Page 7 of Shadow Wings

Reaching the castle gates, I halted and sat on a mound of grass directly outside them. I crossed my legs in my ankle-length, practical, brown skirt, smoothing my deep-blue aketon over the top. Assuming I’d need to wait here for a while, I sank my hands into the ground and sent my Phaetyn mojoout.

“They’ve been waiting for you in thecastle.”

I didn’t shriek. I’d smelled him coming. Why did he smell so good? Like leather, pine needles, and smoke. I gritted my teeth. “I’m not going into the castle.” Never again. I’d made a vow, and I would keep it, even if it killed me. “You, of all people, should know. If you want me involved in the talk, you’ll need to bring it outhere.”

Lord Tyrrik snorted. Always dressed from head to toe in tight-fitting, liquid black, the Drae looked rumpled this morning. Being a creature of the night, I doubted he appreciated the early start, and it showed in his dark disheveled hair and the slow blink of his eyes. “Would you like me to ask the king to come outside to talk toyou?”

I arched a brow. “That’s what Isaid.”

His lips curved into a smile as he dipped his head. “As you wish,Khosana. And . . . happybirthday.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved him away. He’d remembered my birthday? Not that forgetting was easy when said birthday ended with me growing wings and alerting the emperor to my existence. What did it mean that he’d remembered? I shook my head. ItmeantI should return to sending out mojo into the ground. I took my own stellar advice, humming in a deep voice to see if that helped clear my mind of hispresence.

“Ryn,” Dyter said tightly a few minutes later. He strode out of the castle gates toward me, the king trailing in his wake, with Tyrrik and the Phaetyn Prince not farbehind.

Dyter used that tone of voice with me whenever I burned the stew, and I knew he deplored my poor manners to the new sovereign of the kingdom. But Dyter had only a fleeting glance of the horror my life had been inside the castle, so I didn’t hold his irrational feelings against him. Beaming up at him, I said, “Goodmorning!”

The irritation on his face softened, but he came and whispered to me, “What you did wasdisrespectful.”

What Cal’s father and his crony-Druman, Jotun, did to me waswaymore disrespectful. I believed Irdelron’s son, Caltevyn, would be just what this kingdom needed. Regardless, I wasn’t about to re-enter the place that still haunted my nightmares. The palace was the setting for some of the worst experiences of my life; I’d meant it when I said I’d never go backinside.

“My lady,” the prince greeted me, bowing low. As he straightened, his eyeswidened.

“Hey, Kamoi.” I smiled at him, dusting off my skirt as Istood.

He stared at the ground around me, his mouthagape.

I glanced downward. Nothing had changed to my eyes, but I could feel that the ground was a lot happier than before, almost like I’d felt after eating Mum’s lavender honey-cakes. Could he feel it too? Or what did hesee?

Caltevyn, the king, reached for my hand, and I jerked it back. Dyter gasped and the others silenced, but Caltevyn merely surveyed me for a few seconds before dropping his hand and saying, “I understand you would prefer to conduct the discussion outdoors. I should’ve thought of it myself, dear Ryn. I’msorry.”

“Right,” I said, uncomfortable with his courtesy. I made some semblance of a curtsey to make up for snatching my hand away and scanned the others. “So?”

The king smiled. “So, I’m told all of you must make a journey to Zivost. Once the emperor knows my father is dead, and there is a stray Phaetyn about, his curiosity will bepiqued.”

“It’ll be more than piqued when he feels her existence tonight,” Tyrrik saiddarkly.

My mouth dried. “Why? He can feel your existence, and he isn’t chasing youdown.”

He cast me a look. “You are a femaleDrae.”

I grimaced at what he left unspoken. “Cool. Great . . . Awesome. That’s . . . that’sawesome.”

My legs folded as I returned to my spot on theground.

“You are also Drae?” the prince said, aghast. “How is thatpossible?”

Tyrrik opened his mouth but darted a look at me and pressed his lips together, notanswering.

The prince’s face firmed. “That is . . . unprecedented, but we must leave immediately. She’ll be safest with mypeople.”

The king turned to Dyter. “You must go with them, my friend, as myvoice.”

Dyter bowed low. “I know it is best, but I don’t like leaving you now. Be careful, Caltevyn. You’re still vulnerable toattack.”

Caltevyn smiled, but his kind blue eyes hardened. “I have Lord Tyrrik’s Druman. I am not without protection, and through them, Tyrrik will be able to tell if any are slaughtered. The Zivost Forest is only five days on horseback from here”—his gaze slid to the Drae—“lessas the Drae flies, Iimagine.”

The king turned to the Phaetyn prince. “Kamoi, the time is soon coming when our kingdoms must unite. I believe it will be the only way to defeat the greatevil.”

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