%%%

            When Angel returned to the hotel, Faith and Cordelia were there.  So were Aliz and a slightly charred Spike.  Everyone was gathered around the office, doing their best to keep from going stir crazy, but Angel could tell that tensions were about to peak.

            “Well aren’t we all a bunch of super cheerful folks?” Xander finally said, just as Angel walked into the room.

            “Xander,” Anya said, turning to look at her boyfriend, “I’m bored.  Let’s call Willow and Buffy so I can banter and make irritating remarks.”

            Everyone looked at the young woman like she was mad.  Sarah jumped up and said, “I’m going to go… do something!” and then ran off out into the main hotel.

            Kate rolled her eyes.  “I’d better tag along to make sure she doesn’t hurt anything.”

            Wes and Gunn were in a corner, discussing various moves and blocks for fencing.  Angel looked over at his associates, and guiltily, they put down the pencils they were using for foils.

            “Thank you,” Angel said in his quiet manner.  He turned and looked at Xander and Anya.  “You are not in any danger, Anya.  D’Hoffryn has no beef with you.”

            “Oh, well, great!  Does this mean we can go home now?” Anya asked brightly, jumping up from the couch and bouncing around happily.

            Xander looked at Angel and then over at Spike and Alizelle.  “It’s got something to do with them, right?”  He indicated the vampire and half demon with a nod.

            Angel put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.  “Kind of, yeah.  But you guys don’t need to get involved,” he said calmly.

            “That’s great!  Come on Xander, let’s go home!” Anya said, grabbing her boyfriend’s hand and tugging on him.

            Xander and Angel traded stares, each fighting for some kind of dominance.  “I’m not known for cutting out on my friends when they need me,” Xander said in a deadly soft voice.

            “They’re not your friends and they don’t need you,” Angel said, sneering slightly.  The two men had never gotten along, and their discussion was heading right into one of their famous oil and water conflicts.

            Anya stomped her foot down.  “Xander!  Let’s go!  Angel’s right, this isn’t our problem.  Besides, we’re on vacation.  No Scooby stuff until we get back to Sunnydale!”

            Xander looked from his girlfriend to Angel and back again.  Finally, he pasted a grin on his face and said, “You’re right, sweetybuns, I’d forgotten about that.”  He stood up and looked right into Angel’s eyes.  “I am not abandoning this, but I made my girl a promise, and I don’t break my promises.”  The young man went over to Spike and Aliz.  “I understand you might be in some trouble.  I’d like to help, but I made Anya a promise.  Do you need my help, or will you be all right?”

            Spike opened his mouth to tell the young twerp to piss off, but Aliz jumped in before he could speak.  “Thank you, Xander.  You are very kind, but I believe you should keep your promise to your lady.  We will be fine,” she said, smiling almost regally.

            Xander returned the smile gratefully.  “Okay then, great.  I guess that Anya and I will take our Sunnydale Scooby Gang member butts outta here so that you L.A. spin-offs can get to work.”

            After the young couple had left, Gunn turned to Wes and said, “He is so whipped!”

            “I beg your pardon?” the researcher said, looking up at his friend.  There were several books on the Seelie and Unseelie courts spread out on the desk and Wes had spent the better part of the morning searching for anything that might give them a clue as to the welcome they would get.

            “Xan-man and his lady friend.  She’s got him wrapped around her little finger tighter than a bandaid,” Gunn explained cheerfully. 

            Wes continued to look up at his handsome friend.  “I suppose that when one finds someone that one cares about, one is inclined to do things to make them happy,” he finally said, his own face growing a little pained.

            Gunn raised one eyebrow.  “Hey now English, don’t you be going off on one of your pity parties.  We all know that she was an idiot for leaving you.”

            Wes gave Gunn a tight smile and turned his attention back to his books. 

%%%

            “Hey,” Kate called out to Sarah, who was busily doing pull-ups from the water pipes in the basement of the hotel.

            “Hey back,” Sarah said, not pausing in her workout.  Kate stared at the smaller woman as she exercised.  The time spent in rehab had done wonders for the former cop’s physique, removing any traces of extra fat, leaving her lean and muscled.  Kate knew that the muscle was deceptive, as there was also a fragile softness to the woman.

            They had spent the previous night wrapped around each other, trading kisses and soft touches until they had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.  When Kate had awakened, Sarah’s head was pillowed on her chest. 

            “Can we talk?” Kate asked nervously.  She had decided to sweep up all of her discomfort and fear over the whole “gay” thing and lock it into a box, and she wanted to make sure that Sarah was on the same page she was.

            Sarah dropped down from the pipe and wiped her hands on her pants legs.  “Sure,” she said, using an old hotel towel to wipe off her face and fluff out her shoulder-length brown hair.  “Hey, what do you think about me going back to my old style?” she asked suddenly, indicating her hair.  When Sarah had first come to Los Angeles to live with Kate, her hair had been crew cut short; a result of working on cases where things like long hair could seriously contaminate a scene.

            Kate stepped close to Sarah and twined her fingers in the soft brown locks.  “I don’t know,” she said in a breathy whisper, “I kind of like it this way.”  She lowered her mouth to Sarah’s, brushing a gentle kiss over the smaller woman’s lips.  Sarah murmured happily as Kate kissed her, reaching up to wrap her arms around the investigator’s neck.

            They broke apart, with Sarah letting go only enough to lean her head against Kate’s chest.  “Well, okay, if you say so,” she said, smiling happily.  She couldn’t believe it!  Kate was there, holding her, kissing her, making every indication that she felt the same way about her as she did about Kate!  It was incredible and it was a dream come true!  “Okay, so when do I wake up?” she asked dreamily.

            Kate hugged her friend tightly, and then pinched her arm, eliciting a surprised “Ouch!”

            “I think you’re already awake,” Kate said, chuckling lightly.  Her light mood evaporated, though, when she said, “This – what we’re doing – it’s scary to me, Sarah.”

            Sarah started to pull away, but Kate held on tightly.

            “No, no, I’m not pushing you away.  I – this feels too right to do that.  But – I want to make sure we’re both going in the same direction, okay?”

            Sarah stepped away from Kate, but kept her hands on the taller woman’s arms.  “Okay.  Kate, ever since the Academy, I have felt – things – for you.  After the Academy, when you came back to L.A. and I went to Seattle, I tried to forget about you, tried to move on.  I had my share of lovers, but none of them really affected me like you did – until Michiko. “  Sarah shifted about uncomfortably, still not quite able to deal with her lover’s betrayal.  “You know how that turned out.  I still have nightmares,” she admitted softly.  “But, in all the chaos of that night, you came back into my life.  I have to believe that means something – I’ve never stopped having feelings for you, Kate.  And now, they just get stronger every day.”

            “You know, in the Academy, I’m not sure if I would have noticed a naked clown in the barracks.  I was so focused on finishing, on making dad proud.  Yet, I do remember one thing – I remember that you were the only one there who didn’t make me feel stupid for wanting to be the best,” Kate said softly, looking down at her feet.  “A part of me loved you for that, Sarah.  Afterwards, back here, it was all about the job.  Rising quickly through the ranks, getting off the street and into the office so I could make a real difference.  I thought dad would be so happy when I made detective.”  Kate looked up and Sarah could see the tears that glistened wetly in the former detective’s eyes.  “But all he did was say, ‘what took you so long?’ and go out drinking with his buddies.”

            “That’s-“ Sarah said sharply, but Kate shook her head.  The sound of the hotel’s heating system kicking on threaded through the large room, echoing off the low ceiling and wrapping the two women in a cocoon of sound.

            “No,” Kate murmured softly.  “Please don’t condemn him for his gruffness.  I know he loved me, even though he didn’t say it much.  Dad was – he didn’t have an easy way with emotions.  I got that from him,” she admitted sheepishly.  Nervously, she tugged an arm out of Sarah’s grasp, and then ran her hand through her hair.  “I’m not saying this very well, am I?”

            “Take your time, Kate.  I won’t push for anything,” Sarah said, letting go of Kate’s other arm and stooping over to pick up her jacket.

            “Thanks.  I appreciate that,” Kate said softly. 

            Sarah looked up at her friend, their gazes meeting and holding.  There was something – pained – in Kate’s hazel eyes that made Sarah search the investigator’s face curiously.  “Kate?” she said hesitantly, not knowing what the question was, but feeling that one needed to be asked.

            Kate licked her lips and opened her mouth, but no words came out. 

            Sarah placed her hand against Kate’s chest.  “What is it, Kate?” she asked seriously.

            Kate tried again.  “This thing that Angel does, it’s dangerous,” she said, shaking her shoulders in a half-shrug.  “And tonight we’re going to be walking into the home of the Enemy, if what Wesley says is true.”  The researcher had spent a good portion of the morning lecturing the group on the Unseelie Court while Angel was out getting information from his sources.

            “Yeah, I got that,” Sarah said, smiling wryly.  “Especially the part where he described, in detail, drawing and quartering.”

            Kate rolled her eyes and said, “Wes sometimes gets a little carried away with the ‘accuracy’ part of the research.  Anyway, what I’m trying to say is – I want ‘us’ to have a shot at something more than just – whatever it is we’re doing now, so, be careful, okay?”
            The hand on her chest slid up to cup her face.  Sarah tilted her head shyly, letting a bemused grin spread across her face.  “Only if you promise me the same thing, Kate.”

            Kate closed her eyes and leaned into the warm hand of her friend.  “You got it,” she promised.

            Sarah leaned up on her feet and sweetly kissed Kate to seal her end of the bargain.

%%%

            A somber group squeezed into Alizelle’s limo.  Angel had wanted to take his car, but she had reasoned that they might not leave Underhill until daylight, which would definitely be unhealthy for the undead members of the group.

            Gunn and Wesley sat next to each other, Gunn bearing a shiny, oddly formed axe that had been a gift from his old hunting crew, and Wesley holding a rapier that looked like a prop from the Three Musketeers.  Angel knew, though, that the thin Englishman was unerringly deadly with the blade.

            Faith and Cordelia sat across from the two men.  Faith was busily working with her special guns, loading them with bullets that were a combination of silver, steel, holy water, and wood dust, all bound together with several archaic blessings.  The alchemist that had made the weapons owed Angel a huge favor, and he had called it in for these, and a steady trickle of the specialized ammunition.

            Cordelia shuddered.  She hated the damn things, but she had to admit that they were much better in a crunch situation than say, a stake.  Poor Amy, no matter how many times she tries to get Buffy to carry something stronger, the idiot slayer just looks at her funny.  Oh well, I wonder if she’s gotten her to relent and at least carry that funny wooden sword?  Cordelia herself was armed with an iron capped, pointed stick.  It was kind of like a cane – Wes had been teaching her a little bit of how to fight with it, and she could swing it like a baseball bat in a pinch.

            Spike and Alizelle sat across from each other, Spike next to Faith and Aliz next to Wesley.  The bleach blonde vampire seemed to hold himself just barely a breath away from the slayer, naturally recoiling from someone who was fated to kill his kind.  The vampire was armed with an array of daggers that was, to everyone there, impressive.  When he had armed up from the weapons locker at the hotel, he had looked around the room, shrugged and said, “What? I like sharp things,” and then grinned wickedly.

            Alizelle was unarmed, as far as anyone knew, but Spike had a feeling that she wasn’t as helpless as she looked.  The half demon stared out the window as they drove, brooding.

            Angel was probably armed.  Kate and Sarah had opted for regular old firearms, each carrying .9mm semi-automatic weapons.  The two women, and the dark haired vampire were sitting in the third seat, behind Faith, Cordelia and Spike.

            The car was fairly quiet, the silence occasionally punctuated by the sound of breathing, a whispered conversation or bodies shifting.  The driver of the car had raised the glass between the front and the back, so no one could even hear the radio.

            “Eh, cheer up lads,” Spike said suddenly, giving everyone in the car a ghoulish grin.  “Odds are, you’ll either be dead by morning, or stuck in the land of the Faeries forever.”

            “Oh, I’m so reassured,” Cordelia retorted.  Then she added, “Stuck Underhill?  What do you mean by that?  I can’t be stuck anywhere.  I have places to go, people to see, stores to shop!”

            Wesley cleared his throat.  “As Alizelle’s escort, we assume the burden of her status,” he said, rubbing at his chin.  “At least, I think that’s what the passage meant…”

            “Whoa, hold up, English.  You mean we get to be lumped into whatever judgment she gets?” he asked, nodding his head at the half demon.

            “If my translations are correct,” Wesley said slowly, sighing and closing his eyes against the anger in his friend’s voice, “then yes.”

            “You don’t have to do this, you know,” Alizelle said, turning away from the window to look at the group.  “I’m a big girl.  I’m perfectly capable of facing my father on my own.”

            “Great, now she tells us,” Gunn griped.

            “I was hired to protect you, Aliz,” Spike said slowly, looking at everyone in the car.  “And yeah, it sticks in my craw that I’m discoing on the side of the angels for this.”  His and Angel’s gazes met and Angel, for once, kept silent.  “But a bloke’s gotta eat, ya know?”

            Faith looked at Aliz, her expression blank as she said, “Some of us are here for altruistic reasons,” her eyes flicked to Angel and Wes.  “Some of us not,” she indicated Spike.  “Whatever reasons those are, I just wanted to say that mine are personal.”

            Cordelia slid her hand down Faith’s knee, capturing the slayer’s hand in hers and entwining their fingers together silently.  Faith gave her lover a shy smile in return.

            A strange, yellow energy crackled over the outside of the car, illuminating the interior briefly.  Everyone inside shuddered slightly from the odd aftereffects. 

            Alizelle rolled down her window to reveal a world cloaked in permanent twilight.  Strangely stunted trees and bushes forced their way up from the ground, reaching for a sun that never shined.  The sound of the limo’s engine carried for miles, echoing around them.  Other windows were lowered so that everyone could get a good look at the world where Alizelle was born and raised. 

            The half demon quietly announced, “Welcome to the land of a thousand nightmares.”

            Kate shuddered involuntarily at the name, and Sarah cuddled closer to her side.

            “Remember that the land of the Fae is dangerous always,” Wesley started explaining softly.  “Ordinary items could be enchanted, or even alive in an odd way.  Do not eat or drink anything given to you here, for it could be poisonous, forcing you to stay in Underhill forever, since the toxins can never be removed, only staved off by the herbs and magicks controlled by Faerie mages.  You do have one thing in your favor, though, and that is cold iron.  Creatures of Faerie, both Seelie and Unseelie cannot abide its touch.  This is why everyone here is armed with it.  It is a statement to those in charge that we are not to be taken lightly.  Always offer the utmost respect and courtesy to the nobles; treat the underlings as you would the lowest scum on the street.  That is the Faerie way, and to behave otherwise is to display a sign of weakness.”

            Alizelle took up the lecture.  “Do not look directly into anyone’s eyes.  Some of the Fae are gifted at thought manipulation.  Never accept a gift – Unseelie do not give gifts without a price and the Seelie you will see in my father’s Court are not there to help anyone but themselves.”

            “You talk as though you think we’ll be here forever,” Kate said softly, “I thought this was just supposed to be a quick hearing, butt kicking and leaving?”

            Aliz sighed and folded her hands in her lap.  “On the surface, that is all this is.  A simple meeting in order for me to formally hear the judgment made against me by the hierarchs of the Unseelie clans.  However, knowing my father, and knowing how life works here in Faerie, nothing is ever simple.”

            The feel of the ground underneath the car changed.  Dirt tracks gave way to some kind of fused surface.  Aliz grimaced.  “Mom’s doing.  She refused to visit dad unless he had some kind of ‘civilized’ road installed.  This,” she gestured haphazardly at the coal black, pitted surface of glass, “was his answer.”

            Spike looked out the window and whistled appreciatively.  “Bloke don’t go by halves, does he?”

            “Whoa, I’d have to agree with you there, dead boy,” Faith said, as she looked out the window on her side of the car.  Rising up out of the distance was a castle.

            The structure filled the horizon and yearned brokenly for the sky.  Sharp turrets warred with soft, clay sculpture-like towers for dominance.  Everyone in the car marveled at the beautiful, lifelike gargoyles that adorned every nook and crenel of the towers, until one of them took flight, circling above the car, and then vanishing off into the twilight.

            “Okay, that was just a little too afternoon cartoon for me,” Cordelia said, squeezing Faith’s hand tightly.

            Aliz flashed her a hard smile.  “People have always portrayed the land of nightmares in various ways.  Does it not surprise you that some would try to earn money from it?”

            Faith’s eyes continued to take in the harsh, nearly barren terrain.  “This-this is where I was born?” she mouthed silently, as the car came to a stop in front of the castle.  No one seemed to notice as they watched a strange procession emerge from the rising portcullis.  A legion of black armored warriors marched out, and then stood, waiting for the group to disembark.  Their leader stood nearly seven feet tall.  His hair was bone white, his skin was blood red and his eyes were a sickly, glowing yellow.  Black horns curved up from his skull, giving life to mythological imagery of Lucifer, the Fallen One.

            Alizelle made her way to Faith’s side, whispering as she passed, “You were born in Seelie Court.  I will take you, if you want, should we be allowed to leave this place.”

            The group huddled together, taking in the sense overload that was the Land of the Unseelie Fae.  The air smelled heavily of decay and death; a coppery flavored overtone that both vampires found themselves drawn to.  Spike’s face had already shifted, revealing the more demonic, monstrous side that lived within the human shell.  Angel kept his visage intact by force of will only; beads of sweat were already beginning to form on his brow from concentration.

            Cordelia stayed glued to Faith’s side.  The hair on the back of the seer’s neck was standing straight up, and the faint buzzing sensation she always felt just before a vision had taken up permanent residence under her skin.

            Faith welcomed her lover’s presence.  Her slayer-senses were on overload, screaming for her to take action, to begin firing at the very air itself.  Shapes seemed to weave and move in the shadows, forms that could have been real, or could have been a memory of a nightmare. 

            One such shape did detach, forming into a lanky, thin Elven male with pale, wispy hair and watery blue eyes.  He was dressed in scarlet and gold and his face was so gaunt as to be skeletal.  He walked up to the group and sketched an uneasy bow before Aliz, who had slipped her arm through Spike’s.

            “Mistress Alizelle,” he said, stressing his sibilants harshly. “Welcome home.”

            “Thank you, Ranthe,” Aliz said graciously.  She looked up at the huge giant of a demon that led the guard.  “Boran, it is good to see you again.”

            The demon’s face split into a wide grin.  “Mistress Alizelle, the sun has risen on our land, to see you here,” he intoned formally.

            Sarah tilted her head toward Kate and whispered, “You think he likes Ali or something?”

            Kate shrugged.  “Maybe.  I’ve learned that demon’s expressions can mean different things. He might be smiling, or he might be doing the demonic equivalent of pissing in the snow.”

            Sarah giggled and slapped her friend in the stomach lightly.  “You’re bad,” she said, looking up at Kate and smiling happily.  “I like that.”

            Kate calmly slipped her arm around Sarah’s shoulders and leaned into her silently.

            Cordelia watched the two women from where she stood next to Faith.  “Well aren’t they cute?” she whispered to Faith, who tore her gaze from the strange surroundings to look at Kate and Sarah.  An amused smirk twitched her lips upward. 

            “Oh yeah, they are so the picture of mass crushdom, aren’t they?” Faith replied, causing Cordelia to roll her eyes.

            “You have absolutely no romance in your soul, do you Faith?” the seer asked in frustration.

            Liquid brown eyes looked up at Cordelia.  Long, black eyelashes fluttered and full lips pursed in an exaggerated pout. 

            “Oh get over yourself already!” the seer rolled her eyes and batted her hands at the slayer. 

            “So who’s the reject from Rocky Horror?” Gunn asked conversationally, indicating the odd Elven male that was escorting them along the ranks of armored soldiers.

            “I heard Alizelle refer to him as ‘Ranthe’,” Wes supplied helpfully.

            Angel quietly brooded as he followed behind the group.  The atmosphere of the Unseelie domain had crept under his skin, leaving him feeling even colder and more detached than normal.  Everything appeared normal, as long as he overlooked the fact that he was walking into a castle straight out of a vintage Frank Frazetta painting.

            He kept alert though, there was something just slightly off to the ever-so-polite show of pomp and circumstance. 

            Behind them, the unit of warriors formed up in a U shape, wrapping around their little group protectively.  Or constrictively, Angel thought suspiciously. 

            The devil and the elf strode ahead of everyone, with Spike and Alizelle only a few paces behind.  The rest of the group had arrayed themselves in an inverse triangle, with Angel taking the rear.

            The courtyard of the strange castle was just as bleak as the rest of the realm.  Plants, trees, even the flowers were all washed out, nearly gray in color.  A few sickly birds flitted from branch to branch, watching as the newcomers were led to the main hall.  Angel noted that guards lined the inner bailey walls in pairs. 

            The denizens of the castle moved quietly, some stopping to stare openly at the group, others moving past so quickly, that they were barely blurs on the edges of the dark vampire’s consciousness.

            There was a terrifying beauty to some of the Unseelie that stopped to greet Alizelle as she was led to her doom.  One man in particular had caught Angel’s attention. 

            J’Valamyr Sykorous, the Seelie Court ambassador had joined their group not more than five minutes ago, and already he had the young half demon smiling and laughing.

            “Val! I never thought I’d see you again!” Aliz hugged her beloved Stefan’s brother warmly. 

            “Ah little one, by Danu it is good to see you,” the urbane, handsome Elf said warmly. 

            Faith was staring at the man.  He was definitely not the same stock of Elf as the manservant, Ranthe was, nor was he like the other Fae she had seen.  Unlike the men and women they had passed in the main hall, J’Valamyr Sykorous’ aura did not radiate lifelessness.  Those beings had been empty of spirit, Val was a bright flame that danced merrily in their midst.

            Who and what is this man?  Is he Seelie?  If he is, how can he be here, and not get sick, like my father?  Or was that another one of Alizelle’s lies? she wondered silently as they entered a long, chilly hallway.

            Washed out, faded tapestries lined the walls, fluttering in the wake of the group’s passing.  Men-at-arms stood stationed by halls and doors, some at full attention, others at lazy rest.   Couriers, pages, and the ilk of a castle’s inner workings flitted noticed, or not, around them.  Tables bearing the wealth of ages loomed from the walls, creating a maze of hazards to be avoided at all costs.

            Double doors made of ebony, banded in gold and hung with the seals of dozens of Unseelie lords greeted the group at hall’s end.  The devil called Boran flung open the doors to the great hall and Ranthe skittered in before the rest of the group.

            “Ladies and Gentles of the Court, as you have commanded, I give you the Lady Alizelle and her Guard!” Ranthe’s nasally voice echoed through the room, stilling the whispers of the courtiers.

            Spike and Alizelle walked up to a long table where a dozen men and women of obvious Unseelie descent sat, and bowed.  Angel gestured with his eyes and the rest of the group formed a half-circle behind the blonde vampire and the auburn haired half demon, each of the group facing outward, looking up into the gallery of Unseelie nightmares.

            Goblins, boggins, demons and devils; dark elves, ogres, giants and every manner of monstrous being filled the court.  Some so beautiful as to be god-like, some so ugly that the human’s eyes were repulsed.  All of whom gave their full attention to the small group of mortals and vampires that had invaded their domain.

            A hollow-eyed Elven woman with full black hair stood and said, “We are pleased that you hold enough esteem for Unseelie laws in your heart to honor the request to come, Alizelle.  Your presence here will not go unnoticed by the Council.  Thank you.”

            Alizelle nodded to the woman.  “I could hardly deny such a request, my Lady Devyra, for it would reflect poorly upon my dear mother, the Lady Helen.”

            “You do your mother proud, then, Lady Alizelle,” the Elven woman replied, smiling only enough to reveal a set of needle-sharp teeth.  “The terms have been met, my lords, shall we reveal the judgment?” she called out, stilling the room even further. 

            Every breath echoed in the chamber.  Every shift of muscle, every hushed cough became a shout, breaking the silence.  The other gentry at the table nodded.  A scroll was produced and passed down to the Lady Devyra.

            She unrolled it and began to read, her voice filling the silences and covering the sounds of the living.  “Lady Alizelle, child of D’Hoffryn, daughter of the Lady Helen, you are charged with the crime of renouncing your birth and mating with a servant of the Light.  You are further charged with producing an heir of the body doomed to be Our mortal enemy.  How do you plead?”

            Alizelle looked up into Devyra’s icy blue eyes and quietly responded, “Guilty.”

            Chaos erupted as catcalls and thrown objects from the gallery assaulted those on the floor below.  Angel nodded once and the group began to close ranks around Alizelle and Spike.

            “Enough!” the Lady Devyra shouted, calming the crowds.  “It is as We have always known.  So then, Alizelle, Betrayer of Kin, hear Our judgment.”  Her eyes flicked down to the scroll, then back up at the half demon.  “Pursuant to the agreement forged when the Lady Helen claimed her spoils of war, you are hereby Banished from the Unseelie lands.  Your holdings and rank are forthwith stripped and you shall be forever known as Our Enemy.  You are forbidden from ever returning upon pain of death.  Cold Iron shall not protect you from our Wrath, should you break these terms, Alizelle, the shamed one.  You have one hour to remove yourself and your guard from our midst.”

            Another man rose and began to speak.  “So it has been decided.  Let no one give them aid or succor.  Let no one open their doors or warm their fires for these, for they are the antithesis of Unseelie.  They are the Bearers of the Light!”

            As one, the crowd in the gallery turned away from Alizelle and her companions.  Only Devyra was left to face them.  She smiled again, not unkindly.

            “Go now, child.  Ranthe will tell you all as you walk.  You must hurry though, for D’Hoffryn is not pleased by the ruling and is sure to attempt a circumvention.”

            Alizelle nodded and reached behind her neck to remove a heavy gold chain bearing a medallion struck with a hideous skull image.  She laid the device down on the table and turned away, regally keeping her head aloft, though tears streamed down her face as she took each step away from the table.