Shadow Wings (The Darkest Drae Book 2)(35)
I reached around my torso, and my hand brushed a feathered shaft . . . stuck in my body. In my body. Which would’ve been Tyrrik’s body if I hadn’t covered him. Mistress moons! That made me furious. Did they not know how much effort it took to save him?
I yanked the dart out and stared at the three inch needle. I could feel my skin knit back together. My simmering anger turned to rage in a heartbeat, and scales exploded up the sides of my neck. I had not gone through all that trouble to save Tyrrik only to have him killed here.
“Kamoi,” I said. Except a harsh growl came out instead, resounding through the clearing.
Someone screamed, and more erupted. Several Phaetyn darted out of the clearing and into the trees.
The gorgeous Phaetyn prince turned in his saddle, and I threw the dart at him. “You bloody well better not be intentionally betraying me, or I’ll personally make sure the Phaetyn are extinct.”
I breathed hard, trying not to Drae-out completely. That would be a bad thing, especially for Tyrrik.
Kamoi’s eyes widened, and his skin paled. “Leoleo, laina i luga,” he barked. “Taofi ia saogalemu, aemaise le fafine.”
A dozen male Phaetyn appeared, each with a spear in one hand and an expansive shield in the other. These men looked nothing like the civilians in the marketplace, obvious by their muscular bodies, their matching purple aketons, and the way they carried themselves. They wore fierce expressions, and their corded arms were sleeved in winding and intricate tattoos. They surrounded our party in a protective circle.
Kamoi faced me, his violet eyes glowing. “I’m so sorry, Kealani.”
15
The Phaetyn prince dropped back to ride beside me. After an uncomfortable moment, he continued his apology, “I hadn’t anticipated bringing Lord Tyrrik with us, so I had no time to prepare my people.”
I glared at him. “I wouldn’t think you’d have to prepare your people. He’s riding with us, so he should be safe. And what about your talking trees?”
“Of course. You’re right. I had notified our elders, however the forest is large and our people spread throughout it. Not everyone would have been alerted, and Drae are our natural enemy.”
Tyrrik wasn’t their enemy any more than I was. My gaze caught Dyter’s, and I read the caution in his eyes, so I bit my tongue instead of yelling at more Phaetyn and skimmed over the now gathering crowd, searching for any lurking threats.
The gathered Phaetyn crowd contained a mixture of wide eyes and gaping mouths as well as others who just plain ol’ glared at me, their jaws set into rigid lines as they took in my blue scales and what felt like my reptilian eyes. So much for them being a peaceful race. My body was reacting to the threat they posed.
I remained hunched over Tyrrik as I scanned the area.
That central tree didn’t seem to be getting any closer, and the serenity I’d felt when I first stepped into the forest was ebbing away. Taking a closer look, I noticed the crowd had divided into two distinct groups on either side of our escort. Those to my right didn’t seem angry at me, but rather at the rest of the Phaetyn. Those to my left were all young men and women, and judging by the glares aimed my way, they didn’t like me and Tyrrik one bit. I wasn’t so sure Kamoi’s twelve guards would hold them all off if they charged. I would go full Drae if they didn’t watch out.
“How much farther until we’re safe?”
“Not much farther,” Kamoi said with a frown. “Ryn, you are safe here.”
“Mm-hmm,” I replied, making sure to be just as helpful as he’d been.
The guards halted and faced outward, banging their spears and shields together with a loud clatter. I turned to look back, and a wave of energy rippled over me from the direction of the tree. I gasped, staggering with a deep and sudden sense of yearning.
I forgot about the guards, the faction of young Phaetyn, and almost Tyrrik as I slid from the horse to the ground. I released my hold on the Drae, watching for any signs of agony, but Tyrrik’s limp body remained draped over our horse. We’d moved into the central safe zone, apparently.
Giving into the new yearning with a sigh that I felt soul-deep, I moved toward the ginormous gnarled elm reaching into the sky, its branches extending out as wide as the limbs extended above us. The rough bark was warm beneath my palm, and I ran my fingertips over the trunk in a soft caress, my heart shuddering.
A sense of home washed over me. A deep feeling of belonging, a tenderness that reminded me of my mother, the love she’d had for me, deep enough that she would sacrifice her life, and this brought tears to my eyes. I dropped to my knees.
The feeling didn’t stop but expanded, and images flashed behind my closed eyelids. A beautiful Phaetyn woman, laughing as she ran through the forest, her lover chasing after. The two of them kissing in an obvious binding celebration. A crowd of Phaetyn cheering as she spoke to them. This was their queen with her mate? The images shifted, and shadows fell over the forest. Blind panic was etched on the faces of Phaetyn, young and old. The numbers of Phaetyn dwindled, and the queen addressed her people, resignation on her face. The queen kissed her mate, she and a few of her attendants leaving the forest. As she left, the queen pulled the rocks up into jagged teeth, the jaws surrounding Zivost in a protective barrier none could penetrate.
At one with the trees, I longed to reach out for her and was crippled by my loneliness when she didn’t return. The images receded, fading into shadows of gray before dissolving into a canvas of solid black. A whisper of curiosity brushed my mind, but when an image of Irdelron standing over me surfaced, I broke contact with the elm with a gasp.