I sighed and paced the room, my blue scales climbing up my neck. The breathing wasn’t working. I paced a moment longer, but when my talons began to push from between my fingers, I sat down by Tyrrik and pushed the back of my hand on his bare chest and tried to match my breathing to his.
Dyter must’ve washed him again, this time more thoroughly. Tyrrik wore new trousers, tied at his waist. Something about them bothered me, and figuring out just what took a moment. The trousers weren’t black; they were green. Ha! I’d never seen Tyrrik in anything but black clothing.
“Looks like your day was about as good as mine,” Dyter said. The contents of his pack were strewn everywhere. He held up the leather case and wrapped it in an aketon before shoving it back in the bag. He continued re-packing.
I didn’t want to talk about my day yet. This room wasn’t big enough for a Drae transformation. “The queen doesn’t want to form an alliance?”
Dyter sighed. “No, they most definitely don’t. I can’t think of any other angle to push from either. I pulled out all the stops today. The queen wasn’t interested, and then she fell into weariness again.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, her weariness is awfully convenient.”
Dyter tugged on his ear, a gentle reminder of potential listeners, and I closed my eyes. I was still in touch with my Drae senses, and after only a moment, I was able to block out Dyter and Tyrrik’s breathing and focus outside the doorway.
“We’re clear,” I said.
I watched the old man pack his bag again and tuck the worn bag under the foot of his bed.
He looked at me expectantly.
I’d regained enough control, so I filled him in on my day.
Dyter sat completely still after my recount. He scratched at his stubble with his single hand. “Right.”
I nodded, waiting for his insight.
“There’s a child, you say?”
“Yes, I have no idea where he or she is or if the child is still alive. But there was a child.” I frowned, recalling the tree’s yearning during the flashback. “The forest wants the child back more than anything, which I guess means the child has ancestral powers. Do you think that means the trees know the child’s alive somewhere?”
Dyter shrugged. “My mind hasn’t really gotten past the fact trees can talk in the first place. But if the child has ancestral powers, the child is a she, right?”
I nodded.
Someone knocked at the door, and we both started. This time our exchanged glance was wide-eyed. Had we been overheard?
I crossed to the door and swung it open. Kamoi stood in the hall, looking pristine. And beautiful.
“Hello—”
“I thought you were controlling your people in the southern part of the forest,” I said.
His brows rose at my interruption. “I was. The problems there are now resolved.”
And not a speck of dirt on you.
“Are you okay, Ryn?” he asked, and I realized I was staring.
I didn’t know what to make of the prince. His heart seemed to be in the right place as far as I could tell. He was being pressured by his mother, whom he loved as a son should. I felt like Kamoi was someone Dyter could convince to join the fight against the emperor but not while the prince’s allegiance was tied so strongly to his mother. If we could get Kamoi, we, I mean Dyter and the other rebels, would have more Phaetyn to help when the rebellion fought the emperor.
“We need to talk,” I said, crossing my arms.
He nodded to where Tyrrik was visible on the bed. “The Drae still slumbers.”
“He does.” The twinge of worry I’d been carrying for the last two days flared, and I remember Tyrrik’s frown when he’d heard how long he’d been sleeping. “He should be recovered by now. Is there something wrong? Something else we should be doing?”
Kamoi studied Tyrrik. “Not that I know of, Ryn. You’re doing all you can. Perhaps he was closer to death than you thought.”
I frowned. He had been near death, but still, he’d been speaking the morning after the injury, and again this morning. Phaetyn poisoning or not, I’d definitely seared all of the poison out. Something didn’t feel right, but maybe Tyrrik had woken up while I was out and then gone back to sleep. “You’re absolutely sure?”
“Of course.” He paused, pursing his lips. “I told you a similar thing happens to Phaetyn when we burn ourselves out. You must’ve felt it when you cured him?”
The utter exhaustion? Yes, I had. I glanced back at Tyrrik, his face still relaxed in his stupor, chest rising and falling. “I really hope it’s not long until he wakes.”
“You wanted to talk with me? Tabor, my guard at the Sacred Circle, said you’d requested my attention.”
My eyes narrowed as I remembered exactly why I needed to speak with him. “Yes,” I said, teeth clenched. I called to Dyter, “I’ll be back soon.”
I closed the door to the room, but before I could launch into my tirade, Kamoi reached out and wrapped a tendril of my hair around his finger.
“Am I in trouble, Ryn?” he asked, smiling. His gaze dropped to my lips, and his violet eyes burned.
I slapped his hand away, refusing to give in to his Phaetyn hotness. “Why do people think we’re going to bind?”
His smile dropped, and pink crept up his jaw.
“Yes, I heard about that,” I continued, warming up. “Don’t spread rumors about me. There is no us. And the fact you did that, without declaring your intentions to me to begin with, makes me furious. You have no idea how mortifying it is to have people ask me questions about us. I was embarrassed when I heard.”
He’d become progressively smaller during my rant, and his cheeks burned under my blazing glare.
He placed a hand over his heart. “You have my sincerest apology, Ryn. You are entirely, profoundly correct; I should have declared my intentions. My only defense is you are both beautiful and powerful, and I found myself at a loss as to how to broach this with you. Especially being in our current situation.”
Heat entered my cheeks at his compliment, though I wasn’t sure I wholly believed him. “You should have kept it to yourself until we’d spoken.”
His violet eyes gleamed, and he stepped closer to me, invading my space. In a husky voice, he asked, “Does this mean you’d consider a binding with me?”
I stared at him. Whoa, I’d never talked with a man about this stuff before. The fake thing with Tyr had been explosive, born of a desperate situation. There was never any courting, nor any gradual descent. We’d fallen suddenly and all at once. I knew the asking usually went first in these things. I mean, give me some credit; Mum had told me a tale or two growing up. Had I been in a situation where a gorgeous guy with pointy ears wanted to court me? Nope. But, I was smart enough to know that entertaining said situation was a bad idea.
Did I know how to reject someone nicely, or at all? No, but I could try.
“No,” I blurted.
He pulled back, hurt flickering across his face. “What?”
My jaw dropped. Mistress moons, did I just say that out loud? “Uh, what I mean is this situation that you spoke of is, uh, dousing my, uh, fire.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I don’t want to think of bindings and stuff right now.”
I didn’t expect his quiet chuckle or for Kamoi to take my hand. “Ryn, you’re blushing.”