'In short,' said Paet, clearly annoyed at the interruption, 'you have been conscripted into the most difficult career in all of Faerie.'
'And after all this,' said Ironfoot, 'what if we decide it's not for us?'
'That is not an option,' said Paet.
'You can't be serious,' said Ironfoot.
'I am serious. I do not recommend that you test me on this. As a result of your ... training at Whitemount, you are no longer permitted a life outside the Shadows.'
'This is madness,' said Silverdun.
'You've spent time at Crete Sulace, Silverdun,' said Paet. 'If you decide life as a Shadow isn't for you, perhaps you could renew some old acquaintances. I'm sure Everess told you when he approached you that once you agreed to enlist with us, there was absolutely no turning back. Did he not?'
Everess smiled a cold smile. 'You wanted the best,' he said to Paet. 'I got you the best. Sometimes certain allowances must be made in the recruiting process.'
There was silence in the room for a moment. Sela could feel Paet's fury, and Ironfoot's astonishment. Everess was so good at masking his emotions that very little trickled out into the extraordinarily thin thread between him and Sela. Silverdun she still could not read at all. His mood, however, was not difficult to fathom.
'Son of a whore,' he muttered. 'It's Mauritane all over again.'
'For the time being,' said Sela, 'perhaps we ought to let Chief Paet continue. Whatever the future may be, we're all here now, and there is work to be done. Is that not so, Chief?' As she spoke, she pushed hard against the thin threads connecting her with Chief Paet and Ironfoot. She barely knew either of them, so she had little to work with, but she wove as much trust and acceptance into the skeins of those threads as she was able. It seemed to help a bit. Ironfoot calmed perceptibly, and Paet appeared to relax as well. Silverdun was glaring at her. Did he suspect what she was doing?
Surely not. There wasn't anyone else in all of Faerie that could do what she did, as far as she knew. Empathy was only supposed to work in one direction: toward the Empath. But Lord Tanen had ensured that she was unique.
'We are,' said Everess, trying to take control of the situation, 'at a watershed moment in the history of the Seelie Kingdom, and indeed of the entire world of Faerie, if not the rest of the worlds to boot.
'Now is the time for boldness and decisive action,' he said. 'This is no mere philosophical exercise. This is the future of the land. We are gathered here to contend against the very destruction of our way of life. It may be that we in this room are the ones who prevent that destruction.'
Everess turned to Ironfoot. 'Tell them what you saw at Selafae, Master Falores.'
'`Ironfoot' will be just fine, thanks,' said Ironfoot. 'And Everess has a point. I've been at the center of what was once Selafae. If we can prevent another attack like that one, it's worth all of our lives.'
'It's difficult to sit in this cozy house and seriously ponder the fate of the whole world,' observed Silverdun. 'And hardly a comfort.'
'It is indeed difficult,' said Paet. 'You're absolutely right, Silverdun. There is no comfort now. But there will be.'
Paet looked at Silverdun. 'What we do is difficult, and it is painful, and it is deadly. But it gives us the power and the opportunity to make the greatest difference that a single Fae can make in the world. To me, that's worth it.'
Paet stood, leaning on his cane. 'So I ask you. No, I beg you. Join me in this endeavor.'
There was another silence. 'Oh, why not? What the hell else have I got to do?' said Silverdun. Everess laughed out loud, and Sela joined him. Ironfoot looked at Sela. His look said, What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?
Sela wished she knew.
'There's one more thing we must do tonight,' said Paet. 'The final step in your initiation. Once it is complete, then I will personally complete your training until I believe you are ready to be sent out on assignment.'
'What's the final step?' asked Everess.
'That's between me and my Shadows,' said Paet. 'I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Lord Everess.'
Everess seemed about to say something unkind to Paet, but he restrained himself. 'I suppose it's good for you to have your little rituals,' he muttered.
He walked to the stairs and saluted to Sela, Ironfoot, and Silverdun. 'I salute you, good Shadows. I bid you serve your kingdom well.'
He nodded to Sela. 'Have Paet call you a cab when you're finished with whatever it is you're about. He'll pay.' He went up the stairs, and his footsteps faded away above.
