Chapter 36

36

Gita drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair, her gaze locked on the intricate design of the rug at her feet. Patience wasn’t a virtue she had ever sought to master. It had proven challenging of late. She hadn’t clawed and fought her way to the top, only to sit back and wait to reclaim her station and her right. Shaldorn was hers. She had built it and made it into the dominating structure it was—or used to be.

Her blood burned with rage and the need for vengeance against those who had taken the stronghold from her. Now , she was in hiding. But not for much longer. The fools who sought to destroy Shaldorn and all it stood for had made many, many enemies. She might have overseen things there, but even she answered to others.

And it was those who had put a bounty on the heads of the four who had come into her home and wreaked havoc.

The Masters were not to be trifled with. In any aspect. They were powerful individuals who had long worked behind the scenes to set the stage for a new Shecrish . She wasn’t sure she could be as patient as they. Once she had a vision, she wanted it done immediately. The Masters , however, didn’t mind the years it had taken to reach this point.

They had amassed incredible fortunes and power. Some flaunted it. Others kept it hidden. Gita didn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to assert their authority and command. Or maybe it just came more naturally to some. Like her, for instance. She had always known she wanted to rule others, and she made sure to do just that.

She pushed up from the chair and slowly walked around the room. It had the best of everything. Beautiful , brightly colored fabric covered the furniture. Plush rugs were scattered on the floor, stunning art hung on the walls, and grand statues filled empty spaces. Her closet was filled with luxurious clothing. She had servants for anything she could possibly desire.

But a cage, no matter how gilded, was still a cage.

She walked to one of the large, open windows and leaned against the side to look out. The tower she was in gave her a breathtaking view of the thriving city of Belanore to the north of their country.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like the city. It was that she was confined. The Masters had decreed she would remain hidden until they deemed it unnecessary. As much as she hated it, not even she dared to go against them. Though she thought about it. A lot.

As anyone in her position would, Gita had her own network of people. Without a doubt, the Masters would take care of Ravi , Yasmin , Dain , and Arya . But she wouldn’t be a part of it. Gita needed to be there to see those four get their due. However , nothing she said to the Masters could get them to change their minds.

They were worried about the CCD working so closely with the DIA . She didn’t care one whit about any of them. But she didn’t have a seat at the Masters ’ table. Yet . She would one day. They knew how invaluable she was. Because the seat meant so much, she stayed in the lavish rooms and waited.

Thunder rumbled, and she looked up to find dark clouds moving in. A flash of lightning split the air as a gust of wind ruffled the leaves of the plants on the terrace. She closed the windows when the first drop of rain fell.

Gita turned and came to an abrupt halt at the sight of One leaning a shoulder against the jamb of her open door. The Star Elf had been the first she had chosen for those she called the Trinity . One , Two , and Three had carried out her orders and kept Shaldorn running smoothly. Each of them brought their own specialty to the stronghold. She’d lost Two and Three in the battle, but One had survived. He was the best fighter. He lived and breathed conflict as if it were life. She hadn’t been surprised when he walked out of Shaldorn .

Purple eyes coolly observed her. No one ever really knew what One thought. He never offered up anything, and she never asked. He stood tall, his shoulders nicely filling out the lavender tunic he wore. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and the shirt sleeves shoved up to his elbows to show off his toned arms and fair skin. His black trousers fit snugly around his trim hips. She ran her gaze down his legs to find one foot overlapping the other.

Slowly , she looked back up to his face. His purple hair was parted down the middle with a half dozen tiny braids on either side of the part, held with silver bands. He had strong, hawkish features that gave him a predatory look. She preferred her men prettier, but even she found One attractive.

“ You know I don’t like it when you sneak up on me,” she stated.

“ There was no sneaking. I walked in.”

She cut him a dark look. “ Don’t make me remind you who is in charge.”

“ That isn’t you at the moment. Which is why you’re in a mood.”

Gita whirled around and went to pour wine as the rain dinged against the window in a steady rhythm, the thunder and lightning adding deeper dimensions to the storm. “ I hope you have some information, at least.”

“ My sources have proven fruitful.”

A thrill of excitement rushed through her, but Gita didn’t let it show. She poured a second glass, slowly lowered the heavy decanter, and replaced the top. Only then did she lift a goblet in each hand and turn to face One . She held it out to him. “ Well ?”

He pushed away from the doorway and crossed the room to take the wine from her. He didn’t immediately drink. Instead , he pivoted and took the chair opposite her. Gita tucked a foot under her and lowered herself onto the sofa cushion. She kept her gaze on him as she reclined against the pillows beside her.

“ The bounty paid off. Arya was captured,” One finally answered.

Gita waited for him to finish. When he didn’t, she arched a brow. “ That is one off the list.”

“ Not exactly.”

“ Don’t draw this out,” she snapped. “ Just tell me.”

He stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles beneath the coffee table. “ Things didn’t quite go as planned. Arya was freed.”

“ This is why they should’ve let you and I handle the situation.” Gita sat up and set the glass on the table so hard that wine splashed over the side. “ We would never have let her get away. Where is she now?”

“ She was captured and put on one of the slave ships.”

Gita had been on one of those vessels once. She never wanted to go down the Lotus River again. “ You still haven’t told me where she is now .”

“ Below . With the Masters .”

Gita was so shocked by the reply that she could only sit and stare at him. “ What ? I thought you said she was set free?”

“ She was, but she went into the fortress.”

“ Why would she do that?” But Gita knew. The stupid elf was trying to free others. All Arya had done was get herself back into the very chains she had managed to get out of. “ Then she’s already dead.”

One looked down at the wineglass resting on his thigh. “ I’m not so sure of that.”

“ If the Masters have her, she’s dead.”

One raised his gaze to meet hers. Gita searched his face, but as usual, he didn’t give anything away. There were times, like now, when a thread of doubt began to unspool about One’s motives. And intentions. Yet , each time, he had proven where his loyalties lay. She never told him her doubts. The power dynamic would sway to him if she revealed such a thing, and Gita had worked too hard to give any of it away.

She reminded herself that she had found One . She’d convinced him to leave his life and join her. And he had embraced his role at Shaldorn with the same gusto she had. It was why she gave him the position of One .

Gita forced her muscles to relax and inhaled. She didn’t like the fort, but that was mostly because she hated going Below . Living underground was just…wrong. Each time she went, she felt her magic diminish. Anything that put her at a disadvantage was something she avoided at all costs. Thankfully , the Masters didn’t require her to go often.

However , that didn’t mean she wasn’t acutely aware of everything there was to know about their favorite location and how it operated. Now that her initial shock was gone, and Gita could look at things more pragmatically, she saw what One had left unsaid.

“ I didn’t think anyone was searching for Arya ,” Gita said.

One lifted the goblet in a salute before bringing it to his lips for a drink. “ And yet, somehow, the Dark ended up in their clutches.”

“ I don’t see the problem. They want her removed nearly as much as we do.”

“ She could be useful.”

Gita shrugged a shoulder indifferently. “ Meaning ?”

“ Meaning , she’s no ordinary elf.”

“ Nothing she can say or do will change her circumstances.”

One straightened in the chair and leaned forward to set the goblet on the table. Then he sat back and calmly said, “ She already has.”

Gita scoffed at him. “ Impossible .”

“ My contact isn’t wrong.”

Gita shot to her feet. “ They must be because the Masters wouldn’t be so easily fooled by…” She paused and waved her hand about as her breathing quickened with outrage. “ Whatever it is she came up with.” When One didn’t reply, she fought to gain control of her emotions. “ What did she do?”

“ She planted a seed of doubt.”

“ Then we need to un plant it,” Gita barked.

One picked at a piece of lint on his sleeve and flicked it away. “ I found out an interesting tidbit about the elven spy. Did you know her mother is none other than Chancellor Nagini ?”

“ The CCD were fools to make Arya one of theirs, then. And the parents were doubly foolish for allowing their child to work for the organization, knowing she could be used against them.”

“ Maybe . Maybe not.”

Gita usually enjoyed her conversations with One , but her last nerve was raw and frayed, and she needed answers. “ Spit it out. All of it. Everything you’ve been hinting at and toying with me about since you snuck in.”

“ You usually enjoy figuring things out.”

“ In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not in the mood,” she bit out.

One had the audacity to curl his lips in a ghost of a grin. “ Oh , I noticed.”

“ Out with it.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “ If you insist. I knew through my contacts that there was a particular captain and first mate with a grudge against Arya . I sent a message to the first mate, letting her know where Arya would be.”

“ Why didn’t you tell me?”

“ Because you would’ve wanted to go after her, and we are under strict orders to stay put.”

Gita curled her lip in distaste. “ We could’ve gotten out without anyone knowing.”

“ And ruin your chances of getting a seat at the table?” One shook his head. “ I did what you would’ve done if you weren’t so…agitated.”

She sat and tossed back a large portion of the wine. She really hated when he was right. Though she should be grateful he was looking out for her. “ Go on.”

“ The captain and first mate caught Arya , just as I knew they would.”

“ And how was it that you knew where she would be?”

“ My contacts, of course,” he said with a grin.

Gita narrowed her eyes at him. “ Mm -hmm.”

“ Anyway ,” he said, rising to his feet to inspect a statue of one of the gods on the table near him. “ Everything was fine until everything went wrong somewhere on the Lotus River .”

“ Wrong how?”

“ Arya was released, as I already told you. The first mate attempted to kill her, but she missed. Arya made it to help, and after she was healed, they all decided to go after the ship to free the slaves.”

Gita nodded. “ And then thought it was a good idea to go into the fort where Arya had been caught. Before you explain what she said to the Masters , tell me which friends she brought with her. Were they the other three we seek?”

“ Indeed , they were.”

Gita really wanted to know who One had gotten such intel from, but that was for another day. For now, she needed the rest of the story. “ Tell me about Arya and the Masters .”

“ She convinced them that she wanted to join them.”

“ And they actually believed her?”

One shrugged. “ I’m about to find out. They’ve called for me.”

Him . Not her. The nerve! It was a subtle but deep dig from the Masters . That meant they were still very upset with her for losing Shaldorn . If only they would release her from her cage. She could right the wrongs done to them. Swiftly and efficiently.

“ Then go,” she ordered. “ And hurry back. I need to know what’s happening.”

He bowed his head before turning on his heel and walking out. She waited until the door closed behind him before taking a pillow and bringing it to her mouth to smother her incensed scream.