Chapter 38

38

“ Jai did what?” Ravi asked after hearing about the Dark’s plan.

Yasmin hadn’t moved since Dain and Ravi arrived. “ He’s doing what he needs to.”

Ravi was shocked by Jai’s decision, but Dain wasn’t. That didn’t mean he wasn’t furious—because he was. They needed to stay together, and now two of their group were missing.

“ With a fucking necklace that prevents him from accessing magic. He’s all but serving himself up to those looking for us,” Ravi stated angrily. The Sun Elf swung his head to Dain . “ Tell her.”

Dain looked from one to the other. “ We’ve been on the defensive since we entered the fort. Now , we’re down two.”

“ We knew the odds,” Yasmin said.

Dain quirked a brow. “ Did we? Or were we still on a high from Shaldorn ?”

“ Yaz is right,” Ravi said with a sigh. “ We knew the odds. We each decided to come.”

“ Our mission at Shaldorn was to stop the sale of the weapon meant to start a war with the dragons. Releasing the prisoners and toppling Shaldorn’s elite was merely a byproduct. We had a plan then.”

“ I remember it quite differently,” Yasmin cheekily stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ravi’s brow furrowed as he studied Dain . “ You want to leave? Is that what this is about?”

“ We’re severely outnumbered. We’re down to me getting the three of us out, and it’ll be messy if we’re attacked,” Dain said.

Ravi shrugged. “ It always is.”

“ What about Arya and Jai ? Do you plan on leaving them behind?” Yasmin asked, her voice dripping with fury.

Before Dain could reply, Ravi said, “ There are those we can help. Even if we only free one or two from this place, we need to do it.”

“ I’ll need to stop carrying both of you to the ship. Each time means a chance of attack, and if Priya did somehow slip into Arya’s travel—twice, I might add—then what’s to stop her or another from doing it to us? I’ll be weakened. And that’s just with the three of us. You want to add more?” Dain shook his head. “ It isn’t possible. And that’s not even talking about getting us home.”

Yasmin and Ravi traded looks. Dain knew they were thinking about their children. They had someone to go home to. He didn’t. Though that was by choice. It made taking dangerous assignments easy. The enemy couldn’t use anyone against him, and no one would make him hesitate to do what needed to be done—whatever that might be.

“ We’re not leaving Arya or Jai ,” Yasmin said as she linked her hand with Ravi’s .

The Sun Elf nodded, his golden hair moving. “ Nay , we aren’t. Besides , you’re going to need us because I know you’ll return.”

“ Below isn’t a place for either of you,” Dain stated, hoping to change their minds.

Ravi shrugged. “ It won’t be the first time I’ve gone into a fight without magic.”

“ Now that that’s settled, let’s dec—” Yasmin’s face suddenly contorted in pain, and she covered her ears.

Ravi held her by the shoulders as Dain took a step toward them. He watched Yasmin curl in on herself and Ravi attempt to soothe her. “ What is it?”

“ Stones …yelling,” Yasmin bit out.

Distress filled Ravi’s copper eyes when his gaze briefly met Dain’s .

“ About what?” Dain asked.

“ Jai ,” she said breathlessly. Her eyes opened fleetingly and met his. “ And Arya .”

Dain stopped himself from giving in to the rash need to run off and find the couple. He would only be doing more harm. So , he stayed and waited for the time when Yasmin finally dropped her hands from her ears and sagged against Ravi .

“ I don’t like when they hurt you,” Ravi said, holding her against him.

Yasmin lifted her head, her face pale. “ They tempered it.”

“ Not from where I was.”

Before Dain could ask what had been communicated, Yasmin continued. “ The stones warned me of danger and showed me flashes of Jai and Arya .”

“ Are they together?” Dain asked.

Yasmin slowly shook her head. “ I don’t think so. It was hard to hear. Half the voices were shrieking about Jai , and the others about Arya .”

“ Did you see where either were?” Ravi asked.

“ They showed me Jai . Priya took him. And she had some help. It was difficult to get the stones to hear me while they were shouting, but they did tell me where to find them.”

Dain nodded. “ Good . What about Arya ?”

“ I saw her walking.” Yasmin no longer clung to Ravi but didn’t drop her arms from him.

Dain watched her carefully. There was more, but he didn’t understand why Yasmin wasn’t sharing it. Unless … “ What are you holding back?”

Yasmin straightened from Ravi and looked from him to Dain . “ I don’t believe it. The stones have to be wrong.”

“ Yaz ,” Ravi pressed. “ Just tell us.”

She hesitated a moment more. “ They said Arya has sided with the Masters .”

Dain shook his head, not accepting that for an instant. “ The stones can’t know what’s going through someone’s mind.”

“ They hear and see, though,” Yasmin explained. “ And they warned me that Arya is looking for us. To kill us.”

Dain ran a hand down his face, searching for any reason the rocks would have passed that on. “ The Masters must have done something to her. We need to locate her quickly.”

“ What about Jai ?” Ravi asked.

Dain looked between Yasmin and Ravi . They couldn’t split up again. They needed to stick together. They were stronger that way. Which meant they had to choose who to find first. Until he saw and spoke to Arya , he would assume she was the same elf he knew. She was out of danger for the moment. The same couldn’t be said for Jai . Besides , they might need Jai when it came to Arya .

“ We find Jai ,” Dain said. “ And perhaps have a chat with Priya .”

Ravi nodded once. “ I like that plan.”

“ Let me get more details.” Yasmin pulled out of Ravi’s arms and placed her hands on the floor.

A million worries flooded Dain’s mind, but he shut all of them out. If even one got through, it could mean the difference between life and death. He had seen it before. Too many depended on him to get out. He couldn’t let doubts or concerns weigh him down.

He had trained Arya well and had put her through things others never would’ve been able to handle, much less master. She was a good agent. One of the best. He had to trust that whatever she decided was in their best interests. And if it wasn’t? If he discovered that she had turned against them…

Then he would do what he had to do.

“ Got it,” Yasmin said and looked at Dain and Ravi . “ Priya has two Dark Elves working with her. They took Jai to the lowest level on the southwest side of the fort.”

Dain motioned for them to approach as the shadows rose behind him. “ Let’s go.”

Jai !

He came awake abruptly as if something making him sleep had suddenly been removed. He found himself in a strange room, lying on his back on a narrow bed pushed against a wall. He remembered someone coming at him when he was talking to Priya , and then…blackness. He blinked his eyes a few times to get them to focus.

Cautiously , he looked around the austere room. A circular pit had been built in the center and housed a crackling fire. Hanging over the flames was a kettle. Across the pit, dangling ominously from the ceiling, were different lengths of manacled chains.

Perpendicular to them was a long table. And standing before it with their backs to him were Priya and a Dark Elf with wild, unkempt hair down to her hips. The two talked softly as the elf flipped pages in a book.

Jai slowly sat up. Voices filled the chamber, almost inaudible, in a dialect Jai couldn’t decipher. He looked at Priya and the elf, only to realize they weren’t the ones talking. The whispers continued. Some sounded as if they were right beside him while others came from across the room. He strained to understand the words but couldn’t. He lowered his gaze to the book. The sight of it made his stomach lurch.

The whispers intensified, and with them, his churning stomach. He closed his eyes, and just like that, it stopped. The whispers and the queasiness. He didn’t know what the book was and wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

He turned his head away, making sure not to look at the book, and scanned the rest of the room, looking for anyone else. Someone had attacked him from the side, which meant Priya wasn’t acting alone. He should’ve known she would try something. He should’ve been prepared.

Jai touched the gold still around his neck. He should be able to get out of this situation on his own, and he could if he weren’t hindered. He looked at the stones. Hopefully , Dain and the others had located Arya by now and had gone to find her. He wanted their focus on her, not him. Could he communicate that to the stones? Would they understand him?

“ Good . You’re awake.”

Jai’s attention snapped to Priya , who now faced him. He buried the rising anger and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, placing his hands on either side of him. “ I don’t suppose I should even bother to ask where we are.”

She smiled and laughed softly. “ While I appreciate your declaration, I’m sure you’ll understand if I don’t believe you. Not after everything you said. So , I brought you to someone who will wipe your memories of every trace of Arya . Once you forget her, we can be together.”

Jai’s heart stuttered, his breath locking in his throat. His gaze moved to the elf beside Priya . The Dark female was hunched with age, a long, loose, white gown covering her from neck to feet. Her face was lined, but her yellow eyes were clear and bright. Something in her stare told Jai the old elf could do exactly as Priya said.

Who would he be without the love he held for Arya ? Yasmin had asked who he was without magic. But without Arya ? He didn’t want to find out what it would feel like to have her erased from his mind and heart.

“ No need to be scared of Mamta ,” Priya said. “ She’s a dear friend and the one who taught me many of my new skills. The ones I’ll teach you. Soon , the Masters will fear us .”

Mamta shot Priya a harsh look. “ Watch your words, child.”

Priya shrugged, letting the old elf’s admonishment roll off her. “ They won’t come down here looking for us. Besides , it’s the truth. I’ve waited long enough to have Jai as mine. I won’t wait a second more. Let’s get on with it.”

“ Don’t do this, Pri . You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“ I’m doing this because I love you.”

Jai shot to his feet. His blood ran with ice at the thought of having his memories and feelings rearranged as if he were some plaything. His breath came in great huffs and sweat coated his hands. He had thought to lie to Priya , but she had hidden her true plan once more. He glanced at the door but knew he would never make it past them. He was trapped. More certainly and firmly than anything the Masters had done to him.

He slid his gaze to Priya . “ There’s nothing you can do to me that will make me forget Arya . Not completely. I may not remember her name or face, but the love I hold for her will always be there. Like an empty hole that will never be filled. Not by you. Not by anyone.”

Priya merely smiled. “ We’ll see.”

“ This is wrong,” he stated and glanced at the door again.

“ Wrong ?” Priya laughed. “ I tried to kill you in the falls, lover, but fate brought you back to me. That proved we’re meant to be together. It told me I couldn’t give up on us. And I won’t.”

Jai looked at Mamta , who watched him with a crazed expression, almost as if he were some animal in a maze. “ Arya found me and rescued me after you put me in the falls. If fate did anything, it brought her and I back together.”

“ Stop saying her name,” Priya stated tightly.

“ You could have any elf you want. Give yourself to someone who will love you in return.”

Her lips softened into another smile. “ You love me. You came to me. You chose me.”

Fuck . What had he done? He had even told Yasmin that Priya didn’t know the meaning of giving up. He should’ve suspected she would try something as outlandish as messing with his memories. “ I lied. About all of it. I came to you to keep you occupied so my friends could find Arya . I’m not in love with you.”

“ You will be,” she claimed, as if he hadn’t just admitted to lying to and using her.

Mamta tsked. “ I can take his memories, child, but I cannot force feelings he doesn’t have.”

“ It doesn’t matter,” Priya told her. “ Without her around, he will fall in love with me.”

Jai shook his head. “ I won’t. Even if you force me, you’ll know it isn’t real. That you had to use magic to have me.”

“ The point is that I’ll have you.” Priya motioned to Mamta before walking to him.

Mamta held her hands out in front of her as curls of black magic began moving between her palms.

“ You fight now, but in just a moment, you won’t remember anyone but me,” Priya said.

He refused to look at her. Even when she took his face between her hands, he jerked his head away and pulled up a mental image of Arya . He let his love for her fill him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the magic race toward him. He flinched as it reached out to him with long, slim fingers. Just before it brushed his skin, the door burst open.