I pray the gods will see me safely through the coming war, but should I perish, I do not want my last words to you to be those bitter sounds we exchanged at the North Gate. I would, instead, leave you with the truth I discovered that day in Capellas so many years ago. The truth that even now gives me courage to face whatever comes. That truth is this…

I love you, Annoura. I will love you forever, my good and valiant queen, my beloved wife, my soul’s eternal and truest mate. Ver reisa ku’chae. Kem surah, shei’tani.

Yours eternally,

Dorian

The parchment fluttered to the dead winter grass. Dorian’s wife pulled her knees up close to her chest like a child, covered her face with her hands, and let the harsh, broken sobs of loss and despair shake through her body.

Celieria ~ Edge of Verlaine Forest

9th day of Seledos

Rain woke to find himself lying on a cot beneath the fabric dome of a tent whose walls billowed gently in the winter wind. His head was on fire. Every muscle and bone in his body ached. He lifted his left arm and frowned at the sight of the spiraling Shadar horn strapped to his forearm, its pointed tip buried in the vein at his elbow.

What the flames? He reached for the ties cinching the horn to his arm.

“Don’t touch that.” The familiar voice rang with cool command.

Rain turned his head to frown at the white-haired Sheyl, who was standing beside a table on the far side of the tent.

“It’s the only thing holding you to sanity.”

He blinked at her in confusion. “What do you mean? And what are you doing here? “

“I am here because Farel called me when you were struck by a Mharog blade. We used the Shadar horn to draw the poison from your blood, but when we tried to remove the horn, you nearly killed the dahl’reisen helping me tend you. Farel says the bond madness is upon you—and that it hasn’t just begun.”

His mind was still so fuzzy, her words only half registered. “It began over a month ago. Not long after the first battle for Orest.” He put a hand to his head and massaged the ache at his temples. “Ellysetta has been helping me keep my barriers strong.”

Ellysetta.

He sat up so quickly his head spun. «Shei’tani!» He sent the call along their bond threads, but received no answer. She was still alive—he wouldn’t be if she weren’t—but something was preventing him from reaching her. His imagination flooded with all number of horrifying possibilities.

“Where is Ellysetta? What happened to her?”

Sheyl regarded him with a mix of compassion and regret. “She slew the Mharog. But in doing so, she took his poison—his Darkness—into herself and nearly extinguished her Light in the process. We had you together at first, but even unconscious, she kept trying to weave all her strength to you. We had to separate you in order to keep her alive.”

Rain flung the coverlet aside and swung his legs over the edge of the cot. “I must go to her.”

Sheyl started towards him. “Wait. You’re still not in any shape to—“

His head snapped around, and he shot her a glare so fierce she clamped her mouth shut and didn’t say another word as he pushed himself to his feet.

As he rose, the bulky horn knocked against his body, shifting in its straps, and the tip started to pull out of his arm. Instantly, voices in his head began to scream and the heat of unfettered Rage rose so fast he thought the top of his head would explode. He shoved the horn back deep into his arm and drew a shuddering breath when the madness faded.

“Let me do that.” Sheyl crossed the remaining distance between them and strapped the Shadar horn securely back in place. “There’s no need to rush to her side. The shei’dalins are with her. They’ve been working through the night to hold her to the Light.”

His head reared back. “Shei’dalins? There are shei’dalins here—near the dahl’reisen?”

“They came through the Garreval with warriors of the Fey. But do not fear. Once the Fey drew near, Farel and the dahl’reisen headed north to set up a separate camp to avoid causing trouble. They shielded their camp, and so far, the shei’dalins have shown no sign of sensing their presence.”

“Help me get dressed, then take me to Ellysetta.”

Sheyl sighed but acceded to his demands. Since there was no possibility of fitting his war armor over the Shadar horn, she helped him into a pair of black leather breeches and pulled a soft, loose-fitting, linen tunic over his head.

When she was done, Sheyl walked to the entrance of the tent and held the flaps open. “Come on, then. I’ll take you to your mate.” Her lips twisted in wry grimace. “Now that I think about it, you’ll probably do more with one touch to bring her back to us than a full day of shei’dalin healing has managed.”

Outside, a small city of tents had sprung up in what appeared to be a large clearing in the Verlaine Forest. The ground and the perimeter of the trees were black with char. A light drizzle fell from a dark, overcast sky, and the smell of scorched wood and earth hung heavy in the damp air. Skinned deer and small game were roasting over campfires.

“How long was I out?” Rain asked as they walked.

“All night and most of the day.”

A loud, roar rumbled across the sky, and Rain looked up. “The tairen are here?”

“Three of them,” Sheyl confirmed. “They came with the Fey from Kreppes and burned a path through the forest to reach you. Farel says they arrived only a chime or two after you fell. They burned out the rest of the Eld. No one wanted to risk moving you or the Feyreisa, so the dahl’reisen and your Fey just set up camp around you.”