Page 53 of Sun Elves of Ardani

“It’s all right, Kadaki. What you do in private is no one else’s business. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

She looked at him warily. “You’re really not angry?”

“Of course not. I’m glad for you, honestly. I was wondering if you would ever get involved with someone.”

She scoffed. “We’re not involved. Not at all.”

He arched an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

She sighed heavily, suddenly feeling out of breath. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter 15

Halfway into the morning, as they all gathered outside to reexamine the sinkhole and discuss plans for the next descent, a visitor from town arrived.

It was Gregoris. As he approached, Kadaki automatically looked down at his arm to check his burn. It seemed to be healing well.

He gave Rhian’s soldiers a wide berth, shooting them careful looks as he came straight toward Roshan. Kadaki watched him curiously. They didn’t get visitors from town often. His hair and shoulders were wet, though the sky was clear.

“We need help,” he said breathlessly, with no preamble. “Refka needs help. From the lady mage. Please.”

His voice was not loud, but there was enough panic in his tone that everyone nearby stopped what they were doing to listen. He’d directed the statement at Roshan, but Kadaki answered anyway.

“What’s happened?”

Gregoris finally turned to her, nodding to her deferentially even as he paled. “I’m not sure. Evil magic. A curse from a demon, maybe.”

Rhian stepped forward. “I highly doubt that. But whatever the problem is, the Ysuran army is here to assist you with it.”

He gave Rhian a nervous look. Kadaki raised an eyebrow at her. She doubted Rhian actually wanted to help anyone. It was probably only the fact that Gregoris had avoided her that made her want to insert herself. That, and there was some kind of magic involved, and magic seemed to be Rhian’s primary interest.

“What has happened, exactly?” Kadaki repeated.

The man shook his head. “I don’t know how to describe it. The entire town has gone wrong. The weather’s turned. It’s… unnatural.”

Neiryn tilted his head. The sun-repelling clay on his face was painted in horizontal stripes that day. “The weather’s changed, you say? How fascinating. Who ever heard of such a thing? It must be magic, this weather. There’s no other explanation.”

Kadaki resisted the urge to tell him to shut up. “Are people hurt?”

Gregoris nodded gravely. “A few.”

The people in town wouldn’t have come to her for help unless they really needed it. Something must have been really wrong. “It could be another anomaly,” she said, turning to Eliyr, who had been murmuring something to Rhian.

“I had the same thought,” Eliyr said.

“Lady Kadaki, you and Eliyr have my permission to investigate,” Rhian said, as if it had been her idea. Kadaki tried not to roll her eyes. “Sair Neiryn and I will accompany you.”

A small group of Rhian’s soldiers joined them. Roshan remained behind to continue overseeing the work at the dig site, so Kadaki was surrounded by sun elves. She couldn’t tell whether they’d encircled her on purpose, or if it had just happened naturally as they’d walked. The way they towered over her could only fairly be blamed on genetics, but that somehow seemed intentional, too.

When they got to the road and Refka became visible on the horizon, they saw the clouds—a thick, foreboding, gray swirl above the town. The rest of the sky remained a pleasant summer blue.

Kadaki sidled closer to Neiryn. “Does that look like a normal weather pattern to you?” she said under her breath. “Just curious, since you’re such an expert on weather, sair.”

He only glanced down at her knowingly, his lips turning up in a handsome smirk that made her stomach feel fluttery.

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