Chapter 11
Manu heard the splash as his magic held the elf.
Jalall jumped up, and Manu lifted his head to see others looking into the water and pointing.
Someone had fallen in. He made sure the soldiers had the assailant before racing toward the river and spotting Inej being carried away.
Jalall was just ahead of him, and they dove into the river at the same time.
Jalall managed to grab her hand and pull her to a stop.
Manu came up on her other side and helped to keep her above water.
Her eyes were closed as blood spread. He saw the end of the dagger sticking out of her and exchanged a look with Jalall.
Neither said a word as they swam ashore.
Others were there to help them. Manu pulled himself out of the water as Jalall laid Inej on the ground.
“Herbs!” Jalall shouted.
Manu knelt beside her prone body as someone handed Jalall a bag of herbs. Manu held her head as his friend readied the herbs. He then opened her mouth while Jalall dribbled the water onto her tongue. When she wouldn’t swallow, Manu shifted and massaged her throat until she finally swallowed.
“She needs more,” he urged.
Jalall’s face was tight with concentration. “I’m trying.”
Manu couldn’t believe she had gotten between him and a would-be assassin. She was the last person he would have thought would risk her life for his.
Her pulse was slowing beneath his fingers. “Hurry,” he urged. “We’re losing her.”
“Take the dagger out,” Jalall said.
Manu shook his head. “I don’t know how deep it went or what organs the blade damaged. She could bleed out.”
“We don’t have a choice.”
He met Jalall’s gaze and grimaced. Then he grabbed a young lad near him and dragged him down beside them. “The minute I take the dagger out, press hard on the wound. Do you understand?” Manu asked him.
The boy nodded and held his hands out at the ready.
Manu hesitated for only a heartbeat before wrapping his hand around the handle of the blade and pulling it out.
Blood poured from the wound before the boy applied pressure.
Manu tossed the blade aside and continued helping Jalall get the water down her throat.
The seconds stretched endlessly until they got two cups into her.
Her pulse was still much too weak for his liking.
There was no Healer in Navara at the moment, and Manu didn’t know if the herbs would work in time.
What if this had been one of the children?
How would he explain to Yasmin and Ravi that he hadn’t been prepared for every eventuality?
“She’s cold.”
Manu startled at the lad’s voice. He blinked and realized that Inej’s skin was, indeed, chilly. He’d been so intent on her wound that he had forgotten about her being submerged in the icy water.
“We need to get her to my place,” Jalall said as he slipped his arms beneath her neck and knees.
Manu covered the boy’s hands with his. “Thank you, lad. We’ll take it from here.”
The youngster moved away as Manu and Jalall got to their feet and headed to the house. They carried Inej into the bedroom. Before Manu could yank back the covers, Chanda, their childhood friend who took care of Jalall’s house, did it for him.
Once Jalall had Inej on the bed, they made quick work of cutting off her wet clothes and pulling the covers up around her. Manu kept his hand pressed against her wound to stop the flow of blood. Then, they waited.
Manu kneeled beside the bed, trying not to get the covers wet while keeping pressure on the injury as Jalall paced. Manu looked down at Inej and recalled how she had jumped in front of him just as he saw the weapon. “I want to question the assassin.”
“He’s being held.” Jalall suddenly halted, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “That blade was meant for you.”
“I know.”
“If I had known—”
Manu shook his head. “Don’t. You couldn’t have. Had I seen him, I would’ve brought him in, too.”
“What was she doing out of the house?” Jalall asked as he ran a hand through his damp hair and sank onto a stool.
“Seeing what was happening like everyone else.”
Jalall grunted. “I told her to stay inside.”
“If she hadn’t been there, I could be the one lying on this bed.”
“Don’t even fucking joke about that.”
Manu held his friend’s gaze. “I’m not.”
“A Mountain Elf tried to kill you. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“I knew the Masters would come for me.”
Jalall’s lips twisted. “I thought it might come from another race. Not one of our kind.”
Manu had known it would happen, but he had still been taken off guard. “There’s only one reason for the attack. They know about my involvement now. More will come. And not just for me.”
“He didn’t even take off his coat,” Jalall murmured.
“If I had been the one to find him instead of you, he likely would’ve attacked me there.”
Jalall stared at the floor absently. “He wanted to get close to use the blade instead of his magic. Why?”
“To make sure he got the job done?” Manu shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. The bounty on us is high.”
“Then we close off Navara,” Jalall stated as he lifted his gaze to Manu.
“We cannot stay locked in the mountain forever.”
“That doesn’t mean we bring others back as we have before.”
Manu shifted closer to Inej, hoping to ease the ache in his knees. “Agreed.”
“I’ll see that done now.”
He watched Jalall stride from the room before he slid his gaze to Inej. The long strands of her wet hair were clumped in thick sections and spread across the pillow. “You saved my life,” he whispered.
Forty-six minutes passed before color returned to her face. Only then did Manu lift the covers to check her wound, careful not to look at her exposed body. He pulled his hand away and smiled in relief when blood didn’t well up.
He stood and stretched his back when Jalall slowly walked back into the room. Manu glanced at his friend. “She’s healing.”
“Good,” Jalall murmured.
Manu frowned as he walked closer to him. “What’s going on?”
“Your assassin is dead.”
For a long moment, Manu didn’t speak. “How?”
“He hanged himself.”
“Did he? Or did one of our people help him along?”
Jalall shrugged. “Everyone swears they had no part in it, but many saw the attempt on you.”
“And they might have taken matters into their own hands.” Manu flattened his lips as he shook his head. It had been a long day already. “What are the odds that he would’ve told us anything?”
“Minimal. Still, he might have let something slip.”
“We know who he works for, and we know why he was here.”
Jalall threw him a drying cloth to wipe the remnants of blood from his hands. “You need to stay inside the city.”
“I’m not going to be imprisoned.”
“We can’t take the chance of something happening to you.”
Manu stared down at the dried bloodstains on his hands—blood from a human who had no loyalty to him.
“Sooner or later, the Masters will get one of us. They have unending resources, and plenty of those ready and willing to take a life for coin or the sheer pleasure of it. If they get to me, they’ll go for the children to draw out the others. ”
“Then we need a plan.”
Manu fingered the edge of the drying cloth. “Closing off Navara only buys us a little time.”
“Then we take what we can while we formulate a plot to go after them.”
Manu laughed, thinking Jalall was jesting. It wasn’t until he saw his friend’s stern expression that he sobered. “I have a bounty on me for doing just that. Let’s not add you to the list.”
“They have no idea how many are in our tribe.”
“You want to take our people and throw them into a war?”
Jalall dropped his arms as he straightened. “As you told me not so long ago, we’re in a war, whether we admit it or not.”
“I hate when you throw my words back at me.” Manu pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Our army is sizable, but we don’t know if they turned just a few Mountain Elves or entire tribes.”
“Then we find out. I’ll go to Sachin and bring the assassin’s body to them. I can see if he’s one of theirs. Regardless, it should be easy enough to decipher where the leadership stands about the Masters, at the very least.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Jalall pulled a face. “You need to stay for the children.” He jerked his chin toward Inej. “What are you going to do with her?”
Manu ran a hand down his face as he studied her. “I owe her my life.”
“She returned the favor after we saved her from the wolvites. You don’t owe her anything.”
“I don’t know what to do about her yet.”
Jalall grunted. “Send her on her way as you already decided. She could be one of them.”
Manu swung his head to his friend. “You honestly think she nearly died to make me believe I can trust her?”
“Why not?”
“Would you go that far?”
“We both would, given the right circumstances.”
Manu had to admit that he was right, but he still wasn’t ready to make a final decision about her. “Are you heading to Sachin’s today?”
“The sooner we get this taken care of, the better.”
“Take four soldiers with you. The group will be small enough to appear innocuous but give you enough backup should you need it.”
Jalall started at Inej. “Send her on her way, old friend.”
“You have a week. If you aren’t back, I’m coming for you.”