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“ Fuck ,” Dain muttered when he entered the cave and spotted Farah on the floor with blood pooled around her.

He rushed to her. She was breathing, but barely. He’d been afraid she was injured worse than she had let on. It was why he had brought herbs and already had them mixed in a flask. He held her head as he brought the flask to her lips. Most of the liquid spilled out of her mouth.

“ Come on, Farah . Fight ,” Dain urged.

He kept trying. Eventually , he saw her swallow, indicating that she’d gotten some of the herbed water. Next , he cut open her tunic since it was drenched in blood and searched her wounds. Dain’s jaw went slack when he saw her right shoulder. The flesh was puckered, and the bone looked nearly pulverized. The left shoulder hadn’t fared much better. The wound on her upper torso was a massive bruise that likely meant internal injuries.

“ Rohan will be fine. He’s demanding to see you. Don’t make me go to him without you,” he said, pulling a length of bandage from one of his long coat’s inside pockets to stanch the blood flow in one shoulder before turning to the other.

He tied off the second bandage before carefully lifting her to lay her over his right shoulder. Dain got to his feet and headed toward the steps. Arya and Jai were making sure the rest of Rohan’s people returned to their village. All three of them were exhausted from transporting everyone, and he was far from finished.

Dain couldn’t take Farah to CCD headquarters, and he didn’t trust the DIA . Taking Rohan to Durga’s residence was one thing. The Masters weren’t looking for him. If Dain had enough strength, he’d take her to Manu , but he’d never make it to the mountains. That left only one place. Even then, he wasn’t sure he would make it.

The climb to the top of the mesa was trickier while carrying Farah . He tried to call his shadows twice, but the spray from the waterfall was too powerful, and he couldn’t manifest them. Dawn had broken, and the piercing sunlight made him squint to protect his eyes. He kept one hand on Farah to keep her steady in case she woke, and trudged up the unending steps. Someone called his name. He looked up to discover Arya leaning over the side of the plateau. His legs burned as he reached the final few steps.

“ How bad is she?” Arya asked, jumping down to meet him on the slim ledge.

“ Bad . She needs immediate healing.”

“ Where are you taking her?”

Dain leaned against the cliff. “ Sundar .”

“ Can you make it?”

“ I don’t know.”

Arya nodded. “ Then we’ll help.”

“ Where is Jai ? Were his injuries that bad?” Dain asked when he saw no sign of him.

Her eyes darted away. “ It was the book. It was nearly on the fourth level when you helped us escape. Being that close to it distressed him.”

The book that had chosen Jai when they infiltrated Mortham just weeks earlier. The same tome that had cut Dain’s finger and caused him to become someone else until the wound was treated. “ Is he all right?”

“ He will be,” she confirmed. “ I’ll get him.”

Dain shifted Farah to cradle her in his arms as Arya jumped atop the mesa. Farah’s bandages were already stained red. Had the herbs not stopped the bleeding yet? Something was very wrong. Within seconds, Arya and Jai were on the ledge with him.

“ We’re ready,” Arya said.

Dain was grateful for their help as shadows closed around them. It became apparent immediately that he was more fatigued than he realized. He wouldn’t have gotten far on his own. He steered the group away from the city deep into the rainwood to a building set away from others. Songbirds sang loudly in the quiet morning as the shadows fell away. Arya and Jai stood off to the side within the building as Dain carried Farah to the table and laid her on it. There was a slight squeak of a hinge as the door opened. Dain turned to face the Star Elf .

As usual, Sundar’s straight, purple hair hung down to his arse. He kept it parted down the middle and tucked behind his ears to show off the points. A brightly hued, loose-fitting robe dragged on the floor behind him and hung open to reveal a lean, bare chest. The floor-length wrap skirt was fastened at the side with a silver clasp and sat precariously low on the elf’s slim hips.

Sundar’s bright purple eyes regarded Dain before he looked at Farah on the table. “ I thought you collected favors, Dain , not owed them.”

“ I had no other choice,” Dain replied.

Sundar glanced at Arya . “ Glad it isn’t you on my table again.”

“ Me , too,” she said with a quick smile.

“ Now , what have we here?” Sundar asked and strode barefoot to Farah .

Dain stood at the foot of the table as Sundar unwrapped the bandages and let out a hiss. “ What is it?”

“ Poison .”

“ Poison ?” Dain , Arya , and Jai repeated in unison.

Sundar sliced his hands through the air, then leaned close to a wound and dug around in Farah’s shoulder before withdrawing something black. He held it up and pinned Dain with a look. “ Since when did you learn about drood leaves?”

“ What ?” Dain asked with a frown.

“ You don’t know what this is?” Sundar demanded.

Dain drew in a breath as he held the Star Elf’s gaze. “ I do not.”

“ They didn’t get there by accident. Especially given they were tucked in that deep. That means someone put them there.” Sundar set it aside and looked into Farah’s other shoulder. “ It isn’t knowledge we Healers share with other elven races.” He dug around for a moment and pulled out a second leaf. “ When plucked from the tree, they’re white. They change color when leaching poison. If you didn’t put this inside your friend’s injuries, someone did. You should thank them because they likely saved her life.”

Dain parted his lips to speak.

Sundar turned his head away. “ Shh . I need quiet.”

There was nothing for them to do while he worked, and there was no telling how long it would take. The poison troubled Dain . That wasn’t something elves used. As far as Dain knew, Farah hadn’t been struck by a weapon. That meant the poison had come from magic. Specifically , Nitya’s .

Then there were the drood leaves. Who could have done that? He had an idea, but he didn’t like it. He motioned for Jai and Arya to follow him outside. Normally , Dain stayed inside, but he didn’t want to disturb Sundar . He kept to the tree line near the building in case any others were around.

“ How was Farah poisoned?” Jai asked.

Dain ran a hand down his face. “ She battled Nitya , but only with magic. The only other weapons there were fists and feet.”

“ You can’t think Nitya passed it to her through magic. That isn’t possible, is it?” Arya asked, her brow furrowed deeply.

Dain shrugged. “ I don’t know.”

“ What about the leaves? If you didn’t put them there, who did?” Jai asked.

Arya bit her lip. “ Could it have been One ?”

“ Maybe .” There was much about One that Dain didn’t know, and he didn’t like it. He’d done a little digging and found nothing. That was damning. If it was him, he had helped them three times now, when he supposedly worked for the Masters .

Jai crossed his arms over his chest. “ Perhaps he’s a double agent for the DIA .”

“ Durga would’ve told me,” Dain said.

Arya wrinkled her nose. “ Not if she doesn’t know.”

“ True . We may never know who put the leaves in Farah’s wounds. Honestly , I don’t care right now. They bought her time so I could get her to Sundar .” Dain looked toward the building. At least he hoped the leaves had done enough so Sundar could save her. He didn’t want to have to tell Rohan that Farah had died.

“ You have enough to deal with. Let us look into the poisoning,” Jai said.

Dain shook his head. “ You two risked a lot by entering Mortham again. Go home. Rest . I’ll let you know how this all works out.”

Arya regarded him with a cool look. “ Hiding isn’t helping anyone, and it certainly won’t end the Masters . We’re here to help. Let us.”

“ What she said,” Jai added.

Dain blew out a breath. “ All right. But discreetly. See if you learn anything about poison mixing with magic. I’ll drop by your house for an update.”

“ Stay safe,” Arya said.

“ Both of you, as well.” Dain waited until they were gone before he returned inside the building.

He settled into the same chair he had used when Sundar had healed Arya’s injuries. The Healer had his hands over Farah’s shoulder. It would be a long day.