Shadow Wings (The Darkest Drae Book 2)(47)
“If you place your hands on the branches, you will see further back. The thicker the branch and the closer to the trunk, the older the memories will be. The trunk holds the truth of the person’s life as well as those events that shaped it.”
I reached forward, placing my palms on the branches, letting the needles scratch at my skin with their blurry and distinct visions. Keeping my eyes closed, I let the truth from the tree sink into my mind. A toddler, no more than three, giggled as he ran through the woods, an adult Phaetyn male chasing after him. Their features declared them relatives, most especially the wide smiles that stretched across their faces as they burst into a meadow. A flash of black rolled over the pair, and a moment later a black Drae landed in the clearing, the air around it shimmering.
I pulled my hands away before Tyrrik materialized in his human form.
Kamini’s eyes gleamed as she studied me. “The trees know who's important to you, who you have connections to, and what you should see. You could sit here all day and sift through their memories, but usually what they show you when you first touch them will be their answers, or the truths pertinent to you.”
“Can all Phaetyn read the trees?”
“All Phaetyn have their own tree, usually near where they were born. The trees can share . . . we’ll call them memories, right?” When I nodded, she continued, “But most Phaetyn can only see from their tree.” Kamini tossed her braid back over her shoulder. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders looking more like an adult than child. So creepy. “But you're asking the wrong question. What you want to know is whether you can see all truths, not just those pertaining to you. Only the queen with the ancestral power can see the truth of all past and current events from any tree.”
I wondered if she was supposed to disclose that. Did she already know I had Queen Luna’s power? Or was Kamini guessing? She was the first to actually teach me anything, so even not knowing her motivation, I asked, “Can you teach me about the ancestral power?”
She shook her head. “I taught you all I know. My mother said she’ll teach me more when I am older.” She paused and then blurted, “Are you going to bind yourself to Kamoi? Is that true . . . ?”
“W-what?” I stammered, completely taken off guard by the shift in subject.
“Is it true you'll become his mate?”
I sucked in my breath. “What the . . . Absolutely not!”
I blushed as I remembered we were speaking of her brother. I rushed to mitigate my appalling manners. “I mean Kamoi is the full harvest, for sure . . . Uh, I mean he’s nice, and I’m sure every girl in Phaetynville probably wants to mate with him or bind with him. And sure, maybe he’s as amazing with everything else as he is good looking, but . . . Anyway, no.” Shaking my head, I added, “A solid no. I’m not going to bind myself to Kamoi.”
The young Phaetyn girl’s face drained of color, and her eyes widened. “You’re not in love with him?”
My face burned like it was on fire, and I shook my head. “I don’t know him. To bind myself to him would be completely shallow.” And he’s prettier than me.
Without another word, Kamini ran away from me, disappearing into the woods.
“Well . . . okay. Bye.” I stood there and attempted to process my bizarre morning thus far. I felt like a fool, especially after being so adamant with Dyter that I wasn’t an idiot. And then here I was, a total idiot. Kamoi was telling people we were going to, like, dance the maypole together? Shouldn’t he have asked me first? If Kamini was seven, I might’ve excused her comment, but the girl was thirty. My humiliation turned to anger as I grasped Kamoi’s plan. I was not going to bind myself to him to solve their political and societal woes. I couldn’t fault him for wanting an easy answer, but I didn’t like feeling like a tool.
My musing was interrupted by the rustling of branches. The surprise combined with the spike in fear, as well as my simmering anger, caused my Drae to burst forth. Scales again erupted above my heart and down my arms. My hands shifted so that my fingers became talons. I turned toward the noise to see three Phaetyn emerging from the brush. They stopped as soon as they saw me. The youngest, who appeared to be twelve, which probably meant he was fifty, gasped.
“We mean you no harm,” the eldest man said, dropping his spear and raising his arms in surrender. “We only want the opportunity to speak with you.”
“Really?” Everyone I’d met in Phaetynville seemed to have an agenda involving me. “If it involves binding with Kamoi, the answer is no.” My aggravation spiked, and I narrowed my eyes, noticing the colors sharpen as they shifted, and the rest of my retort was lost in a low growl.
The other Phaetyn dropped their weapons and held up their hands. “We pledge our oath on Luna’s Elm that we mean you no harm,” the man said, and the boy and big Phaetyn nodded. A slow smile spread across his face as he studied me. “Even if we did, I doubt we could. Please, we just want to talk.”
I closed my eyes and took slow deep breaths, allowing my Drae to settle and recede. When I opened my eyes, the three Phaetyn surrounded me, but the boy and husky Phaetyn held their weapons at the ready facing outward toward the forest—protecting me.
“Please, come with us. Soon, Harlan will return.”
I followed the three Phaetyn deeper into the forest until we came to a small clearing with several lean-tos, much like the ones found in Gemond. If the Phaetyn were about to eat me, I’d be really, really mad. We stopped outside one of the make-shift shelters, and one by one, we ducked inside. The eldest indicated a chair and invited me to sit around a small table.