Chapter 15
—Connak—
Danek swung from the trees with two of Connak’s Blades—Lazrin and Pharen.
They were twins, an uncommon occurrence in the Elvish community, which was why the Still Court of Silverthorne sent them to join the Trinity armies.
They were considered a blunder to the Elvish bloodline.
Connak kept this knowledge to himself. The Still Court struck a sore spot with his soldiers—most of the soldiers fighting in Trinity.
Besides, Connak wasn’t supposed to know about the Still Court.
Along with the second hidden city of Silverthorne, the Still Court served as another myth in the ever-winding web of Elvish history.
Danek zoomed over him with speed, something he’d never been able to do before.
Connak smirked as the Malintale glowed with blue glyphs in recognition of their new Brother of the Blades.
He belonged here. They all did. The Malintale was a wild forest, untamed.
It needed people like the Blades to tend it.
While they did this, Connak carved another rune to indicate a new path.
His mind drifted to Kienna. She’d love to care for the Malintale.
He almost wished she’d join his forces as well.
Then, he’d have everything he needed, but Tristian wouldn’t allow it.
It would be a waste of his breath to fight with the High Commander about it.
Kienna had to stay close. It was their agreement after all.
A familiar tug pulled Connak’s mind. “I didn’t think you’d talk to me after last night.” Kienna appeared in front of him. He hated seeing the dark circles under her eyes.
“I didn’t think so either. Tislin has since convinced me.”
Connak exhaled a laugh. “He’s a good man.”
Kienna studied the Malintale, taking in the fresh forest like it was restoration from being in Dove Port for so long.
After examining the glyphs, she slid against the tree and sat.
Connak cozied up next to her, smiling as his shoulders brushed hers.
He let the silence overtake them for a while.
Kienna dipped her head against the tree and closed her eyes, desperately needing sleep.
He wondered if she’d let him ease her into it, but something told him she wasn’t here to rest and sit in solitude.
A breath escaped her lips, then she looked to Connak. “Can you heal Calder—the woodcarver?”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s a drunk.”
“We can’t heal habits. That’s a mental ailment, and if the Eternal Mother gave us that ability, we probably would have ended the war before it started.
” Connak thought about how easy it would have been to capture Vaerin when his madness started engulfing him.
If they could heal his mind, he wouldn’t have done this.
Granted, the Elvish didn’t care about Vaerin until it was too late.
They wouldn’t even heal his physical disease.
“He said he’d quit, but he can’t survive the detox. His eyes are yellow. He only stands a chance if we help him through this part.”
“And you want him to have a chance?” Connak raised his brow. Above him, Danek rustled again. He glanced up to make sure he was still ahead of Lazrin and Pharen. Connak needed him to be fast. “What do you know about this man?”
Kienna focused on her hands, riddled with pulled skin and sores.
He was going to send a healer regardless because she had asked for it.
He would do anything she asked, but her own ailments concerned him.
He reached for her hand, covering it with his.
“I’ll send Danek tonight. He’ll heal these first.”
“I thought the war in Dalelry would be the worst of my nightmares,” she said, voice almost a whisper. “It’s still River Storm. Every night, it’s shadows from the dungeons and images of Maren and Jacob dying. Or the woman whose head Dren cut off. I’m terrified of what’s coming next.”
“You pull me into them, you know?” Connak tightened his grip around her hand, letting her warmth flow into his body. “When are you going to let me help you? You don’t have to be afraid of the King of River Storm forever.”
“I’m honestly waiting for him to die.” She laughed as if she had meant it to be a joke, but Connak knew better.
The king’s clutch remained deep within her, within her magic and her family.
He’d kill the king himself to ease her turmoil, but all he could do was make her stronger and set her up to take on the world.
“Connak,” Kienna interrupted his thoughts. “I didn’t know it was important, but Tislin said the shadows of the dungeons were Shades.”
That was the kind of news that could knock a man directly off a horse.
Shades were warded in their own realm. If they were in River Storm, they had a way out, and that meant far more threats to them than he could have imagined.
Connak inhaled deeply, bringing his hand to his forehead.
He tried not to be angry. She had no idea, but getting Kienna to think outside her own perspective was frustrating.
“I need to go figure out how that doesn’t bite us in the ass later. Danek will be there tonight.”
“Are you mad?”
“No,” he lied, though he tried to soften it through the tone of his voice. “I’ll catch up later.”
He knew that was going to bite him in the ass later, too.
She finally trusted him with something, and he was mad.
He was spiraling much quicker than usual, as if Kienna’s fractured mind was bleeding into his own.
It wasn’t Kienna’s fault that she didn’t know what details were important to share.
This realm was still so fresh to her, but the Shades had a personal vendetta against them, despite the King of River Storm.
The Elvish had their own weapon, one that commanded the same shadows as the Shades, and the Shades wanted their blood back.
It’d be a lot easier for the Shades to find a way through with King Vaerin and his undead army.
The king’s dark magic was advantageous to the shadows.
And if the king commanded them, it truly meant the rumors he heard might be true.
The wards were in danger of breaking, and shadow magic was on the loose.
There were too many things piling on his shoulders at once.
Tension stiffened his hands as he drummed his fingers against his leg to calm his nerves.
He was usually better at handling these things, being the calm to Kienna’s storm and helping her weather anything, even when she tried to shut him out.
These emotions, these frustrations, didn’t feel like his, and that only worried him further.
If Kienna’s mind was truly broken, and those emotions were seeping into him, it wouldn’t be long before they both unraveled.
He’d have to figure it out; otherwise, it would drive them both crazy.
Tensing his fists and then releasing them, Connak stood to find Danek.
—Danek—
Danek got himself lost in the city once or twice, getting to Kienna’s apartment by The Elarent House, but a few locals steered him in the right direction. Ruva sat in the alleyway, panting as she greeted him with a low howl.
“Always good to see you, Ruva,” he said, giving the wolf a pat on the head.
Inside the building, Danek knocked on their door.
He was greeted by Moira. She wrapped him in a hug, then pulled him inside.
He jumped as a gray cat brushed against his legs.
Kienna and Tislin were in the bedroom close to the kitchen with an old man writhing in pain.
Kienna held his arms to keep him from thrashing, but he screamed the vilest words, then apologized, cried, and went back to it.
Kienna turned, grasp still latched to the man’s wrists. “Elowen tried to send us herbs to curb his pain, but he’s suffering.”
Danek approached and looked at him. “What do I need to heal?”
“Elowen says—”
“Who is Elowen?”
“A friend of mine—it doesn’t matter, Danek. Calder needs help. Elowen says his liver and pancreas, at least, but he needs the alcohol to be flushed from his entire body.”
Tislin grunted as he held the man in place. He was surprisingly strong for his condition. A fist flew up and hit Tislin square in the jaw. The Shadowmaster growled, thrusting his palms onto Calder, shadows seeping out of him to restrain the old man.
“Sorry,” he said, tighter than usual. “We have been doing this for hours. We need to rest. Danek.” He closed his eyes to hide the black that swarmed his irises.
“Push a fever. Let sweat carry out what it can, then tend to the liver. He’ll need three rounds before sunrise, or it won’t hold.
Three, Danek.” Danek went to protest, but Tislin held his hand up.
“It’s not a matter of skill, it’s procedure.
After that, see to the kidneys. They’ll bear what’s left of the weight. ”
Tislin left, and Moira trailed him. The shadows from Calder’s hands released, and the old man shifted into another fit of writhing.
“How does one push a fever?” Danek asked, rubbing the nape of his neck as he tried to speak over Calder’s cries.
“Why don’t you put him to sleep first?” Kienna suggested.
She leaned over to the man on the bed. “Master Calder, this is Danek. He’s a good friend of mine. He can heal you.”
“I don’t want that fucking magic touching me. Fucking Elvish. Should have healed those who actually needed it before we got here.”
Kienna only nodded to Danek. He stepped forward, waving his hand over Calder’s mind.
He hadn’t used illusions to trick someone into sleeping before, but it came so naturally that he surprised himself.
He huffed a short laugh but remembered his next step.
“I still don’t know how to push a fever.
I’ve never gone the opposite way of healing before. ”
“He’s probably already close to one,” Kienna said, feeling his head. “Maybe more heat?”