Page 47 of Dark Heart (Elven Kingdoms #2)

47

Arya took Jai and Dain to her parents’ house while Ravi and Yasmin remained at the coast. The rock garden at the back of the house was her father’s most prized possession, and it had the added benefit of being private. She heard Jai’s quick intake of breath as the shadows fell away. And then she saw what had caused his reaction.

She blinked, hoping it was some dream. But nothing could erase the abject horror she felt at seeing the wreckage of what used to be her home. The ruins that remained were blackened and smoldering. She took a tentative step forward, only to have Jai’s arm wrap around her waist to hold her back.

“ What happened?” she managed to ask.

But she knew the answer. The Masters . They knew who she was. Who her parents were. While she had been experiencing pleasure and love, her home had been ravaged. She searched the wreckage for bodies, but it was difficult to determine what anything was.

“ I should’ve come immediately.” She shook her head and pushed Jai’s arm away. “ I should’ve known this would happen.”

Dain moved past her with measured steps as he walked over rubble and clumps of stone. She followed, needing to see and desperately wanting to turn away, fearing what she might find. But there was no hiding from it. Jai remained at her side. He steadied her when she tripped and guided her when she couldn’t see through the blur of tears that filled her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks.

She stood in what had once been the grand parlor, where her mother had hosted lavish parties. To her right should have been the foyer, where the double curving stairs had once followed the domed entrance. Nothing was left of the walls or furnishings, not a single trinket or bauble her parents picked up on their travels around Shecrish . All of it was gone, obliterated to shards of wood and rock.

Arya wanted to wake up from this nightmare. It had to be a trick. Maybe she was still hanging in that room with that thing holding her. The Masters were manipulating her mind, forcing her to see what they wanted to break her.

But she wasn’t in some hallucination. The truth of the situation lay in the dust that floated around her, clinging to her hair and clothes, being inhaled into her lungs. Smoke wafted upward and hung heavy in the air. The unnatural stillness was thunderous. It was as if everything had stopped, the world holding its breath to see what would happen next.

Her gaze moved around until she found Dain looking down at something. Every instinct screamed at her to remain where she was. Instead , she headed to him. Jai stayed with her every step of the way. He hadn’t tried to hold her back again. She walked on a charred board that crumbled beneath her feet. The sound made her flinch.

Dain turned his head, and their gazes met. There was no emotion on his face. That wouldn’t have bothered her before. He kept his features like that most times. But the flash of regret in his eyes did her in.

She didn’t remember reaching for Jai . She didn’t remember linking their fingers. But when she came upon the sight of what was left of her parents, only his hold kept her upright.

He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She heard him talking, but the words didn’t register. Nothing did. How could it, as she stared at the burned remains? They were locked in an embrace, clutching each other in fear. She hadn’t been here to help. She should’ve come the minute she escaped the fort.

“ And you would be dead with them,” Dain said.

Had she spoken aloud? They were dead because of her, because she had used their station and status to save herself. They should’ve been warned to at least give them time to defend themselves.

“ We have to get out of here,” Jai said.

Dain started to turn away when a voice penetrated the silence.

“ How could you?”

Arya’s head snapped up to see one of the servants. He held his right arm against his body and pointed a finger at her.

“ You did this,” he said loudly. “ You killed them.”

Arya could only stare blankly at him. “ Nay .”

“ You tried to kill me!”

Jai pulled her back. “ We need to go. Now !”

“ Get her out of here,” Dain said. “ I’ll follow.”

Shadows swallowed her, but they didn’t drown out the servant’s screams. They continued to reverberate in her head, even when the sounds of crashing waves replaced his voice. Jai maneuvered her to a rock and tugged her down.

Yasmin was there, and then Savita . There were other voices, all asking questions, worry in their tones. She looked out across the sea but didn’t see the undulating waves. She saw the wreckage of her home and her parents’ bodies.

“ She’s in shock.”

“ Drink , mera pyar , my love.”

Jai’s voice pulled her to the present. He held a cup to her mouth. She tilted her head back and let the liquid pass her lips. It was strong and burned a trail from her throat to her stomach. Arya turned her head and covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she coughed.

“ What is that?” she asked around more hacking.

Kendrick said, “ Whisky .”

Jai knelt before her, studying her. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her face. He yanked her against him, holding her as she buried her face in his neck.

“ I should’ve been there to warn them,” she said.

She wallowed in her grief until she realized she wasn’t the only one who had someone to lose. Arya lifted her head and dashed away her tears as she looked at Yasmin and Ravi , who stood holding each other. She then looked for Dain .

“ He’s not back yet,” Jai said.

Arya swallowed and got to her feet with him. “ They’re going after everyone we hold dear.”

“ I need to know about the children,” Yasmin said.

Arya started to reply when shadows parted, and Dain stepped out. He looked haggard and furious. His gaze landed on her first. She nodded to let him know her grief and anger were tempered. For now. Then Dain’s yellow eyes slid to Ravi and Yasmin .

“ The children are fine. Manu is moving them to another location that only he knows about. He and the Mountain Elves he rules are on alert,” Dain announced. “ Your home, however, was destroyed. Just as Arya’s was.”

Yasmin’s relief was so great that Arya could literally see it flowing out of her. All of them knew the Masters wouldn’t hesitate to take lives, no matter how young. As much as Arya hated that her parents had been killed, the only consolation she had was that it was a better fate than being sold into slavery.

“ He thought I did it,” Arya said, remembering the servant. “ It won’t be just the Masters looking for me. Everyone will. Including the CCD . Someone used my face to…” She swallowed, unable to say the words.

A muscle ticked in Jai’s jaw. “ And they’ll pay for that.”

“ We won’t be safe anywhere in Shecrish ,” Ravi said.

Dain looked between the couple. “ I could take you to the children. You could all live away from this mess.”

“ No one would blame you if you did,” Arya added.

Jai nodded. “ Go . While you can.”

Savita , Esha , and Kendrick said nothing as they watched the scene unfolding.

Yasmin and Ravi looked at each other. They shared a soft kiss before Ravi said, “ The farther we are from the kids, the safer they’ll be.”

“ What will all of you do now?” Esha asked.

Jai shrugged. “ Find places to hide so we can regroup, gather information, and strike again.”

“ I would offer Flamefall , but I can’t be sure none of the Rangers are part of the Masters ,” Savita said.

A muscle moved in Kendrick’s jaw. “ Keep us informed. I’m not sure if we can help, but we’ll do what we can.”

Kendrick and Esha departed then, and Savita left right after. The Reader said she didn’t want to know their plans so no one could get information from her. When the five of them stood together once more, dawn was streaking the sky a stunning pink and lavender. Nothing would be the same for them again.

“ We’re going to the foothills of the mountains,” Yasmin said.

Ravi gave her a soft smile. “ I wouldn’t say I’ve come to love them, but it’s a good place to disappear. Manu and the Mountain Elves will be close if we need them.”

“ It will keep us away from the Wood Elves . Just in case,” Yasmin added.

Dain nodded. “ Manu suspected you would choose that option. He’s gathering supplies for you.” Dain then turned his head to Arya and Jai . “ What about you two?”

Arya looked at Jai . “ The best place for us would be Below . We’ll blend in there.”

“ There is a house in the Upper East Thros District . I purchased it a year ago. No one knows about it. Priya didn’t even know,” Jai said. “ I wanted a place that was mine. Somewhere I could go if I ever worked up the nerve to remove my hand.”

And with it, the bracelet. Arya could only imagine the turmoil he had gone through during that time.

“ The place is private. It’s set away from others and heavily warded,” Jai explained.

“ Sounds perfect.” Arya swung her head to Dain . “ And you?”

“ I’ve plenty of places to go. We need to keep in touch at least once a week,” Dain said.

It didn’t take them long to sort out the details. Then , they embraced before Dain took Yasmin and Ravi to the mountains. Arya found Jai staring at the ship.

“ We could remain on it,” she offered.

He shook his head. “ Too visible to the Sea Elves .”

“ We could hide it in this cove in case we ever need it.”

His lips curved into a smile. “ You never know when we might need it.”

Arya had thought she would hate ships after her trip on the Lotus River , but she found she would miss the vessel. It wasn’t long before they were back on the ship. Jai stood at the helm and directed her on what to do as they brought the vessel as far into the cove as possible and set anchor once more.

She swallowed her grief about her parents and walked into his arms as the shadows drew up around them. When they slid away, she stood on a quiet street.

“ This way,” Jai directed, taking her hand.

Arya looked around, noting that the homes were older. A few were in disrepair, but most had been carefully maintained. The area was relatively clean and didn’t have a feeling of impending doom. A plus in her book after everything.

“ This is the Upper East Thros ,” Jai said in a low voice as he pulled her after him. “ The area is low crime. Mostly because it’s too far from anything criminals would want. However , that isn’t to say there aren’t criminals around.”

She kept pace as they walked along the sidewalk. “ Got it.”

“ I studied this neighborhood for some time. Everyone keeps to themselves.”

“ That will be nice.”

He grunted as they hurried to cross the street. “ Don’t get too excited. We might not have surprise visits from curious, nosy neighbors, but they’ll still be watching us.”

“ Just as we’ll be watching them.”

Jai glanced at her, their gazes briefly meeting. “ Precisely .”

They didn’t speak again as he led her down streets, through alleys, and around the backs of houses. Unlike Above , there were no trees or bushes to hide behind. There were columns of rock that soared above them, sculptures carved out of stone, and streetlamps. They moved at a steady pace—nothing too quick that would draw attention, but nothing slow enough to make it appear as if they were up to no good.

Finally , Jai took a quick turn and opened a small gate. He ushered her through and closed it behind them. They walked along a winding path and up some steps to a small porch. Arya eyed the charming house as Jai unlocked the door and lowered the wards. A few places on the home needed work, but from what she could see, it had good bones.

The door finally opened. He stepped aside and held out his arm. Arya walked into the back of her new home. The outside might need a few repairs, but the inside was immaculate.

She moved through the kitchen, which was a tenth the size of what her parents’ had been. Just thinking about them caused a catch in her throat. She blinked back tears and touched the table in the middle of the room before walking to a larger area with comfortable-looking chairs and a sofa.

“ It’s small,” Jai said as he came up behind her.

Arya turned to face him. “ I love it.”

“ You can change whatever you want.”

“ Right now, I just want to feel safe again.”

He cupped the side of her face and moved closer. “ We will be. We’re going to find the bastards and bring every one of them to justice. Together .”

If she could only have one person by her side for the rest of her days, she wanted Jai . She knew he would never let her down. “ Together .”

“ There will be time for payback. For now, you need to grieve.”

“ Someone is walking around with my face. I don’t have time to mourn.”

He gave her a stern look. “ You must. They think they have us cornered. They believe we’ll run away scared, but they don’t know us at all. You toppled Shaldorn . We’ll take down the Masters , too.”

“ I want them destroyed. I want everyone to know their faces and names. And I want them ground into dust. Not only for my parents but also for the thousands of others they’ve hurt. I will grieve, but I won’t allow my hate and anger to consume me. Not when we found each other again. Love will be what conquers them. Our love continued to pull us together. We outsmarted Priya and the Masters . And , aye, we had help doing it, but that doesn’t matter. We will win in the end. Our group might be small, but we have love and trust. That’s more than they have.”

Heat burned his eyes as he looked at her. “ Just when I think I can’t love you more than I already do, you say something like that. We might be fighting them for years.”

“ We’ll be together, though. In that, we’ve already won.”

His head dipped as he said in a husky timbre, “ I love you.”

“ And I love you,” she replied, right before he seized her lips.