Chapter Thirty

Yasmin’s body buzzed with surprise and pleasure. She pressed her lips together, still feeling his mouth against hers. The kiss had been all too brief. He had leaned away before she even realized what was happening. She should have pulled him back for another deeper kiss.

She became aware of the stones singing loudly, a reminder that she couldn’t sink into her thoughts about Ravi in such a dangerous place. Yasmin listened to the stones over the loud voices around her. With Ravi gone, she missed his presence. Now, all she had were the stones. She kept her hand flattened against them while wishing she didn’t have to do what she was about to do. But it was the only way. The stones had shown her the way as she and Ravi leaned against the wall.

She drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. It did nothing to calm the rising storm of emotions swirling in her belly. What a fool she had been to tell Ravi she would be fine helping him inside Shaldorn. Her trauma went too deep for her to be able to walk these halls without the past threatening to yank her back to when she’d been imprisoned within its gilded walls.

She couldn’t let Ravi down. For the next little while, the mission’s success rested on her shoulders. The lives of everyone in Shecrish was a cumbersome burden. She didn’t know how Ravi did it day after day with no thought for his safety. Instead of making things easier for him, she had been sullen and snappy. If only she had known then what she did now.

Yasmin slowly let her hand drop from the stones. She squared her shoulders and started toward the hallway. She walked as if she owned the place. All the while, her insides were mush, her legs jelly. It took extreme effort to keep herself upright. Sweat broke out over her body. Her palms were damp, and her heart careened wildly.

A gap in the bodies at the balustrade showed the woman in the box. Rage coalesced with her fear, giving Yaz the last push she needed. She made her way to the door with two burly guards protecting it. They glared at her. She recognized the Dark Elf on the left. He was a cruel bastard who had slapped the staff around anytime he got the chance. The scar near the outside of his right eye was courtesy of her during her first week at Shaldorn when he’d cornered her for the sheer fun of it.

Yasmin had lashed out with hands and feet that day. Her nail had caught his face, inflicting the wound that left the scar. The commotion had drawn others, including the Trinity. From then on, he’d had it out for her. The times she was punished, he always managed to be there to help dole it out.

She looked him square in his gray eyes without worry that he would recognize her. If she believed it, then so would anyone else. “Step aside.”

“This is a private gathering.” Both he and the Wood Elf next to him stood straighter and moved closer together.

If she had elven magic, Yasmin wondered if she would’ve used it then. How many times had the Dark grinned at her pain? How many others who hadn’t fought back as she had had he hurt? How many had he cowed simply because he could?

She lifted her chin and gave him a glare. “Kumar is awaiting my arrival. The meeting can’t commence until I’m there.”

The guards exchanged a look.

Yasmin held her arms at her waist, her hands linked as she raised a brow and tapped a toe impatiently. “Would I know there’s a meeting here if I wasn’t invited?”

It was the Wood Elf who relented and opened the door. A muscle in the Dark’s jaw moved beneath his gray skin. Yasmin slid past him and into the room. The door clicked softly shut behind her. She had a moment to get her bearings. She had only been in this room once before, but she would never forget the octagonal shape, the blood-red rugs, or the ceiling painted to look like the night sky.

She had gotten past the guards. Now came the difficult part.

Yasmin swallowed. Five men were gathered in a circle, conversing with drinks in their hands. She noted the two guards on the far wall, standing so still they nearly blended in. A quick look to either side showed two more guards near her. One looked at her curiously.

She wished she could touch the stones. Or Ravi. Was he in place? Was he ready? It was too late. She had already begun.

~ ~ ~

Ravi pulled himself into the shaft and carefully replaced the heavy iron grate. He shoved his hair out of his face and wished he had tied it back to keep it out of the way. He crawled a short way until he found the grate in the secret hallway where Kumar’s protection stood. Given what he could see, he gauged the distance between the three. The middle bodyguard was closest to him.

He hadn’t brought any weapons. Luckily, his quarry had. Ravi slowly and quietly lifted the grate and set it aside. He dropped down onto the elf below him and snapped his neck before they hit the ground. Ravi unsheathed the sword at the dead bodyguard’s waist and turned to the guard on his right. He heard the other approaching quickly behind him.

Ravi dove, rolled past the lifeless body, and came up to stand behind his enemy, putting both of his adversaries together. The passage was narrow and difficult to move in, forcing them to come at him one at a time.

“You might as well give up now,” the Wood Elf said. “You’re not getting out of this alive.”

The Sun Elf behind him grunted in agreement.

Ravi grinned and motioned for the Wood Elf to come. “Let’s see, shall we?”

The body of their friend lay between them as their swords clashed. Ravi didn’t want the noise to draw attention from those within the room. He needed to end this quickly. When the Wood Elf lunged, Ravi grabbed his extended wrist and pushed him against the wall, pinning him there. Ravi then thrust his sword into the elf’s heart before yanking his blade free just as his opponent kneed him. Ravi shoved the elf down and pierced his spine.

Ravi looked one way down the hall and then the other, waiting to see if the noise had drawn others. When no one came, he walked to the left, his strides eating up the distance. He found the entrance and rested his hand on the handle, then pressed his ear against the door to see if he could hear what was going on within. Only silence greeted him.

He looked at the stones and wished he could hear them. He curled his fingers around the handle.

~ ~ ~

Yasmin walked deeper into the room. She was nearly upon the group before anyone noticed her. Her heart thumped so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it. The first to see her was a Moon Elf. Yasmin gave him a smile that he returned.

She searched for One, Two, and Three, but thankfully they weren’t in attendance. The others noticed her one by one, parting to reveal another occupant. The female was gowned in sparkling silver, but that’s not what caught Yasmin’s gaze. It was the elf’s face. It was the very same one who had smiled and offered Yasmin a home at Shaldorn. Yasmin’s steps faltered, and she couldn’t decide whether to attack or run.

The Moon Elf was as beautiful as Yasmin remembered. Her blue hair was swept up in elaborate twists and braids, and white and sapphire tips rested on her pointed ears, matching the extravagant necklace around her neck. There was a clink of bracelets as the elf’s arms dropped to her sides.

“And you are?” she asked.

It was the same voice from when Yasmin had been a child. Curious and fascinated. Yasmin had known she would face her past, but she hadn’t expected her. She wanted to run, but she was rooted to the spot, as if threads from the rug had wrapped around her ankles to lock her in place.

Yasmin recalled how nice the Moon Elf had been. How she had sat with Yasmin those first few nights at dinner. How she had held Yasmin’s hand and dressed her in finery. She had duped Yasmin. Now, it was Yasmin’s turn to return the favor.

“What a curious question when you’re the one who invited me,” Yasmin replied.

Kumar walked to her and took her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles as his golden eyes studied her. “I didn’t get the pleasure earlier. What is your name?”

The first name that came to mind was the woman who had raised her. “Laboni.”

Kumar’s fingers tightened on her hand as he turned his head to the female. “What is the meaning of this, Gita?”

“I don’t know,” Gita insisted.

Yasmin took the opening and said, “If I’m not meant to be here, then how did I get past the guards?”

“A very good question,” Kumar stated. “Gita, I had your assurance that all would go as planned.”

The other men in the room looked between Kumar and Gita.

“It will,” Yasmin assured him. She laid her other hand atop the one squeezing hers. “I’m here to ensure that.”

His gold eyes searched her face before he turned to Gita. “I don’t have time for games.”

Yasmin didn’t hide her grin as she saw the brief flare of anger in Gita’s eyes. Yasmin couldn’t have planned this better herself. Had the stones known that Gita would be here? They must have. They had known what Yasmin needed.

She moved closer to Kumar and looked at Gita as she whispered, “She requested that I be the intermediary between the two of you to keep things…calm. I know nothing other than there will be an exchange. I’m to facilitate that.”

“That isn’t what we agreed,” Kumar said to Gita.

Yasmin twisted her lips. “Past experience has made her more careful.”

Gita’s nostrils flared, but she said nothing. She was waiting to see how this played out.

Kumar released Yasmin’s hand. She moved between him and Gita, looking from one to the other. “Shall we begin?”

“Aye. I want this finished,” Kumar replied.

Gita stood calmly. She slid her gaze to the side and nodded to one of the men, who lifted a gold chest from behind a table. He brought it to Gita, and she opened the lid to reveal silver and gold coins and loose jewels of all sizes.

Yasmin looked at Kumar and surreptitiously dug the cylinder from her skirt pocket. “Your turn.”

Kumar’s man brought out a domed wooden box engraved with protection runes of the gods. One of them held it out for Kumar to open the lid. Inside was an orb, nestled among the white silk.

At first, Yasmin thought it was a solid piece of obsidian. Then she saw the flashes of something that appeared to be lightning within it. She didn’t know what the device would do, but it didn’t matter. The fact that it had been built to do harm was enough to make her want to get rid of it.

The room was as quiet as death, everyone looking at everyone else. It was the only reason she heard the soft click of the door latch. She didn’t wait around to see if it was Ravi. The instant everyone’s attention shifted to the doorway, she threw the cylinder. It shattered on impact, the room filling with thick smoke.

~ ~ ~

Ravi only got a glimpse of Yaz’s purple skirt before the smoke enveloped her. Others coughed. One of the bodyguards—a Dark—tried to use his shadows to move the smoke, but it didn’t work. There were shouts of dismay and a crash to the left. The smoke spread quickly, reaching from wall to wall and hanging there.

Ravi rushed to where he had spotted Yaz, but he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. He bumped into someone. Ravi checked to make sure it wasn’t his target or a guard before knocking the elf out. Ravi then checked to make sure he didn’t have the device on him before standing.

He heard a scuffle and soft grunts that sounded like a woman, but he couldn’t be sure where they were coming from. And he couldn’t call out for Yaz. Ravi forced himself to set aside his need to find her and searched for his target and the device instead. He stilled, closed his eyes, and used his hearing. That’s when he heard someone moving on his left. There were footsteps and labored breathing, followed by a cough.

Ravi reached out, his fingers brushing someone through the smoke. He coughed against the irritation in his throat and tightened his fingers on clothing. He carefully stepped over the prone elf on the floor at his feet and yanked his find to him.

It was another male he didn’t recognize. The elf flailed in his arms, gasping for breath, his cheeks puffing like a fish. Ravi easily subdued him, dropping him unconscious next to the first, but came up empty for the device after a quick search.

He stood and backed away from the two on the floor to follow the sounds of others coughing and gagging as they called for help. Ravi coughed into his jacket. His lungs burned, and his eyes watered. He wanted to shout for Yaz but didn’t want to give away his position. He had to trust that she could handle herself. The stones would show her the way. He wasn’t going anywhere until he had the device.

Ravi heard a male cry for help, the words garbled between coughs. A flare of green on the far right showed a Wood Elf attempting to use magic to disperse the smoke. If only Ravi had been inside before Yaz had broken the container. He might know who had the device—and what it looked like.

Coughing mixed with shouts of help mingled with calls for the exit. He heard them fumbling as they ran into each other and bounced off the walls. Someone fell over the bodies on the floor. Ravi took the opportunity and lunged forward to grab whoever it was.

He hauled them to him. The instant he saw it was his target, he slammed Kumar against the wall. Ravi put his face near his. “Where is the device?”

Kumar shook his head before turning it to the side, seized with a coughing fit.

Ravi shook him. He kept his voice down so as not to draw notice from the remaining bodyguards. “Where is it?”

“I…I don’t know,” Kumar answered breathlessly before coughing again. “I had it before the smoke. She…b-b-betrayed…me.”

Ravi gripped him tighter. “Who?”

Kumar doubled over in a coughing fit. Ravi would get nothing else out of him. He drew back his fist and punched his target in the face to knock him out. Ravi checked him for the device before leaving him slumped against the wall.