Chapter 44
Kalyani zipped through the water with barely any movement of her tail.
She saw the currents and somehow knew the direction of each.
She knew which were the fastest and which were the slowest. She knew which ones to steer clear of and which were favored by certain animals.
The sea had always been beautiful, but she saw it with different eyes now. Clearer eyes.
She moved through the trench with ease and stayed close to the wall, darting in and out of the coral to hide from Tarangarh’s soldiers. The Tidewarden wanted her dead. He hadn’t gotten that, but that didn’t mean he would leave her be now.
Kalyani ducked beneath an arched formation and jerked to a halt when Nirav swam in front of her.
He motioned for her to follow and took off.
She had to force herself to swim slower as she trailed him to a small cave in the trench wall.
Moments after they ducked inside, a group of soldiers swam past.
She tried to leave, but Nirav tugged her back. She wished they could talk, but she had never asked how Sea Elves communicated underwater. Maybe they didn’t. She wasn’t sure if she could, seeing as she didn’t even know what she was.
Kalyani caught Nirav staring at her with a blend of awe and curiosity.
She didn’t blame him. She couldn’t quite get over her transformation either.
It had saved her life, but what troubled her was that she didn’t know if it was permanent.
Would she ever be able to return to land again?
The sea had always been special to her, but she wasn’t ready to give up walking along the shore with Rohan either.
Finally, Nirav gave her the okay to venture out. She followed him out of the trench, and when she would’ve headed straight to the surface, he nudged her to continue along with him. She saw why a few minutes later when she noticed more soldiers.
Nirav kept them in darker water. He swam slower than she would have liked, but it allowed them to dart out of the way when they spotted guards. They traveled a vast distance before he finally brought them to the surface.
“I don’t know how long we have,” he said as soon as her head was clear.
She looked at the night sky and the double moons overhead. “Where are we?”
“Probably an hour’s swim east to shore. I tried to get you as close to your home as I could.”
“They’ll keep looking for me, won’t they?”
He nodded. “Arvind won’t give up.”
“What about you and Varum?”
“Tanira is helping Varum get out of the city. I’ll meet up with him soon. Don’t worry about us.”
She got excited at the prospect of seeing Varum again. Still, as quickly as that emotion arrived, it brought with it the realization that Varum and Nirav needed to get as far away as possible. “Do you think she can really get him out?”
“I have faith in her.”
“Where will you go?”
Nirav looked around and shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
“When you see him, will you tell him…?”
“What would you like me to tell him?” Nirav asked when she didn’t finish.
Kalyani blew out a breath. “Tell him I’m grateful for everything.”
“Is that all you want me to say?” he asked with a knowing look.
She nodded and tried to smile. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“Is there anything else?”
The things she wanted to say shouldn’t be given through a third party. She wanted to tell Varum directly. Kalyani shook her head.
Nirav sighed. “Good luck.”
“You, too.”
He gave her a smile before diving beneath the waves. Kalyani slipped beneath the surface to see him heading back toward the trench. She turned east and started swimming.
Varum was taking a risk by trusting Tanira, but he had already been caught. If she was setting him up, then he wasn’t losing anything he hadn’t already. Then again, if she was helping, he might just be able to find Kalyani.
He thought he knew the city, but Tanira took him through doorways and along corridors he hadn’t known existed. She ducked them into rooms when they heard others coming, and she even managed to hide them when they heard Arvind’s voice demanding to know where Kalyani was.
“If your father finds out what you’ve done, he won’t be happy,” Varum said.
Tanira shrugged and looked down at her bruised left arm. “The man beside me today wasn’t the father I’ve known. I don’t know who he was, but I didn’t like him or the things he did. I’m scared of what he’s done.”
“What do you mean?”
Her nose wrinkled as she led him back into the hallway. “I think he’s aligned with the Masters.”
“I’m pretty sure he is. I figured you already knew.”
“I didn’t,” she told him and glanced his way. “I swear. He told me today that as long as I played my part, I’d be protected.”
Varum didn’t like the sound of that. “Why don’t you come with me? You won’t be safe here now.”
“Someone has to stay and fight. No one will suspect me.”
“You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
She flashed him a bright smile. “I won’t be alone. I’ll have you and Nirav helping me.”
“What?”
“Nirav and I already set things up. I’ll be the eyes and ears within Tarangarh, while you and he will keep track of the Masters elsewhere.”
Varum shook his head as he chuckled. “Sounds like something Nirav would do. There’s a lot of risk involved, you know.”
She stopped in front of a door and faced him.
“As I said, no one will suspect me. I’ll make sure of it.
Nirav set up a meeting place and time. Hopefully, I’ll have something for you by then.
Right now, you need to get clear of the city and the guards.
Nirav said to meet at the designated spot. He said you’d know what that meant.”
“I do.” Varum eyed the woman he had thought a nuisance for months. “Thank you.”
“I saw how you looked at Kalyani. I wanted to be the one you looked at that way, but I’m not.”
He glanced at the floor. “I didn’t expect you to help us.”
“Who knows? If Dad hadn’t spoken to me the way he did, I might have let my jealousy come through and taken it out on Kalyani.”
“But you didn’t.”
She smiled sadly, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Whatever you may think of me and how I pursued you, I did it because I love you.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t the one for you.”
“I’ll find him,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”
He touched her arm. “Watch your back.”
“I will. Take this door and follow the corridor to the left. You’ll come to a room where you can slip out a window. Head straight down to the trench wall. There’s a path to swim that will lead you into the open ocean.”
Kalyani had always loved to swim, but now, it was as if she could bend the water to her will.
Every movement felt instinctive and effortless, as though the sea anticipated her intent.
There was power flowing from a new strength within her now.
The long, fluid form where her legs should have been propelled her forward with a grace she had never known.
Each sweep sent her gliding through the water, fast and sure.
The underwater world was sharper. More brilliant than ever. Even the colors were richer. The sounds of the water, the calls of the creatures, and the distant hum of the deep all reached her with startling clarity.
She reached Serenia in record time and made her way into the cove, swimming into shallow waters. She peeked above the surface and looked at the cluster of huts that made up their community. No one patrolled the beach, but it was late. She tried to swim closer, but her tail bumped the ocean floor.
Kalyani didn’t know what would happen if she tried to leave the water, but she had to see Rohan.
There was no point in scaring anyone. Besides, what would she tell them about her new appearance?
She hadn’t really had time to digest what had happened herself.
There was no better time for that than the present, while she was alone.
She swam to one of the rocks and climbed up on it to bask in the night air. Once she was completely out of the water, she reached behind her ear and touched the skin there to find three slits. Her gills.
The moonlight reflected on the scales of her tail, creating an array of striking colors.
She raised her face to the moon and stared at the stars she hadn’t seen in days.
There had been a moment, not so long ago, that she had believed she might never see the sky again.
Now, that panic had been replaced by a deep melancholy at leaving Varum.
She had never really fit in with humans, but she hadn’t fit with the elves either.
Her body might have changed, but that didn’t mean it made it easier for her to find a place.
How could there be when she had never seen anyone like her before?
Maybe she was destined to always be just outside of everything.
A long sigh fell from her lips. She should be thinking about the scales and the tail that now replaced her legs, but her mind was filled with thoughts of Varum and whether he had gotten to safety.
“Kalyani?”
Her head whipped around at the sound of Rohan’s voice.
She smiled as tears spilled onto her cheeks at the sight of him.
He stood on the shore, the waves breaking against his boots as he stared at her as if she were an illusion.
Then his eyes dropped to her tail. She braced herself for his reaction, but he strode into the water and threw his arms around her.
“I’ve been so worried,” he said as he held her tightly.
She buried her face in his neck and finally released the torrent of tears she hadn’t dared before. He didn’t ask any questions, simply let her cry until there were no more tears.
He leaned back and cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “Whenever you’re ready to tell me what happened, I’m here.”
She nodded, sniffing.
“Do you, ah, have to stay in the water now?”
“I don’t know.”
Rohan gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Want me to stay with you?”
“I’d rather go to my hut. Except…” She trailed off and looked down at her tail.
“Then I’ll carry you.”
He gathered her in his arms before she could reply. As he turned them toward shore, Kalyani saw the rest of their group standing to the side. They would want to know where she had been, and they needed to know. But not now. Things were too raw and painful. She needed time to think over everything.
Rohan set her down on her bed and dropped onto his haunches. “Are you hungry?”
“Not now.”
“Do you want me to stay with you?”
She shook her head. “I’d like to be alone for a little while.”
“I’ll be outside if you need anything. Just holler.”
“Thank you.”
He straightened and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She watched as he walked out and closed the door. Kalyani lay her head on the pillow as the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing onto shore filled her ears.