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Rohan eyed the Sun Elf . Savita hadn’t bothered to tell him her name. Likely because she had no interest in lowering herself to speak to a human. Her tawny hair was parted down the middle and hung straight and thick down her back. Her sleeveless white gown made her brown skin appear darker, but the gold sash around her waist brought out the golden glints. Intelligent , cunning copper eyes saw everything.

She had markings on her face Rohan had never seen before. A line of gold ran from the outer corners of her lower lashes to her temples. A large golden sun had been painted in the middle of her forehead. There were also five golden dots along each collarbone.

Farah looked at each of the elves surrounding them. They all had the same type of sword strapped somewhere on their bodies. Rohan suspected these were the Asavori Rangers she had spoken of. But who—or what—was Savita ?

“ What does a Reader want with me?” Farah asked.

The more time Rohan spent away from Siguk , the more he realized how little he knew about the elves and the inner workings of Shecrish . It was a detriment that needed to be rectified—not just for him but also for his entire village. He had no idea if a Reader was dangerous or if she really could help. For the moment, no one paid much attention to him, so he remained still and listened.

Savita issued a small laugh. “ What a silly question when you know the answer. I read the runes. They told me you would be here.”

“ That still doesn’t tell me what you want.”

Farah might have told him she didn’t want the life she had, but she certainly was good at it. She hadn’t backed down from Savita or the warriors. Either she wasn’t troubled by their appearance, or she was and hid it well. Either way, he was prepared to jump in and help. He could get in a few good strikes before the elves used their magic.

A small smile played upon Savita’s lips. “ You know who I am.” She motioned to the elves around them. “ You know the Rangers . You even came to see me years ago. It wasn’t time for us to meet then. It’s why I left.”

Rohan frowned as the words penetrated his mind. Could Savita have seen everything with the runes she spoke about? Was that even possible? He wished he knew.

“ You knew I needed help and withheld it?” Farah asked in disbelief.

Savita drew a bag from her sash. She opened the black velvet pouch and poured several small, irregularly oval-shaped white stones with gold markings into her hand. “ The runes see many things.”

Rohan tried to see the stones better, but the distance was too great. When he lifted his head, Savita’s disconcerting gaze was on him. She grinned as if she knew he was interested in learning more. If what she said was true, then maybe she did.

“ You had a journey,” Savita said to Farah . “ One that is far from complete. The runes showed me this day and our meeting, but none before now.”

Farah didn’t seem to hear her. “ Is my sister alive? Do you know where Nitya is?”

“ She’s alive.”

That gave Rohan hope that Lata and the rest of the villagers might also be among the living.

“ Why come to me now?” Farah demanded.

Savita slowly returned the runes to the bag before drawing the string tight and tucking the pouch back into her sash. “ I had to wait for Rohan .”

A feather could’ve knocked him over. He blinked at the Reader . “ Me ?”

“ Both of you are searching for someone. Rohan , you might be able to get into Mortham , but you don’t know your way around it. Farah does. While she knows the layout, you know your people. The plan only works if you are both involved. Right ?”

She posed the question to Farah . Rohan slid his gaze to her.

She glanced at him but didn’t reply.

That’s when he realized she hadn’t intended to bring him inside the compound. “ I thought we had a deal.”

“ If you go in, you’ll never come out again,” she replied softly. Finally , she looked at him. “ I couldn’t do that to Kalyani . Or to you.”

“ He’ll get out with your help,” Savita said.

Rohan should be angry that Farah had intended to go alone, but he couldn’t be. Not when her reasoning was something he understood. He held her gaze. “ I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you alive and free our sisters.”

“ Glad to hear it.” Savita motioned with her hand, and the Rangers melted into the forest.

He watched it all in awe. One moment, they were there. The next, the elves were gone. He looked everywhere but could find no trace of them.

“ You won’t see them,” Savita told him. “ None can compare to the skill of a Ranger . Come closer, both of you.”

Rohan walked toward her, but Farah hesitated before joining him. Savita squatted and swept her hand over the ground to swipe away some leaves. He and Farah shared a look before dropping to their haunches.

“ There are more pressing matters at the moment,” Savita whispered as she drew something in the dirt with a stick. Her head was lowered, and her voice was so soft they had to lean close to hear. “ The Masters have Durga watched.”

“ Are you telling me someone within the DIA is a double agent?” Farah asked softly.

Savita paused in her drawing and lifted her gaze to Farah . “ That’s part of being in the intelligence community. Durga expected it.”

“ Do you know who it is?” Rohan asked.

The Reader shook her head and returned to her drawing. Long strands of tawny hair fell over her shoulder, the ends lightly sweeping the ground. “ They’re being hidden from me. It’s someone close to Durga , though. If you go to the city and meet with her as you intend, Farah , they’ll capture you—and take Durga .”

“ I have information I need to pass on,” Farah whispered.

Savita wrote the letter S in the dirt before she wiped it away. “ Good thing the runes showed me another way.”

“ What other way?” he asked.

“ Follow the river as you planned. Someone will meet you.”

“ I need a name,” Farah replied.

Savita kept drawing. “ Give your intel to them, but don’t tarry. If you want to find your sisters, you must get to Mortham quickly.”

“ Why ?” Rohan asked. The contours Savita drew began to take the shape of a map.

“ They don’t want the truth to come out.” Savita dropped the stick. “ Take a good look.”

Rohan studied the map and committed it to memory. He was going over it a third time when Farah gasped.

“ That’s a watch house.”

“ It is.” Savita suddenly stood and wiped the drawing away with her foot. He looked up at her before straightening.

“ Did you memorize it?” she asked.

He dipped his head.

“ And you?” Savita asked Farah .

Farah nodded. “ They’re on every level. Why are you sending us there?”

“ It’s where you’ll find answers.”

Rohan ran a hand down his face. “ Could you be more specific?”

“ That isn’t how the runes work,” Savita replied.

Farah put a hand on his arm and looked at Savita . “ All this time, I believed the list to find the missing was in a locked room. Are you telling me they’ve been at the watch house all along?”

Savita nodded once.

Rohan found himself believing everything she said, which, in itself, was something to be concerned about. Was she using some kind of magic? It wasn’t in his nature to accept things so readily. “ How do we know you aren’t lying? That this isn’t all some trick?”

“ Readers don’t lie,” Farah said.

He looked from her to Savita . “ Never ?”

“ We impart what the runes show us,” she replied.

Which hadn’t really answered his question. “ You decipher the stones. That means you interpret them, thereby spinning something to be what you want.”

“ Rohan ,” Farah muttered in a shocked whisper.

Savita raised her hand to halt her from saying more. “ He doesn’t realize that his words are offensive. He and the Siguks have lived separately for too long. They don’t know of us, and we don’t know of them. Honestly , I would be shocked if he didn’t question me.” She drew in a breath. “ I did not choose to become a Reader . I was born thus. The runes show me what they want me to know. It isn’t for me to interpret anything.”

“ And you’re telling me you’ve never lied?” he pressed. By Farah’s sharp intake of breath, he realized he might have overstepped.

Savita merely smiled. “ Readers do not lie. But not everything shared is truth.”

He hated riddles. Why couldn’t she just answer the question?

“ Now , you must go,” Savita said.

Farah nodded and walked away. He followed her to a tree, Savita trailing a few steps behind them.

“ Stay high and keep hidden,” Savita whispered before changing course.

It wasn’t long before the rainwood swallowed her. He swung his head to Farah and found her halfway up the tree already. He backed up a few steps and adjusted his bag so it lay against his back. Then he got a running start, planted his foot on the trunk, and pushed off. He grabbed hold of the closest branch and pulled himself up.

Farah waited as he got to his feet and steadied himself with his arms. Once he had his balance, he made his way up several more branches and then around the trunk to stand on a limb close to her. She was on a higher branch, forcing him to look up at her.

“ Are you all right?” he asked.

“ Readers are difficult to get to. Everyone has always known the Rangers have one. I went to her, hoping she would see me and give me information about Nitya . I never told anyone I sought her out.”

He glanced through the branches at the ground below.

“ I know you don’t believe,” she continued. “ We revere Readers . I’m not saying they never lie, but she knew where we would be. And she waited for us.”

“ I can’t ignore that.”

Farah licked her lips. “ I trust her. I believe her.”

“ I understand.” It was part of the elven faith. He might not comprehend it, but that didn’t mean he would dismiss it out of hand.

“ To Mortham ?”

Rohan nodded.

Their conversation ended, and they once more moved through the treetops. They kept high again. Dots of light flashed around him. The first few times had been so jarring, he had nearly fallen. It wasn’t until he saw a tiny bug on a tree trunk, its bottom half lighting up, that he relaxed. After that, the sight of them didn’t set him on edge.

They weren’t the only things shimmering. Clumps of moss glowed an iridescent green. This side of the river was almost an entirely new ecosystem. At least, it appeared that way to him. Perhaps what he saw now was found throughout the rainwood. The difference was that he was paying closer attention to discern such wonders now.

No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t as light on his feet as the Wood Elves . The limbs still moved under him, and each time a branch shook, causing the leaves to move, it made him cringe. He managed to stay with Farah , though he suspected she had slowed her pace because it was night. Rohan appreciated the concession, nonetheless. He didn’t want to get lost.

The farther south they traveled, the more the knot in his chest tightened. He wasn’t afraid to return to the fort. A beam of moonlight broke through the canopy and briefly illuminated Farah as she ran across a branch. Nay , his worry was about someone else entirely.

Everyone would be on the lookout for her with the price on her head—even within Mortham . They would be walking right into the Masters ’ arms. Savita had said it would take both of them to find their sisters. As he went over Savita’s words, he realized she’d never said anything about Farah getting out, only him.

He would gladly trade his life for Lata’s or Kalyani’s . But could he trade Farah’s life for Lata’s ?

Would he give his life for Nitya to return to Farah ? He watched her leap effortlessly across a limb. Aye , he would. He knew what she had suffered because he had lived with the same debilitating pain. One of them should have a happy ending. Somehow , he would make sure Farah got Lata home.