Page 8 of Sun Elves of Ardani

She gave him a weak smile. They both knew that whatever the Ysurans wanted, they were going to get.

Chapter 2

Kadaki was painfully aware of Neiryn’s presence as they walked down the path and through the sprawling house. She forced herself not to look at him, but a small part of her mind had decided, without her permission, to devote itself to tracking his every move from the corner of her eye—every time he leaned in to speak to one of the others, every time his smooth gait slowed or quickened, every time he moved a hand to brush a lock of hair out of his face or straighten his clothing.

He’d cut his hair. It had been past his shoulders last time she’d seen him, and now it was level with his ears and swept backward. She wanted to ask him why he’d changed it. She wanted to ask him so many things. Where had he been for the past five years? Why had he gone back to Ysura?

And she wanted to get close enough to him to smell him again. When he’d embraced her, he’d smelled like summer flowers and smoke.

“You live in this house with Lord Roshan, Lady Kadaki?” Rhian asked.

“Yes,” Kadaki said. “We’re husband and wife.”

At that, Neiryn jerked. He looked at Roshan, then looked back at Kadaki, frowning.

Kadaki glared back at him. Was he so arrogant that he’d thought she would pine after him for months, years, after he’d left? Just because they’d been friendly once, for a while?

Maybe she had, but he didn’t need to know that.

Safana, their housekeeper, was sweeping the floor beneath the table when the five of them walked into the dining room. She gave the Ysurans a surprised glance, then hurriedly scooped up her things and vacated the room without a word. Kadaki was not surprised. Safana was a sun elf, but she’d been born in Ardani. Ysurans tended to have unfavorable opinions of sun elf emigrants.

Rhian waited until they were all seated around the table before she spoke. The lines around her mouth were severe and serious even when she smiled. All three of the elves shared the same cold smiles and hard, predatory eyes.

“We have traveled a long way and done much research in the interests of this mission,” Rhian said. “I’m happy to have finally found the end point.”

“I must admit, I’m not sure what use we could be to you,” Roshan said. “But we’re happy to be of service in any way we can, of course.”

Rhian smiled an icy, mocking smile. “I’m surprised to hear that. This is my first visit to Ardani, but thus far I get the impression most Ardanians don’t like us.”

“Most of us are just eager to put the war behind us,” Roshan replied. “I’m sure you feel the same.”

“Ah, but for us, the real work has just started,” Rhian said, and Kadaki felt a chill. “I’ll get to the point. As my second told you, our surveys have indicated there is a previously undiscovered axis in this area. We require access to it.”

“In this area? On our land, you mean?” Roshan asked warily.

She smiled, condescension thick. “The land on which you are living, yes.”

“What kind of access do you require, exactly?”

“Unlimited.”

“And how long will you be needing this access?”

“Indefinitely.”

Roshan’s eyebrows twitched upward in understated surprise. “I see.”

“I assume you’re aware of the terms of the treaty. It allows us to appropriate land containing certain resources anywhere in western Ardani.” Rhian motioned to Eliyr, who produced a bound stack of papers from the bag at his side and handed them over. Rhian pushed them across the table toward Roshan, who looked at them with mild distaste. “Section A, item six is the relevant passage. You’re welcome to read it, if you haven’t yet. Youdoread, don’t you? If not, I can read it aloud.”

Roshan ignored that last comment but made no move to take the stack of papers. Kadaki took it and angrily flipped through to item six, though she’d already read the treaty in its entirety.

“This is… quite a lot to ask of us,” Roshan said.

Neiryn leaned forward. “You misunderstand. We’re not asking.”

“They’re kicking us out,” Kadaki said, her gaze on Neiryn. His eyes darted toward her. “And if we don’t leave our home peacefully, they’ll remove us by force. That’s what they meant to say.”

“I’m glad we understand each other,” Neiryn said.

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