Page 50 of Sun Elves of Ardani

He gave her a disapproving glance, but told her anyway. “A description of the ruins, an explanation of what occurred, and my opinion on the viability of further exploration.”

“What about the magic-eater?” she said.

“What about it?”

“It could still be alive.”

His eyebrows came together. “Do you think it could have survived the fire?”

“Yes. I think it survived,” she said gravely. “It survived being smashed under stone and having its bones crushed, and it survived your attacks earlier. It could survive a forest fire, too.” She waved a hand at his paper. “You can put that in your little report, if you like.”

He seemed to consider that for a moment, then continued writing.

“And is further exploration viable, in your opinion?” she asked.

“In my opinion, yes. There will likely be another exploratory mission as soon as we can figure out a way to safely descend into the ruins.”

Kadaki’s breath caught.

As if sensing her eagerness, Neiryn added, “I have suggested that you be included in any future expeditions, given your experience with axes and your demonstrated mastery of channeling from the obelisk.”

She blinked in surprise. “Thank you.”

The corner of his lips ticked up and his face softened slightly.

“You don’t seem very pleased to have your magic back,” he said. “I expected you to be elated.”

Her heart felt like it was shrinking. She looked away. “It’s not back.”

“What do you mean?”

“I had a burst of strength right after I drew from the obelisk. But I can already feel it draining. I’m getting weaker again. Each time I cast a spell, more magic leaves me.”

He gave her a questioning look.

She hesitated. She had no guarantee Neiryn wouldn’t use any information she gave him against her. He was still her enemy, no matter what their governments said.

But she wanted to talk to someone about it, and there was no one else. Roshan would listen, of course, but he wouldn’t understand.

“I have a theory about what happened to me in Kuda Varai,” she said.

He put down his pen. “Yes?”

“Well, mages have very large reserves of magic in their own bodies. Like their own tiny axis within themselves. That’s what allows us to manipulate magic in our environments. We use the magic inside us in tandem with environmental magic when we cast spells.”

“You don’t need to explain the basics to me, Kadaki. I’m not one of your Ardanian friends. In Ysura, we educate our children about magic.”

She bit back a retort, because truthfully, in this particular instance, his disdain for Ardanian culture was not misplaced. “Normally, a mage’s magic reserves are slowly replenished after being depleted. But my magic doesn’t replenish on its own anymore. I think I damaged my body’s well of magic in Kuda Varai. But perhaps I also increased the size of my well, permanently. Like it was… stretched, from channeling so much at once, but lost its elasticity.”

Neiryn raised his eyebrows.

“You saw what happened to Eliyr when he tried to channel from the obelisk. I don’t think it’s because Eliyr’s skills are lacking. These obelisks were originally built for the Auren-Li, and their natural magical abilities far surpassed our own. In the modern age, it’s rare for a mage to be able to channel from an obelisk without help.”

“And you had no trouble with it,” Neiryn said. She watched him gradually come to the same conclusions she’d come to. “So your magic is running out, but if you returned to the obelisk, you’d be able to get it back. For a while, at least.”And be very, very strong for that short while.

She watched him carefully, searching his face. Her hands were fists in the fabric of her vest.

The Ysurans watched Ardanian mages very closely. Many had been taken, the same way weapons had been taken away from them. It was reasonable to assume that an unusually strong Ardanian mage would be considered a threat. At the very least, Neiryn might decide that he needed to stop her from gaining access to the obelisk again.

---