Chapter 6
It had been some time since Ravi had someone on a mission with him.
While he didn’t like his guide’s political views, she had proven a bit of a surprise already by remaining quiet.
Thankfully, she kept a steady bearing and a quick pace, which meant he didn’t have to hurry her.
And she rarely looked back to see if he was still there.
If he lagged, it would be his problem—not that he would fall behind.
He thought back to when Durga had detained the human.
If anyone else had given him the information, Ravi would’ve believed them liars.
But Durga had never led him astray. That wasn’t to say she never would, but she wouldn’t do it on purpose.
Precious few could be trusted in their line of work, and they both knew how imperative it was to maintain that trust.
Durga had given him his first mission. He’d thought himself so important at the time. It had been a menial job, but she must have seen something in him because she brought him back to the academy with her, where he began his training.
So, when she sent him somewhere, he went. Always. It didn’t matter how risky or problematic. Because he came through for her each time. That wasn’t what bothered him about this assignment, though. Nay, that lay solely with his guide.
He’d spent the rest of the day before and well into the evening poring over everything Durga had collected about the Shaldorn stronghold.
It was pitiful how little intel they’d gathered.
They didn’t even have a clear indication of who ran it.
Most of the information in the file was thirdhand knowledge overheard by agents.
No one who had been inside had ever been interviewed.
He locked his gaze on the back of the female’s head as she walked ahead of him.
The fact that so much rested on the human getting him inside and back out left Ravi uneasy.
She could—and probably would—double-cross him.
She hadn’t wanted to return to Shaldorn.
Her reaction had been visceral, her fear tangible.
Someone with that strong of a response being compelled to do something they didn’t want to do was a recipe for disaster.
Sure, Durga’s threat of a year in the cells was enough to make anyone hesitate.
Ravi had seen the prisons the humans were thrown into. They weren’t places he would even put his enemies. The female had endured a month in one already. Anyone who knew what awaited them would do anything to avoid finding themselves in one again.
Perhaps the human had capitulated quicker than anticipated because she realized she had no choice.
More than likely, she had concluded there was only one way to potential freedom, and that was to agree to the situation.
If he were in her shoes, he’d wait until they reached the mountains before leaving him behind.
They would be far enough away from Rannora for her to make her escape.
Durga had said the human wouldn’t go back on her word. But Ravi knew she would. She was a cornered animal with only one thought: survival. Whether that included the children she looked after or not remained to be seen.
Ravi’s thoughts turned to the other thorn in his side.
Dain. He would give the Dark his due. Dain was good at his job, but that didn’t mean Ravi wanted him around.
And he certainly didn’t want to work with him.
Dain was…Dain. Like most Dark, they had ideologies that rarely, if ever, lined up with the rest of the elven communities. Dain was no exception.
However, Dain had somehow gotten into Durga’s good graces, which meant Ravi never knew when Dain would show up.
The fact that the Dark knew Kendrick and had spent considerable time with the Dragon King made Dain an asset to their current mission—even if it rankled Ravi.
Of all the elves, why had Dain approached the Dragon King?
What had Dain sought? Because the Dark Elves didn’t do anything without reason.
Ravi would eventually uncover whatever it was.
He watched as the female kept her attention on the cooroda above her instead of where she was going.
She was light on her feet, though, deftly skirting anything in her way.
Humans had always been a part of Shecrish, but the elves outnumbered them forty to one.
It put them in the awkward position of being minor citizens.
They didn’t have magic, which meant they were at the mercy of the elves.
Humans were a part of life. Ravi didn’t have strong feelings about them one way or the other—at least the ones who abided by the laws.
He drew the line when it came to dissenters.
He didn’t care if anyone objected to the laws and wanted to change them.
He opposed the systematic dismantling of society to throw it into chaos on the chance that humans could take over.
The fact was that humans couldn’t defeat the elves. Not without magic.
And that’s what kept things stirred up.
For as long as he could remember, Ravi knew there were malcontents.
It started with protests. Humans demanded to be represented in the Conclave.
No one stopped that. Humans ran for positions all the time, but they lacked the votes.
When they couldn’t get onto the Conclave or even the smaller city councils, the protests became larger, louder.
There was rioting. Elves and humans got hurt. A child had even been killed.
Yet that wasn’t enough. Next came the bombs.
There were five explosions over a three-month period that killed dozens of both humans and elves.
Since the humans had started it, the Conclave that ruled Shecrish stepped in and put an end to things.
But it didn’t quash the insurgents, not completely.
They were still there, working in the shadows.
He worried about what they might try next.
The elven communities had gotten complacent.
Even the humans who weren’t a part of the rebels thought they were gone.
Ravi and the DIA, as well as the Conclave, knew differently.
A rumble of thunder sounded before the skies opened, and more rain came.
Ravi shook droplets from his face as the precipitation turned from light rain to a downpour.
The female never stopped. She strolled through the rainwood as if it were nothing.
The sounds of the city were long behind them, and only the jungle surrounded him.
Hot. Humid. Wet. Lethal. He had been born in the city but had spent enough time in the forests to know the perils.
There was also the fact that they weren’t alone.
Wood Elves were everywhere, though you only saw them when they wanted to be seen.
Durga had contacted her cousin, Tarron. He knew about Ravi and the human’s path through the rainwood.
Whether they intersected was anyone’s guess.
Ravi would prefer it if the Wood Elves stayed away.
He didn’t want the human to say something they would both regret.
She had spoken to Durga with some semblance of respect, but she had given him none.
He hadn’t given her any either.
That was fine if it was just the two of them. He didn’t want that with any other elves besides Durga. Ravi trudged through the rain and turned his thoughts to Shaldorn. The female was meant to get him to the fortress, inside, and back home. But he might need her to complete his mission.
Durga was right. It would be up to him to learn everything he could about Shaldorn from the human.
The more he knew, the easier it would be to coerce her into doing what he needed to complete the assignment.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to set aside his feelings about someone to achieve a successful mission, and it wouldn’t be the last.
Ravi blinked the rain from his lashes and checked their heading. The female had deviated a little but not enough for him to be concerned. He had a map of the stronghold’s location. There was a road to Shaldorn, but they were going another, longer way. He’d know if she took them off course.
As much as Ravi didn’t like working with Dain, things would’ve been infinitely easier and quicker had the Dark been able to take them straight to the mountains using the shadows. Dain could only get them so close, though, since Shaldorn had special lanterns that broke through the Dark’s shadows.
Durga had believed it safer if they traveled on foot, especially after she lost an operative. She took the loss of one of her people hard. So, here he was, walking through the rainwood with an enemy he’d rather be taking to prison than toward a place that, if he wasn’t careful, could end his life.
It became difficult to see in the forest with the sun sinking. The thick canopy of trees gobbled up most of the light, allowing only meager strands to filter through. He lengthened his strides to bring himself closer to the human. If she noticed, she didn’t give any indication.
The rain began slowly tapering off and then finally stopped altogether.
Water dripped from the leaves overhead, making it seem like it was still sprinkling.
The entire Corrial Plateau that made up Shecrish was one large rainwood.
All except the mountains. When he was younger, he’d once claimed he would live in the mountains.
It had been a foolish child’s dream. The reclusive Mountain Elves were the only ones who dared to call the Dangerous Peaks home.
The female’s steps slowed as she looked around. Ravi watched her survey the area, then walk a little more before slowing to take a closer look. She did it thrice more before sliding the pack from her back. That was the only indication he got that they were stopping for the evening.
The huge leaves from the twisted cycad tree arching overhead were the perfect protection against any rain during the evening. After she had found her spot, Ravi chose his. Again, far enough away from her that there wouldn’t be any talking, but close enough that he could keep an eye on her.
He settled beneath a grouping of twisted cycad leaves, thankful that the ground was dry.
He didn’t like sleeping on wet soil. He didn’t bother stretching out.
Instead, Ravi used his pack to prop himself up as he ate dinner.
A sound above drew his attention. He saw a teba, with its green and black scales, slowly stalking its prey.
A monguar released a cry in the distance.
The large, feline predator didn’t usually bother elves, but he couldn’t be so sure about the human.
Ravi glanced at her location to find her gone. He jumped up and started toward her when he saw her pack on the ground. He came to a halt as she emerged from behind a tree.
“Surely, you don’t need to follow me as I relieve myself,” she stated with a glance his way.
He told himself to return to his spot, but the longer he stared at her, the angrier he became. “You think this mission is a jest? A prank we’re playing because we’re bored?”
Her dark head slowly lifted to him, blue eyes locking on him. “Hardly. Especially when we’re talking about my life.”
“And mine.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You think you can just waltz up to Shaldorn and find a side door. Maybe you think you can scale the walls and enter through a tower. There won’t be any of that.”
He needed intel, but he couldn’t set aside his anger. Not yet, at least. “Why didn’t you say that before?”
“We both know none of you would have listened. All of you had a single purpose, and you don’t care what has to happen or whose lives you destroy to achieve it.”
Ravi took a step toward her. “If you knew what was at stake, you might not be so careless with your words and things you know nothing about.”
“Durga told me about the explosive.”
“And you still would rather not help?” he demanded, his fury escalating.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You obviously know very little about Shaldorn if you would ask me that.”
“You’re right. I don’t know anything about it. Why don’t you tell me?”
“It won’t matter what I say. Durga wouldn’t change her mind, and neither will you.”
He shook his head. “Because I’m attempting to divert a potential war.”
“And I want to stay alive.”
“You expect those at Shaldorn to come after you?”
Her shoulders lifted as she drew in a breath. “I know they will. The moment they learn I’m alive, they won’t stop until they have me.”
Ravi wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not. Something about her words made him pause, though. “Why?”
“Because I did what no one else has been able to do. I escaped.”