Chapter 21
Kalyani halted mid-chew. “I’m sorry. Did you just say Nirav was in love with your mother?”
“I did,” Varum replied with a smile.
“Did your father know?”
He nodded.
“I, ah, I think I’m confused. I thought you said that you lived with Nirav.”
“I did.”
The more she tried to put the puzzle of his past together, the more confused she became.
Varum chuckled as he glanced down. “I know it sounds strange. Nirav and my father were close friends. When Nirav learned that Dad was interested, he kept his feelings a secret. It was only after my parents wed that Dad confronted him about it. Nirav admitted that he loved her.”
“Did they remain friends?”
“Aye. Close friends for a long time, actually.”
Kalyani tried to imagine how she would feel if she learned that one of her friends was in love with the same man she was. She wasn’t sure she would take it so well. “What did your mum do?”
“I don’t think anyone ever told her.”
“Is everyone still close?”
The slight tightening around Varum’s mouth told her that she’d asked the wrong thing. She was trying to find a way to backtrack or change the subject when he spoke.
“You were right earlier. I could have taken you anywhere to heal you.” He twisted his lips and sighed.
“I saw you as the answer to all our problems, I suppose. Not only did you know exactly who those on the sloop were, but you also didn’t hesitate to attack them.
I assumed you knew more than I, and I took advantage of your weakened state. ”
She lowered her hand to her leg, the last bite of bread forgotten. “Nirav said you never break the rules.”
“Don’t ask me why I did this time. I can’t answer it. I wish I could, because then Nirav would stop asking me.”
“There had to be something that pushed you to do something so out of character.”
He flashed a halfhearted smile. “Maybe it was seeing you fight.”
“I hope it wasn’t seeing me injured.”
“That probably played a part in it.”
Kalyani set the plate on the cushion next to her. “I don’t want to be a victim in anyone’s eyes. Not my brother’s, not yours. Not anyone’s.”
“I can’t imagine anyone calling you a victim.”
It was as close to a compliment as she was likely to get. His words spread warmth inside her, and she wasn’t sure why that made her feel as good as it did. She stared at him, once more unsure if he was friend or foe. The elf she had thought was cold as stone might just have feelings, after all.
A sharp rap on the door made Varum look away first. She started to rise to go to his room, but he motioned for her to remain as he stood and walked to the door.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“Nirav,” came the reply.
Varum unlocked the door and cracked it open to make sure it was only Nirav before stepping aside and allowing his friend to enter. Nirav slipped inside with a strap slung over his shoulder attached to a tube.
A smile split Nirav’s face when he saw her. “I’m happy to see you up and about.” He glanced at her empty plate. “And eating.”
“It’s slow, but I’m feeling better,” she said, unable to hold back her grin at his pleasure.
Nirav looked between her and Varum and rubbed his hands. “You left in such a rush, I was unsure what I might find when I arrived.”
Varum scratched his jaw. “Kalyani explained everything.”
“Any chance you could recognize the elves?” Nirav asked her, his brows raised eagerly.
Kalyani shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can.”
“Could you tell if they were male or female?” Varum asked.
She thought back to the fleeting look she had gotten and finally shook her head. “I wouldn’t feel right making a guess. The sighting was that quick.”
“But you’re sure it was a Sea Elf,” Nirav asked.
“I am.”
Nirav walked to sit next to her and placed the cylinder at his feet. “I’ve been thinking, ever since you first told me about the sighting, that the elves could’ve come from anywhere. My immediate assumption was that they were from Tarangarh, but there are other cities.”
“How many?” Kalyani asked.
Varum walked to his sofa and sat. “Five.”
There were five more cities beneath the water. She wondered how many others knew that. It must not be a secret if Varum shared the information so nonchalantly.
“I would need to know the location of your village to determine if there is a city nearby,” Nirav said.
She shrugged helplessly. “I wouldn’t even know how to describe where it is.”
“I thought you might say that,” Nirav said. He reached for the cylinder and opened it. “That’s why I stopped by my place and grabbed a couple of maps, just in case. That’s why it took me so long to get back here.”
Kalyani glanced at Varum to find him watching her. It had never dawned on her that she might be in this predicament, so she had never thought to ask if she shouldn’t tell potential allies of their location. She would have to make the decision on her own.
Nirav rolled out a map on the coffee table as she scooted to the edge of the couch, and Varum placed objects on the corners to hold it open.
Kalyani looked over the map, surprised to see such a detailed drawing of the shoreline.
She dropped to her knees on the floor and leaned close as she oriented herself with the map.
From a distance, she had seen the giant elven faces carved into the plateau with their mouths open to let water flow.
From what Farah had told her, the carvings ran the entire length of the mesa.
Kalyani had never gotten close enough to make out the exact features of the carvings, but she knew to find the last one that faced the ocean.
From there, she traced her finger along the shore, looking for anything on the map that looked familiar. She was about to give up when she spotted the slight indent of the shoreline where she had grown up.
Nothing on the map designated the location, but she knew it all the same.
To think that the village she had lived in for the majority of her life lay right there, hidden from all.
Her ancestors had chosen that location because it was secluded and difficult to reach.
She and Rohan might have left it, but their younger sister and many other villagers still called it home.
She had offered for Varum to follow her home to talk to Rohan and the others. How was that any different than pointing out a spot on a map? It wasn’t. But she still couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was making the wrong choice.
Kalyani realized how quiet it was and sat back, aware of the two elves watching her. She reached for her water to take a drink and buy some time to think of a reply.
“We have no designs on your people,” Varum said. “I’ve given you no reason to trust me, but I speak the truth.”
Nirav nodded, sighing. “Whatever we discuss stays between us three. I merely need an area.”
“Are there many cities so close to Shecrish’s shore?” she asked.
Varum braced his forearms on his knees. “Nay.”
“It’s all right. I shouldn’t have pressed you.” Nirav moved aside one of the placeholders to start rolling up the map, when she put her hand on it. His gaze jerked to her.
Kalyani’s heart was pounding as she slowly moved her finger and pointed to the spot. “There.”
Nirav replaced the weight and squinted as he leaned forward for a closer look. She removed her hand when he gently tapped it. He stared at the map for several tense minutes before looking up at Varum.
“What is it?” she asked when neither said anything.
Varum tapped a spot northeast of the shoreline, far out into the water. “This is the closest city.”
“Would a Sea Elf swim that far?” she asked.
Nirav shrugged. “Depends. We’ve been known to do that.”
“Is there anything special about your city?” Varum asked.
“Village,” she corrected. “And not really. We’re small and secluded. It was built only for humans.”
Varum quirked a brow. “Really?”
“Interesting,” Nirav replied. “I wondered if there would be places like that.”
“Why would there be?” Varum asked.
Kalyani shifted into a cross-legged seat. “Because elves notoriously abuse and use us because we don’t have magic.”
“I saw that firsthand during my time on land,” Nirav said. “I had forgotten about it until you said something.”
She was incensed that he would say such a thing, but then she remembered that Sea Elves didn’t mingle with humans at all. They probably never even thought about her race. It was hard to stay angry at someone for something they didn’t take part in.
“You’ve really not been around elves?” Varum asked.
She gave an exasperated shake of her head. “You didn’t believe me?”
“Not about that.”
“Until Rohan brought Farah to Siguk, I had only seen elves from a distance.”
Nirav caught her gaze. “How did you keep hidden?”
“The way our village is built into the side of the plateau keeps us concealed.”
Varum grunted in approval. “That was smart.”
“I still wonder what made Sea Elves show themselves,” Nirav said, more to himself than Varum or her.
She went back to studying the map until she found her new home—Serenia. It was north, where the mountains reached the water. If Siguk had been secluded, Serenia was isolated.
“If that’s where you live, then you swam an incredible distance to the sloop,” Varum said.
Kalyani shook her head. “I don’t live there anymore. Rohan and the others decided to live away from anyone since they’re being hunted by the Masters, and I joined them, intending to do my part.”
“Your brother allowed that?” Varum questioned.
She didn’t care for the disapproval she saw in his eyes. “I didn’t give him a choice. I can be somewhat stubborn.”
Nirav settled more comfortably on the cushion. “I’m sure Rohan thought having you close would keep you out of trouble.”
A lot of good that did. Kalyani was in a heap of trouble. There would be time to make it up to her brother. She would make sure of it.
“Where did you swim from, then?” Varum asked.
She had been anxious about sharing Siguk’s location. No way would she tell him where Serenia was.
“The shoreline is rather long,” Nirav said. “They could’ve relocated anywhere.”
Varum shook his head and pointed toward the northernmost part of Shecrish’s shoreline. “They’re hiding. No way they would go south when there isn’t much to keep them concealed. They went north.”
Kalyani swallowed, the sound loud to her ears. She didn’t know how he had figured that out. Did he know the shoreline? It made sense that he might, even if he didn’t go onto the land.
“Am I right?” he asked her.
She hesitated, but given his smile, that was answer enough. It was gone in a flash when he took a closer look at where she had swum from. His gaze snapped to her, fury sparking in his iridescent eyes.
“Do you know what could’ve happened to you swimming alone that far?” Varum demanded. “I’m not talking about just the animals. I’m talking about other Sea Elves. And even storms. Anything could’ve happened to you.”
“You sound like Rohan.”
“Apparently, he didn’t do a good enough job of reminding you of the dangers,” Varum stated.
Nirav looked up from the map, his eyes filled with distress. “Surely, you must have known you went far beyond the shore.”
Kalyani was suddenly uncomfortable, as if she were about to get reprimanded. Not even Rohan made her feel so small and ashamed. “I lose track when I’m in the water.”