Lady of Light and Shadows
Page 39

They flew for nearly a bell, for no purpose except the joy of flight, soaking in the silent beauty of the night, basking in the silver light of the Mother and Daughter moons. They skimmed effortlessly across the moonlit waters of Great Bay, dipping down so low Rain's wingtips slapped the water, leaving a symmetric trail of rippling circles behind them. They soared across the rolling vineyards on the north coast and over the dark, forested hills. They flew until the restlessness deep inside Ellysetta faded into peace and her fear of nightfall was a forgotten memory.
By the time they returned to the house, the moons had already passed their zenith. Rain landed lightly on the roof, but when he started to escort her back down to her bedroom window, she stopped him with a hand on his wrist.
"Would you mind very much if we stayed up here for a while?”
"Here, on the roof?" She nodded, and he shrugged. "Of course, if you like”
She sat on the steeply angled roof and leaned her head back to look up at the stars. They seemed so much farther away now than they had while flying, and the shimmering glow of the Fey's protective weaves dimmed some of the fainter stars from view. "I've spent many nights up here since I was a child, staring up at the stars, dreaming. It always seemed so peaceful.”
He sat beside her. "What sort of things did you dream of?”
"Oh, what most young girls do, I imagine. Fey tales. True love." She gave a small, self-conscious laugh. "You.”
"Good dreams, I hope." His thumb brushed lightly across her lower lip.
"Of course." Her voice came out breathless, just as it always did when Rain's eyes looked at her that way. Selianne would likely call it sorcery, but Ellie knew it was simple, besotted love. She drew a deep breath and tried to settle herself. "How did the dinner with Lord Teleos go?”
"Not bad." He told her about the assembly of nobles Teleos had gathered, and about the warm reception he'd received from several of the married couples. She blushed furiously but couldn't help a sigh of relief to learn that not everyone considered her weave a disaster.
When he told her about Lady Darramon's illness and the offer he'd made to heal her, Ellie's heart turned over. "Poor Lady Darramon," she said. "Poor Lord Darramon. I'm glad you didn't use her illness to try to win his vote.”
"It was probably a mistake.”
"Kindness is never a mistake, Rain.”
His lips curved in an expression that seemed more grimace than smile. "That should be true, shei’tani, but when it comes to mortal politics, good deeds are rarely rewarded.”
Her head cocked to one side. When it came to mortals, especially noble mortals, he was so cynical. "If you believe that, why didn't you do what Lord Dax suggested?”
Rather than answering, Rain drew his knees up and began twisting the large Tairen's Eye signet on his hand, watching moonlight set off a shimmering rainbow within the crystal's dark ruby depths.
"Rain?" His hesitance surprised her. She leaned over to lay a hand on his arm. Beneath the warm, supple leather, his bicep felt smooth and hard as river rock.
"I thought about it," he admitted in a low voice. "Darramon is a powerful Great Lord. We could have used him to secure another dozen votes at least. He would have paid any price to save his wife. His thoughts in that regard were too obvious to miss.”
"So why did you offer to heal his wife without price?”
Glowing lavender eyes caught hers in an unbreakable gaze. "Because if you were the one dying, I would want someone to offer the same gift to me.”
Ellysetta's breath caught in her throat. He'd never told her he loved her, never said the words. But his gift to Lord Darramon came as close to that declaration as she could imagine. It gave her hope that one day, the words would follow.
"You did the right thing, Rain," she assured him softly. "Love should never be used as a weapon.”
He kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that combined intoxicating passion with exquisite tenderness, then leaned back against the angled roof, pulling her down with him. She lay upon his chest and listened to the beat of his heart while his fingers stroked through her hair.
"Rain ... what will happen to you when I die?”
Black brows drew together in a sudden fierce scowl. "You will not die, shei’tani. I will not allow it.”
She propped her chin on her hands and looked down into his face. "I don't necessarily mean killed-though after these last few days, neither of us can rule out that possibility. I mean die. Even if I'm only part-mortal like Lord Teleos, eventually I will die." She recalled what Rain had told her that first night of his claiming, when he'd followed her to Celieria's National Museum of Art. If the Eld managed to kill you, I should not survive it. At the time, she'd only considered the consequences of an unexpected, violent death, but talking about Lady Darramon reminded her that, like it or not, all mortal lives ended.
"Ah." The aggression faded from his expression. He reached out to brush a curl from her cheek. "Don't worry about that, Ellysetta. Neither time nor sickness will ever claim your life unless you wish it.”
Her eyes widened. "You can grant immortality?”
He shook his head. "The Fey are not truly `immortal.' We die just like men if we receive a grievous wound and cannot be healed in time. What we are, more specifically, is eternally in our prime, untouched by age or infirmity. Our bodies have a natural ability to constantly heal themselves. It is why we do not age after reaching maturity, and why we do not scar. Here, watch.”