Chapter 22

22

Gurrot Circle District

The streets were quiet in the working-class neighborhood. It was one of the reasons Dain had chosen the area. He rarely saw any of his neighbors. He came home—when he came home—at odd hours, so he didn’t interact with any of them. It was more for their benefit than his. The fewer who knew where he lived, the better.

He briefly looked up to the faux sky and the two silvery lavender moons. Word about the missing people was quickly spreading across Shecrish , thanks to Ravi and Yasmin . Talk was even circulating Below .

But would it be enough?

Dain entered his home by the back door and closed it behind him with a sigh. He stifled a yawn and came around the corner, only to draw to a halt at the sight of Arya on the floor, covered in blood. He rushed to her and searched for the wound. Once he found it, he pressed his hand to it, causing her to moan.

“ You’re alive. Thank the gods,” he murmured. “ Arya ? Can you hear me? I need you to keep fighting.”

The wound was too deep, and there had been too much blood loss for his herbs to work. There was only one place he could go. Dain gathered her into his arms and called the shadows. He pushed through his fatigue to take Arya Above without pausing. His magic was waning quickly, but he fought against it, urging the shadows to get him where he needed to go. They suddenly parted as if yanked away. Dain staggered into the dimly lit room, catching his shoulder on the wall before falling to his knees. Arya was so pale. The hand he had against her wound was soaked in blood.

He caught sight of the table as sweat ran down his face, and he began shaking. He had to get her to the table before he dropped her. Dain straightened. The muscles in his legs trembled. He kept his gaze on the table and took a step. Then another. And another. Until he finally reached it.

Dain sagged against it and lowered Arya . “ Hold on,” he whispered.

He looked longingly at a chair before using his hands to push himself up. The sound of raised voices caught his attention. He turned on his heel and followed the noise out of the building. Dain was grateful that it was night Above . He usually took the time to gaze at the stars and moons, but not tonight.

Every step was excruciating. Dain had pushed himself to his limits but would keep doing it because he must. He stayed within the tree line and skimmed the grassy meadow. His eyes locked on the open-air enclosure where five elves sat around a table, playing tiles. Dain gripped a tree when his knee buckled. He swallowed and got his leg under him once more. Only then did he move out of the trees until he was within sight of the one he sought. The moment Sundar noticed him, the Moon Elf excused himself from the table.

Dain made sure that no one else saw him as he hurried back to the building. Sundar was right behind him. The healer didn’t ask questions, just went straight to the table and looked Arya over.

“ Close the door,” Sundar told him.

Dain did as requested. He then stumbled to the nearest chair and plopped down to watch.

“ You don’t look so good,” Sundar said without looking his way.

Dain didn’t feel so good. “ I’m fine.”

“ Sure , you are.”

Sundar liked to gamble, and it had gotten him into a bit of trouble. Dain had gotten him out of it, and in lieu of payment, requested a future favor. One he was calling in now.

Not much had changed since Dain saw him two years earlier. Dain was tall, but Sundar had a few inches on him. The Moon Elf’s blue hair hung past his arse and he kept it tucked behind his ears to show off his silver and sapphire ear points. He wore a wide-sleeved robe awash in different blues that dragged behind him when he moved and showed off his thin frame. The robe had a collar that laced up Sundar’s long neck, only to fall open to reveal his chest. A silver clasp held a wrap skirt that barely hung on his hips. His feet, like always, were bare.

“ This is going to take some time,” Sundar said, holding his hands over Arya .

There was no more talk after that. Dain slumped back into the chair. He eyed Arya’s clothing, noting for the first time that it was the same outfit she’d been wearing when he last saw her. The only exception was that it was wrinkled, dirty, and coated in blood. Her blood. Someone had hurt her, but she had managed to get away. How long had she been wherever she was? What if Dain hadn’t returned to his flat? He squeezed his eyes shut.

He needed to alert Ravi and Yasmin but couldn’t do anything until he rested. Dain opened his eyes to look at Arya . He had trained her. He was the one who had sent her undercover into Shaldorn . She was his responsibility. Gita needed to be found. So did One . Dain would find them both and end them. It didn’t matter that One had told Ravi where they’d hidden the device intended to go off on dragon land to start a war. He would pay for his crimes.

And so would everyone with any connection to Shaldorn .

Dain feared those connections might be broader and greater than he had first believed. He had been within Shaldorn . He had seen how many elves and humans coveted invites to give in to their base cravings and yearnings they would never be able to indulge in elsewhere. If there was a need, elves found a way to deliver it to those who would pay handsomely for it.

It would come down to who he could trust. That narrowed things considerably since he trusted very few. Those he did had earned it. Savita , Arya , Ravi , Yasmin , and even the Mountain Elf , Manu . Also , Kendrick and Esha . Dain included Durga , to a point. She ran a tight ship at the Defense Intelligence Agency . It was why he had gone to her about Shaldorn in the first place. However , she wasn’t in the thick of things like the rest of them, which kept her outside his small bubble.

Everyone else was suspect.

Dain blinked and found Sundar standing before him. He sat up straighter and looked into the Moon Elf’s bright blue eyes. “ How is she?”

“ The wound was deep, and she lost a lot of blood, but she’ll make it. Give her some time to rest. I take it this makes us even.”

Dain bowed his head. “ It does.”

“ Thank fuck. I was tired of having that favor hanging over me,” Sundar said with a grin.

Dain got to his feet, thankful when he didn’t sway. He looked around the elf to Arya .

“ Don’t wait so long to bring someone to me next time. She was almost past my healing abilities,” Sundar told him.

There wouldn’t be a next time. Dain wasn’t in the business of owing favors. Ever . “ No one can know I was here.”

“ No one will. I’m discreet. You know that.”

Dain glanced at Sundar and heard the hint of offense in his tone. “ Things are not as they seem. Keep an eye out. Don’t be alone. Tell your friends to be watchful, aware.”

Sundar stilled, and his gaze narrowed. “ You’re speaking of the missing.”

“ Aye .”

“ Is that what happened?” Sundar asked, nodding toward Arya .

Dain blew out a breath. “ Possibly .”

“ Stay here for as long as you need. We’re remote enough. You won’t be bothered.”

It was only after Sundar exited the building that Dain walked to the table and braced his hands on it. He hung his head and thanked the gods for letting him get to Arya in time.

Then he straightened. He wished he could let Arya wake on her own, but there wasn’t time. He put his hand on her arm. “ Arya . Wake up.”

Her eyes snapped open, and she scanned the room, halting when she saw him. The beginnings of a smile froze when she touched her abdomen where the wound had been.

“ You’re healed,” he told her.

“ I wasn’t sure I would even make it to you.” She sat up and swung her legs over the table. “ We have to hurry.”

He moved to block her from getting down and held up his hands to keep her still. “ Easy . First , tell me what happened.”

“ There are dozens of elves unconscious in a cargo hold of a ship on the Lotus River , being taken as slaves.”

It was everything Dain feared. “ You require a change of clothes, and we need reinforcements.”