Children Of The Sky (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 2)

Chapter 53

The door nearly swung off its hinges when Dria slammed it coming into the house. For once, Craventi's reprimanding look garnered no response within her as she stalked inside and glowered at him, then at the floor, then rubbed her eyes and sank into the chair at the table.

"Do I dare ask?" Craventi said with a cautious tone. "And where's Chad? He usually comes home with you."

"I don't bloody know," Dria bit out, knotting her fingers in her hair and squeezing her eyes shut tightly as Craventi came away from the sink and took a seat across from her, drying his hands on a rag.

"What happened?" he asked. "You're worrying me."

Dropping her hands to the table, Dria laughed and leaned back in her chair, tipping two legs off the ground. "My magic. The instructor of Avani's bloody class caught me mimicking someone accidentally. Said they had some unique form of earth magic or something, and it's brutally hard for even a soul mage to learn." Rubbing her eyes, she let the chair thump back down on all four legs. "They cornered me, Craventi. The headmaster got involved. They know my magic is connected to Rhamarr."

"Dreail, I was afraid that'd happen." Craventi sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did they say?"

Dria laughed bitterly. "Beyond calling me a bloodthirsty heathen under their breaths, nothing. They sent me home and said they'd discuss it."

Craventi worked his jaw, eyes betraying his frustration. "I wish it surprised me," he said. "But they treated my wife much the same. My people and yours have long been at odds. I'm sorry it came to a head at your expense."

Wilting in her chair, Dria rubbed her face. "Me too."

Chad came home within the hour, expression stormy and dejected. Neither Dria nor Craventi attempted to speak to him before he went in the other room and dropped his things there. When he came out, his hair stuck up in odd places as if he'd run his fingers through it, and he put his face in his hands when he joined Dria at the table.

"I tried talking to the headmaster after I heard what happened," he said, peeking at her through his fingers. "No luck. They sent me home."

"I could've told you they'd do that," Craventi remarked from the stove where he was putting dinner together. It'd gotten dark despite the earlier hour; winter was nearly upon them. "They aren't fond of rebels and differences. You've both challenged them far beyond their comfort zone."

Dria snorted, and Chad groaned as he dropped his head and thumped it against the table once. "Is there anything you can say?" he asked. "Your word seemed to hold some weight when the shifter's stones was stolen and used on Dria."

Craventi chuckled darkly and glanced over his shoulder. "No, I'm afraid it'd only make it worse if I got involved. They're not at all fond of me there, and they haven't been for a very long while. Old wounds on both sides never healed well enough not to leave a scar or two."

"Gods," Chad said under his breath, meeting Dria's eyes. His hair made him look like a baby bird, ruffled and flustered. "What do you think will happen?"

Craventi glanced at her as he dumped chopped carrots in the pot he'd set on the stove. She looked from him to Chad, then blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair with a resigned shrug. "I guess we'll find out."

***

The letter came early the next morning. The messenger's knock woke Chad up, startling him from a light sleep. Dria and Craventi were already up.

The messenger looked less than enthusiastic about being there, but at least he was polite. Tipping his hat after he'd handed Craventi the envelope, the boy trotted down the stairs and walked away.