Wider than several Celierian city blocks, the five-sided white marble hall rose up from lush, manicured gardens. Gilded tairen rampant crouched on the rooftop at all five corners, and in their great jaws, each cat clutched a gleaming globe of Tairen's Eye crystal. A large tower capped with a golden dome rose above the center of the complex, and at its apex stood a silverstone Fey shei'dalin draped in rippling golden robes. Her face was upturned, her arms raised over her head, holding aloft a sixth crystal globe, larger than all the rest, that shone pure white and radiant as the sun.

«Legend says the white stone is the kiyr of Lissallukai, the tairen who breathed magic into the world,» Rain told her as they circled. «The tairen at the corners of the building represent the five makai who led their prides to follow her here.»

«And the shei'dalin and five warriors?» Below the shei'dalin holding Lissallukai's soul crystal, five statues of fierce Fey warriors ringed the base of the dome. They leaned out over the edges of the tower roof into the winds, silver seyani swords unsheathed and clutched in their pale stone hands. Each warrior wore finely scaled armor gilded gold and silver and covered with tabards enameled in rich shades of scarlet, silvery white, rich purple, cobalt, or verdant green.

«The five branches of Fey magic, of course, and the love that gives us hope and holds Fey warriors to the Bright Path. They guard and bless the Hall of Tairen, throne room of the Feyreisen.»

On the northeast side of the dome lay a large, open courtyard sown with a green expanse of grass. They descended onto the thick grass, and Rain Changed back into the Feyreisen's ceremonial garb.

"This is beautiful," she said, looking around.

"When the prides were many, and the makais came to Dharsa to meet with the Feyreisen, this is where they would gather before entering the Hall of Tairen. Steli and the others will join us here tomorrow when they return to sing to the Eye."

The walls of the courtyard were covered with a mural of mosaic tiles that depicted various scenes: tairen soaring the blue skies above Fey'Bahren and Dharsa, hunting on the plains of Corunn, stalking through verdant forests, and swimming in aqua waters beside silver-sand beaches. The tiles shimmered with magic, and Rain showed her how to make the scenes come alive by turning her head. Ellysetta laughed in delight and turned her head from side to side to watch the tairen stalk and the trees rustle in a breeze.

He led her to the south wall of the courtyard, where a shimmering pool lay waiting under the southern eave. A silverstone maiden and warrior poured continuous streams of water from crystal urns into the pool, while on the wall, mosaic tairen crouched on either side and appeared to drink. Rain plucked a golden cup from a small niche beside the pool, held it under the stream of water, then offered it to Ellysetta.

The moment the water touched her lips, her eyes went wide. One small sip erased every hint of weariness and filled her with vibrant energy. "Faerilas." She sipped again, then drained the cup, shuddering a little at the rush of refreshing power. "But much stronger than any I've tasted yet."

"The pool is fed directly from Dharsa's Source," he told her. He filled the cup for himself when she was done. "There is no more potent faerilas to be found in all the Fading Lands."

"What makes it so much stronger?" She watched his throat work as he swallowed and saw the glow of his skin grow brighter as the faerilas renewed his magic.

"No one knows," he admitted.

Her brows rose. "Well, where do Sources get their magic?"

"No one knows that either." He drained the cup and returned it to the niche. "We do know that Tairen's Eye crystals lie at the heart of each Source—we discovered that when we tried to repair Lissilin—but just replacing the crystals does not rejuvenate a failed Source. There must be some other factor, some great old magic now lost to the Fey."

"Sybharukai said she smelled old magic in me."

His mouth curved up at the corner. "That did not escape me." He held out a wrist. "Come. Let me show you your new home."

Ellysetta started to put her hand on his wrist, then smiled and threaded her fingers through his instead. Fey did not hold hands. It was considered unsafe in a world where a warrior needed instant, unfettered access to his magic or steel.

"We are safe enough here," she said when he raised his brows. "There aren't many Celierian customs I prefer to Feyan, but this is one of them."

He smiled, curled his fingers loosely around hers in the Celierian way, and led her into the palace.

The palace of the Fey king was a marvel, more beautiful than anything Ellysetta had seen yet in this most wondrous of all Fey cities. Golden doors, white marble stone floors, soaring cathedral-like ceilings, walls covered with bright tapestries that depicted Fey wars and legends long lost to the rest of the world. Long drapes of rich fabric framed glassless windows that opened to terraces overlooking breathtaking city vistas.

Everywhere there was magic, from the shimmering mosaics of the tairen courtyard, to the fountains of faerilas splashing in every courtyard within the palace walls, to the cleaning weaves that whisked away the slightest smudge of grime or dust, leaving every inch of the palace gleaming with Fey perfection.

Ellysetta was actually surprised to find that the palace had kitchens. Quite large ones, too, and filled with dozens of real, live Fey women and even Fey lords, industriously baking, chopping, and kneading a staggering array of food in preparation for tonight's feast. They all paused to greet her warmly before returning to work.