Black Crown (Darkest Drae, #3)(24)

Double yuck. That’s why I didn’t like it. Clearly.

I grabbed Lani’s water glass and drained it in an attempt to get the funny taste out of my mouth.

Ryn? Tyrrik’s voice in my head startled me a moment later. Are you okay?

I gazed out over the throng of Phaetyn and smiled. Absolutely. Party Ryn is here.

Kamini stood and held her mostly empty glass up, tapping it repeatedly with her fork. “My dear Phaetyn,” she said, grinning. “We’ve come together tonight to celebrate the return of my elder sister, Lani, rightful heir to our throne.”

The entire congregation of Phaetyn erupted in shouts and cheers. I whistled, clapped, and bellowed with them, reveling in their triumph.

“If my mother, Queen Luna, were here, she would rejoice with us as Lani embraces her right and responsibility to rule and protect our forest and our people.” She leaned over and hefted the polished elm chest up onto the table. “Dearest Lani—”

An ear-splitting roar reverberated through Zivost forest. Shock blanketed the clearing in silence for a prolonged heartbeat that seemed to last an eternity. The confused gaze of the crowd fell back from the sky to Kamini, but the princess had frozen on the spot.

Panic seized my heart as I lifted my chin, dread forcing my eyes to the sky. The twilight was still streaked with the sun’s setting rays, but the sky was otherwise empty.

Please just be in my head. My mouth dried.

What? Tyrrik asked, and I got a glimpse of him jetting over the mountains.

It took only a moment to process that he was flying and not setting up camp for the night. He’d told me he’d soon be stopping, but the image of the mountain ranges told me he was not the one roaring above the Zivost.

Lani stood, gripping the edge of the table, her eyes wide, immobilized by the same terror I felt. She gasped for breath, her gaze darting around the clearing and into the sky.

“You have to put up the golden barrier,” I said, struggling to regain my wits. These people would be looking to us to guide them. “You have to put it up right now.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. The golden threads appeared around her body. The tendrils slowly stretched toward the sky.

Khosana!

I shook my head, dazed. Drak. Whatever was in that lemonade was potent, way more potent than Dyter’s honey ale. How many times have you yelled my name? I asked Tyrrik. I think I had too much to drink. I don’t feel right.

What’s going on, Ryn?

A deafening roar obliterated Tyrrik’s voice from my mind as effective as a bucket of cold water to the face.

Chaos exploded around me with hundreds of Phaetyn screaming, pushing, and shoving one another. I looked at Lani and then back into the sky, but the golden net meant to protect the Phaetyn was not even a tenth of the way over Zivost.

The heavy beating of wings pounded high above. Another deafening roar blasted through the clearing. My jaw dropped, my chest tightening as I stared at the massive emerald Drae circling over the forest. Horror rooted me in place as he opened the talons of his foreclaw and dropped a dozen Druman.

They fell through the air and landed one after the other in the courtyard.

Through the lingering effects of the brew, I understood this was no longer a matter of protection by simply putting up a shield. We had to defend the forest and the queen.

“Kamini,” I slurred. “Get Lani to safety. Kamoi mobilize your warriors. Remember, the Druman will die easier if you infect them with Phaetyn blood first.” I glanced around. “Kamoi?”

He was already calling the guards to him. Right, he didn’t need me to tell him how to do his job.

Ryn! Tyrrik sounded on the verge of hysteria.

Not now. I needed all my strength and focus to deal with the Druman. And I sincerely hoped Lani’s shield would be enough to deal with the emperor because I could feel the overwhelming menace of his power, and I wasn’t sure I stood a chance against that.

I grabbed a knife off the table and then a second, pushing down the clawing fear inside my chest. These Druman were like the others we’d fought in the mountains, barely more than animals with matted hair and filthy clothes. Their stench wafted on the breeze, and my heart begged me to flee. Even though I wanted to, I wouldn’t. I could do this. I’d done it before, more than once, and while I still had fear, there was nothing paralyzing me from dealing with these monsters.

Ryn! Tyrrik yelled through our bond again. He was pumping his wings as fast as he could, the darkening sky blurring as he sped toward me. He would feel my fear, and there was nothing I could do about it. My mind was too fuzzy from the lemonade for me to focus enough to block him. With everything else going on around me, I probably wouldn’t be able to do that and fight the Druman.

I could feel Lani next to me, and I turned to yell at the two sisters, but Kamini had dropped to the ground, her head lolling to the side. Lani remained rooted, her eyes closed as she tried to push the net over Zivost.

“This can’t be happening now,” I muttered under my breath. Not when we were so close. I grabbed Lani’s wrist to get her attention. I raised my voice and shouted over the horrible melee, “You’ve got to get out of here.”

The Phaetyn queen startled, and her gaze locked on mine. “What’s happening?”

I shook my head and pointed at Kamini. “Watch Kamini. She’s fainted. No matter what happens, stay here until Tyrrik comes. Do you hear me? Even if I have to fight.”