“Feel the music,” he repeated uncertainly.
I opened my eyes and saw he was replicating my arm movements. Laughter burst out of me, and I doubled over as I gasped for air.
“You were jesting!” he accused.
I glanced over at Dyter to see he was slapping the table, heartily ignoring the queen and her mate who had turned to glare at him.
Kamoi joined in my laughter. “Thank the realm; I thought you were serious.”
I waved a hand in the air, walking back to the royal table.
“You no longer wish to dance?” he asked, following me.
I gestured at the corset. “Can no longer breathe.”
It was partially my fault that he looked where I’d gestured, I supposed.
“Yes,” he gulped. “I see that.”
I blushed and then yelped as Kamoi lunged at me, jerking me out of the way as a flying fruit skewer soared past my cheek.
His face hardened, and he pushed me behind him, shouting, “Who threw that?”
23
The prince drew his sword and held the hilt in two hands, head turning as he scanned the now-milling Phaetyn at the party. His voice was low and menacing as he asked again, “Who threw that?”
Who cares? It was a bit of fruit on a little metal skewer. No harm done. I stepped to the side of Kamoi, trying to put distance between us for appearances. Tensions were high; I didn’t want to cause any further problems with the Phaetyn.
Kaelan was storming toward us, and I alerted Kamoi with a fleeting touch on his arm.
“How dare you make a mockery of us,” Kaelan snapped, his eyes flashing more indigo than violet. He marched past the next table, stooped to pick up another fruit stick. “You are a disgrace—”
“Father—”
Was he for real? “Hey,” I said, bringing my hands up as he threw the fruit skewer. My block worked, and the fruit fell to the ground. Yay for Drae-reflexes. “I meant no offense. We were just dancing.”
Kaelan drew his sword, his face twisted and his lips white with fury. I was more than familiar with this look now after my visits with the trees. Odd how hatred looked the same on Druman, Kings, and Phaetyn.
Kamoi stepped in front of me as his father advanced. In a whisper that was heard throughout the clearing and with a dazed expression, he repeated, “Father.”
Kaelen halted his thunderous approach, but his eyes were mere slits as he looked at me. “Move son, or I will move you myself.”
The prince didn’t budge. “No, this isn’t right. She’s not to blame for what’s happening here.”
“Very well,” Kaelen said. Holding his blade in the air, breathing hard, he said, “Round them up!”
The royal guards in purple and silver aketons stepped from behind the trees with swords and spears at the ready. Some of the seated Phaetyn screamed, and they began to scramble from their tables, turning the gathering into a chaotic stampede.
The royal guards in the clearing drew their weapons.
Dyter yelled from the other side of the struggling Phaetyn, “Rynnie!”
My heart froze along with the rest of my body.
There was an odd moment when the air seemed to still as though all of Zivost, trees and Phaetyn alike, held their breath, and then Kaelan yelled, “Now.”
Guards descended on the Phaetyn. Weapons clashed in a blur. Kamoi threw his sword in front of his face, both hands gripping the hilt to parry his father’s strike.
With no weapon, I was very aware I had no chance against fighters of this caliber, but I didn’t feel truly in danger; I couldn’t really be killed by their blades. Did that mean I wanted to cope with a few punches or a cut or two? No. Not at all.
I did the only thing I could think of . . . I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled away through the melee. I aimed for where I remembered the royal table to be, hoping Dyter would still be there.
Above me, the ring of metal overwhelmed everything but the cacophony of men shouting and women screaming. Phaetyn were running, their sprinting legs visible from my crawling position under the table. Why were they fighting? They were Phaetyn. They were going to heal from their wounds and end up being pissed with each other forever.
The end of this table was close, and the legs of the royal table sat ahead. I froze, seeing that only the queen still sat there, surrounded by guards. Dyter had gone.
I looked around and caught sight of the ash tree between the legs of the fighting Phaetyn. The area around the tree was clear. Maybe I’d be able to see Dyter from there.
I shifted direction, crawling between the tables, wincing as a Phaetyn stepped on my hands. I continued my dash until I reached the table closest to the ash tree. Checking for royal guards, I crawled under the railing of the newly constructed barrier and sprinted around to the back of the tree. Breathing hard, placing my hands on the trunk, I peered out from behind the ash.
Flashes of colors sparked behind my eyes, fading into blobs of muted shades before solidifying. Kaelan and Alani huddled outside the Pink House in the dark. The twin moons were at opposite stages, one a sliver just beginning to fill out, the other emptying its remaining light into its sister to reach a crescent phase.
A hooded figure approached through the trees, carrying a squirming wrapped bundle. Kaelan pursed his lips, and Alani nudged him with her elbow before plastering a smile on her face.
Luna’s hood fell back, and the Phaetyn queen beamed as she drew close, running the last few steps. The sisters embraced and Luna chatted excitedly, passing over the squirming bundle, completely missing the unveiled glare from her former mate.
Why was Kaelan glaring when he was clearly in love with Alani and not with Luna? Did he begrudge her for ending things? Surely when he and Alani had Kamoi together, Kaelan couldn’t have expected anything else. Maybe the loss of his status as king bothered him.
Another image emerged. Luna and Alani sitting outside the Pink House while a baby lay on a blanket, playing with a ball of water. A baby in a pink tunic.
Mistress Moons. A sense of dread filled me as the image faded. Because somewhere in my mind, I knew what that meant. Luna had given Alani and Kaelan her child. The images flittered in and out.
Kamini as a toddler running to the Pink House, silver hair streaming behind her. The smile she wore stretched across her face, and she held a bouquet of the pale-green flowers. Kamoi and his parents sat on the porch; a much younger Kamoi glanced back and forth between his parents. Kaelan was frowning and Alani crying. Kamini extended the bouquet toward Alani, and Kaelan pushed her away. Kamoi jumped up and snapped something at his father, wrapping Kamini in a hug as he guided her off the porch.