Page 46 of Shadow Wings

“Yes, yes.” I waved a hand in the air. “But what’s our trumpcard?”

“Yourtrump card, my girl. This old man hasn’t got any cards atall.”

I rolled my eyes. “What’smytrump cardthen?”

He stretched out on the second bed in the room. Closing his eyes, he said, “If you have ancestral powers, you can put the barrierup.”

“So?” I glanced between the two beds, wondering where I factored in the sleepingsituation.

Dyter cracked an eye open and then closed it again, grinning at the ceiling. “So,I’m guessing if you can put it up . . . you can also take itdown.”

18

Warm heat cocooned me,and I snuggled closer to the source. My Phaetyn mojo must've kicked in overnight because my muscles were relaxed and my mind clear. I had a dream about being chased by Druman shortly after falling asleep, which nearly made me physically sick, but after my heart settled again, the rest of the night I’d sleptamazing. I felt kind of great, considering yesterday involved slashing my hand open and dripping blood into a Drae’s open wound. Tyrrik’s arm fell to my side, and I snuggledcloser.

Wait aminute.

My drowsiness disappeared in a flash, and my eyes popped open.Drak.

Maybe my mind wasn't soclear.

I looked across at the other bed, but it was empty. Dyter had folded his blanket and fluffed the pillow before leaving. I’d gone to sleep on the floor; that was a definite. I’d taken Tyrrik’s blanket, folded it up for a pillow, and fallen asleep on theground.

Not in bed withTyrrik.

Holy potato-stuffedpancakes.

The Drae mumbled in his sleep, his mouth against the nape of my neck, and his arms circled my waist, pulling me against him. My heart thumped and then began a race as if to pound out of my chest. Clearly my conscious and subconscious mind were not on the samepage.

I lay tense, and the queen’s words from yesterday echoed in my mind. Did I truly think the world wasn’t worth saving because of a fewpeople?

I'd always believed the workings of the world and its people were black and white, yet black and white were merely far ends of a spectrum. Between them resided a bajillion shades ofgray.

Everything was gray. Choice, people,beliefs.

My thoughts turned to the Drae behind me. Tyrrik was . . . I hated thinking about what Tyrrik was. Was my avoidance of exploring that a refusal to acknowledge the truth? That there may be grays involved in what he’d done. Was it fear? Of admitting his choice had been an impossible one and fear of how that admission would change my life? Was that why I didn’t want to help fight the emperor and why I’d gone to sleep on the floor last night? Was I too scared, too ruined, too broken to do anything but deny where my life washeaded?

I pulled Tyrrik’s arm up and scooted to the edge of the bed, gently placing his arm back at his side. He mumbled again, his forehead creasing into a furrow that smoothed as soon as I tentatively reached out and touchedit.

Yeah. This was next level stuff. The guy stopped frowning when I touched him.Don’t panic; it’s probably nothing.A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Whateverthiswas would have towait.

I went to the washroom and allowed myself a muffled squeal of delight when I saw the large tub filled with water. Nearby was a smaller basin of water, and by that sat a pile of unbleached folded material. I shook out the top piece to find a baggy forest-green tunic made of soft wool. The garment wasn't nearly as nice as the silvery threads the Phaetyn wore, but it wasclean.

I stripped out of my torn and bloody clothing, a little disturbed I’d slept in all that essence of Tyrrik, and slipped into thetub.

Once dressed, I rifled through my drawstring bag back in the bedroom and found the water skin. It was completely flat, and when I opened the cork, not a drop of nectarremained.

I returned to the restroom and emptied part of the basin of crystal clear water into the flagon, and then I stuck my index finger into the fluid. My thoughts turned to Tyrrik again, to how I wanted him whole. I wanted him healed so I could pester him with questions about the Phaetyn, and why Queen Alani knew about the emperor’s experiments, and how the heck we could get out of here without escalating the tension. Mostly, I wanted Tyrrik healed so he wasn’t vulnerable. I wouldn’t be able to stay with him all the time, and I didn’t trust the Phaetyn when things here were so volatile. Tyrrik was always so decisive, and he knew more about the Phaetyn than Dyter and Icombined.

With each thought regarding Tyrrik’s healing came a deeper understanding; while I might still question Tyrrik’s motives for many things, clearly I relied on him in someways.

I returned to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed where the Drae still slept. My insides churned, despite his smooth expression and even breathing. He appearedalmostpeaceful right now. His face was unlined with the tension it normally carried. Gone was the haunted look in his eyes, the self-deprecating smile, and his occasional furrow of worry. His chest rose and fell with even breaths. The pallor of his skin had waned during the night. Was that because I’d slept next tohim?

I debated leaving him to continue sleeping, but the previous empty water skin in my hand was enough of a reminder that he’d had nothing of sustenance since our arrival at the heart of Zivost. I rested my hand on his chest, shaking him gently at first, and then not so gently when that didn’twork.

He caught my hand with his, but as soon as he opened his eyes, his fierce expression melted into a look of drowsypeace.

“You need some nectar,” I said in a voice still rough fromsleep.