Page 81 of Shadow Wings

We passed over the range and left the Druman behind us. I redoubled my efforts, scanning the ground. Despite Tyrrik’s reassurances, I felt his focus on the skies had alsoincreased.

The next grouping of luscious green emerged two hourslater.

Do you think they’re just random patches?I asked. Maybe we were getting way too excited over patches ofgreen.

He hadn’t spoken in a while, and by now I could feel him straining to keep going through thebond.

No. This Phaetyn is careful, just as your mother was when distributing yourgift.

That was a nice way to say she’d sprinkled people’s gardens with my bathwater.

Or your chamber pot, he added.But there is a Phaetyn downthere.

I had to agree with him. From up here, the contrast of the otherwise barren land to the pockets of water was blatant.How long did you know there was a Phaetyn inVerald?

How old were you when you came toVerald?

Just a baby, Ithink.

Then eighteen years,hesaid.

You knew the entire time there was a Phaetyn and never told theking?

I didn’t have to. The presence of a Phaetyn posed no threat to his life or his rule. I wasn’t compelled to tell him through the BloodOath.

My mother had eighteen years of peace because Tyrrik wasn’t the monster everyone, myself included, had assumed.Thankyou.

No one is more grateful than I that I never had to divulge information regarding yourpresence.

Things would be a lot different if I’d been Irdelron’s prisoner as a baby. I never would’ve survived. My gaze slid to Tyrrik, and he shivered. I focused on him, eyes narrowed, and caught the words,had to wait eighteenyears.

Wait eighteen years for what?Iasked.

He jerked so hard, Dyter almost flew from his grip. In my old life, I’d never imagined seeing a sheepish Drae, but Tyrrik fit that description right now, confirming my suspicions his thoughts had turned back to dancing potentialmaypoles.

As the next two hours whittled by, the green patches sprung up in clusters more frequently. Not overly, but instead of every thirty to forty minutes of flight time, the lush vegetation appeared every twenty or so. Was that a sign the Phaetyn was in the area below? Or was Kamini’s elder sibling purposely misleadingus?

Movement below put me on alert.More Druman, I said, already pushing up into the cloudline.

Tyrrik followed, muchslower.

The scouting party was gathered around a cluster of the green growth again, and there were eight of them this time.That can’t becoincidence.

The Drae took his time answering.Two scouting parties around the green patches is suspicious, he admitted.But if they are hunting for her, they are spread out over a huge area. They have no more idea where she is than wedo.

But what if they get to herfirst?

He sighed mentally, and I heard his weariness and frustration.If I was stronger, we could search for her right now. But I can’t risk an encounter with Druman. I wouldn’t be able to protectyou.

Not being able to protect me bothered him way more than it should. But I could feel his strain. Moreover, he was right; two scouting parties over hundreds of miles wasn’t enough to get my skirt in a twist.Al’right. We have time. Let’s go to Gemond, and then we can go out from there and search, once you’rebetter.

He glanced back.Thank you, Princess. I’m sorry . . . I’mweakened.

I’d never heard a stupider apology in my life, and I told him so. His lack of response was real confirmation of hisfatigue.

I’ll need to rest soon,Tyrriksaid.

Only thirty minutes or so had passed since our previous conversation. He sounded exhausted in my head, and I blew out through my nostrils. This was taking much longer than I’d anticipated.Okay, for howlong?

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