The prince waved away Tyrrik’s protestation. “Ridiculous. We are practically kin. Not related, you understand, but joined by something you wouldn’t understand, Lord Drae.” The Phaetyn winked at me. “We’ll make a game of it. I’ll tell you something, then you tell me. One for one.”
I nodded. “Keep it light though, please?” I darted a glance at Tyrrik and averted my gaze as soon as our eyes locked. Blushing, I added, “There are some things I’m not ready . . .”
The prince rested his hand on my leg, and his warmth infused with me. “Of course not, Ryn. I would never want to make you uncomfortable.” He removed his hand and with a deep breath, said, “Now, where to begin? My favorite color is green. What’s yours?”
“Blue,” I said. “The color of the night sky right after the sun dips below the horizon.”
“Beautiful,” he said, his violet eyes bright. “My favorite food is morel mushroom bisque.”
What the hay was that? I tilted my head and thought. I’d had lots of different foods while staying in Irrik’s, I mean Tyrrik’s, rooms, and so much of it was delicious. “I like honey-cakes, or burnt sugar. Oh, and this fruity. . .” Nectar. Ducking my head, I said, “My mum’s honey-cakes are my favorite.”
Kamoi studied me before continuing. “I was born in the Zivost forest, in the very heart of our land. My father was married to the queen of our people, Luna Nuloa. When she died without children, my father inherited her throne, and after a decade of mourning, he bonded with my mother. I am the oldest child, but I have a younger sister, Kamini. Now, will you tell me of your family?”
I listened to his tale of Phaetyn royalty and took pains to remember it then shrugged. “My mum and I lived in Harvest Zone Seven. She was my only family.”
He furrowed his brow. “And your father?”
Lord Tyrrik growled again, and I rolled my eyes though I felt a similar irritation rise within me. “I never knew him.”
Prince Kamoi pursed his lips. “I’m sorry. I hope you have not suffered for it.”
“Dyter was the only father I needed,” I said, clenching my teeth. The anger spiked, and a distant part of me wondered why I was getting so mad. I was being irrational, but I couldn’t help but think the Phaetyn prince was a dolt. I also couldn’t help feeling suddenly and unaccountably furious about that. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and noticed his fair skin was flushed, immediately feeling bad for my rudeness.
“I beg your pardon, my lady. I didn’t know. Of course, Lord Dyter has proven to be most intelligent in the short time of our acquaintance.”
This light game wasn’t light anymore. While he was happy to chatter about his mum and dad, I didn’t need the reminders of what I’d lost.
“And anyone can see that he is kind and clearly cares about—”
“Stop apologizing, and move on,” Tyrrik said as he approached.
I wasn’t going to admit it, but Tyrrik had impeccable timing. I took the moment he offered to try and get a handle on the swift anger which had risen unchecked inside me.
The fair Phaetyn straightened, but before he could continue his apology, Dyter interjected.
“Prince Kamoi, I was wondering if you would spare a few minutes for me. I have several questions about Zivost and your customs. Would you mind?”
The prince bowed to me and then rode toward Dyter. I glared at Tyrrik. “I was going to handle it.”
He quirked a brow. “I could see. But we need Prince Kamoi alive to get into Zivost. And then you will need someone to train you there. Neither of those things would happen if you killed him.”
“I was not going to kill him,” I ground out. Hit him, possibly, but that wouldn’t kill him. I needed to get a grip.
“Of course not,” Tyrrik replied. He studied me and then continued in a subdued tone, “It is not a weakness to call a halt. A little time off your mount would allow your powers to heal you.”
I shook my head. I was tired of being the weak one. Tired of being broken. Tired of it all. “I’m fine. We need to keep going to get us to Zivost as fast as possible.”
Tyrrik glanced over at Dyter and the Phaetyn and muttered, “This is ridiculous.”
The Drae glanced at our horses with a grimace and then longingly at the sky.
It didn’t take a genius to interpret his look, and I would never want to admit Tyrrik could help, but really . . . Why ride a horse when Tyrrik could just fly us wherever we needed to go? I caught another shared look between the three of them and narrowed my eyes.
“What are you hiding?” I asked softly when they shared yet another quick look. A fist-sized rock landed in my gut. Tyrrik was keeping something from me, again, just like in the castle. They all were.
Tyrrik glanced up, expression smoothing into blank lines, manipulative lines, and my simmering anger exploded into a full-boil. “Don’t you dare!”
I reached to Tyrrik, grabbing a fistful of his black aketon, and pulled him to me. “Don’t you dare keep secrets from me again. Don’t you dare!”
5
One moment I was upright in my saddle, and the next, I was tangled in my stirrups, pulling Tyrrik from his horse. I landed on the hard rocky ground, and Tyrrik somehow landed on his feet like some kind of cat. Stupid Drae. I screamed at him from the ground as the horse dragged my sorry butt along the uneven path, stopping only to munch on a patch of grass. I kicked, trying to pull my foot from the stirrup.
“Stupid horse,” I shouted. “Stupid Drae. Stupid world!”
“My lady,” the prince cried, bounding from his horse in a graceful arc to help me.
Suddenly, my horse was still. I crossed my arms, staring at the sky as Tyrrik extracted my foot, and didn’t say a word.
“Oh, dear lady,” Kamoi said.
“My name is Ryn,” I sighed. “Stop it with the lady this, lady that, please.”
I tore my gaze away from the prince to look at Tyrrik and got a glimpse of his backside. It would’ve been a more pleasant view if his aketon wasn’t so long.
I froze at the errant thought and furiously scrubbed my mind clean of the sentiment. Bad Ryn! I heaved a sigh and sat. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
Tyrrik turned and extended his hand to me. His bare hand.
I reached out, hesitating inches from his palm. Would he shut me out, or would I get some cryptic message when our skin touched? Part of me wanted to yell at him. But if he, Dyter, and the Phaetyn prince were all in on a secret, it wasn’t just Tyrrik I was pissed at.
I grabbed Tyrrik’s hand, but he blocked me from his mind as he pulled me to my feet. You better not be keeping secrets from me, I blasted at him.
What if it’s not what you think? he immediately replied.
“I don’t care,” I snapped. I turned to Dyter and Kamoi. “I’m done with secrets. If you want me to get behind this quest, or whatever you want to call it, you’d better start telling me what the hay is going on. You want me to train, you want me to save the land, you want me to help you fight the emperor, but you tell me nothing? I’m walking away right now unless you tell me everything. I’m one hundred percent, I-will-never-speak-to-you-again serious.”