Page 10 of Sun Elves of Ardani

Rhian looked shocked. It was the first expression she’d made that looked genuine. “Then you were only nineteen when you served in the Queen’s Army? You’ll have to excuse my surprise. In Ysura, we do not allow children to serve in the military.”

“I’m sure our leaders would prefer not to have to send any of our citizens to war,” Kadaki said. “Unfortunately, we have not had the luxury of a choice in recent years.”

Rhian almost looked sympathetic. “Your leaders failed you. They should have capitulated much sooner.”

“But they didn’t,” Kadaki said. “Mages are rare here. I did not have the choice not to fight.”

“You were conscripted?”

“Yes.”

Eliyr, having been silent until then, finally gave a disgusted snort. “Barbaric,” he muttered. Kadaki looked over, studying him for the first time. He was far younger and a little thinner than the other two, with hair like bronze. A large burn scar smeared the skin from the corner of his mouth to his ear. He was attractive in that effortless, clean, perfect way that all elves seemed to be, though the scar undoubtedly made him stand out in a group.

“Sair Eliyr is our mage, Lady Kadaki,” Rhian said. “But considering your skills and your experience with the Kuda Varai axis, I would like you to work with us as well. I’m sure we’ll have uses for you as the project develops.” She didn’t ask whether Kadaki was interested in working with them, of course. Like all of this, it wasn’t a choice. “And Sair Eliyr will assist you in any way you need.”

“Assist?” Eliyr’s eyes went wide with indignation. “I’m not going to work beneath some—” He cut himself off upon seeing Rhian’s warning look. He sank back in his chair, looking daggers at Kadaki.

Kadaki opened her mouth to explain to them that whether she wanted to or not, she could be of no use to them because her magic was as good as gone. Something had happened to her five years ago in Kuda Varai. Her abilities had grown weaker every day since then. She was no longer the mage Neiryn had once known.

But she held her tongue. As much as the elves infuriated her, she was fascinated by this axis they were searching for. A completely new, untouched axis. The deepest well of magic known to mortals. Very few people had ever seen such a thing.

“We understand perfectly,” Roshan said. “We look forward to working with you, Commander Rhian.”

Chapter 3

Later that evening, Kadaki found herself, as she often did in times of uncertainty, in the safety and seclusion of her library.

The house was Roshan’s, really, although Ardanian marriage law made it so that she technically owned half of it now. She’d merely moved into a household that was already established, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible as she’d inserted herself into his life. She hadn’t brought much with her except for books.

The library was the one place outside of her room that felt like it really belonged to her. Especially now that, in a bizarre turn of events, the house had been invaded by unwanted Ysuran houseguests.

She had an armful of books that referenced axes and was pulling yet another off the shelf when she heard a footstep in the doorway. She warily turned to see who had arrived, and was relieved when she saw it was only Roshan.

“That could have gone worse.” He collapsed into the worn, plush chair in the middle of the room and put his chin in his hand.

Kadaki grimaced, setting her books down on an end table. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We’re not in an Ysuran prison. Or on fire.”

“Your expectations are too low.”

“You heard the lady. We lost the war. We can’t have high expectations, can we?”

Kadaki rolled her eyes.

“They’re even going to let us continue living in the house they’re stealing from us. I’d say they’re being quite generous, for Ysurans.”

“Are you going to let them use your miners to dig up the garden?”

He shrugged. “I’d rather they’d chosen a different spot to do it, but the payment they’re offering is more than fair. That’s the one part of this I can’t complain about.” His brow furrowed. “You didn’t tell them about your… problem.”

It was rare for him to bring it up. He knew how much she hated to talk about it. “They didn’t ask,” she said.

“And you don’t plan to tell them?”

“No.”

“Be careful, Kadaki.”

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