Chapter 14

14

The Below

The soaring mansions with their tall, ornate gates and gleaming exteriors indicated that he had reached the exclusive—and private— Sterlig District . Here , those with money and privilege flaunted their wealth, trying to outdo everyone else. It was a place some dreamed to one day live.

It was a place Dain hated to visit.

The stone softened the tread of his bootheels as he walked along the sidewalk. He didn’t look into any of the windows, didn’t care to see how the affluent lived. He was there for one reason, and one reason only.

Other elven races believed the Dark lived in caverns with no comforts or luxuries. They had no idea what vast cities existed far below them that his ancestors had carved out of the rock. They couldn’t imagine the complex designs and elaborate murals that went into creating the buildings and roads. Even the sculptures. If it could be carved or honed, it bore some pattern or artwork.

Bioluminescence , some real, some forged with magic, created a Dark’s version of the sky, with pink clouds on white. When night fell, it transformed to a purple sky with two soft-yellow orbs to signify the double moon. Many spent their lives creating the look, changing it with the seasons and even mimicking storms. The renowned Sterlig District was given even more with granite columns carved into stunning designs and draped in different-colored bioluminescence.

Below was far from dark and dreary. It shone in every way possible. From the wealthiest neighborhoods to the poorest.

Dain’s gaze fell on the silver-tipped black gates. He had never wanted to come here. Especially not like this. It wasn’t the first time he’d done something he didn’t want to do—and it wouldn’t be the last.

He forced his feet to keep moving until he stopped at the gates and looked at the guards on either side. “ I’m here to see Nagini .”

“ The chancellor isn’t in.”

“ Then I’ll speak to Sharad .”

“ Minister Sharad ,” the guard emphasized, “isn’t in, either.”

Dain moved closer to the guard on his right. He didn’t have time for this petty shite. “ This is regarding their daughter. I suggest you let them know I’m here.”

Shadows surrounded the guard, and he vanished. Dain looked through the gates to the impressive structure Arya had grown up in. He wondered what it was like to have a mother whose political aspirations were so spectacular. Her father, also heavy into politics, preferred to keep to the city level. Or maybe he’d been told that’s where he needed to be so as not to interfere with his wife. Either way, it couldn’t have been a very fun household. Though everyone had a different sense of what was pleasurable. For Dain , it was being left alone.

The gates parted. Dain walked through as the mansion’s front door opened. He saw the couple standing together, gripping one another as if holding each other up. He studied them as he approached.

Nagini was a few inches taller than her husband and quite the beauty. Her white hair was gathered in a simple but elegant updo. Her pale gray gown was unadorned but made of expensive fabric and cut to show off her curves. Her yellow eyes watched Dain as he approached.

Dain slid his attention to Sharad . He was as immaculately dressed as his wife in black trousers and a white coat that stretched over his protruding stomach. His white hair was trimmed short and thinning on top. Sharad was passingly handsome, though his gray eyes were set a little too close together.

As a couple, they were striking.

“ Do you know where my daughter is?” Sharad asked when Dain reached them.

Dain’s shoulders dropped. “ I hoped she was with you.”

“ Are you her…?” Nagini looked him up and down, barely hiding her revulsion. “ Lover ?”

Dain arched a brow, taking offense at her scathing look. “ I’m Dain . Her superior.”

“ Superior ?”

Sharad caught his eye. “ Where does she work?”

“ The CCD .”

Nagini shook her head. “ I don’t believe it. Arya would never work for the Counter Corruption Division .”

“ She’s been working with us for almost five years.” He hated giving bad news. Dain looked between them, trying to find the words, but they wouldn’t come.

“ Why didn’t she tell us?” Nagini asked.

Before Dain could answer, Sharad asked, “ What is Arya doing at the CCD ?”

Dain clasped his hands behind his back and decided to ignore both questions and get down to business. “ From what I’ve been able to ascertain, Arya was taken.”

“ Taken ?” her father repeated as if just coming back to himself. “ Like all the other missing elves?”

“ Possibly . Though there is a bounty on her head.”

Nagini’s brows snapped together as hurt and shock gave way to worry. “ Why ?”

“ She was part of those who took down Shaldorn .”

The couple looked at each other and motioned for him to follow them inside. Dain hesitated for only a moment before entering behind them.