Chapter 45
Three weeks later
Rohan glanced to the side when he heard Farah come up beside him.
He briefly met her gaze before swinging his back to the shoreline where his sister stood.
It had taken Kalyani three days before she had finally opened up and told him everything.
The sadness that had filled her eyes the night he’d found her on the rocks had only deepened as the days passed.
“Has there been any change?” Farah asked.
He shook his head. “None. She continues to stand by the water without letting a single wave touch her feet.”
“Still no sign of Varum?”
“None.” Rohan swallowed and faced her. “Have Arya and Jai returned yet?”
Farah’s downcast expression matched the melancholy that had settled over Serenia. “Only just. Dain’s wounds are taking longer than usual to heal. Durga thinks some kind of poison was used on him.”
“Has he regained consciousness at least?”
“Not yet.”
Rohan glanced at the sky. “So, we have no idea what happened to him.”
“It was the Masters. We know that.”
“We don’t know specifics.”
Farah laced her hand with his. “Dain is alive. He’ll pull through.”
“Things have been too quiet with the Masters for too long. I don’t have a good feeling.”
“None of us does. I’m tired of being on the defensive. I’d like to attack them first for a change. I thought our strikes were making an impact, but I’m not sure anymore. I’m scared that all of this has been for naught.”
Rohan pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her as he rested his cheek against her head. “All we can do is keep fighting.”
“I know. I shouldn’t give in to such fears.”
It was the same apprehension he had. How could he blame her for such feelings? “We’ll win,” he vowed.
They had to.
Kalyani stared out at the horizon, where the late-afternoon sky met the deep blue of the ocean.
Every day that passed without Varum weighed on her like a mountain.
Nirav had been so sure that Varum would get free, and she had believed him.
She wondered if Tanira hadn’t gotten Varum out in time.
Or, worse, that Varum had decided not to seek her out.
They’d only had the one night together, and there had been no promises of anything more.
Besides, both of them had acknowledged that neither could live in the other’s world.
There was no way they could be anything more than two people whose lives had briefly entangled.
She wanted to accept that fact, but her aching heart refused.
Nothing felt right anymore. Food tasted bland and refused to settle comfortably when she did manage to get anything down. Sleep was as distant as the horizon. She was desperate to slumber in hopes of finding Varum in her dreams, but even that had been denied to her.
She curled her toes in the warm sand. It had only taken an hour after Rohan carried her into her hut before the scales faded and her legs returned.
Yet she hadn’t gone back into the water.
For the first time in her life, she was scared of it.
Scared of not discovering what she was, of encountering more Sea Elves.
And scared that if she did return to the ocean, she would spend the rest of her life searching for Varum.
So, she stayed on shore and firmly chose a place to fit in.
No song lured her into the waves anymore.
Nor did she feel the pull of the water as she once had.
Had her turning into…whatever she had solved it?
Or had something else happened? Perhaps she should be more concerned, but she couldn’t muster up a single fretful thought.
Kalyani was thankful that everyone at Serenia left her alone.
She had only wanted to tell the story once, so she’d made Rohan gather everyone.
Once she finished, she answered every question they posed.
And no one had brought up Varum’s name since.
They were careful when she was around to talk about anything but her time away.
She sat with them at every meal, even if she couldn’t eat. And each time, she felt her brother’s eyes on her. He had urged her to eat only once before Farah had quietly admonished him. After that, he was silent. But his look said everything—even if she refused to meet his gaze.
Yasmin said that she would eventually shake off the pain.
That sometime in the months ahead, she would wake up and realize that the ache wasn’t as bad as it had been.
Kalyani couldn’t imagine such a time. Not with the agony that filled her chest. She had been in such a hurry to return home, but she would do anything for one more minute with Varum. One more look at him.
“I don’t know what gods are listening, but I beg you to hear my plea. Let Varum and Nirav be safe and free,” she whispered. “Please let Varum find happiness, wherever that may be.”
She dropped her arms and turned away, slowly making her way back to her hut.