Chapter 33
Flamefall
Savita walked through the row of tents as she made her way to the forest. She wanted to lift her skirts and run, but that would bring too much attention.
Her heart pumped furiously as her gaze darted around.
She knew each of the Asavori Rangers personally.
It was hard not to after being stationed with them for so many years, but things had been different since Esha left with Kendrick.
Though it wasn’t the Dragon King that had Savita on alert.
She wanted to say it was the unnamed Star Elf who had visited her, but it wasn’t him either.
Her pace quickened as she reached the trees and altered her destination to the edge of the mesa.
The Rangers on guard duty in the trees would see her, but she often made this trek, so nothing would seem out of the ordinary.
She needed to appear as if everything was normal, even though it wasn’t. Her fingers wrapped around the rune pouch tied to her belt. Their warning had sent her early to her meeting with Dain.
Her journey to reach the carved elven faces seemed to take much longer than usual.
She heard the roar of the waterfall before she broke the tree line and headed to the steps that led down to the ground.
At one time, she had come here simply to watch the water flow out of the mouth of the great carved faces before tumbling into the pool below. Things had been simple back then.
They were far from that now.
She reached the steep steps and grasped her skirts to begin the grueling descent.
Savita glanced toward her meeting spot with Dain, even though she couldn’t see him.
He always remained hidden until she arrived.
Most times, Esha and Kendrick joined them at the border.
It gave her a chance to talk to her sister so they could keep each other updated. But not this time.
Those meetings might need to be put on hold. The Star Elf’s visit—and his warning—had caused Savita to worry that she was being watched. As far as she knew, no Reader had been abducted, but that didn’t mean the Masters would steer clear of them altogether.
Her foot slipped on a wet stone, causing her to tilt to the side as she hurried to regain her balance.
Her arms pinwheeled, and her heart jumped into her throat.
Gold magic surged from her palms as she steadied herself.
She stood there, breathing heavily for several moments, before she continued down the never-ending steps.
When her feet finally touched grass, she had to fight not to break into a run.
The area was open. The only place for someone to hide was by ducking down in the waist-high grass.
She glanced to the side across the border into Idrias.
It was too dark for her to make out any dragons.
How she wished Kendrick and Esha were coming.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she might need their help tonight.
“Don’t come, Dain,” she whispered. “Don’t come tonight.”
The night was still, the air heavy with the scent of approaching rain. Even the double moons were hidden behind thick, slow-moving clouds. It was the kind of night meant for terror and pain. A night of death.
She clutched the bag of runes again. Had her message reached Dain in time?
There was no way to know. Nor could she allow him to greet the night alone.
Never had she imagined she would call a Dark Elf a friend, but that’s exactly what he was.
He had done more in the fight against the Masters than anyone.
It made sense that they would focus everything on him now.
The soft stirring of the wind tugged a strand of hair against her face. Shadows parted before her to allow Dain to step out. He met her gaze and halted mid-stride. A quick frown furrowed his brow before it vanished.
“Run,” she mouthed.
But it was already too late.
Dark Elves poured out of the shadows to surround them.
She gathered her magic as Dain drew his sword.
Black magic swirled around his hand before rolling down the blade, making the metal gleam like onyx.
He swung the weapon in a wide arc as elves attacked, sending out a blast of magic that slammed into them and sent them flying backward.
Savita tossed a bolt of gold magic and quickly spun in the other direction.
Her skirts whirled around her before tangling against her legs.
She lunged, pelting the nearest Dark with magic.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of them leap toward her, a blade aimed at her head.
She leaned to the side and rotated slightly, watching the sword pierce the air where she had been.
She dropped to a knee and swung out her leg to trip her attacker before spinning back to her feet and sending out a blast wave of magic.
There was a grunt of pain behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Dain take a double hit of magic and a blade to his left arm.
She took a step to help him, but was struck in the back of her knee.
It brought her to the ground, and she used the momentum to roll and come up on her feet, magic already aimed.
It didn’t matter how many shots she fired. There were too many Dark Elves for her and Dain to take on alone. She had used up too much of her magic and was tiring quickly. The only way for her to recharge was with the sun, and that was hours away.
“Go!” Dain shouted at her.
But there was nowhere for her to go. She gathered the last of her power, putting everything she had into it. It was her only chance to get her and Dain free. All they needed was a moment. Then he could get them out with his shadows.
Her arms shook from the effort. It wouldn’t be enough, but she still had to try.
Suddenly, a Dark came at her, his hand filled with magic, aimed at her face.
She tried to get out of the way, but her limbs were sluggish.
Suddenly, someone was beside her. A hand covered her face as they turned her against a hard chest. They spun her, and she saw a flash of purple magic between their fingers.
She clung to the individual just to stay on her feet. One arm now held her against a hard chest as he shifted. She tried to look around the broad shoulders at Dain, but she was being moved around, too, as if they were dancing.
Savita called to her magic. There was still a little left within her.
She attempted to push away from him to use it, but the arm tightened around her, preventing her from leaving.
The next thing she knew, she was being cradled in strong arms. She looked back and saw Dain down on one knee, still fighting.
“Stop. I can’t leave him,” she said, slamming her fist against a solid shoulder. When the individual didn’t halt, she hit him harder. “I said stop.”
She was lowered onto something, and she found herself looking into the Star Elf’s face.
“How bad are your injuries?” he asked as he scanned her body.
Savita shoved his hands away and got to her feet. “What are you doing? Dain needs help.”
“You can’t help him,” he said as he stood to look down at her.
“But you can.”
The Star Elf snorted. “Why would I do that?”
“He’s a friend.”
A muscle in the elf’s jaw clenched. He peeled back his lips as if to speak, but whirled around and raced back to Dain.
Savita tried to make out movement in the dark, but the night had abruptly settled into silence again.
She should go to Dain herself and do what she could.
She tried to move her foot, but her limbs wouldn’t listen.
Her gown was sliced in places and covered in blood and burns from the battle.
Blood trickled over the top of her hand, running down a finger before dripping to the ground. Even with the warning from the runes, she had been ill-prepared. She had thought the alarm was for Dain alone, but now she wondered if it had also been for her. The Dark had kept coming at her.
She reached for the bag of runes, but it was no longer attached to her belt. Panic filled her as she dropped to the ground and began searching with her hands.
“What are you doing?”
She didn’t bother to look up at the Star Elf as she crawled to another area. “My bag of runes.”
“We need to go.”
She shook her head and then looked to where Dain had been. “Where’s Dain?”
“Gone. Just as we need to be.”
“I’m not leaving without my runes.” Savita mustered the last of her strength to get to her feet. She managed two steps before she felt him behind her.
And then, everything went dark.
Dain gasped for breath as he sat precariously on a limb high in a tree.
Pain stole his breath and made it challenging to think straight.
Warm blood trickled in thick ribbons down his body from multiple strikes.
He needed to get to Sundar so he could be healed, but the Star Elf was too far away.
Dain dropped his head back against the bark.
He wouldn’t make it back to Serenia in the shape he was in.
He might make it to Durga’s, though. It would be close, but if he stayed in the tree, he would either die from blood loss or the attackers finding him.
He had no idea where Savita was. One moment, she was there. The next, she was gone. He hoped she got out. Maybe she’d run across the border and was now with the Dragon Kings. He hadn’t thought of going there himself, but it was too late now.
“Once more,” he told himself. “I just need to make one more jump.”
Durga would help him. Even if she wasn’t home, her servants would know what to do. But he was so tired. He closed his eyes. It would be so easy to just let go. To give up on…everything and everyone. He could stop fighting, stop hiding. Stop the torment that had been his life.
Reva’s face suddenly filled his mind. She smiled at him, her warm brown eyes shining with amusement. She was the only light in a world that had been filled with darkness. She was the only one who made him want to stay alive.
He swallowed, his heart aching at the mere thought of her. His body was weakening fast. There was no time to delay. He opened his eyes and lifted the hand he held against his side to see it covered in blood.
“Don’t you dare give up.”
He frowned at the sound of Reva’s voice. She couldn’t be here. He knew it was a hallucination, and yet he still scanned the area around him for her.
“You can’t stay here. You have to go. Now.”
The only one who could make him move was Reva.
Dain clung to her words, even as he gathered his shadows and focused on Durga’s house.
He lost his grip on the shadows, and all too soon, was spat out of them.
His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.
Every breath felt like a dozen blades scraping the insides of his lungs.
Each beat of his heart sent more blood pumping out of his wounds.
He looked up and found himself in an alley behind a building—and nowhere near Durga’s. The pain beat a steady rhythm, chasing away everything else. He had missed his mark getting to Durga’s. There was nowhere else close he could go.
In his need for comfort, he thought of Reva and let her face fill his mind again.
He regretted…everything with her. He’d had opportunities to say the things he felt, but he’d been too much of a coward.
Instead, he had kept them bottled inside, choosing to remain silent.
Alone. He was forever alone. Those around him were always in danger.
How could he bring her into that? She was too precious for such things.
“The Dain I know wouldn’t give up.”
Maybe it was his time. Everyone died. He had escaped it too many times in the past. Eventually, it caught up to everyone. He’d always known he would die in battle. He had accepted that long ago. But he really didn’t want to breathe his last breath in the filth of the street.
Dain strained to push up onto his hands and knees.
He sat back on his haunches to look for a place to crawl to when he realized that he was close to The Crossing.
Could he make it to Sidiq’s storage room?
He wasn’t sure he should even try. If nothing else, he had to let someone know what had happened to him and Savita.
At least Dain wouldn’t die on the street, and Sidiq could get word to Durga.
Dain reached for his shadows, but nothing happened. He tried again, but they still wouldn’t answer. He reached down, grasping for the last dregs of his magic. He couldn’t even manage a smile when the shadows reluctantly enveloped him.
Reva was coming out of the storage room when she heard a loud crash from within.
She recoiled at the sound and glanced around, but no one in the pub seemed to have heard it over the loud din of conversation.
She hesitated before slipping back inside the room, wondering if she had accidentally tipped something over.
She carefully moved around the room, looking for what had caused the crash. She saw the broken bits of barrels and crates. Amid all of that was a boot. Her eyes followed the boot to the leg. The moment she recognized the distinctive long, black coat, she rushed forward.
“Dain!” she cried when she saw him lying on his back, unmoving, his clothes torn and bloodied.
She put a finger under his nose to make sure he was still breathing before jumping up and running to get Sidiq. The Dark Elf owner of the pub saw her before she reached him. He came out from behind the bar, and she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the storage room. To Dain.
Sidiq slung Dain over his shoulder before he turned to her and said, “I’ll be back.”
“He’ll be okay, though, right?”
Sidiq’s lips flattened. “I don’t know.”
The shadows took both elves, leaving Reva alone.