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The double moons bathed the rainwood in light, though only small portions filtered through the branches and leaves. Salil had spent so much time in the Under that even the night seemed bright. His search for Farah had yielded little. But she was well trained. Which meant she would seek out places to hide that few knew about.

For a Wood Elf , that meant getting lost in the vastness of the rainwood. And there were many places someone could hide for weeks—or even months—without being found. It was where he would go if he were being hunted. The problem was, he could only guess which direction she’d gone.

The odds of locating her before someone willing to turn her over to the Masters did was slim, but he wouldn’t give up. He’d known for a while that it was time to pull Farah from Mortham . He’d let her convince him otherwise, and that was his mistake. He was going to make it right.

He moved stealthily through the trees. Unlike most Wood Elves , he didn’t rush. He took his time, scanning the area from top to bottom before moving to the next tree. It might be slower, but his approach allowed him to avoid not just the numerous animals of the rainwood but also other elves.

And that approach was how he soon realized he was being followed.

Whoever it was, was in the trees with him. Salil couldn’t make out a figure in the darkness. Either the elf was exceptionally camouflaged—or it was a Dark Elf . He wasn’t pleased about either possibility.

Salil leapt across a branch onto another and made his way to the trunk. There , he plastered his back against it and waited. The night was alive with sounds. Wood Elves had perfected the art of moving through the trees, and while it appeared as if they traveled soundlessly, they didn’t.

He strained his ears for the soft thump of booted feet landing on a limb. There was no such sound. He clenched his jaw at the confirmation that a Dark was trailing him. Was it Dain ? Or one of the Masters ’ emissaries?

Dark Elves had an advantage. They could cloak themselves in shadows and travel long distances by them. But that didn’t mean they were invisible. Salil had learned a lot about the slave trade while captaining his ship, but he had also learned a great deal about the Dark . More than they would be pleased about.

He closed his eyes and turned to his other senses. The eyes could deceive, especially when it came to shadows in the dark of night. He caught a soft whoosh as something grew closer. A swish of leaves off to his right helped to detect the direction. The air grew heavier there. He waited another two heartbeats, allowing the Dark to get closer. Then Salil spun and clamped his hand around a neck.

A gray hand shot through the shadows and grabbed his arm before spinning in an attempt to throw him off, but his grip was firm. The shadows fell away to reveal the scarred Dark from Durga’s office. He had thought it might be Dain , but it didn’t halt the rage that bubbled up.

Dain slipped out of his grasp and came up behind Salil , wrapping an arm around his neck. Salil elbowed the Dark and shoved him off the branch. Dain released him, only to suddenly appear before him. Salil turned just as the punch landed on his jaw. He caught himself with a hand on the limb above him, then dove for the Dark Elf .

Salil didn’t attempt to stop his fall. He wrapped his arms around Dain and took the elf down with him. Just as he’d expected, the Dark used shadows to bypass the many branches and land on the ground. Unfortunately for him, Dain shoved him off before they reached the earth. Salil landed hard on his side and felt his shoulder pop out of joint. He jumped to his feet and faced off against the Dark as they circled each other.

“ How did you know I was there?” Dain demanded.

Salil sneered. “ Why are you following me?”

“ You first.”

Salil stopped walking and glared. “ Durga may trust you, but I have no reason to.”

“ The fact that she does is all the reason you need.”

“ That’s not how I work.”

Dain snorted, a crooked smile forming on his lips. “ She said I’d have trouble convincing you.”

“ Then Durga should’ve told me you were trailing me.”

“ I wasn’t talking about her.”

Salil frowned. He couldn’t be speaking of Farah , could he? “ Who , then?”

“ A Reader named Savita .”

He might have dismissed Dain , except he had encountered Savita before. She hadn’t done more than look his way, but no elf in Shecrish ever forgot meeting a Reader .

Dain rubbed his neck. “ Now , tell me how you knew I was there.”

“ Something I picked up running the ships on the Lotus . Dark Elves are everywhere.”

“ Just as Wood Elves are in the rainwood,” Dain pointed out.

Salil ignored his comment. “ I went into every area expecting the Dark to be cloaked in shadows.”

“ They probably were.”

“ They absolutely were. After a few days of them parting the shadows to reveal themselves, I endeavored to figure out a way to discern where they were. I couldn’t trust my eyes.”

Dain nodded. “ But you could trust your other senses.”

“ There is a heaviness in the air close to where a Dark uses the shadows.”

“ Impressive .”

Salil crossed his arms over his chest. “ Your turn. Why are you following me?”

“ You’ll find Farah tonight. She’s to pass on the intel she collected, and I’m going to help them get to Mortham .”

“ Them ?”

Dain lifted a shoulder and tilted his head. “ She’s with a human.”

“ Where am I supposed to find her.”

“ I don’t know. Savita sent them this way. She told Farah to stay high and move fast.”

Salil looked up to the top branches. Now that he knew where Farah would be, it was only a matter of watching and waiting. He began climbing the tree, then found a spot and settled on a limb to wait. The odds of him finding Farah were better if he remained in one location. He grunted when he spotted Dain standing on a branch slightly above him.

“ Problem ?” the Dark asked.

“ Where do I start?”

Dain shook his head of long, white hair. “ Not every Dark is like those at Mortham .”

Unbidden , the image of the female who had served him in the Below came to mind. Her smile had been shy, her words kind. “ I didn’t say they were.”

“ So , it’s just me you despise?”

“ As I said, I don’t know you.”

Dain made a sound in the back of his throat. “ And I don’t know you. But you don’t see me acting like a petulant child.”

“ Petulant ?” Salil repeated in outrage as he swung his head to the Dark .

“ You work for your agency. I work for mine. It isn’t the first time there has been a joint mission.”

Salil returned his attention to scanning the trees for movement. “ How did the Masters establish such a hold in the Below ? Why didn’t the Dark stop them?”

“ Don’t fool yourself. They have a hold of the Above , too. And I could ask you the same question. You know the answer. There are always bad things going on. There’s no telling how long the Masters were operating and growing. Organizations like theirs spread slowly, but once they infect a section, it’s too late to stop the sickness. And it spreads uncontrollably. Then you have those who know it’s wrong, but the power and money still seduce them over and over. You want to know how we end them? We have to eliminate the infection. We can’t just take out one part. It has to be a widespread attack.”

“ Joint missions,” Salil said.

“ Exactly .”

Salil heard movement and looked up to see Dain climbing onto another branch. The Dark was surprisingly agile. “ Do you have a plan?”

“ Not yet. We need to know more about them, or we’ll waste our opportunity.”

“ How many of your agents are onboard?”

Dain dusted off his hands and peered out into the night. “ Just me and one other. But there is another Dark who will help.”

“ Oh . Great . Three of you,” Salil replied sarcastically.

“ We were a small group when we went into Shaldorn .”

Salil grunted. “ I take that to mean you don’t trust your agency?”

“ The Masters have invaded everything. They’ve got their hands in every division of your government as well as ours. To answer your question, nay. I don’t trust the CCD .”

“ Why Durga , then?”

“ Farah approaches.”

Salil jumped to his feet and skimmed the trees. He moved his gaze from side to side twice before he spotted movement. Two individuals, just as Dain had said. They were closer to the river’s edge and moving fast. Salil saw a flick of Farah’s red hair as she landed on a branch. He shifted to the right and jumped to the limb beside him. He had to cross two more trees to intercept her. He walked onto the limb and stood near the edge so she would see him.

He knew the instant she caught sight of him. There was a slight jerk of her body, and then she slowed. Salil looked behind her and saw the man. The human had been aboard his ship on the last delivery to the compound. Salil never forgot a face. The man hadn’t reacted like most of the people who were taken. His seeming indifference had caught Salil’s attention, especially for a man he expected to fight back.

Salil returned his gaze to Farah as she approached. He walked backward toward the trunk when she jumped onto his branch, wariness tightening her face.

“ It’s good to see you alive. You had me worried,” he said.

Her lips curved into a smile as her shoulders drooped with relief. “ It’s good to see your face.”

They shared a quick embrace as the human waited on the other tree, watching the scene play out. Salil leaned back and looked Farah over. “ What happened?”

“ A lot,” she murmured. She turned and waved the human to her.

Salil cut his eyes to the man, watching as he made the leap onto the branch. The human landed hard, but his footing was sure, and he didn’t wobble.

“ Rohan , this is Salil , my handler. Salil , Rohan ,” Farah said.

He dipped his chin to the human. “ I recognize him.”

“ And I recognize you,” Rohan said.

That’s when her words registered. Salil jerked his head to Farah . “ You told him?”

“ Your secret is safe,” Rohan answered.

Salil glared at him. “ That might not be up to you if you’re caught. You have no clue what can be done to force you to spill secrets. Now , you have not only hers but also mine.”

“ Why are you here?” Farah asked.

Salil blew out a breath. “ I was looking for you.”

“ Why ?” Rohan asked.

Salil was already on edge with Dain there. Discovering that Rohan knew he and Farah were agents only made things worse. And now the human was questioning him? “ This has nothing to do with you.”

“ It does, actually,” Farah said.

Salil should’ve known. He curled his lip and said, “ You set off the bomb.” He looked at Farah . “ Were you in on it? Is that why you didn’t leave that day?”

“ She had nothing to do with it,” Rohan stated. “ I’m the one who took her.”

“ That means you’re the one who ensured she now has a price on her head.”

Farah stepped between them. “ How did you find me, Salil ?”

He was taken aback by her question and the heat in her words. But it was the suspicion in her eyes that chilled him.