Page 10 of Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms #2)

10

Flamefall

The scent of rain hung heavy in the air, the sounds of the night dampened by the movements and conversation coming from the Asavori Rangers ’ camp. Savita’s white skirt brushed her ankles as she walked down the middle of the encampment. She spied Rangers eating or readying for the night while others headed out to their posts for guard duty in the forest.

Savita directed the Rangers . It had been a strategic move in a bid to stay near Esha . The runes had warned Savita that her sister would need her. And she had. Though the runes had kept news of Esha falling in love with a Dragon King from her. Or maybe she hadn’t wanted to see it. Either way, Esha was now in Idrias with Kendrick .

A raindrop fell on Savita’s bare arm, the only alert she got before the skies opened. She ducked into her tent at the edge of the Ranger camp and halted, her gaze scanning the interior. It was a habit she had formed years ago. She was a Reader , respected and revered. But not everyone accepted what the runes told her. Many claimed Readers lied.

The simple truth was that sometimes they did. Sometimes she did. There was no getting around it. Nor would she apologize for it. If she hadn’t lied, she wouldn’t have been with the Rangers or been there to help Esha . Any number of lies was worth helping her sister. The runes had warned of a terrible danger, but nothing Savita had imagined could have prepared her for what unfolded when Kendrick crossed into elven territory.

Or since.

Her gaze locked on a shadow in the corner. To the casual observer, it looked like any other. Innocuous . Innocent . But she wasn’t just anyone. Savita walked to the dressing table and carefully removed the golden stole from her arms, folding it before draping it over the back of the chair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Tawny hair parted in the middle to hang down her back. Copper eyes. Brown skin with a golden sheen.

A large gold sun was painted in the middle of her forehead, and a band of gold ran from the inner corners of her eyes outward to her temples along her lower lashes. Each collarbone had five gold dots.

“ I’ve been expecting you for a few days. We won’t be disturbed,” she announced and looked at the shadow through the mirror.

The darkness fell away like curtains being parted. Dain emerged, looking more feral and irritated than usual. The fact that he allowed the emotion to show alerted her that something was wrong.

The Dark Elf was an unlikely ally, but they had a mutual goal that began when he aided Esha and Kendrick in fighting off a deadly attack sent by someone in the Conclave . Shecrish’s governing body was made up of elected officials who were as corrupt as they came.

The fact that one or more had targeted her sister for death wasn’t something Savita could—or would—take lightly. Since the Conclave had a delegate from all seven elven races, she had to look at everyone. Yet , there were some places even she didn’t risk visiting. The Below dominion was one of them. That’s where Dain came in. Though she had come to learn he had connections throughout all of Shecrish . Every time she thought she knew him, he managed to surprise her.

His network of associates, spies, and connections was wider than even hers. So , they had partnered. Despite each of their complex networks, they had gotten little intelligence on which members of the Conclave were a part of ordering Esha’s and Kendrick’s deaths.

Savita noticed Dain’s pinched lips and the tension radiating from him as she turned to face him. “ What is it? Have you news?”

“ Nothing about our mutual issue.”

She took a step closer, her apprehension growing. “ This is about Shaldorn .”

Word of the existence of the hidden stronghold in the mountains—and its downfall—had spread from one end of Shecrish to the other. It was in every city, every village. Elves were outraged that such a diabolical place existed. No doubt, many of the high-ranking political figures demanding those involved be brought to justice expected their association to be swept under the rug.

They were wrong.

“ Aye ,” Dain said with a long sigh. “ Word reached me that a price has been placed on my head, along with Ravi’s , Yasmin’s , and Arya’s .” He paused, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “ I believe Arya’s been taken.”

“ You believe?”

“ She never told her parents about working with the CCD .”

Savita clasped her hands before her. “ You intentionally never pushed her on that, which I agreed was a good thing. We don’t know if either of her parents are involved since both are elected officials.” Though Arya’s mother held a much higher position than her husband.

“ I had a meeting with Arya yesterday. She also realized one or both of her parents could be embroiled.”

“ And if you go to them looking for her, it will, at the very least, let them know she works with you.” Savita twisted her lips. “ You checked her house?”

Dain gave her a flat look.

“ All right. Then you have no choice but to go to them. Perhaps she stayed over at her parents’ place.”

“ She wouldn’t have missed our meeting. She was keen to join in my hunt for Gita .”

The mention of the Moon Elf who ran Shaldorn caused a flare of anger, but Savita tamped it down.

“ I tracked Arya’s movements from yesterday,” Dain continued. “ Right up until she left The Crossing to meet her parents.”

The tavern was on the outskirts of the Darks ’ territory and Rannora . It was prime terrain for the worst kinds of criminals, and a great location for those like Dain to go about their business without notice.

Dain ran a hand down his face. “ Gita warned that she answered to others. I also believe she and those she works with are responsible for all the missing people in Shecrish . We freed hundreds of humans from Shaldorn . But an unprecedented number of elves have gone missing.”

“ I’ll see if I can learn anything about the price on your heads. Meanwhile , I have a meeting I must attend. I think you should tag along.”

Dain bowed his head in agreement.

Savita grabbed her cloak and swung it around her shoulders before fastening it. She tied the white bag holding her runes to the gold belt at her waist. When she walked from the tent, she did it alone. Dain waited in the forest, camouflaged by his shadows. She might be able to find him in her tent, but in such a wide-open place, she had no idea where he was. It wasn’t until she neared him that the shadows parted.

“ Shall I ?” he asked, holding out a hand.

The walk was a long one, and she was anxious to arrive quickly. It wasn’t every day that a Dark offered someone a ride. No other elf race could travel in such a fashion. She put her hand in his and walked closer to him. Their gazes briefly met before darkness enveloped her. When the shadows brushed against her, it was like feathers gliding over her skin. Though she heard nothing when they traveled, there was a slight temporal distortion. The first time had made her lightheaded, but she had grown used to it.

Within moments, the shadows split, and Dain released her. When Savita looked over his shoulder, she saw the plateau soaring above them and the colossal elven heads carved from rock with water falling from their mouths to the pools below.

Savita turned and gazed across the expanse of grassland to the invisible barrier separating them from Idrias . The land of the dragons was forbidden to all. The double moons cast the area in a soft blue as the sounds of the night filled the air. She spotted two figures walking toward them.

Esha wore a bright smile when they met at the border. “ It’s good to see you.”

“ I’ve missed you.” Savita returned her smile. They met once a week, but it wasn’t enough.

Esha held her arms out through the magical barrier. Savita met her in the middle, and they embraced. It was all they dared. Savita wasn’t allowed into Idrias , and Esha had been banned from Shecrish for loving a dragon.

“ Dain .” Kendrick greeted the Dark with a smile and an outstretched arm.

Dain clasped the Dragon King’s forearm. “ You’re still in one piece, I see.”

“ It’s day to day,” Kendrick teased.

Everyone shared a smile, but they died quickly.

“ It’s slow-going here,” Savita told them. “ I’m not making as much headway as I’d like.”

Esha’s brow furrowed. “ I’d rather you be safe and not look into it at all.”

“ Our government is corrupt. They must be stopped.”

Kendrick shook his head and shrugged. “ I don’t think there is a government in the universe that doesn’t have some form of corruption. Even those on my home world have it. It’s like playing whack-a-mole.”

“ What a what?” Dain asked.

Esha’s lips twitched as she glanced at Kendrick . “ Like attempting to halt problems that randomly and repeatedly occur.”

“ There are other problems,” Savita said, glancing at Dain .

The Dark blew out a breath. “ Those of us who helped take down Shaldorn now have a price on our heads. I think they got to Arya .”

“ Think ?” Kendrick asked, his brows raised.

Savita looked from her sister to the Dragon King . “ People have gone missing in Shecrish for generations. A few here and there. Mostly humans, but elves have disappeared without a trace, too. There were arguments that the humans left to find their own kind. It was rarely looked into further.”

“ I’m guessing it was different for the elves,” Kendrick said.

Esha grimaced. “ It’s always different for the elves. I know that doesn’t put our people in a good light.”

“ If it makes you feel better, it doesn’t just happen in Shecrish . The divide, that is,” Kendrick corrected. The Dragon King slid his green gaze to Dain . “ You said you freed humans at Shaldorn . Is that where they were taken?”

Dain lifted one shoulder. “ That’s my thought. But it doesn’t account for the number vanishing lately.”

“ There’s another Shaldorn , then,” Esha said.

“ Possibly ,” Dain answered. “ Yet , not just the human numbers have increased. It’s the elves, too.”

Kendrick shook his head. “ Arya could’ve been taken because of the price on her head, or she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Savita clasped her hands before her. “ Do you understand the dilemma now?”

As Kendrick’s gaze moved past them, Esha put her finger to her lips. Even Dain stiffened.

Savita listened and heard the grass swaying gently in the breeze along with the insects. She looked at her sister and saw Esha mouth, Rangers . Ever since Kendrick had crossed into Shecrish , the Rangers had been stationed along the border, waiting for a dragon to cross so they could attack. It would mean certain death for every Ranger , but their vow forced them to uphold the Conclave’s dictates.

Dain lowered his voice to a whisper and caught Kendrick’s gaze. “ You once said some humans have magic.”

“ Aye ,” Kendrick replied with a nod. “ What of it?”

Dain glanced behind him and dropped his voice even more. “ We have one.”

“ What ?” Savita and Esha whispered in unison.

Savita didn’t tell Dain everything, and she knew he kept things from her, too. Too many centuries of suspicion and mistrust between their two classes was hard to overcome.

Dain shot Savita a look that was hard to read. “ No one can find out.”

“ They need to leave Shecrish ,” Esha whispered. “ Immediately .”

Dain’s shoulders lifted as he drew in a breath.

Before he could say anything, Kendrick shook his head. “ I know what you want to ask but bringing them here isna possible.”

“ I was thinking with the other humans,” Dain said.

Esha winced. “ The humans here kill those with magic.”

“ Fuck ,” Dain muttered and looked away.

Dain wasn’t the easiest elf to know, and while Savita hadn’t spent a lot of time with him, she had come to realize one important thing. He tolerated few, and liked even fewer. Though like stretched things a bit. Dain didn’t particularly like anyone. But there were a few. Kendrick was one. As was Esha , by association.

The fact that Dain was upset that this human with magic couldn’t get out of Shecrish meant the person in danger was someone he knew. Determining that he spoke of Yasmin wasn’t much of a leap.

Dain was right, though. Yasmin was in jeopardy. More than anyone knew.

“ Do we know if the abductions are related to Shaldorn ?” Kendrick asked.

Savita exchanged a look with Dain before answering. “ There are arguments for and against linking them.”

“ Until we know for certain, it’s better to consider them separate,” Dain said.

Esha nodded. “ I agree. I wish I was there to help.”

“ Me , too,” Kendrick replied.

Savita reached for her sister’s hand again and held it tightly. “ I’d like the help, but I’m happier knowing you’re safe.”

“ I wouldn’t exactly say that’s the case.” Esha and Kendrick shared a long look, a silent conversation happening between them. Finally , Esha looked at her. “ Things with the Star People are escalating.”

“ Could it all be connected? Our problems and yours?” Dain asked.

Kendrick shrugged. “ I wouldna rule out anything until we have the facts.”

“ Listen ,” Esha said, her golden-amber eyes moving between Savita and Dain , “ Shaldorn was hidden deep in the mountains. If there is another place like it, it will be someplace few go to.”

Dain nodded. “ I’ve already suspected there is a location Below . The problem is searching for it. The Dark have carved out the entire expanse of the plateau and beyond.”

“ Study Shaldorn ,” Kendrick urged. “ The location, its proximity to the normal populace, and the ease to reach it. It was successful for years. They likely took that as a blueprint and copied it elsewhere.”

Esha squeezed Savita’s hand. “ Keep us posted. I’ll see you in a few days.”

It became harder and harder for Savita to say goodbye to her sister. She released Esha and watched her and the Dragon King walk away.

“ The Rangers might have seen you,” she told Dain .

The Dark grunted. “ It’s common knowledge that I aided Kendrick when he was here. No one will think twice about my being at this meeting.”

She turned her head to him. “ You need to be careful. I can’t do this on my own.”

“ The same goes for you,” he replied, meeting her gaze.

Savita moved closer so she could keep her voice barely above a whisper. “ No one can know about…your friend.”

Dain’s yellow eyes studied her. Just when she thought he might ignore her words, he said, “ I know. It’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“ I’m more concerned with what will happen to her if word gets out. There was another human with abilities long, long ago.”

His nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. “ What happened?”

“ It caused an uprising among the humans. The man was captured, and they did horrible experiments on him. Other humans began claiming they also had magic. They were killed immediately.”

Dain briefly closed his eyes. “ Shall I take you back? I need to?—”

“ Go ,” she bid him. “ I’ll make my way home.”

Shadows brushed against her as she moved back. Dain was gone before she took a full step. She cast a glance at her sister one more time, then headed to Flamefall .