Page 6

6

Rannora

The congested, noisy streets of Rannora didn’t usually bother Salil , but they chafed his nerves that day. Shecrish had two major cities. Rannora was south, and Belanore was north. Neither was a place he’d choose to live. He longed for the quiet of the rainwood, to walk among the trees and be one with nature again.

Tragedy had pulled him from his beloved woods, forcing him to take steps he wouldn’t have otherwise. It was why he mingled with the other elven races and among humans who struggled to eke out a living in places neither the land nor the residents wanted them.

Salil had always seen the cities for what they were: filthy, crowded, and polluted. Even in the upscale Geggin Square District , where he strolled now. Yet today, it seemed to press in all around him, suffocating and stifling. Someone ran into his shoulder. He fisted his hands and fought to control his swiftly unraveling anger. Salil walked on, making a beeline for the doors of Twilight .

The moment he entered, he unclenched his hands and drew in a deep breath. The tavern was continuously packed. Day or night, it was the place to be. There was always some form of entertainment on the stage. Today , it was a male Sun Elf reading what sounded like a poem.

Salil tuned him out and slid his gaze to the bar on the left. He nodded to the older female Star Elf who watched him. She dipped her head in return. It was the DIA’s signal that things were good—at least, in their eyes. To Salil , nothing was right about Shecrish and hadn’t been for a very long time.

He kept to the wall and headed for the side. The elf guarding the access opened the door as he approached. Salil strode down the hall and saw that some of the doors were open, but he didn’t bother to look inside. None of it was his business, and the less he knew about others, the better.

Instead , he was headed to a meeting he’d hoped never to have. He rounded the corner and drew to a halt at seeing Durga headed in his direction. He didn’t know her exact title. She claimed that titles didn’t matter, but they must because she had her fingers in everything—and always knew what was going on. Her hazel eyes met his before she pivoted to enter the room.

Salil squared his shoulders before following his superior through the doorway. Durga was one of the few Wood Elves who seemed to thrive within the city. Perhaps it was her position and the success she wielded like a weapon. Either way, Durga was all city now.

Tall and thin, she cut an imposing figure in a ruby gown accented with gold thread. The color enhanced her coppery skin, and she kept her brown hair slicked away from her face into a tidy bun at the back of her head. Rubies swathed in gold adorned the tips of her ears. More rubies dangled from her lobes. A single, thick gold strand wound around her neck, and gold bangles were stacked on each wrist.

Durga never traveled alone. There was always at least one muscle-bound elf at her side and another dozen no one ever saw. Not even Salil —and he was trained to find them. But they were the elite of the DIA . They didn’t have names, at least none he knew. No one knew how someone found their way to that team or the requirements. They chose you to join them, not the other way around.

Durga stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed as he entered. Her face was tight, worry lines creasing her brow. It seemed someone had beat him to delivering the news. “ I guess you already know, then.”

“ I just heard. Did you see the explosion?” Durga asked.

He shook his head as the bodyguard closed the door. “ I heard it. Everyone heard it, but I had just set sail.”

“ How big was it?”

Salil lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “ Hard to tell. As I said, I never saw it, but it had to be significant for the sound to reach us all the way at the river.”

“ Was there any indication that anything was wrong?”

“ Something wasn’t right with Farah .”

Durga’s frown deepened as she dropped her arms to her sides, her gaze intent. “ Explain .”

“ She looked…unsettled. She was pale and couldn’t focus. The two Dark , always with her, kept staring. I made the decision to pull her out. She refused.”

“ Did she say why?”

He shook his head. “ I didn’t get a chance to ask her. She just requested a little time. I told her to be ready when I returned. Then , I left.”

“ She must be trying to uncover something.”

“ Farah has been in for too long. I barely recognized the elf staring back at me.”

Durga shot him a scathing look and turned to the side. “ You know very well what undercover work does to someone.”

“ And I’m telling you, she’s been in too long.”

Durga walked to the wall and leaned against it. “ You’re right. You saw her. I didn’t.” She swallowed and fiddled with the bracelets on one wrist. “ Do you think she caused the explosion?”

“ Anything is possible. She’s in the thick of things much more than I am.”

“ Did she pass on any intel?”

“ That’s what you’re thinking about now? Not her life? Do you not care?”

Durga surged away from the wall, fury in her bearing and blazing in her eyes. It dripped from her words as she said, “ Of course, I care. But in case you’ve forgotten, this is a job. We’re fighting against an enemy we know little about.” She stalked toward him. “ Do you think it’s easy for me to send individuals out on missions, knowing they may not return? Do you think I don’t see the faces of the dead every time I close my eyes?”

It was rare to see her lose control like this. Salil kept quiet as she whirled around and paced a few steps away. She drew in a deep breath.

He looked at the floor, hating what he was about to pass on.

“ What is it?” she demanded.

Salil lifted his head to find that she faced him once more. “ Word is, her body hasn’t been recovered.”

“ So , she was either killed in the blast, and there’s nothing left. Or …she caused it.”

“ I don’t think she would do that.”

Durga looked away, her bracelets clinking when she bent her elbow. “ I’d almost rather it be that than her death. There has to be a third option.”

“ I don’t know what that could be. She wouldn’t turn on us. Her need to find answers about her sister is too strong.”

“ Like you said, she’s in deeper than you.”

He twisted his lips. “ I’m not sure if any of that matters now. They’re hunting for her. The Masters want answers, and she’s the only member of her crew who’s missing.”

“ More of my people being pursued by these…these…” She threw up her arms, searching for a word.

“ Fuckers ,” he offered.

Durga nodded. “ Aye , those fuckers.” She squeezed her eyes closed for a heartbeat. “ I can’t give up on Farah . Not until it’s been confirmed that she’s dead. Wait . Are others missing?”

“ From what I’ve heard, six of those I brought in were killed in the explosion, which we both know is a blessing. Another eight were so scared they didn’t move and were quickly locked away. The remaining thirty-six are missing.”

“ Farah could be with them.”

“ If she is, and the Masters ’ people find her, she’s as good as dead.”

Durga nodded absently and turned thoughtful. “ That means we need to beat them to her. Are you being looked into?”

“ It was my cargo.”

She nodded to his wrist. “ And the bracelet?”

He lifted his right hand to look at the silver cuff. It was an exact replica of what the Masters put on those they allowed to command the ships along the Lotus River . There was a high turnaround of captains and sailors, making it easy for him to infiltrate the group. “ No one is the wiser.”

“ Perhaps your time as captain is done.”

“ If I disappear now, they’ll believe I had something to do with it.” When Durga tried to argue, he lifted his hand. “ I can handle things. If I can’t, that’s on me.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “ I have no doubt you can, but?—”

“ You need me on the inside to know what’s going on.”

“ Don’t get cocky,” she retorted. “ You and Farah aren’t the only ones who are undercover.”

Salil had suspected as much. “ And you know they have their own covert people.”

“ I’m aware. That doesn’t change the fact that I need you to help look for Farah . Have an accident. Do whatever has to be done, but your captain’s disguise needs to die.”

Salil didn’t reply as she strode past him.

When Durga reached the door, she paused and said, “ You have two days.”

She knew him entirely too well. He would have continued carrying on if she hadn’t put a time limit on things. The only way he would know if they captured Farah was to maintain his disguise.

“ Are we clear?”

He turned to face her. “ Crystal .”

“ Good ,” she replied and walked out.

Salil listened to the sound of her bootheels on the floor fading as she walked away. His thoughts shifted to Farah . Something had been off when they spoke, but no matter how many times he went over their exchange, he couldn’t pinpoint what was going on.

Golshan and Amarjeet watched her every move. One of them had their eye on her at all times. The scrutiny had been difficult for her, and he couldn’t imagine it had gotten any easier. She had seen the worst of their kind doing unspeakable things. It had hardened her, sure, but it wasn’t anything that would have caused her to look so detached.

Salil had two days to learn what he could about the explosion, clear his name so he wasn’t brought before the Masters , and stage his death. The latter would be the easiest of them to arrange. And he knew exactly the place to do it, too. But first, he needed to get back to his ship.

He walked out of the room, proceeded out a hidden side entrance, and blended with the swarms of people. A cat darted out in front of him, holding its next meal in its mouth. He looked at the faces of those he passed. Any of them could be a servant of the Masters . Or the DIA . Or another organization he didn’t know about.

And he had thought the politics in his village had been unbearable. That seemed like child’s play compared to what he dealt with now. If the fate of Shecrish didn’t hang in the balance, he might be tempted to walk away from it all and disappear deep into the rainwood where no one could ever find him. Not even other Wood Elves .

He had left his home to create change and make things better. He couldn’t return until he had done that.