Rain inclined his head. "A most generous offer, my lord. It would be our honor to attend." He offered an arm clasp and a traditional Fey warrior's greeting which roughly translated to "Sharp blade, sure aim, swift strike.”

Teleos returned the greeting in perfectly accented Feyan and added on the common Spirit path, «You can count on my support, My Lord Feyreisen. Both my voice in Council and my sword, if you need it. These are unsettling times, but I fear much worse is yet to come.»

«Beylah vo, young blade brother,» Rain answered. «And for a son of Shanis's line who guards the Veil, the doors of the Warrior's Academy in Dharsa are always open. When you wish it, I will send a warrior to guide you through the Mists.»

Lord Teleos's eyes widened.«You honor me.”

That was very kind of you,» Ellysetta sent as they walked away.

«Not entirely unselfish,» Rain admitted. «Any man who guards the Veil should be Fey-trained in weapons and war. You liked him?”

«Very much. More than anyone we've met so far.»

«Good. I liked him, too.»

In sharp contrast to Lord Teleos, Lord Morvel was a towering iceberg of a man with thick, unpowdered white hair, a hawklike nose, large nostrils, and piercing blue eyes. After a brief, chilly greeting, those eyes speared Ellie, delved ruthlessly into her very soul, then withdrew with an indecipherable look that left her wondering if he despised her or simply found her unworthy of even that much of his great regard. She was in good company. Lord Morvel's dissecting gaze fell upon Rain and withdrew with the same results.

"Let me be frank," Lord Morvel said bluntly. "I'm not offering marriage to any of my noble sons or grandsons. But I do have a son, duAlbuth, whose mother was my armorer's daughter. I've had him trained in warfare, and he currently serves in my infantry. Marriage to a woodcarver's daughter would not insult his lineage, given his already-common stock. I would, of course, expect a dowry at least as generous as what you gave the butcher, so he could purchase a lower- gentry title and a bit of land and still have enough to ensure advantageous marriages for his own children.”

"I see." To his credit, Rain did not pull steel. "And what might the Fey receive in return—besides the gracious offer of blood-ties to the House of Morvel and an opportunity for the Feyreisa's sisters to ascend beyond their lowly roots?”

If Morvel noted his sarcasm, he showed no sign of it. "The king shared your concerns about the Eld with the Twenty. I have eight castles on the Elden March between Eastmere and Norwal, each capable of garrisoning between one and two thousand men. If it's men on the Marches you want, I can help … depending on the outcome of our negotiations, of course.”

"Of course." Rain smiled without a hint of warmth reaching his eyes and bowed his head. "I look forward to further discussions. Dax and I will call on you tomorrow.”

«Never,» Ellysetta bit out as she and Rain shook off that wintry encounter and moved on to greet the next group of nobles. «Never will either of my sisters wed into that man's family. And I don't care if the entire world depends on it.”

«Las, shei'tani. An offer is not a betrothal. Besides, you heard him say everything was negotiable. Woodcarver's blood may insult him, but he seems rather fond of Fey gold—and you did notice, I hope, that I let his insults pass without challenge.”

«I expected them to insult me, not Lillis and Lorelle,» she admitted, then looked up sheepishly. «I was ready to go for his throat myself.”

Rain's teeth bared in a predator's smile. «Release me from my oath, and I will make him scream for forgiveness.» When she didn't, he sighed with mock disappointment. «More's the pity. So, aside from his insulting arrogance, what did you think of him? Does he strike you as a man of honor? Is he someone a Fey can trust, once he gives his word?”

She stopped in her tracks and gaped at him. "How should I know?" Surprise made her blurt it aloud. "I'm no shei'dalin to read the truth in a man's soul.”

Rain wove a quick web of magic to catch her words and keep them from traveling. « Silently, Ellysetta. Corrias is recording every word for his report to Dorian and the queen. And as for reading a man's soul, aiyah, you can. You've been doing a shei'dalin's service all evening.»

«What?» Her eyes went wide with shock, then narrowed as her brows drew together. «Is that why you've been asking for my opinions all night? Not to put me at ease, but to use me? Or rather, to get me to use the magic you claim I possess?»

«You do possess magic, Ellysetta. Denying it won't change that.

And nei, I was not using you. If anything, I was testing you. Marissya has already read most of the nobles at this gathering. You read every one of them exactly as she did. Exactly, Ellysetta. Do you honestly believe it's pure coincidence that your intuition aligns perfectly with the reading of our most powerful shei'dalin?»

Her anger faltered, shaken by the possibility he was telling the truth. She'd always had a sense about people. Her father often asked for her opinion before making a purchase from a vendor he didn't know. "You have an eye for an honest man, Ellie-girl," he'd always praised, and she'd never thought more of it than that. Now Rain claimed her "eye for an honest man" was magic. Shei'dalin magic.

"My Lord Feyreisen?" Lord Corrias turned back to them. "Is there a problem?”