Chapter 40
No one returned, and the more time that ticked by, the more frantic Varum became.
He stared at the door Arvind had exited from, afraid to move lest he lose the slim thread of control he still possessed.
He didn’t know whether Kalyani was okay or if Nirav had been detained like him.
And the not-knowing was driving him insane.
Which was exactly what Arvind wanted.
Outwardly, Varum appeared calm and unworried.
But inwardly, he was bellowing in rage, eager to get his hands on someone to show them just how incensed he was.
It wouldn’t do him any good, though. If he wanted to get out of this and make sure Nirav wasn’t dragged in and no one found Kalyani, he had to remain composed.
When everything was over, when he walked free, he would show Arvind and everyone else just what he was made of. But not until he was cleared of these ridiculous charges.
He knew their justice system well. There was clear evidence that he had nothing to do with the Masters.
Except…he couldn’t use that evidence because it was Kalyani.
All the proof he had gathered was either stories from her or his firsthand accounts.
For the first time, it dawned on him that he might not get out. No wonder Arvind had been so confident.
“No one will tell me anything.”
Nirav’s words from earlier came back to him.
They were intentionally keeping Nirav in the dark so he couldn’t help.
Or was it because they planned to implicate him, as well?
Varum’s stomach clenched as dread filled him.
Arvind was wrapping things up nicely. Did that mean he was involved with the Masters?
Varum staggered backward until he ran into the wall.
He sagged against it as he began to fit everything together.
He had suspected some inside the city were aiding the Masters, but he hadn’t been able to investigate.
Even if he had, he wouldn’t have started with Arvind.
Whatever his personal feelings toward Varum, he’d always led the city. It seemed he had fooled everyone.
Had Tanira taken the unfinished report to Arvind to help Varum or to protect her father?
The more Varum thought about it, the more he suspected it was the latter.
They had gotten their hands on the report to see just how much he knew.
That’s why Arvind gave the investigation to someone else—someone aligned with him and the Masters, to ensure they were never exposed.
Varum couldn’t believe he had been that close to the Masters’ allies without realizing it.
He had stepped right into a trap, which put both Nirav and Kalyani in danger.
Nirav would do the right thing and get her out of the city immediately.
He’d take her and never look back. Because there was no way Varum was getting free.
How many others within the city were involved in the Masters?
Was it a few? Or was it more? Varum would never know, nor would anyone else.
Elves would begin to go missing, like everywhere else.
Nirav needed to get Kalyani back to her brother so Rohan and his friends could stop the Masters before they destroyed more lives.
He looked down at his hands that had held Kalyani just hours before.
Varum had never been happier. He’d accepted that they couldn’t be together, but he had believed he’d get to see her one more time.
Everything had been taken from him again.
He had dared to take something bright and shiny and good for himself, and he was being punished for it.
The creak of the door opening drew his gaze.
A dozen guards filed inside, creating a wall on either side of him.
He stared at the opening in the door as three more soldiers strode in.
The tallest remained at the door, eyeing Varum as only someone in charge could.
The other two approached. They grabbed his arms and heaved him away from the wall.
“Your trial is about to begin,” the commander stated.
Varum didn’t fight them as they walked him out of the room and through the building.
The twelve guards marched in line, continuing along the wall.
They didn’t take him into one of the courtrooms, however.
Instead, they directed him toward the arena.
Foreboding slid down his spine like icy fingers.
The closer they got to the doors, the louder the crowd noise became.
The leader threw open the doors and entered ahead of them.
Varum knew the moment the crowd saw him, as the din began to quiet.
They hadn’t bound his hands, but they probably didn’t think they needed to with so many soldiers surrounding him.
The grip of the two guards holding him was firm, but that wouldn’t deter him if he saw a way out.
They came to a halt in the middle of the arena, so Varum stared across to the upper balcony where Arvind sat with his wife on his left and Tanira on his right.
Behind him were his closest supporters. Varum took a good look at everyone there.
He never wanted to forget their faces since they were all likely part of the Masters.
This wasn’t a trial. There was no way Arvind would allow him to remain alive. Varum might be able to convince someone of the truth, but that would only complicate matters. Nay, this was merely a formality for the planned execution.
The speaker’s voice rose clear and strong as he said, “The trial of treason against Currentspeaker Varum will commence.”
Varum didn’t hear the rest of what was said. He chose to focus on the one thing that had brought true happiness into his life. Kalyani.
Shock hurtled through Tanira as she watched Varum being led into the arena. Her father hadn’t told her why he had called a city Assembly, and when she had pressed, he had yelled at her, demanding she follow his orders. It had stunned her because he had never before raised his voice to her.
She swallowed nervously and glanced at her father, who was smiling confidently.
She slid her gaze back to Varum and noted the guards surrounding him: her father’s elite force.
But the two soldiers holding Varum caused her to frown.
Her heart started racing as she listened to the litany of crimes Varum was being accused of.
She grabbed the arms of her chair and started to rise when her father’s hand clamped painfully on top of her wrist, holding her in place.
She swung her head to him, wincing in pain. “I brought you the report he wrote. You know he isn’t with the Masters.”
“You will not rise from your seat,” her father replied. His eyes bored into her, filled with anger and a threat. “You will not make a sound. You will not do anything that brings attention to you.”
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
He returned his attention to Varum. “I’m securing things.”
“What does that mean?”
“All you need to know is that you’ll be protected.”
Tanira looked at her father’s hand still clasped on her arm.
She slowly relaxed her fingers and eased her body.
Only then did his grip loosen. Still, he kept his hand on her.
She couldn’t shake the thought that she was as trapped there as Varum was in the arena.
Her gaze swung back to him as he stood tall and still in the middle of the room.
He had always hidden his emotions. It made him difficult to read. It was why so many people kept away from him. But she had witnessed his gentle side. There was so much more to Varum than anyone gave him credit for. He might look calm, but she suspected he was anything but.
She loved her father, but she also loved Varum. He was innocent of the charges. She was sure of it. She didn’t know why her father was falsely accusing him, but she intended to find out. And then she would discover a way to free Varum.
“Tell me,” her father said as he leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “Just how well do you know Varum?”
“I know he’s innocent,” she replied.
Her father turned his head to look at her. “I’m only saying this once. You’re my daughter, and I will protect you. But you need to remember your part in this. Family comes first.”
This was a side of her dad she had never seen before, and it frightened her. She didn’t know or recognize the elf staring at her now. If he wanted her to play a part, then she would. After all, she had studied Varum well enough to know how to do it. Tanira bowed her head in acceptance.
“Good. Now, I ask again. How well do you know Varum?”
She glanced at the elf she had loved for years. The elf she had expected to marry. “I know him as well as he has allowed me to. Why?”
“You’ve been to his place recently.”
“I have. I told you I’ve not given up on us.”
“Did you know?”
She sucked in a breath as his fingers dug into her arm. There was no point in trying to pull away, not with the grip he had. She met her father’s gaze. “Did I know what?”
“It doesn’t matter if you did. No one will know that you were there.”
Tanira was about to ask what he meant when she saw another of the arena doors open and more soldiers enter.
Pain radiated from Kalyani’s neck to her shoulders and along her arms as well as down her back.
She didn’t know what had struck her, but it had definitely left a mark.
She tried to keep her feet under her as they cruelly dragged her, but her limbs refused to work properly.
The bag over her head kept her from seeing anything, further disorienting her.
She didn’t know how long she had been hauled around before she heard the growing clamor of voices. She bit her lip to keep from asking any questions. It wasn’t as if they would tell her anything, anyway.
Her feet got tangled, and she started to fall, but the hands holding her yanked her upright.
She cried out from the pain of their grip, which only made them clutch her harder.
The noise suddenly became deafening. She could tell that they were no longer in the corridor, and by the sound of it, she was somewhere she didn’t want to be.
She didn’t know how they had found her, but she hoped Varum and Nirav were safe.
Finally, they halted upon a raised platform. She tried to calm her breathing as she fought to get her bearings. Then, the hood was abruptly yanked from her head. She blinked and turned her head away at the bright lights. There was an audible gasp before everything went silent.
Kalyani could hear her own ragged breaths as she blinked to get accustomed to the bright lights. She noticed the guards surrounding her first. They faced her, spears pointed in her direction as if she were some threat.
She looked beyond the soldiers to the tiered seats on stepped rows that rose from the ground in a semicircle.
She glanced up to the domed ceiling overhead that held back the ocean.
She lowered her gaze to the center of the auditorium, where a large, opulent section of seating caught her attention.
It was obviously meant for someone important.
She spotted the male Sea Elf around Nirav’s age sitting in an ornate chair in the middle of the front row.
On his left side was a female Sea Elf—likely his wife.
And on the other, sat another stunningly beautiful female.
There were also others in the box, and all were staring at her.
Kalyani looked around at the thousands of faces ogling her. She curled her fingers into a fist, wishing she could disappear into the floor. She could feel the hatred from the many eyes glaring at her. And as they did, the noise of renewed conversations began to rise.
She wouldn’t show them any fear. No matter what they said or did, she would keep what dignity she could. Varum’s warning about how painful her death would be returned. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be there to see it.
A noise from the side drew her gaze. She looked over to find another set of soldiers lined up in the middle of the arena.
But it was the sight of Varum held between them that sucked the breath from her body.
She took a small step when her eyes met Varum’s.
The point of a spear pricked her stomach, causing her to release a gasp of pain.
She jerked away and covered the spot as blood dripped from the cut, and a loud roar filled the auditorium.
She looked at Varum to see him fighting like a man possessed to get past the guards.
They struck him repeatedly with both magic and blades, but he didn’t slow.
His clothes were torn, and his blood drawn, again and again.
Tears coursed down her face as she watched him eventually be taken down by eight elves until he was pinned to the ground on his stomach with his arms stretched out to the sides.
But even then, he didn’t take his eyes off her.