Lord of the Fading Lands

Beylah vo: thank you (literally, thanks to you)

My beloved is the sun

And I am the earth that thrives only in her warmth.

My beloved is the rain

And I am the grass that thirsts for her quenching kiss.

My beloved is the wind

And I am the wings that soar when she fills me with her gentle strength.

My beloved is the rock

Upon which rests the happiness of all my days.

—The Elements of Love, a poem by Aileron v’En Kavali of the Fey

Ellysetta’s nightmares did not return, and Rain filled her sleeping ears with whispered words, things a man only said to his mate. Some of the words made her moan a little, others made her smile. And when he finally left her just before the dawn, her fingers clung to him and she gave a little cry of protest in her sleep as he slipped away.

Rainier vel’En Daris, the young Tairen Soul, had lost countless dear friends, his family, his mate, even his own sanity, to save Celieria once before. Rainier vel’En Daris Feyreisen, the Defender of the Fey, would not risk another drop of precious Fey blood to protect ungrateful fools who willfully blinded themselves to the truths and wisdom of the past.
And he would scorch the world ten times over before exposing Ellysetta to the evil of Elden Mages

the Mages more commonly known as Azrahn, thrived in the night. The darker the sky, the greater his magic, and the more powerful the spells he could cast

Rain’s face cleared and he shook his head. “We are talking at cross-purposes. You speak of love, while I speak of something far greater. You are my shei’tani, the other half of my soul. It is a bonding so deep I could never hope to deny it, even if that was my desire. Feelings of the heart are nothing compared to that

coast, there are pella trees, white sand beaches, and crystal waters like this. In the north, where the Feyls meet the sea, the beaches are black and the waters are a deep, deep blue.”
“Tairen like the water, don’t they?”
His eyes warmed and the fierceness of his handsome features softened, making him seem more approachable and somehow even more staggeringly handsome. “Aiyah, they do indeed.”
Ellie’s heart turned somersaults inside her chest. “Tell me about the tairen.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything. What do they look like? Are they the same as you when you are a tairen?”
“Aiyah, though they come in many different colors. The oldest female is a deep gray, with white and black in her wings and tail. She is beautiful and very fierce. To the Fey, she is called Sybharukai, the wise one. She is very ancient, very crafty. A powerful friend and an even more powerful enemy.” His voice was filled with both pride and respect. “Her mate is Corus. He is a great warrior, with many battle scars and fur the color of twilight. And there is young Fahreeta, all golden fur and green eyes. She likes games and flirting with the other males to annoy her mate, Torasul. He is the largest of the males except for Sybharukai’s mate, and he has great patience, which is good, else Fahreeta would drive him mad.”
“You make them sound like people.”
He smiled. “They are. Just a different kind of people

“Tairen like the water, don’t they?”
His eyes warmed and the fierceness of his handsome features softened, making him seem more approachable and somehow even more staggeringly handsome. “Aiyah, they do indeed.”
Ellie’s heart turned somersaults inside her chest. “Tell me about the tairen.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Everything. What do they look like? Are they the same as you when you are a tairen?”
“Aiyah, though they come in many different colors. The oldest female is a deep gray, with white and black in her wings and tail. She is beautiful and very fierce. To the Fey, she is called Sybharukai, the wise one. She is very ancient, very crafty. A powerful friend and an even more powerful enemy.” His voice was filled with both pride and respect

The Mage smoothed back his bronze-powdered hair and straightened the fit of his well-tailored but nondescript brown jacket. He’d discarded his Captain Batay disguise after leaving Brodson earlier

As Den completed the tasks set to him, Kolis Manza was busy with a mission of his own a little further north in the city. The fourth golden bell of midday had just rung. Time enough to see to this task before journeying back to Eld for a meeting with his master