Page 46 of Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms #2)

46

Jai stared out over the water with the wind in his hair and his hands on the helm as the ship glided through the waves. He missed The Viper , but their current vessel was a thing of beauty. She maneuvered, and while she might not match The Viper ’s speed, she was still quick.

The Sea Elves had put them on a course headed south, and Jai hadn’t seen any reason to deviate from that. No one followed them. At least, no one they could see. There was always the chance that Sea Elves were there. It was the same chance anyone took while in the forests of Shecrish . Wood Elves were always around but only showed themselves when they wanted someone to see them. The Sea Elves might very well be the same.

At least one of their race had aligned with the Masters and proved the Masters had a very long reach. Jai hoped that releasing the female Sea Elf meant they had dealt a significant blow to the Masters . But that wasn’t the discussion going on at the moment.

“ None of us should go home,” Dain said.

Jai had already figured something out. By the looks on Arya’s , Yasmin’s , and Ravi’s faces, they had, as well—even though no one was thrilled about it.

“ It isn’t like we have anywhere else to go,” Ravi said.

Yasmin crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into Ravi . “ The children are safe in the mountains. We could go there.”

Jai was surprised by the mention of the Mountain Elves . He had never seen one of the reclusive class of elves. Not only had Yasmin and Ravi seen them, but they knew someone well enough to put their children in their care. “ We’re relatively safe out there,” Jai pointed to the water.

“ Don’t forget the Masters have connections to the Sea Elves ,” Arya said.

Dain grunted. “ We’ll be hunted as long as we stay in Shecrish . It doesn’t matter where we go. The sea, the mountains, the rainwood. They will come for us.”

“ It isn’t as if we can cross over to Idrias ,” Yasmin said with a quick grin.

Jai watched the four exchange glances. “ You can’t believe we could go onto dragon land.”

“ Nay , we can’t,” Dain said. “ We might have had that option if someone on the Council hadn’t tried to kill Kendrick .”

When Dain didn’t elaborate, he asked, “ Who is Kendrick ?”

“ A Dragon King ,” Dain answered.

Jai laughed, but no one else joined in. “ Shite . You’re serious.”

“ Very much so,” Arya added.

His head swung to her. “ You saw a Dragon King ?”

“ Only me,” Dain said.

Jai shook his head in dismay. “ I’d love to know that story. All right, if we can’t stay in Shecrish , and we have nowhere else to go, what do we do?”

“ We keep fighting,” Ravi said. He shrugged when everyone looked at him. “ What choice do we have? Their eyes are on us. We can’t return to our lives as they were. Not until we end them and their control.”

Arya smoothed some hair from her face. “ We started something with Shaldorn . We poked them at the fort. We need to finish it.”

“ Agreed ,” Yasmin said.

Dain caught her gaze. “ What about the children?”

“ They’ll stay with Manu . He’ll keep them safe,” Ravi said.

Jai observed the silent look of love and reassurance passing between Ravi and Yasmin . His gaze moved to Arya and found her watching him. She smiled, and they shared their own silent conversation. He was part of something special now, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“ Do we stay together or split up?” Arya asked everyone.

Jai took Arya’s hand. “ We’re stronger together.”

“ I agree, but it’ll be harder for them to find us if we split up,” Ravi said.

Arya’s lips twisted. “ That’s a good point. It’s easier for one or two to hide rather than all five of us.”

“ We need a way to communicate then,” Yasmin said.

Dain nodded and eyed the coast. “ I know of a way.”

Jai noticed how Dain absently worried the scar on his finger. “ Do any of you know how close we are to the Idrias border? Do the dragons even come out over the water?”

“ They do, indeed,” Dain said. “ Now would be a good time to drop anchor.”

Jai directed Arya and Yasmin to drop both anchors while Ravi and Dain lowered the sails. Within moments, the ship was moored. Jai glanced toward the coast and spotted a woman standing on the shore. A large shadow fell over the ship, blocking out the moon. Jai looked up and stumbled backward at the sight of the huge dragon soaring above them.

“ Bloody hell. I’ve always wanted to see one,” Ravi said, wearing a big smile.

Jai alternated between shock and alarm. Everyone in Shecrish knew about the dragons. It was necessary when their country bordered the dragons’ land. But no one had seen dragons for generations. At least before Kendrick wandered into Shecrish . Jai had known they were large, but he hadn’t realized they were that immense. The dragon dwarfed the ship.

“ I can’t decide if I should hide or keep watching,” Yasmin whispered.

Dain glanced up at the dragon. “ That’s Kendrick .”

“ How do you know?” Arya asked.

“ The color of his scales.”

Jai couldn’t decipher the exact hue in the moonlight, but since the dragon didn’t seem intent on attacking, maybe it was Kendrick . They watched the dragon as he returned to land and disappeared behind the cliffs.

“ Come ,” Dain urged them. “ We’ll go ashore as one.”

The five of them gathered together. Dain , Arya , and Jai summoned the shadows, but Dain led them to shore. The shadows parted, and Jai found himself staring at a Reader . He had never seen one up close before. The Sun Elf wore a long, flowing, sleeveless white gown with a belt of gold at her waist. A wrap in the same golden hue was draped over each arm and hung just shy of touching the ground.

Copper eyes regarded each of them in turn. Her straight, tawny hair was parted in the middle and hung down her back. He couldn’t stop looking at the gold sun painted on her forehead or the gold at her eyes and collarbones.

“ You’re certainly a surprise,” Dain said to her.

The Reader grinned. “ The runes warned me you were in trouble and were headed this way. I thought I might help.”

“ And by help, she means me,” came a female voice to their left.

Jai turned to find another Sun Elf walking toward them along the shore. The top half of her tawny waves were gathered behind her head. An Asavori Ranger sword was at her hip. At that moment, the dragon soared low over them before dipping its wing and turning around. It landed half in the water and half on land behind the Ranger , who didn’t break her stride.

Jai wasn’t the only one who tensed. Yet the dragon didn’t attack, it changed into a man with black hair, dressed in foreign clothes.

“ Fuck me,” Ravi murmured.

Jai grunted in agreement.

“ That was incredible,” Yasmin said in awe.

The man walked from the water and jogged to catch up to the Sun Elf . He linked his hand with hers, and she gave him a warm smile. They stopped a few feet from the Reader .

“ Didna expect to see you so soon,” the man said to Dain . “ What have you gotten yourself into?”

Dain released a long breath. “ Serious trouble.”

“ It’s why I asked Kendrick and Esha to join us,” the Reader said.

Introductions were quickly made. Jai learned that the Reader was called Savita , and the Sun Elf was her sister, Esha , who now lived with Kendrick on Idrias . While Dain filled them in on what had happened at the fort, Jai tried to come to terms with the fact that he stood before a Dragon King . Not just a dragon, but a King . Kendrick looked like any other human. If Jai hadn’t seen him change shapes, he never would have believed Kendrick was anything but a man.

“ You’re staring,” Arya whispered.

Jai cut his eyes to her and grinned. “ So are you.”

“ How can I not? A Reader , an Asavori Ranger , and a Dragon King .”

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close before pressing a kiss to her temple. “ I think you’re pretty special.”

“ That’s a significant trafficking ring,” Kendrick said when Dain finished. “ And by the sounds of it, one with connections everywhere.”

Savita clasped her hands before her. “ We’re not sure how widespread or extensive the group is.”

“ I think it’s safe to say it’s substantial,” Dain replied.

Esha rested one hand on the hilt of her sword. “ I’m not sure what we can do. I’d offer to return and help, but I’m not allowed. Nor can Kendrick or any other Dragon King go.”

“ And we can’t enter Idrias ,” Dain said. “ Running isn’t an option. We five have bounties on our heads. They’ll keep coming for us. The only way to get our lives back is to fight them.”

Kendrick’s green eyes landed on Esha briefly before he asked Dain , “ You have a plan?”

“ The only option we have is to eliminate them,” Dain replied.

The Dragon King nodded. “ I wish we could help.”

“ There is one thing you might be able to help with.”

“ Name it,” Kendrick stated.

Jai was surprised when Dain motioned him closer. Jai dropped his arm from Arya and moved to stand beside Dain .

“ The line dividing our two countries stands between us,” Dain told Jai . “ You can’t cross it, and Kendrick can’t come to us. But nothing’s stopping you from putting your arm over.”

Jai frowned until Dain pointedly looked at his left wrist. Jai jerked his gaze to the Dragon King , who watched with interest.

“ What is it?” Kendrick asked, looking between Jai and Dain .

Dain pulled something out of his coat pocket and tossed it across to Kendrick . The King easily caught the rigid gold necklace. “ That’s what they put on the elves so they can’t use their magic to escape.”

Kendrick studied it for a moment before handing it to Esha . “ It’s thin. Seemingly breakable.”

“ No elf can break it once it’s locked,” Jai explained.

“ How does it work?”

“ It’s locked into place by certain individuals, and only they can remove it.”

Kendrick’s gaze lowered to the silver on Jai’s wrist. “ And that?”

Jai looked down at the reviled bracelet and all it signified. “ It allows the Masters to call their slaves to them. They give us the illusion of freedom, but all it takes is one command to bring us back.”

“ That is appalling,” Esha exclaimed. “ All of it.” Her head snapped up to Savita . “ Do the Rangers know?”

Savita shook her head. “ Few do. The masses are only now becoming aware of how many have been taken.”

“ Can you remove it?” Dain asked Kendrick .

Jai didn’t want to cut off his hand, but he had already accepted that it might be his only option. He would no longer allow anyone to control his life. The Masters and Priya had taken enough from him.

Kendrick took the necklace back from Esha . He held the gold between two fingers and smoothed them across the metal. “ Maybe ,” he finally answered. “ I’d feel better if Kellan were here to try. His power is control over metal.”

Arya moved up beside Jai . “ Can you ask him to come?”

“ He’s not on this realm.”

Jai frowned at Kendrick’s response. If Kellan wasn’t on this realm, that meant he was on another. How did they traverse worlds? And how many realms were there?

Esha smiled softly. “ Many elves don’t know about dragons or the other species on Zora . The Dragon Kings come from another world called Earth .”

“ The Masters can never know that,” Arya said. “ They’re already intent on sending ships to conquer more lands and capture slaves.”

Kendrick’s lips peeled back in a snarl. “ They can try to get to Earth , but they’ll have to get through every King first.”

“ And their mates,” Esha added.

Kendrick looked at her, his face softening. “ Aye . We’ve fierce women by our sides.” He looked back at Jai . “ I can send for Kellan , but it might take some time.”

“ Time we don’t have,” Dain said.

Jai held out his hand. “ Can you try to remove it? If you can’t, I’ll wait to see if Kellan is willing to try. If that isn’t possible, then my hand comes off. Enough is enough.”

“ Let me see,” Kendrick urged as he returned the necklace to Esha .

Jai held out his left arm. The Dragon King gripped the silver, turning it over. Beside Jai , Arya took his right hand in hers, lending him her support and love.

“ I sense the same magic as the gold,” Kendrick murmured. He paused and ran the pad of a finger back and forth over a section. “ I feel the lock.”

That surprised Jai since he had searched for it from the moment he woke to find it around his wrist. There had been wild speculation about how much magic the dragons possessed. Many elves believed they could match a dragon’s power, but some pointed to ancient texts that stated how formidable the dragons were. Nowhere in any of those books had there been mention of dragons who could shift or even Dragon Kings . Esha was right, there was much the elves didn’t know. And to think some had tried to start a war with their neighbors. If that happened, the dragons might very well wipe out all of Shecrish , Above and Below .

Kendrick suddenly encircled the bracelet with both hands. His green eyes met Jai’s . “ I don’t know what will happen.”

“ I’ll take whatever the outcome is.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud crack, heard even over the waves crashing on the shore. When Kendrick removed his hands, the silver fell away.

Jai rubbed his bare wrist, hardly believing the bracelet was gone. “ How did you do that?”

“ A wee bit of magic and some strength,” Kendrick said with a shrug.

“ Thank you. I owe you a debt,” Jai said.

Arya flashed the King a wide smile. “ Aye . Thank you.”

“ You owe me nothing. I’d like to take both the bracelet and the necklace to study if that’s all right,” Kendrick said.

Jai motioned to them with his chin. “ Keep them. I never want to see either again.”

“ You think you can figure out how they work?” Dain asked.

Kendrick shrugged one shoulder. “ Kellan should be able to, but I also want to show it to the others to get their thoughts.”

“ Other Kings ?” Ravi asked.

Esha said, “ There are a number of individuals with different magic here. Dragon Kings , Alchemists , Banshees , Fae , and many more.”

“ They all have magic?” Yasmin asked.

Kendrick’s eyes fell on her. “ In varying ways, aye. Same as you.”

Her eyes went wide as she glanced at Ravi . “ Y …you know that?”

“ Aye .” The Dragon King looked at Dain . “ I think I understand why you asked about humans with magic now.”

Ravi put a protective arm around Yasmin . “ No one can know about her.”

“ It won’t be from any of us,” Kendrick assured them.

Dain jerked his chin to the metal in Kendrick’s hand. “ Do what you need with those. Meanwhile , there are some things that need our immediate attention.”

Jai felt Arya stiffen when Dain looked her way.

“ My parents,” she gasped.

“ We need to warn them,” Dain said.

Jai took Arya’s hand. “ I’m coming with you.”