Kamini snickered. “It’s my mother’s special brew.” She blushed and added, “I mean, Alani’s.”
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.”
Lani nodded, eyes focused on her small golden net above.
Bloody drak. Clearly, she’d had too much to drink too.
I ran forward, scanning the crowd, relieved to see Kamoi leading a group of his guard toward the Druman, their spears dripping with fresh blood.
The massive emerald Drae had disappeared, and I shouted at Lani to put the net up, hoping we could shield from further attack.
My stomach roiled as one of the Druman sliced through a Phaetyn guard. I roared in protest and rounded the table as blue scales crawled over my skin. I ran forward, and in a pulse of blue light, I shifted into my Drae form, tail lashing in fury.
I bellowed at the mutant bastards as I charged forward, stopping to whip in a circle to swing my spiked tail at a group of them charging me.
Several of the Druman growled and grunted, and two of the creatures flew through the air, their bodies broken and mangled. I turned back and roared again, slicing through one and then another with my talons. Black blood spilled to the ground, and I scooped up a mutilated torso, launching it back at the remaining monsters.
I glanced up at the skies, my heart in my throat as I saw the golden net wavering, still not even a quarter of the way across the forest. What was wrong with Lani? What was taking so long?
Another roar thundered from above, and the emerald Drae, my father, appeared above me. He spewed fire into the forest as he descended into the clearing.
11
Phaetyn’s screams filled the courtyard outside the Rose Castle as white-hot flames enveloped them, burning them alive. Those lucky enough to avoid the fire unscathed turned to flee.
The emerald Drae landed, the ground shaking with the force, and he towered over me.
My knees shook as I instinctively tried to sag and make myself smaller in some pitiful attempt to escape the emperor’s notice. How was he here? For all our plans to kill him, I hadn’t been prepared for this moment.
My daughter, he crowed.
His pride filled me until it was all I could fathom.
Draedyn was bigger than Tyrrik. My father’s scales were a deep emerald, but several areas of his body lacked the jeweled-like armor as if the pieces had been plucked or carved away. His eyes were a glowing green, the same color as his scales, but despite the vibrant color, there was no life within their depths.
You are magnificent, he said. I’ve been searching for you, and here you are, my most incredi
ble triumph.
Satisfaction thrummed through me. How I’d craved my father’s approval. I yearned to make him proud. To be a daughter he could trust.
I have longed for our meeting. Dreaming of the time we would be reunited. Whatever lies you have heard of me, I hope you will grant me the opportunity to prove my paternal love for you.
I could feel the honesty of his words, his sincerity. I thought of how, as a child, I’d wished for my father, and here he was. But if my wish had come true, why did it feel wrong? No, he just wanted a chance. Confusion swirled in my mind, and I wrestled to hold onto what I knew.
You must come with me to my castle and be the princess you were meant to be. Let Draeconia know of your greatness so they can worship you at my side.
I lifted a claw in his direction, the trickling of his excitement spreading to the tips of my talons and down my ridged spine.
I could feel how much he wanted this, and I wanted it too. This would fill the healing hole inside once and for all. This was the answer to my problems. Yes.
Before we go . . .
The emerald tendrils of his power pulsed against my mind, forcing my Drae powers to part and let him inside. Excitement turned to fear, and he clearly felt the shift within me. His presence flooded into me, shattering the natural Drae barrier encasing my mind, to take up residence, gripping my will in his own.
I couldn’t move. Why couldn’t I move? I still had my mind, but an oily emerald-green power, my father’s power, was disconnecting me from controlling myself.
Bring me the Phaetyn.
An image of Kamini, her silver hair up in an intricate updo, wearing her plain crown, filled my mind, and I struggled to control my body. No. Not Kamini.
I pivoted, unable to refuse my father’s bidding. My body walked toward the princess, under his complete control.
My mind screamed, but I stepped toward the table where Lani and Kamini were hidden. My insides twisted, splintering, and my heart broke as I batted the table away and exposed Lani, an unconscious Kamini, and a half-dozen other cowering Phaetyn.
I flicked Lani away with a talon, mentally begging her forgiveness for what I was about to do. And then I plucked Kamini up.
Ryn! Tyrrik screamed my name, and I regained partial use of my vocal chords, releasing a strangled noise. I tried to break from the emperor’s hold, but I couldn’t respond to my mate. The brief reprieve was over, my voice was gone, my control was void. The only piece of Ryn left was my awareness, but I had no way to enact my will. Even the choice to do nothing had been ripped from me, I couldn’t access my Drae powers at all.
Lani screamed, and Kamini was still in her faint in my claw. I turned back to my father, carrying my friend to him.
You are everything I’d hoped you be. And because of that, I have left you with your mind as reward for pleasing me, daughter. Remember, I could have taken that, too, but I chose to be merciful.
Disgust surged from within, but I crossed the clearing toward the green Drae.
I’m coming, Tyrrik called to me.
I could feel him drawing near, and a tear slipped down my cheek.
Tyrrik, I managed to get through, jerking when Draedyn tried to take possession of me again. I stumbled, and poor Kamini slipped through my talons to the bloodied ground.
Don’t let him take her, Tyrrik threw at me.
Draedyn lunged forward, his claw scooping up the dirt beneath Kamini as he grabbed her.
I bellowed in outrage, and the alpha’s hold on me lessened as Tyrrik’s proximity gave me strength. Hurry!
Lani leapt from behind the toppled table, and I shifted to block her, immediately grasping the emperor’s mistake. He thought Kamini was the queen because she wore the crown.
Kamoi ran out from within the trees, several other Phaetyn with him, screaming as he raised his spear on behalf of his cousin.
Draedyn didn’t even flinch. He extended on his hind legs and, with his talon’s extended, severed the heads of two guards. He snatched up Kamoi and two other Phaetyn in his claw, Kamini dangling from his other. With another bellow, the emperor glanced my way.
I rule through fear, daughter. Always fear. But I believe there will be love for us after the fear has passed.
With a snap that had white lights exploding across my vision, he released me. His oily powers slipped away and allowed my blue Drae tendrils to reconnect with my mind.
My body shifted, and I dropped to my knees and screamed as he took off into the twilight sky.
“Ryn,” Tyrrik said hoarsely, crouching beside me to wrap me in his strong embrace.
Phaetyn still cried. The acrid scent of burning flesh filled my nostrils, but the chaos blurred around me as I sobbed into his chest, my shoulders shaking. “He made me give Kamini over. I couldn’t control myself, Tyrrik,” I wailed. The pitch of my voice grew, my words slipping together. “I-I couldn’t stop.”
“Ryn,” he said firmly. He pushed me back, and caught my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.
My eyes widened, and I hovered on the edge of hysteria.
“I know what happened,” he said. “I felt it. It’s not your fault.”
I tore my gaze from his, staring back at the ground. Pieces of broken dishes mixed with the food they’d once held, bits of napkin, a broken wine glass, dark fluid I wanted to think was lemonade littered the courtyard . . . It’s my fault.
No, my love, Tyrrik said, his voice unrelenting in my mind. It wasn’t your fault. It was mine.
He picked me up, my body shaking, and as he sped us into the Rose Castle in a blur, the putrid scent of smoke lessened. Setting me in a pile on the ground, he said aloud, “I’m going to get the Phaetyn together and find Lani.”
Relief, shame, and fear found me with his words. The Phaetyn needed a leader right now, someone to show them what to do in the wake of Draedyn’s attack. As the bridge between the races, that should be me—ideally, by Lani’s side. For all I knew, she was out there trying to do the job while I cowered in here. And yet, even knowing Tyrrik was needed elsewhere, I didn’t want him to leave. I choked on the words, forcing them out. “Hurry back.”
At least I had that much self-control.
“I’ll be back soon.” Tyrrik stroked my hair softly before disappearing outside once more.
I stared at the hemp weave of the golden rug, curling into a ball. My braid fell forward over my shoulder, hitting me with the saturated stench of the bitter smoke from outside. I shoved my silver braid back with a trembling hand and sat up, hugging my knees to my chest.
What just happened? What had I done?
Draedyn attacked. Dropped his Druman and set the forest aflame and killed countless Phaetyn. How many I couldn’t possibly know. How much had been lost in the anarchy? I didn’t even want to guess.
A sob caught in my chest as I recalled the look on Lani’s face when I’d kicked back the table and taken Kamini in my grasp. The burning shame collected behind my eyes, and a tear spilled over the edge and slid down my cheek. Lani had just found her family, and now both Kamoi and Kamini were in Draedyn’s possession. My fault.
They could already be dead.
I handed her over.
I stared at the weave, unblinking, and picked at the fringe. I didn’t even bother to look up when Tyrrik re-entered the room.
“We’ve gathered everyone in the ballroom. The injured are already being healed,” Tyrrik said.
The injured. But what about the dead?
Someone else strode in after him but stopped at the threshold to the room.
A heavy weight sank in my stomach as I slowly lifted my gaze to Lani’s. Queen Luna’s crown dangling in her hand.
Fat tears hovered on the edge of her bottom eyelids. Her violet eyes were rimmed red from the smoke and crying. The rise and fall of her chest became increasingly rapid as she held my gaze.
I didn’t close my eyes to her pain but etched my mind with her shock and terror so that I would always remember. More tears fell from my eyes, and I cro
aked, “I’m sorry, Lani. I’m so—” My voice broke, and my body shook as guilt wracked my very soul. My fault.
And worse yet, I could feel Tyrrik’s heart breaking through our bond alongside mine.
“I couldn’t get the barrier up,” Lani said, staring at the crown in her hands. Her tears dripped to the floor, and she released a strangled sob.
Wait. She thought this was her fault? I struggled to my feet, and Tyrrik hurried over to help me. He slid his arm around my waist and remained at my side.
“Lani,” I said, shaking my head. “This isn’t your fault. You saw what I—” I swallowed hard. “You saw what I did.”
“But you know, Draedyn is Ryn’s father,” Tyrrik said darkly. “He was controlling her actions.”
Lani swallowed. The Phaetyn queen scrubbed her tears away and crossed to a cushioned futon, perching on the gilded edge. “I knew Ryn would never hand Kamini over of her own volition. But”—her gaze went from Tyrrik to me—“How was he able to do that?”
I tilted my head back to look up at my mate. I didn’t want to voice my guess out loud.
He avoided my gaze, and I frowned at the uncharacteristic gesture, recalling his comment about the attack being his fault.
“Draedyn is the alpha of our kind,” he answered. “This makes Drae susceptible to his will. But Ryn also shares a familial bond with him. Influencing her”—a low growl slipped through Tyrrik’s lengthening teeth as he fought to control his Drae—“controlling her will be easier because of this bond.”
“That would’ve been nice to know beforehand,” snapped Lani.
I blinked at her uncharacteristic outburst, but my mind replayed Tyrrik’s words.
The Phaetyn sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not helping.”
“No, you’re right,” I said, chest tightening again. “I-I knew he’d be able to impose his will. Tyrrik had told me. I just didn’t realize his control could overpower my own. I should have taken it more seriously.” But what could I have done against him, really? How could I possibly fight against such power?
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