Page 43 of Shadow Wings

“Why did you encourage Queen Luna to leave the forest?” Iasked.

17

The queen didn’t look wellto begin with, but her color worsened, and she sagged against the headboard of her massive bed, her head lolling to the side. She took several deep breaths with her eyes closed as if she were trying to garner morestrength.

This time, Dyter dug his nails in hard, and I inhaled sharply at the pinching pain before noticing all three Phaetyn hadstilled.

Queen Alani’s breathing stuttered. “You have no idea how that memory tortures me,child.”

Not achild.

“We thought Luna could reason with the Emperor. The land was already showing signs of dying. My sister hoped to show Emperor Draedyn we were indispensable and use this as a bargainingchip.”

That’s not how the trees remembered the conversation going down, but I had enough wits about me now to interpret Dyter’s unsubtle warnings. We’d wandered into something deeper here, and my skin wascrawling.

“That must have been hard for you,” I said with asmile.

The queen’s gaze landed on me, and I held my breath until she nodded and glancedaway.

“It has been. I am now Queen of the Phaetyn, but our ancestral power is passed from mother to eldest daughter. I never possessed this power, and I never will. It takes everything I have to keep up the barrier against ourenemies.”

Dyter spoke, “This is why you’resick?”

Kamoi gripped his mother’s hand. “She gives everything so our people can survive here, yet the barrier is slowly crumbling without the ancestral power to reinforceit.”

“That is terrible.” I was speaking in earnest this time. If the barrier broke, the emperor and his Druman would descend on the Phaetyn in aflash.

Dyter peered at me with an intense expression I couldn’t interpret. He lifted his head, the expression gone, and addressed the queen. “Your Majesty, there is no better time for your people to unite with those of Verald against the Emperor’srule.”

The king and queen broke into quietlaughter.

“Us? Fight the Emperor?” Kaelan said, shooting a mocking grin at a frowning Kamoi before facing me. “Why would we dothat?”

I frowned at him. “Why wouldn’tyou?”

“Let me ask another way,” he said. “Why would we help those who hunted us? When did anyone in this realm ever help us? They just used our powers and killed ourchildren.”

“You would judge the entire realm based on the actions of two men?” Dyterasked.

Kamoi placed a hand on his father’s chest, stopping him from rounding on Dyter. I tensed, ready to kick some Phaetyn butt into the nearest talkingtree.

“Don’t you?” Queen Alani asked. She looked at me. “Don’t you judge the realm by a few men? Don’tyouwonder if the realm is worthsaving?”

I glanced at Kamoi to confirm my suspicions. He gave me a sheepish look in return. The queen was aware of my time spent in the dungeons, judging by her comment. Her question dug close to something that had troubled me immensely ever since the night King Irdelron was killed. Ihadwondered the same thing—whether the realm was worth my time—whether the battle was mine to begin with . . . Whether I should find a small corner to escape to and leave the work to someone else. Why did I have to sacrifice my life for a cause? I’d never wanted to, never asked for this power. I’d lost so much, my own mother and friends, and to lose more wasn’t fair. Why did some people have to lose everything and some people nothing? Until now, I’d been determined that someone else could do the losing this time. Her words shamed me, and I swallowed. “You’re right, Queen Alani. I’ve asked myself the samequestion.”

Light flared in her eyes, and she leaned forward eagerly and asked, “And?”

I tilted my chin. “And I know what the right choice shouldbe.”

“Nothing is more deceiving than the wordshould.” The queen smiled and closed her eyes, reclining into her pillows. “Even though you know whatshouldbe, you cannot give me a reason why this is the right thing todo.”

No, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t lie like everyone else. I refused to mislead her or anyone knowingly. I had thatpower.

“And yet, your barrier, your main defense against the emperor, is crumbling.Thatseems like a good reason to be proactive. At least to me,” Dyter said, scratching hischin.

“I grow weary,” the queen mumbled. “Please excuseme.”

Kamoi and Kaelan hurried to lay her flat, piling blankets uponher.