Page 62 of Elemental Affections

On a whim, Dae reached out with her magic, acquainting herself with the makeup of Rhell. A light rain had accompanied much of the trip, making it easy for Dae to lean on the moisture all around them rather than expend her own energy. Water swirled around her fingers readily enough, yet there was something dull about it, heavier than how it felt to use magic at school.

As she let the water fall away, Dae had a glimpse of how battling such corruption could drain a person. Why Ezzyn felt he could finally rest in Sylveren’s embrace after carrying the exhaustion of fighting at home for so long.

And yet, Rhell endured. Despite the poison’s seeming invulnerability, its targeted nature on Rhell. How it had remained long after the war, when the bulk of the Alliance territories’ attention had moved on. The last, tiny kingdom this side of the Great Sea fought on.

It took the better part of two weeks to port the students and their supplies for the research trip from the university through Gyo Pass and across Rhell to Den’olm. By the time they arrived, Dae was glad to be rid of a saddle for a fortnight. She was helping Zhenya store crates of their instruments in a tent at the edge of the work zone when she saw Ezzyn.

He came in with a group of other mages, all dirty from experiments in the field. His tired eyes settled on her, a faint smile appearing on his face. Dae lifted her hand in a small wave. He returned it but didn’t come over, instead going to meet with the gathered professors.

“Anadae Helm?”

She turned to find a Rhellian man several years older than her offering his hand. “Garethe.”

She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He was perhaps the least traditionally Rhellian man she’d ever met. Still blond, but more ashen in color than Ezzyn, hair long enough to be secured in a messy bun at the back of his head. There was a sallow tinge to his skin, pronounced lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Lines that deepened when he smiled, yet he had a sense of vigor that lent back some youth. Softened the piercing quality of his blue eyes beneath a noble brow, so similar to Ezzyn.

“Garethe—oh! Goddess break. You’reGarethe.”Dae’s hands made erratic movements in the air, caught between going to her mouth or some other gesture her brain didn’t finish. “Highness.”

He shuddered. “Garethe, please, and you’re Ezzyn’s research assistant. He doesn’t have you stand on ceremony, does he?”

“No, nothing like that.” Dae settled on clasping her hands behind her back.

“Thank the gods for small favors.” Garethe shook his head. “I’ve read your reports. Excellent work. We’ve already made improvements to our countermeasures here based on the results. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do here.”

“Thank you, but Ezzyn’s done the hard work,” Dae said. She glanced around, but Zhenya had gone off to sort through another tent.

Garethe scoffed, pointing at her. “Don’t downplay your part. I’ve lived with him. Filtering through his chaos isn’t easy.”

She ducked her head to hide her smile.

“I’ve got to go listen in on where they’re assigning you all, but don’t let Ez get carried away, eh?” His tone was light, but there was something serious, knowing and troubled, in his gaze. “Damn fool will work himself bloody. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”

“I doubt it,” Dae muttered as Garethe walked away.

She watched him join Ezzyn, the pleased thrill she’d felt at his compliment losing air when confronted with his warning. In six weeks, Ezzyn had managed only spare responses to her regular updates. Dae had hoped that being present with him would change things, but now doubt crept in.

Assignments and schedules were doled out. Despite her proposal dealing with water, due to her work with Ezzyn, she would continue her research under his advisement, with one of the Rhellian water mages available for consultation. In addition to her studies, she would also carry out her assistantship duties, since her proposal was built around integration with Ezzyn’s experiments.

Once set loose from the meeting with the university faculty, Dae went to the field tent Ezzyn kept as an office. Trepidation fluttered in her belly, though she tried to ignore it. They’d been working together for months. He’d always been a consummate professional. She’d managed to not implode after the masquerade debacle, or when they’d decided to pursue their arrangement. No reason to feel awkward now.

“Are these all of the samples from the lab?” he asked when she came in. He stood at the back of the tent, the contents of a crate brought from the university spread out on the table.

Dae joined him, checking the packing sheet. “For phase two of the slow-release trial, yes. The first phase and alternates from the grovetenders are in a different crate. Should I get them?”

“No, this is fine. I have the latest results here you’ll need to log and familiarize yourself with for your research.” Ezzyn waved in the general direction of his desk.

All business, as if nothing had changed, no time passed. It made sense, adhering to their rules.

Still, Dae paused, her arm brushing against him. “Are you…” She didn’t know how to finish the thought. Simply looked at him and murmured, “Ez.”

“Later.” The word came out softly. His eyes pressed closed, chest rising with an inhale. He sighed, eyes opening once more as he cleared his throat. “We’ll need to have you do some test runs to get a feel for how the ground is affected here before you launch your full work.”

Dae nodded, crossing over to his desk and skimming the paperwork piled on its surface. “I should have this done by tonight, and I’ll have a rough draft schedule for you and Professor Kuri tomorrow.”

Grabbing a pen and official record book, Dae settled down to work.

They were in the field until late, well past dusk. The evening meal was a quiet affair, the Sylveren contingent spent after their journey and the Den’olm mages weary from months of holding the town together with their hands.

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