“And Orest?” he asked. “What news from our friends there?”

“Not good.”

Bel’s expression went grim. “Orest fell last night. Lord Teleos was nearly slain, but the Fey got him through the Veil and to the shei’dalins in time for healing. The Fey managed to evacuate the upper city and part of Maiden’s Gate, but the rest…” He shook his head. “All told, we lost at least two thousand Fey and another five thousand Celierians—along with two of the tairen.”

“And the Eld?”

“Six of the dragons went down. We estimate we took out two companies of Elden soldiers and about two hundred Mages.”

“Four thousand men and two hundred Mages. And we lost seven thousand?”

Bel nodded. “Polwyr and his men opened portals all over the city. The fezaros came riding through with that potion of theirs again, and the Fey were so busy fending off demons, Mages, and darrokken and evacuating everyone they could through the Veil, they didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.”

Seven thousand lost. Seven thousand. When the allies didn’t have two thousand to spare.

Farel’s four hundred bloodsworn dahl’reisen had just become even more valuable to Rain than before. To him and the Fey.

He shared a troubled gaze with Ellysetta. He wasn’t sure how well her quintet would take the news about the dahl’reisen lu’tan—especially Gil and Tajik. He didn’t even want to think about the reaction of the other Fey. The ones who’d broken with Tenn and the Massan to support him might well reconsider their decision when they found out what he’d done.

«You know we have to tell them about Farel and his men,» Ellysetta said on a private weave.

«I know, and we will,» Rain replied. Just as soon as he could muster the courage to do so.

The conversation was not going to be a pleasant one.

“You let dahl’reisen bloodswear themselves to your shei’tani? Have you lost your mind?”

Rain and Ellysetta both winced at Eimar v’En Arran’s outrage. He was taking the news much worse than Ellysetta’s quintet had done earlier.

Once the lu’tan got past their initial shock, they had appreciated the benefit of ensuring that the dahl’reisen would not harm Ellysetta and could not fall farther into Shadow. Just to be sure, however, Rain had sent Gaelen and the rest of Ellysetta’s primary quintet on ahead, to meet with Farel and determine if the lute’ashieva bonds would indeed hold strong against the temptation of a restored soul.

“The dahl’reisen saved our lives,” Ellysetta told Eimar. “Many of them sacrificed themselves so Rain and I could escape the Eld. They aren’t the honorless rultsharts you believe them to be.”

“They walk the Shadowed Path!” Eimar exclaimed. “They chose it!”

“They didn’t choose it!” Ellysetta retorted. “At least not the way you mean. They simply chose not to die. They suffered so much in defense of the Fading Lands, they lost the ability to feel anything but pain and anguish. And even then, they chose to stay alive, to suffer unimaginable torment so they could defend the very people who reviled them.”

“Bah!” Eimar shook his head, making the crystal bells in his hair chime. “They had an honorable choice—sheisan’dahlein—and they did not take it.”

“Rain and I had a choice as well—to weave Azrahn or let the tairen die. Did we choose wrong, too? “

The Air master scowled. “That was different.”

“Not according to Tenn and the rest of the Massan,” she reminded him.

“Those villagers you met on your way from the Garreval—those are the families of these dahl’reisen,” Rain said. “Among them is a Celierian-born woman who truemated the son of a dahl’reisen. Truemated, Eimar. And they have children—including a daughter who possesses Fey gifts.”

The first appearance of doubt eclipsed the outrage on Ei-mar’s face. “That’s impossible.”

“So I always believed, but I was wrong. We Fey have clung to our honor, and our women are barren. These dahl’reisen have clung to their lives, despite their dishonor, and their women bear young—even young capable of truemating. We need to know why, Eimar.”

“You don’t need to let them bloodswear to the Feyreisa to figure that out.”

“Nei, I don’t,” Rain agreed. “But we’re also in a war, and we’re short on blades. The dahl’reisen leader, Farel, has asked to meet with me and Ellysetta this afternoon. With the shei’dalins and the other Fey here, Farel and his men aren’t sure how best to honor their lute’asheiva bonds. They will not come near the other fellanas, but they cannot go far from Ellysetta. Farel also tells me there are other dahl’reisen who wish to bloodswear themselves to Ellysetta and fight openly for the Fading Lands once more.”

Eimar spread his hands. “What do you want from me?”

“I sent Ellysetta’s quintet on ahead to meet with Farel and observe the other dahl’reisen who wish to bloodswear to my mate. If, after their evaluation, her chakor has no objections, Ellysetta and I will travel to the dahl’reisen camp to accept the other bonds. I want you to come with us. I want you to see these dahl’reisen for yourself, then tell me whether or not you can fight alongside them.”

Celieria ~ Dahl’reisen Camp

Stiff wariness infused the warriors of Ellysetta’s primary quintet as six dahl’reisen stepped out of the forest and into the open fields of Celieria. Bel, Tajik, Rijonn, and Gil watched the scarred Fey with undisguised distrust, while the dahl’reisen returned their gazes with defiance mingled with faint hints of shame.