“Well, something must be done,” Cyprian said firmly.
“Somethingisbeing done,” I gently affirmed. “The mages are working on that locating device and then we will hunt the thief and heal Danu.”
“What is it with these Danutians stealing asha?” Cyprian grumbled. “They have so much power already. Why do they need to take more?”
“We think it was an accident.” I shrugged. “The thief likely came across the mantle and touched it, not realizing what that would do. It's beautiful, if it hadn't been full of black streamers, I may have been tempted to touch it myself.”
“They just came across it by accident?” Cyprian asked dubiously. “You said that you had to dig several feet in an already sunken cave to reach the mantle. What could a Danutian possibly be doing that would necessitate that sort of digging? No, they had to be looking for it.”
“Hold on.” I lifted a hand. “That's a very good question.”
“Which one?” Cyprian frowned.
“What could they have been doing that would have led them to the mantle?” I repeated it. “I don't think they went looking for it. Which means they must have a job that involves digging—digging deep.”
“Are their miners in Danu?” Malik asked.
“I don't know, but I need to find out.” I handed Malik back the lodestone. “I'm so sorry but I have to go.”
“It's all right.” Cyprian sighed dramatically. “At least I got a few kisses in.”
“That was more than a kiss,” I whispered in his ear before I bit his earlobe.
Cyprian drew in an aroused breath and slid his cat eyes my way.
“But I do need to go,” I asserted before he leapt at me. “Thank you for breakfast and the lead.”
“I aim to please.” Cyprian grinned devilishly.
“And you always hit your mark, darling.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I twisted back to my bedroom in Danu and immediately went to find Everan. He was in his living room, looking over a ledger with a cup of coffee in his hand. He put it aside when he saw me.
“Good morning, Shalani,” Everan said as he stood. “I wasn't expecting you back so soon.”
“I was speaking with our kishanos and Cyprian mentioned something that we need to talk about.”
“What is it?”
“He asked what a Danutian—”
The cry of a bird cut me off. It was loud and strident. Everan and I turned toward the balcony to find a visitor perched on the railing, her talons scraping the stone. She was massive and multicolored, with a tail of trailing, ribbon-like feathers and leathery wings that would have been better suited to a dragon. But she wasn't a dragon or even a bird, though she did resemble one. Adhara was a goddess. The Goddess of the Sky.
“Adhara!” I rushed out to the balcony. “You have amazing timing! We need to—”
“We have to go, little goddess!” She cut me off again and stepped down onto the balcony. “Get on my back.”
“What? Why?”
“The Air Kingdom needs you. Tell your husband to twist to Prinne.”
“Prinne?” I asked.
“That's the capital city of the West,” Everan said. “What's happening in Prinne?”
“I don't know. She wants you to twist there.”
