Chapter 32
Seven hours, twenty-seven minutes, and forty-four seconds. That was how long Rhi had been silently guarding Inej. Daas had been relieved by his wife, Shruti, who managed to get more herbal water into Inej, but she still hadn’t stirred.
The elves didn’t seem worried by that, but Rhi certainly was.
She had gotten used to Con being there to heal whoever needed it.
The Fae healed quickly, but they could be killed.
Elves seemed to have the same rate of healing as humans.
The difference between them was that elves had Healers and the herbs that were more readily available to them.
With all Rhi knew about the human race, she was surprised they managed to live—and most times thrive—when surrounded by magical beings who could wipe them out with a snap of their fingers. What made humans so special?
And so damn resilient.
Rhi drummed her fingers on her thigh. She was getting antsy. Not only did she need to check in with her mate before he unleashed hell on the elves, but she also hadn’t seen Jalall since they’d parted ways hours ago. She had no idea how Manu was, or if Jalall had tracked down Inej’s attacker.
Unlike most Fae, Rhi could stay veiled indefinitely, but that didn’t mean it was easy. She couldn’t make a sound, lest someone hear her. Things would be so much easier if she could get in touch with Dain so he could stand guard over Inej.
“How is she?” Jalall asked as he walked into the room.
Rhi pushed away from the wall. Her elation dimmed when she noted his harsh breathing, his fisted hands at his sides, and his tightened face.
She was about to speak when she remembered that she was veiled and had to hold her tongue.
This was the part she hated the most. She had questions, and she wanted answers.
Shruti rose and shook her head. “There’s been no change in Inej. Her wounds are healing, but slowly. I don’t know enough about humans to say if this is normal or if her body is rejecting the magic.”
“The herbs healed her before,” Jalall said as he walked to the bed. “Thank you for watching her. Go home and get some rest.”
Rhi waited until she was alone with Jalall before dropping her veil. “You’ve been gone a long time.”
“I know,” he replied wearily. He didn’t even look at her as he ran a hand down his face.
“You didn’t find Tahmine, did you?”
He shook his head and finally swung his dark eyes to her. “She and Chanda left to do some foraging.”
“Who’s Chanda?”
“Besides being Tahmine’s closest friend, she, Manu, and I grew up together. She also manages my house.”
Rhi blew out a frustrated breath. “Tahmine has to return eventually. We’ll get her then. How is Manu faring?”
“I was on my way there, but I wanted to stop here first. If he’s awake, he’ll want news about Inej.”
“My mate can heal her with a touch.”
Jalall’s brow creased in a frown. He stared at her for a long moment before saying, “Your mate is…?” He paused and swallowed before dipping his voice to a whisper. “He lives outside our borders, doesn’t he?”
Rhi wasn’t sure if the elves feared or hated the dragons, but in the end, it didn’t matter. If elves couldn’t venture onto dragon land, then dragons couldn’t cross onto Shecrish. “He is. I can get him in and out quickly. No one ever needs to know either of us was here.”
“I—”
Jalall never got to finish as a form filled the doorway.
Both of them were taken aback by the sight of Manu still wearing his soiled clothing, though someone had cleaned most of the blood from his face and hair.
His left leg bore all of his weight, and he leaned heavily against the doorway to keep himself upright as his gaze locked on Inej.
“What happened?” Manu demanded, his voice breaking.
Worry creased Jalall’s face as he took a slow step toward Manu. “I was coming to you.”
“What happened?” Manu asked again, his voice hardening as he pinned Jalall with a dark look.
Rhi took pity on the men and said, “Someone tried to kill Inej.”
“Tried.” His black eyes slid to her, filled with regret and blame. “You said tried. That means she’s still alive.”
“We found her in time,” Jalall told him.
Manu limped forward, but his leg buckled. He hit the floor hard. Rhi and Jalall rushed to his side, but he held out a splayed hand at them. “Don’t!”
Rhi froze and looked down at his foot. It was heavily bandaged, and blood stained the dressing. “You shouldn’t be out of bed. Your foot isn’t healed.”
Manu breathed heavily, his guilt palpable. “I heard others whispering about her. I had to know.”
Jalall looked at Rhi. She shrugged, unsure what to do. Manu got his good foot beneath him to stand, but his balance was off. This time, when Jalall gripped his arm, Manu let his friend pull him upright and help him to a chair.
“Sit before you lose your foot,” Jalall ordered.
Manu sank into the chair and sighed. “Tell me what happened. All of it.” His voice was soft, as if saying the words cost him a great deal.
“Where do we start?” Jalall asked.
Manu leaned in and stared at Rhi. “I take it you heard me, then?”
“I did. It was close, though. You should’ve called for me sooner,” she chided softly.
His gaze briefly dropped to the floor. “Thank you for coming to my aid. Did any of the ot—”
“They did not,” she said over him. “As for Inej, she has at least four wounds. One on her side, two on her back, and one on her front.”
Manu winced as he shifted his injured leg. “They attacked from the front, and she turned to run.”
“Actually, I think her attacker or attackers came at her from behind.” Rhi glanced out of the room to where it’d happened.
“I’ve had plenty of time to study the scene and her injuries.
It seems she was walking down the hall from the front room.
She must have heard something and started to turn.
That’s where the side wound came from. The hit propelled her to the side and back against the wall, where I discovered marks where more magic struck.
There are more strikes on the wall, moving in a gradual downward angle, suggesting they continued to fire as she fell.
Based on the position of one of her back wounds, I think she got hit as she fell. ”
Manu swallowed heavily, a mix of outrage and distress clouding his face. “And the injury to her front?”
Rhi shot a quick look at Inej. “I think they flipped her over to see if she was still alive.”
“We found her on her back,” Jalall added. “That does seem to add up.”
Manu braced his hands on his thighs as he shook his head. “I told her she was safe here. I swore no one would harm her. Who would do this?”
Jalall shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he leaned back against the wall. “I, uh, I’ve been looking for Tahmine and Chanda to question them.”
Manu didn’t react. Seconds passed in heavy silence before he sat up, every line of his body taut with barely contained fury. His gaze, hard as forged steel, locked on Jalall. “What do you mean you’ve been looking for them?”
“They left the city to forage.”
“You think they did this?”
Jalall threw up his arms, his face twisted with exhaustion and frustration. “Maybe. I don’t know. Neither of us will know until we speak to them. But that isn’t our only problem.”
“What could be more important than finding Inej’s attacker?” Manu demanded, anger dripping from every word.
Jalall’s lips flattened. “How about the fact that eight of our people were killed, and you nearly died? I sent some men out to check the area to see if it was an accident.”
“It wasn’t,” Manu stated calmly. “We were ambushed.”
Rhi asked, “Did you see who it was?”
“They were too far away. I was on my way to find you,” he said to Jalall.
Jalall frowned. “How did you know to come looking? We’d been fending off an attack for over a day before we finally got them all. I got here right after you were brought in.”
“Seems someone went to a lot of trouble to get both of you outside the city,” Rhi said.
Manu rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “I and a small contingent confronted a group of mercenaries who were looking for me a few days ago. They never got close to Navara, though.”
“Then who could?” Rhi asked.
The two elves looked at each other.
“Someone inside,” Manu said. He asked Jalall, “Did you see who attacked you?”
Jalall sank into the other chair as he shook his head. “Their faces were hidden, but I don’t think it was Sachin’s tribe. The assassin was one of his people, but Sachin was shook up about it and wanted me to assure you that he had no part in it.”
“Do you believe him?” Rhi asked.
Jalall nodded slowly. “I do.”
“I get coming after me, but they wouldn’t go after Inej,” Manu said after a beat of silence.
Rhi twisted her lips. “They might.”
Both men turned their gazes to her. “Explain,” Manu urged.
Rhi glanced at the floor. “What do you know about Inej?” When Manu parted his lips to speak, she held up a finger. “I am speculating, but hear me out, please. She’s new, as well as human. You would be wary of an elf you didn’t know, but would you be as guarded against a human?”
“I went through this same argument. We took precautions,” Jalall said.
Rhi crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you?”
Anger flashed in Manu’s dark gaze. “You don’t think I can protect my people?”
“I think you do an admirable job with your people. Just not yourself.” His nostrils flared in response. She dropped her arms to her sides. “What if you were the target?”
“Again, we went through this,” Jalall stated.
Manu nodded. “Inej saved my life. Why would she do that if she wanted to harm me?”
“It could’ve all been a ruse to get you to trust her,” Rhi said.
Manu scrunched his face in denial. “She almost died.”
“And it convinced you that she meant you no harm. And,” she hurried to say when Manu’s lips parted, “she got close to you by becoming your lover.”
Jalall snorted. “I’ll admit, you have a point. But she’s human.”
“Elves can still be killed,” Rhi stated. “A knife in the heart while Manu sleeps. Poison slipped into his food. Sending him into a trap.”
“She didn’t send me,” Manu countered. “Inej had no idea where I was going.”
Jalall scrubbed a hand down his face. “I still don’t see how your theory connects to Inej’s attack.”
“They were tying up loose ends,” Rhi said with a shrug.
Manu shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Any of it.”
“What if Rhi’s right?” Jalall asked. “What if Inej was sent by the Masters? Even you have to admit she is a perfect decoy.”
“And what if she wasn’t?” Manu asked as he looked between Rhi and Jalall. “What if she’s a victim in all of this, and it’s just a coincidence that we were both hurt?”
“If she’s innocent, then she’ll understand why you’re being cautious,” Rhi said.
Manu bent forward and dropped his head into his hands. Rhi had seen enough of the Kings falling in love to know that Manu was head over heels for Inej. Which meant it was possible he’d be too blinded by his feelings to see the truth.
If Inej were in Navara to harm him. Rhi had given one theory. It was time she talked about all the ways Inej could be innocent. But even as she considered them, the pieces were harder to put together.
“If the Masters sent Inej to kill me, they wouldn’t remove her before the job was done.” Manu lifted his head and pinned Rhi with a hard look. “As you said, she got close to me. So, why go after her? There isn’t an answer because the two events aren’t related.”
“Are you saying you think her attack was motivated by jealousy?” Jalall asked.
Rhi cringed at the pain that flashed over Manu’s face. If he claimed it was jealousy, then the focus shifted to two of his friends, one of whom he’d had an affair with. Either way, he was on the losing end.
“You need to rest and heal,” Rhi told him. “I can bring Con for you and Inej. His touch heals in an instant. That way, you can start getting to the bottom of things. Or I can bring both of you to him, if you’d rather.”
Jalall nudged Manu when he didn’t answer. “We need you. And that means you need to be at your best. Take Rhi’s offer.”
“Fine,” Manu said. “But I’m not leaving Navara.”
Jalall got to his feet. “I’ll make sure no one enters the house, so we aren’t disturbed.”
“I’ll be back,” Rhi told them.