Chapter Thirty-seven

“How do you want to do this?” Dain asked.

Ravi was surprised the Dark was conceding anything to him. He knew it was Dain’s mission. He met the Dark’s gaze. “Your call.”

Dain bowed his head. “Ravi, stand in the road. I’ll come in from behind the sleigh. Manu, be ready in case something goes awry.”

Manu crawled backward and raced away, keeping out of sight.

“Ready?” Dain asked.

Ravi had his eyes on the sleigh. “Absolutely.”

Ravi rose and made his way down the short embankment to the road. He stood in the center and faced the sleigh. When she spotted him, the driver flicked the reins to move the horses faster. A mass of darkness rose behind the sleigh. The driver was intent on Ravi and didn’t look behind her. Ravi grinned as the shadows moved quickly to catch up to the vehicle, soon converging around it.

Yet the sleigh didn’t stop.

Ravi held up his hands in an effort to stop the horse, but it wasn’t working. His grin slipped when he had to step to the side or get run over. When the vehicle reached him, Ravi jumped and grabbed hold of a harness before dragging himself up atop one of the horses. He could hear the sounds of combat within the shadows as he tugged on the reins.

The horses drew to a halt. Ravi jumped down, wincing at the pain that lingered in his leg. Dain must have seen him approaching because the shadows fell away. He found Dain and a Sun Elf locked in combat. A dagger stuck out of Dain’s chest on the right side near his shoulder. He had one of the elf’s arms twisted at an odd angle while the female stabbed a second blade into Dain’s right thigh with her free hand.

Ravi jumped into the sleigh just as Dain shouted his name. Ravi managed to lean to the side as a blade came near his face, followed quickly by a shot of yellow magic. He grabbed the elf’s arm and pinned it to the seat before she could attack again. She bared her teeth and tried to bite him. Ravi rammed his fist into her jaw, knocking her out.

“Fuck,” Dain muttered as he released the unconscious elf and dropped his head back.

Ravi rummaged through the female’s pockets and the sleigh until he located the black orb. He held it up as he and Dain exchanged smiles.

“You did it,” Dain said.

“~We~ did it,” Ravi corrected.

Dain bowed his head. “We did it.”

Ravi shoved the unconscious elf to the floor of the sleigh and sat heavily. Then he jerked his chin to the weapons sticking out of Dain. “Want me to remove them?”

“I’m afraid you’ll enjoy it too much.”

Ravi shrugged. “Probably.”

Without another word, he reached over and carefully removed the blade from Dain’s leg first. Ravi tore off a portion of the Sun Elf’s shirt to use as a bandage to help stop the blood flow.

Dain’s face was pale, his breathing ragged. Ravi opened his coat and cut off the bottom part of his shirt. Dain nodded when Ravi wrapped his fingers around the pommel of the dagger. He pulled it free and quickly bandaged the wound. When he finished, Dain sat with his eyes closed, and his lips pinched.

“Fuck,” Dain said after a moment.

“We need to get you to a healer soon.”

Dain looked at him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Where’s Manu?”

“He probably left. He’d show himself if he was still around.”

Ravi took a moment to tie the Sun Elf’s hands behind her back. Then, he gathered the reins and turned the horses around. The ride to Shaldorn would have been scenic if he had been paying attention. He ran the horses as fast as he dared, slowing them when needed. But he was in a hurry to find Yaz and let her know the mission was complete. He wanted to share that with her. She had earned it, after all. Maybe after that, he would see a healer and sleep for at least a day.

The last hour of the trip, snow flurries drifted in the air. He and Dain didn’t speak much. They were too exhausted. It took everything Ravi had to keep going.

Elation pumped through him when he caught sight of Shaldorn. Even Dain sat up straighter in the seat. Their prisoner stirred. Dain set his feet on top of her, which made Ravi smile. He drove them to the back of the fortress and spotted Manu and Arya waiting for them.

Ravi pulled the sleigh to a stop and smiled at the pair. “We have a prisoner. Who wants her?”

“Leave her to me,” Dain said.

Ravi dropped the reins and climbed out of the sleigh, walking around to help Dain. “Has the staff gotten out?”

Arya’s lips twisted. “I got many of them away, but some chose to head into the mountains.”

“My people will make sure they get where they want to go,” Manu said.

Arya glanced at the doorway behind her. “Others are too frightened to leave.”

“We can’t make them,” Dain said. He leaned heavily on Ravi until he could stand on his own.

Ravi passed the device to Dain. “Get this to Durga. I’ll rest easy once I know it’s in the DIA’s hands.” Ravi slid his gaze to Arya. “Can you take me to Yaz? I want to let her know we succeeded.”

Arya’s gray eyes jerked to Dain. Ravi frowned at her odd behavior. Then, he noted that Dain and Manu were watching him closely. His gut clenched in dread.

“Whatever it is, tell me now,” Ravi demanded.

Had Yaz left? He could imagine her doing exactly that. Even though she technically wouldn’t complete the mission until they were back in Rannora. He wouldn’t hold that against her, though. Durga didn’t need to know those details. Yaz had earned her freedom—from Shaldorn and the DIA.

Dain limped forward a step. “Arya, give us an update.”

“She’s not good,” the female Dark said softly.

Ravi shook his head, not believing the words. He couldn’t have heard right. “You got Yaz to a healer, right? She should be fine.”

Arya swallowed. “Her injuries were extensive.”

Ravi shook his head again. Yaz was a fighter. She wouldn’t give up. Not after everything she had endured.

“There’s a second healer with her,” Arya continued.

Ravi held up a hand to silence her. He’d heard enough. “Take me to her. Please.”

Thankfully, Arya’s shadows wrapped around him without further argument. When they separated, he stood in a hallway outside a doorway with a pointed arch. He looked into the room and saw a large bed close to the floor. Lying in the middle of the mattress was Yaz. Someone had bathed the blood from her and brushed her hair. It lay in a single braid over one shoulder. Fur blankets were piled on top of her, stopping just beneath her chin. On either side of her was a Star Elf, their eyes closed and hands upon her as they worked their magic.

He started forward when Arya grabbed his arm.

“You need food and a healer yourself,” she said.

Ravi shook his head. “I’d rather they save their magic for her.”

“Then come. There is food and a hot bath waiting.”

“I can’t.” Now that he had seen Yaz, he couldn’t let her out of his sight again.

Arya moved in front of him and waited until he looked at her. “She’s in good hands. You won’t do anyone any good in your present state.”

Ravi wanted to argue, but he was suddenly too weary. He let Arya lead him away, his gaze lingering on Yaz until he could no longer see her. Arya didn’t take him far. She brought him to another room down the hall. There was a bed, a roaring fire in the hearth, and an oval tub that looked big enough he could stretch out in it and be covered by the water. The smell of food made him dizzy. Ravi was barely cognizant of Arya removing the coat Manu had lent him. Then he was seated at a table.

“Eat,” Arya ordered.

He had no idea what was on the plate, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this hungry. Ravi ate until he couldn’t stand to look at the food anymore. He sat back in the chair and scanned the room for Arya, but she wasn’t there. She must have slipped out while he was eating. He didn’t mind. It was nice to have a few moments alone.

The steam rising from the tub called to him. Ravi glanced down at his clothes and saw what was left of them. Suddenly, he wanted out of them. He kicked off his boots and got out of the ripped and bloodied clothing.

He climbed into the tub and let the water cover him, sighing in contentment. The heat felt good. Not even the sting of his injuries could get him to leave the bath. His eyes became too heavy to remain open. He found himself drifting off. Then, he remembered Yaz.

Ravi sat up and scrubbed the battle from his body. As he dried off, he saw clean clothes laid out on the bed. He dressed quickly, pausing long enough to rake his fingers through his wet hair before making his way back to Yaz.

The healers were still there. He stood in the doorway and stared as if he could somehow will Yaz to heal and wake up. He wanted to look into her dark blue eyes again.

“Any change?” Dain asked in a soft voice as he came up beside him.

Ravi glanced at the Dark to see that he, too, had washed and redressed. “None that I know of. I knew she was hurt, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“She asked Arya not to tell you. Yaz knew your mission was important.”

Ravi closed his eyes and put his back to the doorway. “What did they do to her?”

“I just found out. Honestly, it might be better if you didn’t know.”

Ravi’s eyes snapped open, and he pinned the Dark with a look. “Dain.”

“They broke her. They snapped and shattered dozens of her bones. All of her fingers and toes. Her hands and feet. Her knees. Her hip. Her arms. Part of her spine.”

Ravi looked away, his stomach churning. He couldn’t stand to hear anymore, but it was nothing compared to what Yaz had endured. She deserved a life to live as she wanted. Without worry about anyone or anything trying to harm her. Free to communicate with the stones.

He spun to face Dain. “She shared a secret with me. One she has kept to herself her entire life.”

“Then you need to keep it.”

“But what if that hinders her healing?”

Dain’s white brows drew together in a frown. “How could it?”

Ravi glanced at Yaz. “I don’t know. It might.” Still, he hesitated. “I want your word that whatever I share stays between us. You can’t tell anyone.”

“I can’t give you that. If it will help or hurt her recovery, I need to tell the healers.”

“Do you trust them?”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

Ravi slid his gaze to Yaz. “Our magic doesn’t hinder our healing, does it?”

“How could it? It’s magic that heals.”

“What about a different kind of magic?”

Dain drew closer, his voice a whisper as he asked, “Are you telling me she has magic?”

“Of a sort.” Ravi turned his head to him. “She can communicate with stones. That’s how we reached Shaldorn. That’s how we were able to get inside and move about as we did.”

Dain blew out a breath and lowered his gaze to the floor. After a moment, he said, “Let me speak to the healers. I’ll only tell them what I must.”

Ravi watched Dain walk to the bed. The healers paused to look at him as he began speaking. Ravi couldn’t hear what he said. He had never trusted Darks. He couldn’t say he trusted Dain, but he put more faith in him and Arya than other Dark Elves. Ravi really hoped he wasn’t wrong about them.

Dain returned a short time later. He paused with his back to the room. “They felt something different about her, but they don’t believe it will hinder the healing process.”

“Are they healing her?”

“It’s slow. There’s a lot of damage. They don’t know if they can repair everything in time. One is keeping her body going as the other tackles the injuries.”

“Then bring another healer,” Ravi urged. “I’ll go get one. Whatever it takes.”

Dain placed a hand on his shoulder. “I brought another, just in case. He saw to my wounds and is healing others from Shaldorn. You should let him see to you.”

“Bring him to Yaz. She needs him more than I do.”

Dain dropped his arm to his side. “There is a chair inside. Take it before you fall over.”

Ravi watched him walk away before he silently entered the room. The chair was near the bed, against a wall. He lowered himself into it and stretched out his legs. It wasn’t long before his eyes became heavy. He propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his cheek on his hand.

Whispers woke him. Ravi jerked awake and looked at Yaz, but she still lay unmoving. His attention moved to the source of the voices. Dain was with the two healers from before, both of which looked ready to pass out. Dain noticed Ravi’s gaze on him and nodded to the healers, who walked out of the room.

“They need rest,” Dain said.

Ravi sat up. “How far did they get in her healing?”

“Not far enough.”

And the longer Yaz lay there without them, the quicker she would die. “I know of other healers. If you’ll help me, I can get them here.”

“The healer I spoke of earlier is on his way now. He’ll take over while the other two rest. But, Ravi, you need to prepare yourself in case she doesn’t ma—”

“I know,” he said before Dain could finish.

The sound of footsteps grew louder until they turned into the room. Ravi looked up to see a Star Elf with bright violet eyes and dark purple hair walking to the bed. His attention was solely on Yaz. The healer held a hand over her and moved it from her head to her feet. Then he sat in one of the vacated chairs and placed his hands on her body.

This time, Dain remained. Ravi was grateful to have someone with him.