Page 24

24

The Crossing

Reva searched the shadows for Dain . She kept hoping he would return to either the pub or her flat, but she hadn’t seen him since he suddenly—and unexpectedly—ended their association.

She had disappointed him somehow, and that didn’t sit well with her. Dain was…well, he was many things. Mostly , he was difficult to decipher. The elf kept his expressions closely guarded. There was a brashness about him, a certitude that she hadn’t encountered before. Not once had he looked at her as inferior. He must have thought she was adept, or he wouldn’t have asked her to listen for information.

It would be easy to hate elves for what they had done to her in the past, but then there were those like Sidiq , who had given her a chance and hired her. Arya , who had befriended her when they were both captured. And even Jai , who had helped her escape. And last but not least, there was Dain . He had rescued her, only to offer her a job.

Sure , there were cruel, depraved elves. But there were also good ones. She had been fortunate to find a few of them. That’s why it troubled her to fall short of Dain’s expectations.

Reva set down her half-empty mug, but the edge of the cup hit the bar. It slipped from her fingers and banged loudly on the wooden bar, spilling the contents. “ Shite ,” she hissed as she quickly set aside her packed tray to clean up.

Sidiq beat her to it. He casually wiped up the ale before it dribbled onto the floor. She had been clumsy of late, and they both knew it. It was her fault. She needed to stop looking for Dain . The extra coin had been nice, but she had relished the idea of doing something that mattered and being a part of something important instead of just being a server.

“ Want to talk about it?”

She looked up into Sidiq’s gray eyes. His hands were braced on the bar as he leaned into them. Of all those in Shecrish , he had arguably given her the most. She’d had to convince him, but he had taken a chance on her when no one else would. He never asked about her past or delved into her personal life. Yet he made sure she was safe while inside the walls of the pub. He made sure all his employees were.

Reva shook her head and shoved a wayward strand of hair from her eyes. She shoved it back and adjusted one of the pins that held the mass off her neck. “ Nothing to discuss. I’ll be more careful.”

“ Is it one of the customers?” he asked, his voice pitched low so as not to be overheard.

Those in the pub occasionally tried to manhandle her. Some pubs allowed it, but not Sidiq . It didn’t matter if they were human or elf. He put a stop to such things immediately.

She shook her head and gave him a smile. “ I’d tell you if there was.”

He straightened and tossed down the wet towel before getting another and flipping it over his thick shoulder. A customer sat at the other end of the bar. Sidiq hesitated before dipping his chin to her and walking away. She sighed and put the dirty glasses on the bar to be cleaned, then carefully set the filled mugs on the tray and balanced it on her hand. Her gaze flicked to Sidiq . He poured a drink and scanned the tavern with a look, reminding her of how Dain used to scrutinize the room.

Reva inwardly groaned. She had to stop thinking about him and focus on making her way through the crowded room. It was one of their busiest times of the day, and there wasn’t an empty table or chair. She handed out drinks to customers and moved on to the next table to take an order. It was then that she overheard a conversation between two Dark Elves —one male and one female.

“ There’s nowhere she can run where they won’t find her,” the female stated.

The male snorted, set down his mug, and swallowed. “ Fuckin ’ Wood Elves don’t belong in the Below .”

“ There’s talk that Farah also blew up those two ships yesterday.”

“ I wish I was out hunting her,” the male replied with a smirk. “ I’d love to show her how we pay back such wanton destruction.”

Reva filed the information away. It was important. Something Dain would want to know. She made her way to the bar and waited for Sidiq to finish serving a customer. He might know where Dain was, or, at the very least, be able to get a message to him so she could pass on what she’d learned.

When Sidiq approached, she saw a muscle jump in his jaw. He was an imposing elf, both in height and muscle. It was rare that he ever raised his voice. His looks stopped others in their tracks, but this quiet, seething rage was something she hadn’t witnessed before. It gave her pause.

“ What’s the order?” he snapped, his eyes looking past her.

She glanced over her shoulder but saw nothing beyond the norm. Unless it was Dain . Hope leapt in her chest. She whirled around and asked, “ Is it Dain ? Is he here?”

Sidiq’s gaze grew frosty. “ I’ve not seen him.”

“ Oh .” Reva regretted her words immediately.

“ Why do you want him?”

She shifted uncomfortably under Sidiq’s enraged glare. She had obviously made a mistake in mentioning Dain . She’d thought they were friends. Something else she had gotten wrong. So much for asking Sidiq to find Dain . “ He’s usually around. I haven’t seen him in a few days.”

Reva quickly spouted off the order in hopes of turning the conversation—and quelling Sidiq’s anger. It worked.

She loaded up her tray again and headed onto the floor once more. She purposefully walked past the table with the two Darks , eager to hear more, but they had moved on to another topic. That didn’t dissuade her, however. She kept her ears open, listening for anything about Farah , Wood Elves , and explosions. She managed to pick up a few other tidbits. They didn’t seem important to her, but they might mean something to Dain .

It seemed the entire pub was tense. She didn’t know what had set Sidiq off, but his mood didn’t improve much for the rest of the night. It was just the two of them, so they kept busy. An hour before closing, Sidiq suddenly ordered everyone out. She was surprised but also pleased—she was exhausted. She hadn’t thought that doing her job and looking for Dain while also eavesdropping on conversations would be so arduous.

She hid her yawn behind a hand as she stood against the wall and waited for the customers to leave. Once the tavern was empty, she began loading up her tray with mugs. She tried to catch Sidiq’s eye, but he didn’t look her way. He washed the cups with unusual force.

Maybe she wasn’t the cause of his anger. He had seemed peeved before she asked about Dain . Someone else could have enraged him. But she couldn’t be sure. She wanted to ask. Reva hated when something hung between her and another. It was better to clear the air. The problem was that Sidiq clearly didn’t want to talk. If she pushed the matter, it would likely only make things worse. And if he wasn’t irritated with her now, he would be if she pried.

She wiped down the tables before starting on the floor. She couldn’t stop yawning. Whenever she glanced at Sidiq , he was either cleaning or restocking the liquor from the back room. She walked by the door leading to the Below to lock it. Her hand hovered there as she realized she had a way to find Dain . It wasn’t a very good one, but it was a way. If she couldn’t ask Sidiq for help, there was Arya and Jai . Though they were hiding somewhere in the Below .

Which didn’t do her much good. Besides , she was neither a Dark nor an elf. Walking around in the Below as a human on her own was just asking for trouble, and she’d had enough of that to last four lifetimes. Why risk her life for Dain when he had fired her? She locked the door and turned around. Sidiq stood behind her, watching.

“ Everything good?” he asked.

“ Aye . Why wouldn’t it be?”

“ I don’t know. You tell me.”

She had the distinct feeling he knew exactly what she had been thinking while staring at the door. Reva flashed him a quick grin and walked around him. “ What about you? Everything good on your end? You shut down early.”

“ It was too busy.”

His words drew her up short. She spun to look at him, confused. “ That’s normal for this time of the week.”

“ I’ll be hiring someone else to help out.”

There were two other servers besides her. They all worked solo except for a few hours when their shifts overlapped. What he suggested would take away her hours, which meant less money. First , Dain had fired her, and now Sidiq didn’t think she could handle the workload.

Distress curdled her stomach. “ If you’re concerned about me not being able to handle it, don’t. I’ve never had a problem before. I was just a little off tonight. I’ll be better tomorrow.”

“ This isn’t about your performance,” he replied.

His expression wasn’t as rigid, and his words were softer, but she didn’t believe him. The timing of it all was suspicious.

Sidiq continued. “ Profits have been good. I intend to share that with you and the others beginning tomorrow.”

“ I’m sorry?”

“ I’m giving you a raise.”

Reva frowned. “ A raise?”

“ You’ve more than earned it.” He walked to the bar and finished putting bottles on the shelves along the back wall.

Reva slowly followed, still holding the broom. “ Thank you.”

“ It’s just business. When it’s good, I reward people,” he said, looking at her in the mirror.

She couldn’t believe she was getting more money. She should be rejoicing, but something didn’t sit right with her. It would be wrong to question him further, though. Sidiq might take it the wrong way. Oh , who was she kidding? There was only one way to take it if she asked.

Her mind turned everything over as she finished sweeping the floor. She put the broom away in the stock room and stared at each of the shadows, hoping Dain would appear in one. But none of them moved. She walked out, hating the dejection swelling in her chest.

“ Do you need any help?” she asked Sidiq as she approached the bar.

“ I’m almost done. Go ahead and call it a night,” he said as he glanced her way.

She waved at him. “ See you tomorrow.”

Reva collected the small bag she carried that held keys to the lock on the door to her flat, courtesy of Dain . She left the tavern and walked into the night. Rannora’s streets always teemed with people. The Crossing was popular, and because of that, people braved the not-so-great part of the city to visit.

She scanned her surroundings, looking for anything and anyone who might try to cause her trouble as she headed toward her building. It was close by, just around the corner, but that didn’t mean it was safe. There were dangers everywhere. Even the elite were being abducted, which put everyone on alert.

It hadn’t been that long since she and Arya had been taken from right outside the tavern. There were days Reva couldn’t believe they had gotten free. She had gone into the Lotus River and braved the terrors of that water, only to face even more on shore. Dain had found her and brought her home before returning to help Arya and Jai .

That wasn’t the first time she’d been held against her will, and she swore it wouldn’t happen again. But it had. It was also likely to occur a third time. The last time, she’d been taken by mistake. They were after Arya , but she had seen the whole thing, so they took her, too. No amount of protection or magic could keep you safe if someone wanted to take you.

That’s why she liked being at the tavern. It was too busy for anyone to grab her. The same couldn’t be said about the short distance she walked to and from her flat, or even within her small home. She didn’t linger on the streets. She kept a brisk pace and hurried to her building until she heard a grunt behind her.

Reva whirled around, her hand curled into a fist, but there was no one there. She spun and raced to her flat.

Dain let the shadows fall away as he held the Dark against a wall by his throat. He waited until Reva was inside the building before turning his attention to the male. “ Your mistake was targeting her.”

Dain broke his neck and let him fall to the ground. He gathered his shadows and moved into the building in time to see Reva’s key turning the lock. She slipped inside and shut the door, the click of the lock following a second later.

He didn’t go inside using his shadows anymore. Not after he’d put wards on her door and the outside of her windows to ensure no Dark Elf could intrude upon her space without her knowing. Dain stared at her door, picturing Reva setting her purse down and then preparing a cup of her favorite herbal tea she drank before bed.

With one final look, he let the shadows close around him and left.