Page 9

9

Rohan stood in the middle of his hut, unmoving. The voices and laughter of his people used to mix with the wind to make a pleasant babble. Now , there was nothing but the wind. He looked over at Lata’s bed. They had fought endlessly, and she had chafed at everything. No matter what he asked of her, it angered her.

Lata and Kalyani had once lived together, but Kalyani couldn’t control their younger sister. That’s why Rohan had stepped in. At first, he’d been excited to have one of his sisters back under his roof. But that hadn’t lasted long.

He’d believed Kalyani had exaggerated her difficulties with their youngest sibling because he remembered Lata as a sweet, gregarious child. Rohan soon learned Kalyani had actually downplayed Lata’s rebelliousness. She wasn’t just defiant. She had become impudent. He tried every tactic he knew, but nothing had helped. In fact, he was sure he’d made things worse.

Their relationship had become strained and fractured, just as hers and Kalyani’s had. But Rohan thought he had time to figure it out. All too soon, Lata was gone. He should’ve done more to ensure she couldn’t sneak out. The fear and dread running through the village hadn’t been enough to keep her and the others inside. His stark warnings hadn’t penetrated her thick skull.

He scrubbed his hands down his face. Looking into the past didn’t do any good. All it did was show him the many ways he had failed as Lata’s guardian. Kalyani had entrusted him with her welfare, and he hadn’t been able to keep her safe. He hadn’t been able to keep anyone safe.

There was no magic running through his veins. He didn’t have an army behind him. All he had was himself. Rohan was more than willing to give up his life if it meant Lata’s and the Siguks ’ freedom. But he didn’t have that choice. All he had was a reckless plan that might just be crazy enough to work.

He removed his wet pants and laid them across the open window to dry as he walked to the back, where a half-moon formation had been chiseled out of the bedrock. He stood beneath a spout that angled out of the wall toward him and tugged the string. Heated water liberally sprayed him before shutting off. He lathered his hands with soap and scrubbed his body and hair. When he finished, he pulled the string again. It took three tugs before the soap was rinsed away completely.

Rohan dried off and returned to the front. He dressed and combed his hair before tying the top portion at the back of his head. Then , he walked barefoot into the kitchen. The thought of food turned his stomach at the moment. He was too wrapped up in what he had set into motion and the ramifications that could befall those he loved.

He tugged on his boots and exited his hut. He looked left to where the elf slept, only a short bridge away. They would have a long trip together. And she was testy now. The moment she realized what he had on her, she would become downright hostile. Despite what Kalyani thought, his sister wasn’t going with them. Rohan would have to watch his back every second because Farah would likely try something the moment she had access to her magic again. But he was prepared for that—or as prepared as he could be.

Rohan headed toward the elf, his hands skimming the ropes that held the bridge. He crossed and stood outside the dwelling, listening for any movement inside. He heard nothing. He’d never used the red seaweed on an elf before. There was a chance it wouldn’t work. Then what? Did he force her to travel with such an injury? Did he carry her?

Time was running out. He could feel it. He had to act, and he had to do it now . His accomplice had found him. Rohan had no way of contacting him, so he couldn’t ask for additional aid. And the first plan hadn’t gone as Rohan had hoped. He hadn’t been prepared for the sheer size of Mortham or Farah’s injury. This second attempt had to work. There wasn’t another option.

Rohan silently opened the door and peered inside. Farah was propped up with pillows, her head lolling to the side and her eyes closed. There was no sign of his sister. He quietly shut the door and retraced his steps across the bridge, moving past his house and over another bridge. He climbed a ladder up two levels and then crossed one more bridge before standing at his sister’s door.

It was open, as it often was. Kalyani was kind and welcoming, with an inner strength he admired. A few had mistaken her gentleness for weakness, but she’d promptly set them straight. He found her weaving a basket from the shrava plant that grew so plentifully at the top of the mesa. Kalyani’s skill was unmatched.

“ I figured you’d find your way here,” she said by way of greeting. “ Have you eaten? I can make you something.”

He waved away her words as he entered. “ We need to talk.”

“ About ?”

“ Tomorrow .”

She sighed and set aside the basket before motioning to the chair beside her. “ Then you’d best sit.”

Rohan lowered himself onto the chair and rested his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands. “ I know we agreed that you would make the journey with us, but I need you to remain behind.” When she started to object, he held up a hand. “ Please . Hear me out.”

Kalyani clamped her mouth shut and gathered her hands in her lap. Anger sparked from her dark eyes, but she dipped her head, urging him to continue.

“ There are less than fifty of us left. Whoever is responsible for the abductions has targeted us. There’s no other explanation. I don’t know if my plan is the answer, but it’s the only one I have. We’re scared and anxious. You’ve always known what to say to evoke calm. I’m asking you to keep our people mollified while I’m away. Because nobody else can.”

Her expression softened a fraction.

He glanced at the floor. “ And if things go badly for me, you will lead them.”

“ Rohan —” she began.

He spoke over her. He had thought this through and needed to get the words out. “ Even if everything goes as planned and I return with Lata and the rest of our missing, we’ll have to leave. This place isn’t safe anymore.”

“ I doubt any place in Shecrish is.”

“ Then we’ll find something elsewhere. Maybe we can head to the mountains. Or sail to find more land. If we remain, they’ll continue to pick us off one by one.” Rohan dropped his chin to his chest. “ Father would’ve known what to do.”

Kalyani leaned forward and put her hand atop his. “ He wasn’t all-knowing. He was flawed like the rest of us. I trust you. We all do. Try trusting yourself.”

He looked up and met her gaze. He hadn’t known until that moment how much he needed those words. “ I’ll do everything in my power to find Lata and the others.”

“ No one doubts that.”

“ And what I’m asking of you?”

She briefly looked away, her lips turned down at the corners. “ I’d rather be with you. You’re going to need someone you can trust. However , I must also admit to the wisdom of your words, regardless of whether I like them or not. “

“ Does that mean you’ll stay?”

She sighed loudly. “ Aye , I’ll stay behind.”

Relief coursed through him, easing some of the tension in his shoulders. “ Thank you.”

“ You may end up regretting it, though,” she teased. “ I might have us living with the Sea Elves when you return.”

Her comment made him think of what he had seen with the kythi earlier. He wasn’t the only one with secrets. “ What happened in the water earlier?”

“ Nothing ,” she said, dropping her hand and sitting back.

“ I know what I saw, Kal . The kythi tried to kill me, but it was swimming with you.”

She sighed, looking bored. “ I told you. I asked him to let us take some seaweed.”

“ How , exactly?”

“ How do you scale the cliffs as quickly as you do?”

He frowned, taken aback by her question. “ I just do.”

“ Precisely my point. I just did it. It’s the same as how you’re able to climb like no one else.”

Rohan studied his sister for a long moment. “ Nothing you could tell me would ever make me stop loving you. We’re family.”

“ I know.”

“ Then explain it to me. Please .”

Kalyani turned her head to the side and looked out the window. “ Do you remember how I used to get in the water every chance I had?”

“ Vividly .”

“ When I’m swimming, particularly when I’m underwater, everything makes sense. Not like here with all the chaos.” She got to her feet and walked to the window. “ Beneath the waves, the world is vibrant and alive. It’s welcoming and peaceful. That wasn’t the first time I’ve swum with that kythi. I’ve swum with many animals.”

A wistful, excited smile curved her lips. Her eyes sparkled in a way he hadn’t seen before. Even her voice was different. There was a longing in the tone he hadn’t noticed. Likely because he hadn’t been paying attention.

“ There is music in the water. I’ve always heard it. Always longed to go to it.”

A long-forgotten memory of Kalyani , from when she had just learned to walk, surfaced. She’d dashed toward the waves the minute their father turned his back, like she was reaching for something. When their dad pulled her from the ocean, she screamed for hours. The only thing that quieted her was the water—and only if she was in it.

“ Do you hear it now?” Rohan asked.

She nodded. “ It calls to me.”

“ You’ve stayed out of the water these past few months since Lata was taken.”

Kalyani turned to look at him. “ The pull is great. So powerful that I know one of these days I won’t leave it. I didn’t want to chance that happening, especially after Lata .”

Rohan stood and walked to his sister. He pulled her into his arms and held her against him. “ Thank you for telling me. Why keep it a secret, though?”

“ Father asked me to.”

“ What ?” Rohan questioned and leaned back to look at her.

Kalyani shrugged. “ He was upset by it.”

“ Nay , Kal . He was upset about the idea of the Sea Elves .”

“ That was one instance, decades before we were born.”

Rohan shrugged. “ They came, and two of our people died.”

“ We weren’t there. We have no idea what really happened. I’m not saying Father lied,” she added when Rohan started to speak, “ I’m merely saying that if the Sea Elves were intent on harming us, they’ve had plenty of time and opportunities to return and do just that.”

Rohan couldn’t argue with her logic. “ I would never stop you from being in the water.”

“ I know. But you need help here.”

“ I can get someone else. I want you to be happy.”

She gave him a flat look. “ Do you want to be rid of me?”

“ Never .” He pulled her into his arms and embraced her. “ Never , Kal . But I also don’t want you to long for something and not go after it.” That’s when it hit him. “ Is that why you’ve not taken a husband?”

She made a sound and pulled out of his arms to return to her stool. “ I’ve not married because there is no one here I wish to share my life with. Before our numbers dropped, I mean.”

“ I knew what you meant.” He scratched his temple. “ How would you live underwater, though? You can’t breathe like the Sea Elves can.”

“ I don’t know.”

Rohan couldn’t shake the feeling that she did. She just didn’t want to tell him. He didn’t press her. Kalyani had shared something very personal, and that was enough for him. “ Will you tell me when you decide to follow the music?”

She looked up at him. “ Of course. But that isn’t going to happen. You have your mission, and I’m going to keep what’s left of our people together until you get back with the others. Oh , and also work on the idea of finding a new home.”

That in itself would be a feat. “ If anyone can, it’s you.”

“ I think your job is easier. Want to change places? I’ll go with Farah while you stay behind.”

Rohan forced a chuckle. “ I think dealing with the elf will be more difficult.”