Shadow Wings (The Darkest Drae Book 2)(64)

“Which is why,” Kamini continued, “I’d like to ask you to put up the barrier again.”

“The gold one?” I asked, shaking my head. “I don’t know how to do that.”

Kamini shrugged. “You have ancestral powers.”

“And yet I still don’t know how,” I replied, arching a brow.

Kamoi took his sister’s hand. “All we ask is that you try. We can control the rock barrier around the forest, that offers some protection, but the other barrier protects us from the sky, from Drae. If you can put it back up, Kamini can do her best to keep the barrier there, as my mother did before her.”

Were they kidding? I grimaced and, shaking my head, asked, “You want to be bed-ridden your whole life, Kamini?”

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. “Once my older sister is found, I won’t need to be.”

No pressure, Ryn. I sighed heavily. “Al’right, I’ll give it a go, but I’m warning you that it probably won’t work.”

I walked back to the tree I’d been touching and rested my hands on its rough bark. Closing my eyes, I waited for the usual assault of images, but the only vision the trees provided was of the gold hovering above their tops. “Yes,” I muttered. “But how?”

Queen Luna stood at the outskirts of the forest, her palms on a tree. A golden hue spread upward, coating the Zivost with a shimmering glow.

“Great, that’s super helpful. Thanks,” I spoke to the tree. Looks like I was on my own.

I squeezed my eyes, reaching for my Phaetyn power. The vibrant energy answered my call and rushed to my fingertips where I directed the flow into the forest, willing the energy to reach high, to embrace the trees and people within its midst, to keep all enemies outside, and to shine gold like the barrier before it. I poured everything into my hands and then cracked an eye open.

“Have you done it yet?” Dyter asked.

I scowled at him. There was no iridescent golden cover over Zivost. From what I could tell, nothing had happened. “No. It didn’t work.” I turned to Kamini. “I’m sorry.”

She swallowed. “You tried. That’s all we asked for.”

A guard a few feet away yelped and tumbled back as the ground exploded beneath him. We stared at the giant tree root which had appeared above ground.

“How much energy did you put into the tree?” Kamoi whispered.

I turned and blinked at the trunk which was expanding before our eyes, the tree’s limbs shooting into the sky. “Umm. A bit?”

Kamini grinned. “I wonder how big it will get.”

I gazed uneasily at the tree, hoping it didn’t destroy the whole forest.

We watched for a full minute before it became apparent the tree wasn’t going to stop growing.

Stepping farther from the monstrous tree, Kamoi studied me a moment before speaking. “Ryn, I heard what you said, but I hope you’ll come back one day.”

Kamini’s gaze shifted from me and Kamoi to Dyter. “Send word when you go to battle. I’ll do what I can to aid you. I can’t promise all of our kind will help; I don’t know how the next weeks will go, but some of my kind are with you.”

Dyter grinned, his ropey scar twisting his face to appear maniacal in the moonlight.

“Our time is up,” Kamoi announced as the clang of metal sounded above the thundering growth of the tree behind us. He nodded to the guards behind him. “I’ll have my men lead those of the Phaetyn still loyal to my mother and father off. Good luck, Ryn.”

He bent over me, and I realized he was going to kiss me a moment too late. His lips touched mine, and I immediately pulled back.

A flash of hurt crossed his face.

He literally had no right to be hurt. I’d been completely upfront. Forcing a smile I definitely didn’t feel, I reminded him, “Friends.”

He recovered quickly, and with a wink, he said. “Now I remember.”

Yeah, sure.

Kamini waved me to her and wrapped her arms around me for a hug. “Be true to who you are. I hope our paths cross again soon.”

“Thanks,” I murmured a moment after she pulled away. “Thanks for everything.”

“I’ll see you at home,” Kamoi said to Kamini with a wink.

The two Phaetyn royals turned their backs to us and marched into the forest, Kamoi leading his guards toward the noise and Kamini going in the opposite direction. They disappeared into the darkness.



Dyter and I blew out a breath at the same time. We peered down at Lord Tyrrik, and I sighed, saying, “I hope you appreciate this when you wake up.”

Dyter chuckled beside me. “I’m sure he will. Come on now, let’s get him to safety.”

“Then sleep.”

“Then sleep,” he agreed. “I’m too old for this crap.”

“You got your alliance though. In the end.” I grabbed Tyrrik’s arm and hoisted him over my shoulders.

We crossed where the barrier had been, and as soon as we were off the path, the rocks thrust out of the ground and climbed into the sky.

Our conversation dwindled as we continued into the mountains, and I spotted a copse of scraggly trees in the distance, silver in the moonlight.

“Should we head over there?” I asked, pointing at the trees.