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“ Don’t look at me like that,” Farah said to Salil . “ It seems odd that you just happened to be out here.”

A muscle in his jaw moved. “ I didn’t just happen to be out here. I faked my death to get out of being undercover so I could search for you.”

“ We were told you would know who it was,” Rohan said in a low voice.

Farah glanced at him before returning her attention to Salil . She wanted him to be her contact, but she had been worried ever since Savita told her about the double agent.

“ Who told you?” Salil asked, his hazel eyes narrowed.

A Dark Elf suddenly appeared out of the shadows on a branch above them. “ Perhaps I can clear this up.”

Farah had her arms lifted, palms out, ready to release defensive magic. Salil hadn’t made any moves to do the same. The only indication that he knew the Dark was the flare of Salil’s nostrils. “ Who are you?” she demanded.

“ Dain ,” the Dark answered. “ Savita pointed me toward Salil since he was searching for you. I told him which direction you were headed. He’s your contact, Farah .”

She held back her magic and eyed the elf. “ You could’ve listened to all of that without us knowing.”

Dain rolled his eyes. “ Savita would’ve known I was there. The runes would’ve told her.”

He had a point. Farah looked at Rohan , who had moved to a branch on the left. He shrugged at her silent question. How would a Dark know about the Reader unless she had spoken to him? Farah studied Salil’s face, but his expression gave nothing away. She had offended him, but that was the price of their current situation.

She had to decide. Did she trust that Salil was who Savita mentioned and share the information? She lowered her arms.

“ I take that to mean you spoke with the Reader ?” Salil asked.

She glanced at Dain before looking at Salil . “ You didn’t?”

“ It seems she didn’t need to speak with me.”

Dain leaned an arm against a branch near his head. “ Time is of the essence here.”

“ What’s that supposed to mean?” Salil demanded of Dain .

“ Exactly what you think it does.”

Farah’s stomach growled. It dawned on her that she hadn’t eaten all day. The herbs had healed her hands and energized her body, but she needed food. She walked closer to the trunk and sat before tugging the bag around to her front and pulling out some bread and fruit. Rohan stayed on his limb but moved closer to the trunk, straddling the branch as he took out the water flask and drank deeply, his eyes still on Salil and Dain .

“ Farah ,” Salil said when she didn’t speak.

She swallowed her bite. “ Savita warned me there is a double agent around Durga . It’s why I can’t go to Rannora with my intel. I’ll be taken if I show up, and so will Durga .”

“ Bloody fucking hell,” Salil murmured. Louder , he asked, “ Have the runes told Savita who is spying on Durga ?”

She shrugged. “ They did not. Savita told me to travel. Said I’d meet up with someone I knew and could hand over the intel.”

“ What will you do after?”

She pulled off another section of the soft, sweet bread and popped it into her mouth. “ Go to Mortham ,” she said around her mouthful of food.

“ Told you,” Dain said to Salil .

Salil blew out a breath, ignoring the Dark . “ You can’t go back.”

“ I’m going to find out what happened to my sister, his sister, and the rest of those taken from his village, and gather more information. It could give us the advantage we need.”

Dain crossed his arms over his chest. “ That’s risky.”

“ Going back is suicide,” Salil stated. “ Even if you do find something, who will you tell? I’m not there anymore.”

“ Me ,” Dain said.

Farah watched the two of them, her gaze moving back and forth as each spoke. She knew what she was risking and was willing to do it if it meant others could be free. It wasn’t that she wanted to die. She had already spent months inside the fort. If someone else got in, they would lose all that time. It had to be her.

And Salil knew it.

He crouched next to her. “ I don’t like it.”

“ It’s part of the job,” she answered.

Salil looked past her to Rohan . “ And you’re fine with all of this?”

“ She’s not going in alone. I’ll be with her,” Rohan told him.

Salil shook his head as if he couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. “ Even with Dain’s help, this won’t end well.”

“ The longer we tarry here, the more likely it is that someone will find us,” Dain pointed out.

Farah finished the last of the food and drank her fill from the water flask. Then she got to her feet and looked at Salil . He had always had her back, and she hoped that hadn’t changed. “ They’re building another Shaldorn .”

“ Where ?” Dain asked before Salil could.

She shrugged, her lips twisting. “ I don’t know. Word spread quickly about the new one going up. There have been lots of guesses, but nothing definitive. At least, as far as I know.”

“ We suspected this,” Salil murmured.

She wiped her mouth with her fingers. “ I was hesitant to hand this next bit over because it was nothing but a rumor, but there was also talk about those abducted being put on other ships on the ocean.”

“ What ?” Salil asked, his voice pitched higher with shock.

Dain grunted. “ That’s true. We have one of the ships.”

“ What ?” Salil and Farah asked in unison.

The Dark shrugged. “ That was the last mission. Anything else? Even the littlest tidbit might be something.”

She searched her mind. “ Not that I can think of now.”

“ What about you?” Dain asked Salil .

He ran a hand down his face and blew out a breath. “ Those working for the Masters are very confident they won’t be stopped. They look for spies, but not as diligently as they should. They’re overconfident.”

“ It’s how I got the bomb in,” Rohan said.

The three of them looked his way.

“ How did you do that?” Salil asked. “ You had nothing on you when you were brought aboard my vessel.”

Dain cocked his head. “ You didn’t work alone.”

“ I did have help,” Rohan admitted.

Salil leaned forward. “ Who ?”

“ I didn’t get the Star Elf’s name,” Rohan said.

Dain went utterly still. “ Did you say Star Elf ?”

Rohan nodded once.

“ Male ?”

“ Aye .”

“ Long , silver hair?”

Rohan hesitated before nodding.

“ Muscular body with hawkish facial features?” Dain pressed.

Rohan’s brows rose. “ That sounds like him.”

Salil straightened and swung his head to Dain . “ Do you know this Star Elf ?”

“ I might, indeed,” the Dark answered thoughtfully.

Farah was intrigued. “ Who is he?”

“ That is the question. I only know him as One ,” Dain said.

Rohan frowned. “ One ? That’s his name?”

Dain nodded slowly. “ It’s what they called him at Shaldorn . There were three commanders. A Moon Elf by the name of Gita ruled the stronghold, and she called them One , Two , and Three .”

“ What happened to Two and Three ?” Salil asked.

Dain dropped his arms to his sides. “ I killed Three . Ravi took out Two .”

“ You were there?” Farah asked in shock.

Salil sighed loudly. “ According to Durga , he was.”

Dain’s golden yellow eyes swung to her. “ I and another Dark were backup for a DIA agent and a human who infiltrated the compound.”

“ It’s impressive that you helped bring that place down. It sent shockwaves through Mortham ,” Farah said.

Salil nodded. “ It was talked about by all in the Below .”

“ Wait .” Rohan lifted a hand. “ You really think the one who helped me get inside Mortham is One ?”

Farah frowned as he spoke. “ Rohan has a point. If it was One , why would he help?”

“ That is the question. One healed one of my agents recently after she was caught in Mortham . She couldn’t explain why he did that any more than I can explain why he aided Rohan ,” Dain said.

Salil asked Rohan , “ How did you meet the Star Elf ?”

“ I was searching for my sister,” he began. “ She and some other adolescents were taken. Our village has been decimated by abductions. I was looking for tracks when the Star Elf came out from behind a tree. He pointed east and told me I’d find what I was looking for in that direction.”

Salil’s brows raised. “ And you believed him?”

“ Of course not. Our village is secluded for a reason.” Rohan rubbed the back of his neck. “ But I was desperate, and he knew it. He said he had seen others being rounded up in the area. I immediately believed he was part of those responsible until he asked if I had a plan to get my people back. I said I’d do whatever was necessary.”

Dain grunted. “ And he had a plan?”

“ Some of it,” Rohan admitted.

“ What do you mean?” Farah asked.

Rohan shrugged. “ He asked if I meant what I said, and I replied that I did. He then said he might have a way to help.”

“ He just told you about the bomb?” Dain asked.

Rohan shoved his hand through his hair, moving the strands from his face as he glanced at her. “ He said someone working inside could lead me to Lata and the rest of my people.”

“ Who was he talking about,” Salil demanded.

Farah caught Salil’s gaze. “ Me .”

Salil’s brows snapped together in a deep frown.

Rohan blew out a breath. “ He told me about a female Wood Elf who would be there when I was brought in. I knew her magic would be depleted without the trees. He confirmed that and told me he could place an explosive device near the port. Once it detonated, it would cause enough havoc for me to take her and force her to help.”

“ How did he find out you were undercover?” Salil asked Farah .

She shrugged. “ Your guess is as good as mine.”

“ We have no idea who else he told.” Salil shook his head, unnerved by the information.

It reminded Farah of how she had felt upon learning it. Odd , but it didn’t bother her anymore. That might not be a good sign.

“ I didn’t know Farah would stand so close to the explosive,” Rohan continued. “ Her wound was too severe. I had no choice but to take her to my village and heal her.”

Salil’s face was tight with anger. “ She could have died. Others did die.”

“ Have most of your village and family taken and tell me what lengths you wouldn’t go to for them,” Rohan replied indignantly.

Farah put her hand on her thigh where the scar was. “ I’m here. Proof of Rohan’s skills in healing.”

A sound emerged from the back of Salil’s throat, and he cut his eyes to Farah . “ When did you join him without him forcing you?”

“ I had to get back to find Nitya . I spent all my time there trying not to be seen, to fit in, and I let opportunities to look into where she was pass me by. I had to make that right.” Farah looked at Rohan . “ We wanted the same thing, just for different reasons.”

Dain sighed and frowned. “ A lot of that is concerning. If it is One , he’s up to something. And I want to know what it is.”

Farah licked her lips. “ I know my way around the compound. I know the others’ movements. This is my chance to do what I should’ve done from the very beginning instead of worrying about staying alive.”