The Isles of Korrys (The Kingdom of Dragons Book 6)

VI - The Choice

Between the sword fighting and archery, Rhenor was trying to teach him—though to Kaz's embarrassment, archery was still very much not his strong suit, and it was a miracle he hadn't accidentally shot Rhen yet—he snuck occasional glances at Elaya. Kaz didn't want to disturb her or her training, but she was alone with a powerful druid who had tried to kill them twice earlier, so Kaz was staying cautious. He couldn't help but get involved, though, when he heard her raise her voice suddenly.

Kaz hadn't picked up on what she'd said because she was too far away, but seeing her go so still as she continued talking to the druid immediately let Kaz know something was wrong. Elaya was hardly ever this motionless and stiff.

"Is something wrong?" Rhen asked, having clearly noticed that Kaz's attention was somewhere else.

"I'm not sure," Kaz replied truthfully. He could tell something was going on, but he wasn't sure what was happening. The druid hadn't moved at all, which was good because it didn't seem like he would hurt Elaya, but then what had he said that had upset her so?

Kaz wasn't sure if joining the conversation would be appropriate. It might be none of his business, and his presence might just make things worse. But what if this was something he should get involved in?

He huffed when he saw Elaya shake her head and turn away from the druid, feeling equally as drawn to run after her and stay here. It was maddening.

He almost flinched when he felt Rhenor grasp his shoulder, but he immediately relaxed. Physical contact with people he liked always seemed to help.

"Come on, let's see what's going on," Rhen suggested, gently pulling Kaz with him toward the druid and Elaya. Kaz let himself be led, trying not to chew at his lip. He hoped this wasn't anything too serious that would stop Elaya from learning how to use magic. He had watched her summon waves, and even from the distance she seemed excited by it. Kaz could sense that she was powerful, she just needed to learn how to control that power, and he also knew that she wanted to help her people, which magic could do, but not if no one taught her how to use it.

The druid gave them a completely neutral glance when they got close enough to get his attention, and yet despite the lack of emotion in it, Kaz could feel the druid judging him. Maybe he was just imagining things, but the druid had already expressed his distaste towards him either way.

Kaz did his best to ignore him and instead focused on Elaya, who was now looking at him and Rhen. There was an angry scowl on her face, but Kaz could tell it was not meant for either of them. It was a little intimidating though—Elaya didn't get this angry often.

"What happened?" Kaz asked, his eyes flicking nervously from Elaya to the druid and back. If she wasn't angry at either of them, then it was clear that the druid was the culprit, but he wasn't sure what he'd done. It had to be serious if Elaya was furious over it.

"He told me the druids will teach me only if I go to some other dimension with him only they can go to."

Kaz's interest was immediately piqued by the words other dimension, but he pushed all the questions he had about it aside to focus on the problem at hand. He wasn't sure why Elaya was so cross with the druid about it, but it certainly sounded intimidating, so he could understand it being a problem. "I'm sure it isn't dangerous. They wouldn't want to bring you there if it was, right?"

Elaya blinked and stared at him for a moment before folding her arms over her chest and sighing. Her stance should have looked irritated, but it came off as tired instead. It almost made her look like she was hugging herself.

"That isn't why I'm upset, Kaz," she said, shaking her head. "It means that we can't go there together."

Kaz let out a soft oh as the dots connected for him, and he grimaced. Right, that wasn't something he'd been wishing to happen. They'd only been reunited a few days ago. It had been a few very long days, given everything that had happened, but it had been an incredibly short amount of time when he thought about it.