Chapter 33
Manu’s ankle throbbed with every beat of his heart.
It had taken everything he had to get to Jalall’s, and he had done considerable damage to the recovery of his foot in the process.
But he hadn’t been thinking about any of that once he learned that Inej was hurt. All that mattered was getting to her.
Seeing her had only made his pain worse, because he hadn’t been there to protect her. She had faced the attack on her own. Navara should have been a safe place for her, but she had found the opposite. Was he so blinded by his people that he couldn’t see the possible enemies in his midst?
He should’ve done more to keep her safe. He choked on remorse, wondering if she had cursed him as she lay helpless and in pain. If he couldn’t protect even one person, how was he supposed to keep an entire city secure? Especially if someone he knew was plotting against him.
Manu couldn’t imagine anyone who would purposefully send him and others to be killed by an avalanche while trying to take out Jalall and his team at the same time.
As for Inej, he hadn’t seen or heard anything that had made him believe she wasn’t welcome in Navara.
He couldn’t deny that he didn’t know his people as well as he thought he did, though.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jalall asked softly.
Manu would rather stay in his thoughts, but he needed another perspective. “Not really,” he admitted. “But I need to. What do you think about what Rhi said?”
“I think she made a lot of sense.”
Manu squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
That was the rub. Rhi had made sense. He dropped his hand and sighed.
“You think Inej is working with the Masters, that Tahmine attacked someone I gave shelter to out of jealousy, and that both your team and mine were targeted to be killed?”
“I said her connections made sense. None of it may be true.”
“Or all of it may be true.” He met Jalall’s gaze. “I owe it to everyone to look at all possibilities.”
Jalall scratched his whiskered cheek. “You won’t be doing this alone.”
“I fell for Inej. I saw a future with her. I…” He trailed off, unable to finish. Manu looked at the bed and felt the compulsion to go to her. She was too pale. And too still.
“We’ll figure this out.”
Manu snorted as he looked at the floor. “What is there to figure out if Inej is the enemy? Or if Tahmine tried to kill her? By law, both will have to be punished.”
“I don’t want Tahmine to be responsible any more than you do. As for Inej…” Jalall said and glanced at the bed. “We were cautious from the beginning.”
And it was restraint Manu had thrown to the wind as the attraction between them developed. Was there something between them? Had it all been a lie so she could get close to him? Nay, he refused to believe that. She hadn’t been faking the pleasure or the way she kissed him.
“Inej had plenty of time alone with me to make an attempt on my life. She didn’t,” Manu said.
Jalall braced one foot on the wall behind him. “Maybe she was securing her place by your side first.”
“If even half of what Rhi speculated is the truth, then I’ve made a real muck of things. As leader, I should’ve seen throu—”
“As much as many believe you’re perfect, you aren’t,” Jalall said with a grin.
“You make mistakes, just like any of us. If you missed something, then we have time to fix it.” He paused and cleared his throat, his gaze briefly dropping to the floor.
“To that end, I spoke with Daas already. Inej was with him all day. He said she never left the back of the kitchen until she returned here.”
“Then she couldn’t have been involved in setting me up for the avalanche.” Manu tried to keep the relief from his voice, but he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded.
“Unless she’s working with someone inside Navara.”
The truth crushed Manu’s respite to dust. “Inej only had contact with me, Daas, Shruti, and Chanda.”
“She could’ve spoken to others as she walked to and from work.”
Manu had no rebuttal for that. “She could’ve. Also, Chanda brought Tahmine here the other morning. She saw Inej in my tunic.”
“That does look bad for Tahmine.”
“She’s someone to speak with. I’d like to talk to everyone who stood guard yesterday. I’m going to need a list of each individual who left the city over the last week, no matter the reason.”
“You’re not going anywhere until that foot is healed.”
Before Manu could answer, Rhi appeared without warning or sound.
Beside her stood a man with wavy blond hair cropped short on the sides.
His shirt clung to his frame, the thin fabric doing little to hide the strength beneath.
It was tucked into dark blue pants. Assessing, black eyes swept the room before landing on Manu.
The stranger looked human—at first. But the air shifted around him, thick with power and authority.
Rhi looked up at him with eyes filled with love and devotion. “Lads, this is Con, the King of Dragon Kings. Con, this is Manu, leader of Navara, and Jalall.”
Con dipped his head to Jalall before turning his gaze to Manu. Then he spoke with a unique vocal lilt. “Rhi told me of your injuries. I’m here to help.”
“All he’ll do is touch you,” Rhi added.
Con slid his gaze to her for a heartbeat. “I’ve never attempted to heal an elf. My magic should work, though.”
Manu was ready for the pain to be gone so he could sort through the jumble of thoughts ricocheting in his head. “The herbs will work, but it will take more time than I’m willing to give. Please, do what you can.”
The Dragon King stood before him in three strides.
Con dropped to his haunches as he studied the ankle Manu had extended to keep pressure off his foot.
Manu tensed when Con reached out a hand and lightly set his fingers on his lower leg.
A peculiar buzz rushed outward from Con’s touch and flowed through Manu’s body.
One moment, the pain was there. The next, it had vanished.
Con straightened. “Take off the bandage.”
Manu hesitated, still reeling a bit. Magic was part of elven life, but what he had just experienced was nothing like what he was used to.
Jalall dropped to one knee and tentatively lifted Manu’s foot to unwrap the bandage.
Manu knew before the last of the bindings had been removed that he was healed.
Yet he couldn’t stop staring at his flesh that had, moments before, been throbbing as the ligaments, muscles, and skin stitched themselves back together.
Even the Healers couldn’t work as fast as Con.
“That’s astounding,” Jalall murmured as he touched Manu’s healed flesh.
Manu twisted his ankle one way and then the other before flexing and curling his toes. He set his foot on the ground and stood, testing his weight upon it. He then rotated his left arm to find that his shoulder was also healed. He looked at Con. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he answered.
Jalall was slower to get to his feet. His face was slack with shock when he turned to Con. “You did all that with just a touch?”
“Dragon magic is particularly powerful,” Rhi stated proudly.
Con grinned at her before glancing at Inej on the bed. “Shall I tend to her now?”
“Wait,” Jalall said hurriedly.
Manu cut his eyes to his friend, fighting a flare of anger. “Why?”
“Should we get information first?” Jalall asked. “That way, if she’s innocent, she need never know what we did to prove it.”
“Or if she’s guilty, we can carry out her sentence,” Manu replied.
Jalall shrugged. “That, too.”
Manu’s gaze was drawn to the bed and the woman who had somehow found her way into his heart. “Someone tried to kill her. I will find out who it was.”
“We’ll find out,” Jalall corrected.
The fact was that Inej wasn’t safe at Jalall’s anymore. There was only one place in Navara that Manu knew he could protect her. He turned to Rhi. “Can you bring Inej to my chamber? I don’t want anyone to know she’s there.”
“And if she’s your enemy?” Con asked.
Manu sighed. “Then I’ll handle it.”
Rhi walked to the bed and stood beside it before Con joined her. Manu made his way to Inej and grabbed her hand when Rhi directed him. Jalall nodded, and the next instant, they were in his chambers with Inej on the bed. Manu released her, his heart heavy.
“Are you ready for me to heal her?” Con asked.
He met the Dragon King’s eyes and nodded.
“She’s alive,” Rhi said to Manu. “The herbs are keeping her stable. You could leave her like this until you conduct your investigation.”
“We could also bring her with us,” Con offered.
Manu walked to his window and looked out over the city. “I’m not sure I’m qualified to make such decisions anymore.”
“I might have gone a bit overboard when we spoke earlier,” Rhi told him.
Manu shook his head. “You saw things I didn’t or couldn’t. If this is going to get sorted, I need to look at all the possibilities. Even if I don’t want to.”
Con walked up to stand beside him. “Your city is beautiful.”
“It used to be safe. I always knew the Masters would find their way here, but I thought I’d have more time. I also never accounted for Inej.”
“Maybe she was meant to be a blind spot for you. Maybe she wasn’t. You care about her, and you want her safe.” Con turned his head to look at Manu. “If it will ease you some to keep her sleeping here, then do it.”
Manu dropped his chin to his chest. He wanted to talk to Inej, but he didn’t know if he could believe anything she said. Not until he knew more. “I can ensure that no one will enter this room.”
Rhi walked to Con’s other side. “Then that’s what you should do. Once you’ve seen to that, what do you want to do?”
“That’s easy. I want to find who attacked my guards and me and uncover who tried to kill Inej,” Manu said.
Con quirked a dark brow. “And?”
“I want to eradicate the Masters forever, so all of Shecrish is safe.” When Con continued to stare, Manu blew out a breath. “I also want to be with Inej.”
“Will your people accept her?” Con asked.
Manu shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. We haven’t had many interactions with humans.”
“Would you give up your position for her?” Rhi questioned.
Manu had only ever known the life he had now and his role in it. The burden of so many souls resting upon him and his decisions to keep them protected was debilitating at times. It’s why he went alone into the mountains.
With Inej, he’d found comfort and a calmness that had always escaped him. Being with her was like coming home. He sought her out instead of the Peaks—her smile, her kisses, her arms.
Manu nodded once. “I would. But can I keep both her and my people safe?”
“You need facts before you can answer that.” Con swung his gaze back to the city.
Manu turned away from the window. “Then I’d better get started.”
“Inej might have seen something that could help uncover the identity of her attacker,” Rhi said.
Con’s brow furrowed as he slowly turned around. “She might have, indeed. If I heal her, will she remain in this room willingly?”
Or would she need to be locked away? Con didn’t say the last part, but Manu didn’t need him to. He didn’t want to shut her up anywhere. Keeping Con here indefinitely to heal her also wasn’t an option.
“May I make a suggestion?” the Dragon King asked. “We have a little time before we must get back. Rhi and I can take a look on the mountains and see what we can find. We’ll be veiled so no one will see us. And before you say we doona know the terrain, I should mention we’ll be in the air.”
Manu would love to see Con in his dragon form. Maybe he would get that privilege in the future.
“We’ll be able to see a lot from the sky,” Rhi added.
It was something that would take Manu days or weeks to sort through on foot. “I would appreciate that.”
“We’ll be back.” Con looked at Rhi. As soon as she touched him, they were gone.
Manu stripped out of his dirty clothes and tossed them aside.
He took a quick bath to scrub the dried blood away before putting on fresh clothes.
His feet halted at the door, and he turned to Inej.
She looked as if she were sleeping. He hoped he was doing the right thing by leaving her to let the herbs work.
“I’ll return as quickly as I can,” he promised her before walking out, then closing the door and locking it behind him.
No one would enter without his permission.
If his staff was startled to see him leaving again, they didn’t show it.
He headed straight to the candy shop to talk to Daas and his wife.
They confirmed that Inej had been with them the entire day.
In fact, they said she had been waiting for Daas when he arrived, making Manu think she’d left shortly after he had.
Manu’s next stop was the guardhouse. The rotation of guards at the door had been diminished with both him and Jalall taking soldiers out with them, which left only six he needed to speak with.
All corroborated that Inej had never approached them to leave the city.
When Manu left, he had a list of everyone who had left Navara.
Tahmine and Chanda were on that list. But they still hadn’t returned, which meant he couldn’t speak to them yet.
Manu summoned guards and gave each of them a name of someone to bring back to him.
He paced impatiently in Jalall’s office at the barracks, waiting for the individuals to arrive for questioning.
The door opened, and Jalall walked in. “I figured you’d be here.”
“I’m not leaving you out,” he began.
Jalall held up a hand. “I understand. You need to do this. While you’re talking to suspects, let me take some guards and go look for Chanda and Tahmine. If I’m not back by the time you finish here, come find me.”
Manu blew out a breath. “All right.”
He watched Jalall head out, his gut twisting with worry and dread. Enemies had infiltrated his city, and he had missed it. How many more would die before he uncovered the one responsible?