrayed our plans or this young woman has found a way to breach the holy wards of the Solarus and alert her Fey friends to our presence.”

The exorcist who'd kicked the Fey'cha out of Ellysetta's hand flipped back her skirt, baring the shallow, bleeding cuts on her leg. "The blades must have been bloodsworn," he spat. He shoved back his hood to reveal white-blond hair. "When she cut herself, she sent a call to the Fey who gave them to her.”

"Let me go," Ellie urged in a shaking voice. "They'll kill you all for this. Let me go now, before anyone gets hurt." She stared hard into her mother's gaze. "Mama, I know you mean well, but this is wrong. I'm Fey. That's where my magic comes from, not from demons. I'm not evil. My magic isn't evil. Please, let me go before something terrible happens.”

"Should we halt the exorcism?" Lauriana ventured.

"Where's your courage, woman?" one of the exorcists demanded. "Your daughter's soul is at stake. Surely that's worth a little risk on your part?”

"Do not fear, Madame Baristani," Father Bellamy soothed. He cast a repressive scowl at his underling. "The Fey cannot break through. This cathedral's Solarus was designed to withstand a direct assault by Mage Fire or a five-fold weave.”

"I'm not concerned about myself, but I have two other children and a husband. There's nothing to protect them from Fey wrath. Greatfather Tivrest promised me the Fey would not know about the exorcism.”

"Courage, madam. When we are done, the Fey will see your daughter is whole and unhurt, and they will have no reason to harm your family." Father Bellamy clasped a comforting hand on Lauriana's shoulder. "No great duty comes without risk, and saving your daughter's soul is the duty entrusted to you. Take comfort in knowing the Bright Lord rewards those who serve him with devotion."

"My lords," King Dorian said, addressing the assembled lords, "the time has come to cast your votes. Lord Corrias"-he turned to his prime minister-"begin the roll call.”

"Yes, Your Majesty." The prime minister opened his Council records book and turned to the voting logs. "The vote before the Council is the matter of the Eld Trade Agreement. Aye votes will tally in favor of passing the agreement into law. Nay votes will tally in opposition of the agreement. Lord Abelmar, how do you vote?”

In the upper reaches of the chamber, the young, recently entitled lord of a small fief near Swan's Bay rose to his feet. "Abelmar votes aye, ser.”

Bel sat up, rubbing his head. Flames scorch it; that had hurt. He and Gaelen should have put a hole in the wall large enough for a tairen to fly through, but considering the force of the recoil, it felt as though most of the energy had bounced right back at them.

«Ellysetta, are you all right?» He hauled himself to his feet. And froze in disbelief.

The Solarus door was not destroyed. It wasn't even scratched.

Gaelen growled a string of choice swear words. "The flaming room's been built to withstand a five-fold weave. It's warded against magic-and I'll wager beneath that gold finish, the door's entirely clad with sel'dor. Walls, too, probably.”

«Fey! Ti'Feyreisa! Get those weaves down! Call Rain!» Bel flung the command outward to all his men on the cathedral's small island.

«Demons!» The cry came back across the common Fey weave. «Rising out of the ground! Dozens of-» The Fey weave dissolved abruptly.