Chapter 19
Manu hurried into his room and tugged on pants as he angrily stalked to the door to see who had interrupted what was about to be a very good evening.
He yanked it open more roughly than usual, trying to curb his anger.
It was no one’s fault but his for standing there so long, drinking in the sight of Inej before he decided to act on it.
“What is it?” he asked the soldier. He was proud of himself for keeping the irritation out of his voice.
“A small group from the lowlands has been spotted heading toward Delnola Pass,” she replied.
Manu pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. More mercenaries. But this time, they might just be looking for him. “How many?”
“Seven. One is scouting ahead of the group.”
Just what he needed. Manu dropped his arm to his side. “I want four guards posted in different areas around to watch them. I want to know where they’re going.”
“They wouldn’t build another Shaldorn in the Peaks, would they?” the young female asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past them. Make sure I get regular updates. I want to be prepared.”
She nodded once. “Of course, my lord.”
Manu closed the door as she walked away and rested a hand upon it.
Factions of mercenaries wishing to cash in on the bounties moved about the lowlands constantly.
If the group in the Dangerous Peaks were mercenaries, then they were looking for him or the children.
Or both. He could withstand whatever was done to him and never break.
Same with any of his allies—unless the children were used against them.
Each and every one of them would hand over every secret they had to keep the children alive and unharmed.
He turned and headed back to the bedroom. When he reached Inej’s door, he paused, but he didn’t knock. He continued toward his room and stretched out on the bed with his hands locked beneath his head. He needed to get a little rest.
Manu eventually closed his eyes, but he couldn’t shut off his brain.
He sorted through various options for where he could put the children until Dain returned with—hopefully—good news.
The city was built to withstand an assault, but not indefinitely.
If mercenaries found them, they wouldn’t relent.
That would put the entire city in danger.
He and Jalall would lead their army to face whatever came at them, but soldiers and citizens alike would die.
Not to mention those taken to fill the slave supply.
There was a secret tunnel leading out to safety near his house.
Only he and Jalall knew about it. It could be used to get as many out as possible.
They wouldn’t be able to go to the other tribes, though.
Word would spread that the Masters were looking for him.
The majority of the tribes’ leaders would remain hidden and keep silent, but not all of them.
At least one would turn on him, whether out of fear or to align with the Masters.
His people would be out in the Peaks on their own, huddling in any caves they came across.
The young and the old would perish first. That was if they survived the assault and abductions.
While he hadn’t announced his participation in taking down Shaldorn, his people knew he’d been involved when he brought two Dark Elves, a Sun Elf, and a human to Navara.
But none knew about the other hits on the Masters, or how deeply aligned he was with his friends.
Maybe it was time for his tribe to learn just how dire the situation was.
Manu tensed when he heard the front door open and shut. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. The stone was cold beneath his bare feet as he made his way to the door. He peeked out the blinds and spotted Inej walking away, her long, dark braid hanging down her back.
He yawned and looked at the clock to see that it was almost dawn. He hadn’t gotten any sleep. He strode to the kitchen and boiled some water for tea. As he waited for the water to heat, the side door opened, and Chanda walked in.
“Morning,” she said cheerfully.
He smiled. “Morning. You know, with Jalall gone, you could take the day off.”
“Who would feed you? Besides, someone needs to make sure she doesn’t take anything.”
“There is plenty of leftover food to feed us for today. As for the other, I wish you would give Inej a chance.”
Chanda sighed as she crossed her arms and faced him. “You don’t see it, do you?”
“See what?”
“She’s after you or Jalall.”
The kettle whistled as it came to a boil. Manu poured the liquid into a cup over his tea and set the kettle aside. “Is it because she’s human?”
“It’s because she’s after something.”
“Aye. A new life.”
Chanda rolled her eyes. “All you see is a pretty face.”
“You don’t have to worry about her during the day. She’ll be at Daas’s. And I’ll be with her at night.”
“Alone.”
Manu gently cupped her shoulder. “Take the day off. Rest. Read one of Jalall’s many books. Do whatever you want.”
“She’s staying, isn’t she? Permanently.”
“I believe so.”
Chanda left without another word, her disappointment in his decision palpable.
Manu didn’t know why she disliked Inej so, but he couldn’t waste energy thinking about that when there were other pressing matters.
Tea in hand, he returned to his room and dressed.
It was early enough that he could get home to share the morning meal with the children.
He quickly drank his tea and put the empty cup on the counter before locking up after himself. Manu crossed the bridge and passed the candy shop. He looked inside but didn’t see Inej. She was most likely in the back. To his surprise, there was already a line forming outside.
When he entered his home, he found his staff up and moving about. He’d risked that none of them would say anything about the children, and once he had explained the situation, they understood the importance of staying silent. And so far, they had. He trusted his people.
But should he?
Manu stood at the bottom of the stairs and listened to see if the children were awake.
When all was quiet, he went to his office, figuring he would work until they rose for the day.
He pulled out his chair and sat, then rubbed the heels of his hands into his tired eyes and yawned.
That was all the time he gave himself before he dove into the pile of papers that had been waiting for him.
In moments, he was absorbed in the day-to-day running of the city. He had an ever-growing list of things that needed to be done and had just flipped over a page to reach for another when he heard a squeal from the doorway. He turned his chair in time to grab Jaya as she launched herself at him.
She was still in her nightclothes, her blond hair coming out of its braid.
The moment she wrapped her little arms around his neck, his worries eased a fraction.
He settled her on his lap as the other two younglings, Surya and Hadi, greeted him with hugs and climbed on his lap, too.
Sameer, Malini, and Din filed into the room, though they didn’t welcome him with as much enthusiasm.
“Anything from Jalall?” Sameer asked with all the seriousness of an aged warrior.
Manu tilted his head to the side, giving Surya access to his hair as she began braiding it.
All six had been upset by the attempt on his life.
The only silver lining was that they hadn’t worried about their safety.
That meant he was doing something right.
“Nothing yet. He won’t return for another four days. ”
“You’re lying,” the lad stated.
Malini put her hand on his arm as the two exchanged a look. Then she turned hazel eyes to him. “We may be young, but we understand what’s going on.”
“I know,” Manu said. “I hate it, and I wish I could change it, but I know. There’s nothing to tell.” There was, but he didn’t want to give them more to worry about. They had enough. “When there’s something definitive, I’ll let you know.”
“What if I have news?”
They all turned at the sound of Dain’s voice as he stepped out of the shadows.
“Dain!” Jaya shouted enthusiastically, jumping from Manu’s lap and rushing to the Dark.
It didn’t matter how many times Manu saw the intimidating Dark Elf grin and drop to a knee for the child, he would always stare in wonder.
“Did you bring us something?” Din asked, alternating between wanting to be with the younger siblings and wanting to stay with the eldest two.
Dain shrugged. “Why would I do that?”
“You always do,” Jaya said as she and the other two younglings began to root around in his pockets.
Hadi was the first to produce something. “I got candy!”
Jaya and Surya quickly found something. Then Dain stood and raised a brow at Din. He bit his lip, and after Malini gave him a nudge, he hurried to Dain to dig in one of his jacket’s many pockets until he produced a wooden dagger.
“Thank you,” he said softly and hurried back to his older siblings.
Dain then looked at Sameer and Malini. Neither moved, but that didn’t deter Dain. He slipped his hands into his pockets and then held them out to them. Sameer’s eyes lit up at the small, foldable knife, and Malini stared in wonder at the silver necklace.
“What? Nothing for me?” Manu teased the Dark.
Dain gave him a flat look. “Next time.”
“You said you had news,” Manu reminded him.
The kids all went still, their attention locked on Dain. The Dark Elf turned to Manu. “I’ve secured a place for the children.”
All six began to talk at once, their fear at leaving another place they knew evident in their voices and how they clumped together.
Manu pushed to his feet and walked to them. He raised a hand, waiting until they quieted before he spoke. “I know this is scary. We all thought Navara would be someplace you could hide indefinitely, but that has changed. Everyone is doing what they can to keep you safe. That is our priority.”
“Where are we going now?” Malini asked, her voice resigned.
“To the Dragon Kings,” Dain announced.
Sameer looked between Manu and Dain. “We don’t know them.”
“I do,” Dain said. “They’re good people. The Masters’ reach doesn’t extend that far, and that means they can’t hurt you.”
Jaya looked up at him with her big, dark blue eyes. “Is Yaz and Ravi coming, too?”
“Not yet, little one,” Dain said softly.
Manu looked around. “Is Arya coming to help you take the children?”
“Actually, someone else is doing that,” Dain said.
Manu glared at his friend. “You brought someone in without telling me?”
“That was my doing,” said a feminine voice as a woman with black hair and silver eyes suddenly appeared.
She waved long fingers, her nails painted gold.
She was dressed in black like Dain, but their clothes were very different.
Her pants were tight, and her long-sleeved shirt was see-through to a sleeveless shirt beneath.
Her boots, however, had heels so high, that he wondered how she could walk.
“Hi. I’m Rhi,” she told the kids.
Jaya tilted her head to the side. “You sound funny.”
Rhi smiled as she bent over, her hands on her knees. “That’s because I’m from a place called Ireland, far, far away from here.” She ruffled Jaya’s hair before straightening and looking at Manu. “I understand your annoyance, but I wanted to give Dain time with the children before I showed myself.”
Dain caught his gaze. “You can trust her.”
Manu sighed as he glanced at the floor. Dain was the one who’d had the interactions with the Kings, which meant he had to trust the Dark. Dain was good at reading people. If he said Rhi could be trusted, then Manu would trust her. “How are you able to use magic as a human?”
“I may look human, but I’m not. I’m Fae.” Rhi flashed a bright smile.
“She’s also mated to the King of Dragon Kings,” Dain added.
“Shall I get him?” Rhi asked. “He’d love to meet you.”
Manu hesitated. “Get him?”
A slow smile pulled at her lips. “Fae can teleport. At least to places we’ve been. Dain had to get me here, but now that I’ve been, I can travel back and forth easily.”
“Teleport?” Manu repeated.
“She jumps from where she is to wherever she wants,” Dain said.
Rhi shrugged. “I can go as far as I need to. It could be halfway around the world.”
“All Fae can do that?” Malini asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
“Yep,” Rhi replied with a grin. “And I can take all the children at once.”
Manu was suddenly second-guessing this plan. “Where are you taking them?”
Her face grew serious, letting him know she realized how dangerous things were. “We’ve been taking in children for some time now. The place is secret and protected by dragon, Fae, and Star magic.”
“Star magic?” Dain asked.
Rhi wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if now is the time to alert you that there are beings with unparalleled powers who can travel the stars, moving from planet to planet.”
“Are they friendly?” Manu asked.
Rhi shrugged one shoulder. “A few.”
Which meant others weren’t. Just what he needed to learn. But that wasn’t his worry for now.
“My point is that the children will be guarded by a slew of Dragon Kings, a Star Person, me, and many other magical beings,” Rhi added.
“Many?” Sameer asked, his excitement evident in the way he was leaning forward.
Rhi nodded. “We have an , a Banshee, and a Seer, to name a few.”
Manu always suspected that there were other beings out there, but to have them named was shocking. He wanted to know what they looked like, what kind of magic they had, and if he could meet them.
Something touched his hand, and he looked down to find Jaya beside him. He would miss her jumping into his arms, and especially her hugs. He looked at each of the children. It wasn’t just Jaya he would miss.
“Is this what we should do?” Sameer asked him.
Manu lifted Jaya into his arms and faced Sameer. “Do you trust me?”
“Aye,” all six answered.
“Do you trust Dain?” he asked.
“Aye,” the children replied.
He looked at Rhi, who gave him a nod. “Dain trusts Rhi and the Dragon Kings, and I trust Dain.”
“Then we’ll trust Rhi,” Malini stated.
Jaya wound her arms around Manu’s neck. “Will you visit?”
He closed his eyes and held her against him. “As soon as I can.”
“Watch over Yaz and Ravi,” Sameer bade him.
Manu nodded to the boy. “I will.”
He reluctantly gave Jaya a final squeeze before setting her on her feet. “Be good.”
Jaya walked to Dain while Manu said his farewells to each of the children. Once they had all spoken to Dain, the group gathered around Rhi.
The Fae looked from Dain to him. “If you need me, all you need to do is say my name, and I’ll come.”
Manu raised his hand to the children. One moment, they were there. The next, they were gone. As was a piece of his heart.