Chapter 16
Everything around him became fuzzy, and Nirav’s voice faded as all Varum’s attention was on the pulsing in the fingertips that had touched Kalyani’s skin. He had been so close. He could’ve pressed his lips to the puckered area of her wound.
And he nearly had.
He had no idea what had come over him. He rubbed his thumb over his fingertips, imagining that he was once more stroking her skin. Soft. Alluring. Her quick intake of breath had matched his when he first brushed against her bare side.
If only his heart would quit racing. If only he could stop pondering her inviting warmth, maybe he could think straight once more.
He wouldn’t need to touch her again now that the serynth leaf had been removed. Perhaps he should’ve drawn out the process even longer. Yet he had taken it off because she couldn’t keep food down.
And just like that, the room and its occupants snapped into focus around him. Varum turned his head to Kalyani. “Are you feeling better?”
“My side no longer itches,” she answered.
Nirav asked, “Would you like to try some food now?”
She waved away his words, shaking her head. “Not yet.”
“Let me know when that changes.” Varum waited until she inclined her head before relaxing into the chair.
Nirav settled more comfortably on the sofa. “I was curious about the Moon Elf you mentioned in your stories.”
“Gita,” Kalyani replied immediately.
Nirav gave her another friendly grin. “That’s her. What else can you tell me about her?”
Varum waited to see if Kalyani would stick to the stories she had told him or disclose new information. He really hoped there was nothing new to add.
“What else is there to say about someone like her?” Kalyani replied. “She bestows anguish and misery wherever she goes, which makes her a perfect match for the Masters.”
“Are you telling me no one really knows who they are?” Nirav pressed.
She shook her head. “None of my friends have seen them. As I told Varum last night, the only one of us to get close was Arya when they spoke to her. She never saw anything about them.”
“They could be a group of two or two hundred. We can’t know,” Varum said.
Nirav nodded thoughtfully. “Too true. It will take much to uncover who they are. The first step is finding those like Gita. Can you tell me how she swayed Yasmin to get her to Shaldorn?”
“She tricked her.”
Kalyani shoved her wealth of curls over her shoulder, drawing Varum’s gaze. He remembered how the strands had moved in the water as if reaching out for him. Even when he had tended to her while she slept, those curls had found their way to him like a living entity.
Varum had spent the previous evening listening to every word that fell from her lips and her voice’s inflections, searching for lies or deceit.
This time, he let Nirav do the talking as he watched her.
She finally scooted back against the sofa and tucked one foot under her.
Color was filling her cheeks, so her skin didn’t look so sallow.
“Yaz’s parents were elves. Her mum intentionally poisoned her to get attention from others. One day, Yaz had had enough and ran away,” Kalyani said.
Disappointment filled Varum at this new part of the story. He had hoped that Kalyani had shared everything, but he’d known deep down that she hadn’t.
Nirav frowned. “Other family kept Yaz away from the mother?”
“She didn’t want to chance being returned, so she lived on the streets.” Kalyani slid her gaze to him. “And before you get upset that I didn’t tell you this last night, these are specifics that don’t pertain to the Masters.”
“I disagree. Yasmin’s story is tied to Gita, who is a part of the Masters.” Varum waited for a rebuttal, but none came.
Kalyani pressed her lips together. “You’re right. I was tired of repeating everything, so I shortened some stories.”
“That’s understandable, and you’re sharing now. Please, continue,” Nirav insisted.
Varum stretched out his legs and crossed one ankle over the other. “I have a difficult time believing a child would choose to live on her own without protection, shelter, or food.”
“Because you’ve never known hardship,” Kalyani replied stiffly.
Nirav jumped in before Varum could reply and said, “Yasmin escaped one kind of horror, only to end up in another. I remember the streets of the city well. They aren’t kind or just.”
“She scraped by, but that’s how Gita found her. When Gita offered to give Yaz a home, clothes, and food, she took the opportunity. It wasn’t until they arrived at Shaldorn that Yaz learned her fate. By then, it was too late.”
Nirav made a sound at the back of his throat. “How long was Yasmin there before she escaped?”
“If Yaz ever told me the exact number of years, I don’t recall. I know it was a long time. I’ve never asked what she endured there, and I won’t, not after hearing Arya talking about the depravity that went on there.” Kalyani wrapped her arms around her middle as she curled her toes against the rug.
“Nay, it’s best not to ask someone who has sustained such trauma to relive it.” Nirav drew in a breath and released it. “She lived to tell the tale, however. Then she was able to return and get some revenge.”
Kalyani shrugged, her head tilted to the side. “I suppose. Gita got away, though. She had been living in Belanore the entire time.”
“Did your friends check to see if she was there?” Varum asked.
Kalyani shot him a flat look. “Of course. They’re good at what they do. She had long since vacated the flat.”
“So. She could be anywhere,” Nirav murmured. He shook himself and asked, “What about the Moon Elf, One?”
She twisted her lips, her nose wrinkling. “He’s even more of a mystery.”
“So it seems.” Nirav rubbed the back of his neck.
It was a signal that he was troubled and needed to think things over.
Varum glanced toward Kalyani to see her looking his way.
How much more was she withholding? Did she have a clue that could protect his people?
She might not even know what it was. It was why he needed her to tell him every detail.
Nirav slapped his hands on his legs, his expression taut. “It has been many years since I’ve walked on land, and I’ve met many people. I might have encountered Gita if she went by another name. It’s difficult to say.”
“I hope that what I’ve shared helps,” Kalyani said.
Varum nodded. “It was more than we had before.”
“I do have one more question, if you’ll allow it,” Nirav said.
Kalyani smiled and placed both feet on the floor. “Of course.”
“Are there others like you who can swim so well?”
Kalyani stiffened the moment the words registered.
Her warm smile turned frosty as she fought to keep it in place.
Varum wasn’t yet sure if it was fear that kept her from saying anything, or something else.
He wanted to ask, but he knew she wouldn’t answer.
And even if she did, it likely wouldn’t be the truth.
“No one can swim like I can,” she replied.
Nirav laughed softly. “Bold words, but I bet you’re right.”
His lighthearted response wasn’t enough to break the tension in the room. Now wasn’t the time to press her on the gills. She was like any wild, unpredictable animal that had been cornered. Varum was getting ready to steer the conversation in a different direction when Nirav got to his feet.
“It’s been a long day, and I need to look over some charts to find a way out for Kalyani.” Nirav turned to her and bowed once more. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
Varum walked Nirav out the front, intending to have a private word, when he spotted Tanira headed their way. He cursed under his breath, even as Nirav grinned.
“Tell me why you don’t make her yours?” Nirav whispered.
Varum subtly locked his door with magic. “You know why.”
“There you are,” Tanira said as she made her way over. “I was hoping to run into you.”
Nirav couldn’t stop smiling. “It was bound to happen since you were headed to his place.”
Tanira turned her silvery white eyes to him and gave him a smile.
“That’s my cue to leave,” Nirav murmured.
Varum grabbed Nirav’s sleeve, hoping to keep him there, but his friend slipped away and hurried off, leaving Varum with Tanira. “What brings you here tonight?”
“I thought we could have dinner.”
“I ate with Nirav already.”
Her smile widened as she stepped closer and touched his hair. He leaned back out of her way.
“That was an early meal. We can have a drink first and then dessert,” she offered suggestively.
Varum had repeatedly refused her advances, but Tanira wouldn’t give up. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you tonight.”
“Invite me inside.”
“Excuse me?”
She looked at the door. “Invite me inside, Varum. I want to be with you.”
“All you have to do is snap your fingers, and you can have any man you want.”
Tanira snapped them. “Done. Now, let’s go inside.”
“I’ve already told you that I’m not the one for you.”
“But you’re who I want.”
He dodged her hands when she attempted to grab him. “You want me because I turned you down.”
“That’s not true,” she stated in outrage. “I know what I feel.”
“It’s late, and I’ve had a long day. I’m going inside. It’s time for you to go home,” he urged.
She dashed at her face to swipe away a tear. “I can love you if you would only let me.”
Varum tried to find a way to respond to that, but he must not have done it quickly enough, because Tanira whirled around and walked away. He waited until she was out of sight before slipping back into his home and locking the door behind him once more.
He found Kalyani at the table with a cup of something hot in her hands. She met his gaze, and he was surprised to see there was no hostility there. “How are you feeling?”
“A little better. I’m hungry, but every time I smell food, my stomach revolts.”
He looked at the sofa. “Take the bed tonight. I’ll sleep out here.”
“I’ll be fine. This is your home.”
“One I brought you to without your consent.”
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “You’re going to release me.”
“I am.”
“When that’s done, we’ll call it even.”
He took a step, then halted and faced her. “I know you think I went to extremes last night, and I did. There’s a lot riding on what you know.”
“Take me home, and you can talk to the others yourself. You can hear their firsthand accounts of things.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
She raised the steaming cup to her lips and took a sip as she looked at the table. “You’re going to waste an opportunity to get information because you can’t stand the sight of those of us who walk on land.”
“That isn’t it at all.”
“Really?” She cut her eyes to him.
“Really.”
Kalyani sighed. “Maybe you’re right, but I don’t think so. You could’ve taken me anywhere to tend to my wounds and talk to me, but you brought me here. A place I can’t escape. A place I’m not supposed to be.”
“I did it at great risk.”
“Because you’re scared of leaving the water or actually encountering humans and other elves.”