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Rohan sat in stunned silence. A sister. It had never dawned on him to ask if anyone from her family had been taken. He’d been too intent on what he had lost to think of anyone else. And now he understood why she wanted to return to Mortham . She was looking for her sister, too. And he had taken her from the compound, threatened to expose her as a spy, and put her in the Masters ’ crosshairs.

“ I’m sorry,” he said.

“ As am I for those taken from you.”

There was a rumble above them. A moment later, it began to rain. He looked up at the dark skies as drops pelted his face.

“ Sit here,” Farah offered, nodding to the spot beside her. “ It’ll get you out of the rain.”

His clothes were as soaked as hers. It didn’t matter if a little rain got on him, but he moved beneath the overhang anyway. Because she’d offered. And maybe because he wanted a reason to sit next to her.

The area was cramped. Their shoulders brushed, even as she made room for him to settle. He pulled his knees up to keep his feet dry and rested his arms on them. The beat of the rain added to the rumble of the river. They sat in silence for long moments. He went over their conversations with the new information and inwardly cringed at how many times he had made an arse of himself.

“ I never wanted to leave my village,” Farah said suddenly. “ I was happy there. The simple life appealed to me. But not Nitya . She was always exploring, always pushing the boundaries. She talked me into going to the coast once.”

Rohan turned his head to her. She was staring out at the rain bombarding the river. A soft smile curved her lips.

“ We were young. Too young. But where Nitya went, I followed. Even when it went against our parents’ wishes. She wanted to see the ocean, and I wasn’t about to be left behind. To this day, I still don’t know how we made it through the territories without being seen. When we got back, our parents were beside themselves with worry. We were reprimanded, of course. But the sight of my mum’s stricken face stamped out any need to do something so foolish again. Not Nitya , though,” she finished in a soft voice. “ It seemed to spur her on.”

He tried to imagine a young Farah at the edge of the mesa, looking out over the coast. Had she seen him and Kalyani swimming? Had they seen any of the Siguks ?

Farah glanced at him. “ Nitya was always going off after that. Whereas I realized the harm I had done to our parents, our trip seemed to ignite something in her. She couldn’t stand to remain at home. She would go off for days at a time without telling anyone. It’s why we didn’t realize she was gone at first. We have no idea when she was taken or even where.”

“ Maybe she found somewhere else to live. Maybe she was never kidnapped,” he offered.

“ That’s what my parents believe, but she wouldn’t leave without telling me. She would have said goodbye. Others in our village have also vanished. Everything lined up. I know she was taken.”

He released a breath as he leaned his head back to watch the rain. “ And you couldn’t let it go.”

“ We were as different as night and day, but we were close. She told me everything. If I had been abducted, I know she would’ve searched for me.”

“ What do your parents think about what you’re doing?”

She shook her head. “ I don’t know.”

“ You didn’t tell them?” he asked, rolling his head toward her.

Hazel eyes met his. “ I told them I was going to Rannora . They know I’m looking for my sister, but they don’t know about me working for the DIA . I was supposed to contact them before I went undercover, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“ They didn’t know about you being in Mortham ?”

“ They know none of it.”

He frowned and returned his gaze to the river. “ How close are we to your village?”

“ It’s days to the north.”

“ You should see them while you can. One day, they’ll be gone.”

She made a sound in the back of her throat. “ I know. They’ve lost both their daughters in different ways. I never should’ve left, but I had to. Nitya is out there somewhere, and I can bring her home. I just need to find her.”

“ You believe she survived Mortham ? Even after what you told me about the place?”

“ I have to,” she replied softly.

He knew that sentiment. He had been there himself. He was still there.

“ Nitya was the strong one, the one who would’ve made something of herself. This ,” Farah said, motioning to herself, “is not where I was meant to be. Obviously , I’m not cut out for this kind of profession.”

“ Could’ve fooled me. I think you’re more than qualified.”

She chuckled. “ I scrape by on sheer will alone.”

“ Sometimes , that’s all we need.”

There was a pause. When she spoke again, her voice was low and filled with despair. “ I spent months in Mortham . I wanted to look for Nitya right away, but they scrutinized my every move. Watched me constantly. So , I settled into my role to prove myself to those watching. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Do you know what I have to show for my time there?”

Rohan swiveled his head to her. “ What ?”

“ Nothing . Not a bloody thing. I watched innocents like you being led into Mortham and did nothing. I didn’t release anyone. I didn’t find out about my sister. I did exactly what was expected of me, and it…it changed me.”

He waited for her to look at him, but she kept her gaze forward.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “ My handler was the captain of your ship. He wanted to get me out that day. He knew something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t leave. Not before I knew about Nitya . Plus , there were rumors of something big happening, and I wanted to gather more intel. At least that’s what I told myself.”

“ What was the real reason?” he asked.

Her lips pressed together as her eyes closed. “ There were two Dark with me, night and day. They said I was done observing. That if I was really part of Mortham , then it was time to prove it. I didn’t want to hurt the woman, but I had run out of excuses not to take part in the beatings. She cowered from me afterward. But I can’t unsee the blood on my hands.”

“ If you hadn’t done what they asked, the Dark might have done worse to you. You said it yourself: They questioned your loyalties. You did what you had to do. And the woman lived.”

“ Being in Mortham changed me. If you hadn’t taken me, I don’t think I would’ve left.”

He scratched his jaw through his beard. “ You shouldn’t go back.”

Her eyes flew open, and she looked at him. “ I must. Not just for Nitya , but also for your sister. Your people. I wasn’t lying before. They’ll never think to search for me there.”

“ You can’t stay undetected forever. Someone will find you. You’d be better off at Amberstar or in the mountains.”

“ The Masters will find me wherever I go. I want to do some good before that happens.”

He shook his head, his anger rising. “ Right now, your parents have only lost one daughter. You’re still alive. You can keep fighting without returning to the fort.”

“ What about Nitya ? Your sister? The hundreds of others who are missing? This is how I’m fighting. It’s just different than what you would do.” She searched his face. “ You can’t sit there and tell me you’ve done everything you have only to give up now.”

“ I’ve not given up. We’ll find another way.”

“ There isn’t one.”

He couldn’t accept that. There had to be another way. Even if it meant somehow finding the elf who had helped him set the explosion.

“ Tell me about your sister,” Farah urged.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, his thoughts turning to Lata . “ Mum died when I was ten and Kalyani was seven. Dad never grieved properly, not with taking care of us and leading our people. Long ago, he found where the infants were being left. He would go there and take any human infants he found.”

“ The Domestic Ministry wasn’t involved?”

“ I don’t know what that is.”

She raised her brows. “ The governing body who decides which families get the children.”

“ Then , nay. My father decided.”

“ No one ever saw him take the babies?”

Rohan shrugged. “ Not that I’m aware.”

“ I didn’t think that was possible.”

“ All I know is that six months after Mum passed, he carried Lata through our door. She was different right from the start. There was a special quality about her that was hard to miss. She made Dad laugh again. They were very close. I asked him once why he’d chosen her for our family, and he replied that she chose us, not the other way around.”

Farah looked at him in confusion. “ What did he mean?”

“ I never figured it out. He was supposed to show me where he found the infants so I could carry on growing our village, but he fell and struck his head. Not even the red seaweed healed him. He died without ever regaining consciousness.”

“ That’s horrible. I’m so sorry. And you just had a head injury. That must have been frightening.”

He twisted his lips. “ I was in too much pain to think about it much at the time. Now , though…” He shrugged. “ I can’t help but make the correlation with Dad . If he would’ve had the herbs, he would’ve survived. I’m here because you got me those herbs in time.”

She gave him a shy smile. “ You loved your father very much.”

“ Everyone did. His death was a devastating blow to everyone. He was patient and wise. Everyone loved and respected him. He married late in life, and my parents lived alone for many years before Kalyani and I became part of their family.”

“ He sounds like a good man.”

Rohan smiled, nodding. “ He was the best. Mum , too. Lata was fourteen when he passed. She was inconsolable. I had moved into my own dwelling years before. Kalyani remained with Dad and Lata , and it seemed natural for Lata to remain with Kalyani . We both believed that keeping things the same was the best for her. But when Dad was gone, Lata grew wild. She had always been a free spirit, but she started acting out. Kalyani asked for my help. I moved Lata in with me, which only seemed to worsen things.”

“ She was grieving.”

“ Maybe for the first year. But the second?” He shook his head. “ She actively did things to anger us. The sweet child we’d known was gone. She fought me at every turn for every little thing. Like your sister, she wanted to see the rest of Shecrish . Our village was too confining. I begged her to wait until she was older before she struck out on her own, believing she would grow out of it.”

Farah wrinkled her nose. “ They don’t.”

“ I was tired of arguing, catching her in lies, and having to punish her for disobeying me. Nothing I did or said helped. The worst part is that I would’ve believed she ran away if someone hadn’t seen her and her friends being taken the night they snuck out.”

Farah gave him a soft smile. “ We’ll find her and the others.”

“ That thought is the only thing that has kept me going. But you said it yourself: It wouldn’t be worth looking.”

“ Forget what I said. I’m going back for my sister, and it’s been years.”

He sighed and glanced away. “ Am I wrong to do this? Kalyani begged me not to go. We’re all that’s left of our family, and I know there’s a chance I won’t come out of this alive. She may never know what happened to me or the others.”

“ Then go back to her.”

“ I can’t do that.”

“ Aye , you can. I’ll look for your people.”

He blew out a breath. “ You’ll have more success with help.”

“ I can’t deny that.” She paused. “ The abductions must be stopped.”

“ And you intend to be the one to do it?”

“ Someone has to. Why not me?”

He twisted his lips. “ I think you can do anything you put your mind to. Especially with someone watching your back.”

“ You have Kalyani and what’s left of your people waiting for you.”

“ And you have your parents,” he quipped.

She flattened her lips and sighed. “ You don’t have to do this.”

“ Neither do you. Like you, I want the Masters stopped. I may not have magic, but I have other skills. I’ll use them.” When she hesitated, he used his secret weapon. “ I know an alternate way into Mortham . You’re going to need that.”

“ Looks like we’re a team, then,” she replied with a frown.

He hid his grin. “ You won’t regret it.”

Enemies to associates to…partners. It certainly wasn’t how he’d expected things to turn out.