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A bright light shining in her eyes dragged her from sleep. Farah turned her head the other way to escape it, but the light was brighter there. She tried to swallow and found her mouth dry. Then she made the mistake of trying to lick her lips. Her tongue got stuck on them, making her wince. She lifted a hand to shield her face from the blinding light and cracked open her eyes.

She couldn’t remember a time when she had felt so miserable. It took great effort just to keep her arm raised. The longer the light shone on her, the angrier she got. Who was pointing the light directly at her face? And why?

Her eyes were out of focus as she glanced around, looking for someone. Farah blinked to see better. That’s when it became perfectly clear that she was no longer in Mortham . Or in the Below .

The area wasn’t lit by a light but by sunlight pouring through an open window near her feet. The breeze brought in the fresh scent of salty air. She lifted her head to look outside at the cobalt ocean, the waves curling to foam white as they rolled onto the shore.

She lowered her arm and dropped her head back onto the pillow. That little bit of movement had exhausted her. She took stock of her surroundings: a narrow bed that sat close to the floor, the tall, hollow-stemmed stalks of the shrava plant tied together to make a window with a flat covering held open by another stalk.

She looked to the side and found a wall of rock. Farah rolled her head to the other side and saw more rock. A door and another window covering farther down had also been crafted from stalks. When it appeared no one was about, she pushed herself into a sitting position. She wasn’t strong enough to remain sitting and had to brace an arm behind her. The ocean drew her gaze once more, but she forced herself to look at the rest of the room. The sides and back looked like a cave.

There was a table and stool to the side, and some elaborate water delivery system made of shrava stalks cut in half lengthwise that fed into a sink. A couple of shelves lined the wall with tableware upon them. A glance up showed another bed angled to the side above her. But the woven rugs on the floor pulled it all together. This was someone’s home.

Farah didn’t remember getting there. She didn’t know how long she had been in this place or how she had left Mortham . In fact, she didn’t remember anything since seeing Salil . She frowned as a memory teased her.

Something had happened. She squeezed her eyes closed and thought back to that day. When her recollections led to her washing the blood off her hands, she shook her head and jumped over those memories. There . She had watched the new slaves being brought in. Salil had wanted her to leave. She had decided to remain and get more information. Salil walked away, and she followed the last of the abductees into the next chamber. Everything had been normal. Right up until…the explosion.

Her eyes flew open. Had someone attacked the fort? She looked at the door. There was only one reason someone would have taken her from Mortham . She needed to leave. Immediately .

She threw off the blanket and discovered her clothes had been removed. But it was her heavily bandaged thigh that drew her up short—a reminder that she had been injured. No Star Elf had healed her. Nor had she been given any magical herbs. That could only mean she was with humans.

Unease iced her blood. Whatever they wanted with her couldn’t be good. Farah swung her legs over the side of the bed, gritting through the pain that shot up her leg. The world spun around her, but she pushed through it. If they believed her still unconscious, it would give her the time she needed to get out and find her way to Rannora and the DIA .

The moment she tried to stand, her wounded leg protested and buckled. She fell to the floor in a heap—right onto her injury. Farah clasped her lips together and bit back the cry that nearly escaped. She put her hand on her leg and rocked back and forth in an attempt to lessen the pain, but the throbbing only intensified.

The door banged open, and a woman rushed in, followed by a man. Farah tried to get to her knees, but even that was impossible. The woman hurried to her and wrapped the blanket around her front. As if Farah cared about shielding her body now. She was caught. There was no escape.

“ You shouldn’t have done that,” the female chided. “ Your leg isn’t healed enough yet.”

The man stood at the door, his arms folded over his chest. Farah only spared him a glance. No doubt he was the guard meant to ensure she didn’t use her magic on the female. If only she had her magic. She’d used it up in Mortham . A Wood Elf without the woods was as weak as any human.

To her surprise, the woman helped her back into bed. Farah wanted to sit up, but she had used the meager reserves of her energy trying to stand. And she was paying for it now as her body throbbed with every beat of her heart. The pain intensified. Sweat beaded her brow as she fought against showing how badly everything hurt.

What she wouldn’t do for a Star Elf right then.

“ That was stupid.”

The deep voice cut through her as sharp as any blade. Her attention shifted from her injury to the other occupant in the room. Farah slowly rolled her head to look at him. She gave the male a long perusal this time.

Pale eyes scrutinized her with disdain. His clothes were made of thin, washed-out gray material. His loose-fitting shirt hung to mid-thigh with a V neckline that displayed his impressive chest. The sleeves were long and rolled up to his elbows. Wrapped around his waist was a wide leather belt. His trousers were tucked into brown knee-high boots.

He dominated the room without moving a muscle. He was so tall, his head nearly brushed the ceiling. Everything about him was hard and unyielding. His tan skin emphasized his fair eyes. His face was pleasing with its hard lines and full lips.

Her thoughts halted. Recognition flared. Her stomach dropped to her feet as she realized he had been at Mortham .

“ I see you’re putting it together,” he replied. “ I was beginning to think you’d taken a blow to the head.”

The woman jerked her head to him. “ Rohan ,” she admonished.

He didn’t look away from Farah . There was aversion in his unusual eyes. Was it because she was an elf? Or because she had been at Mortham ?

Both ?

“ What do you want?” Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, and it came out sounding as frightened as she felt. Not at all what she’d intended.

Rohan’s lips curved into a smile. Not a nice, pleasant beam, but one filled with resolve and purpose. It was a cold smile. The kind charged with promise—and death. “ You’re going to help me find my sister and my people.”

He was insane. That was the only explanation. The longer Farah stared into his unwavering gaze, the more convinced she was that he was unhinged. “ That isn’t possible.”

“ I got out,” he stated.

She swallowed and curled her hand into a fist beneath the blanket. Not a day went by that someone didn’t try to escape Mortham , but it had never happened. Not once. The only way he’d gotten out was with help.

Rohan dropped his arms to his sides and took a step toward her. “ And I took others with me.”

“ Then you should be glad you have your life,” Farah said. “ No one has escaped before.”

“ More are being held. You know this,” the woman said.

Farah turned her attention to the female. She was tall and curvy with a wealth of dark curls held back by a strip of faded gray cloth the same color as her clothes. Her attire was similar to Rohan’s , except her tunic was shorter, her pants fit tighter, and her boots only came to her calves. She even had a belt at her waist.

Rohan snorted. “ Don’t bother playing on her sympathies. She doesn’t have any.”

“ You don’t know anything about me,” Farah stated.

The woman pointed to the door and told Rohan , “ Out .”

To Farah’s surprise, he listened. Then , she was alone with the female. Farah eyed the door. No doubt Rohan was nearby. Even if she managed to get to her feet and remain standing, she would have to get past the woman to reach the door, and she had no idea what awaited her on the other side. Her injury made her too weak to do more than lay there.

The woman moved behind her. Farah heard water and craned her neck to see the human using the water system to fill a cup. Farah yearned for a taste of the cool liquid to ease her parched lips.

“ You must forgive my brother,” the woman said as she returned to Farah’s bedside. She lowered herself onto a stool and leaned forward.

Farah inched back until she realized the human was moving the cup to her lips. She put her hand behind Farah’s head, and when she lifted it, helped hold her as she drank. Farah’s eyes closed as she savored the sweet taste of the water. She drank it all, already feeling its effects.

“ Our village has been hit particularly hard,” the female continued. “ He is only looking for a way to return our people.”

Farah looked into the woman’s dark eyes and shook her head. “ It’s doubtful you could find them. Even if you did, they wouldn’t be the same.”

“ Maybe .” She rose and filled the cup again. When she returned, she said, “ My name’s Kalyani . What is yours?”

“ Farah .”

Kalyani held the cup in her hand and looked out the open window. “ I didn’t know Rohan’s plans. I probably would’ve stopped him had I known. But he won’t back away from this, and if I want to keep my brother alive, I must help him.” Her dark gaze slid back to Farah . “ You were gravely injured. You almost died.”

Farah recalled someone digging in her leg.

“ Twice ,” Kalyani added. “ Your fever only broke earlier this morning.”

So , the image of Nitya that Farah saw was nothing more than a delusion. That was a blow.

“ We kept you alive. Please , help us find our sister.”

Kalyani had no idea what she was asking. They would look through the rubble at Mortham for her, and when her body wasn’t found, they would assume she had helped Rohan and the others. All those months of living and working at Mortham had been destroyed by one explosion. There was no going back, no matter how much she wanted to. Her duty now was to get to Rannora and hand over the intel she had.

“ I wish I could,” Farah finally answered.

Kalyani’s lips flattened. “ Rohan said you wouldn’t help. He said your heart was too dark to see the evil you were a part of.”

Oh , she saw it all right. It’s why she’d nearly gotten sick the day of the explosion. But still, she had intended to stay. Maybe Rohan was right. Perhaps her heart was dark, and she just didn’t know it yet.