Page 49 of Shadow Wings
“I want to learn about being Phaetyn,” I said,finally.
“But you’re not Phaetyn,” she retorted, putting her hands on her hips. The young girl flicked her braid. “You're going to try and take away our kingdom, aren’tyou?”
If she’d hit me, I would’ve been less surprised. “No way. I don’t want this kingdom. I don’t want any kingdom. I really came here to learn about the Phaetyn and get some understanding of mypowers.”
The girl dropped her hands to her side and narrowed her eyes. Several seconds passed, and I let her study me uninterrupted. Finally, she said, “Did you know I can tell if someone is lying? Did Kamoi tellyou?”
Good thing I told the truth. I shook myhead.
Kamini waved at Harlan. “You cango.”
Harlan puffed out his chest and said, “Kamoi hascommanded—”
“How dare you?” Her violet eyes blazed with anger. “You know I’m a royal just the same as him. Regardless of what my mother might say about my age, I am plenty old to issuecommands.”
Right. I couldn’t let Kamini’s small stature and youthful appearance confuse me. She wasn’t seven or eight. I was probably talking to a thirty year old. That creeped me out. They should wear badges orsomething.
Harlan inclined his head and stalked off, disappearing among thetrees.
“How do you know he’ll really leave?” I asked. I leaned to the side to see if my Drae vision would allow me to see how far the Phaetyn had gone. My vision didn’t change. My sense of smell seemed instinctual, but everything else required control or a healthy dose of fear, anger, or some other heightened emotion to help me in this form.Drak.
“Oh, he won’t leave. Harlan is only loyal to Kamoi. He humors me because Kamoi told him to, but there’s no way Kamoi is going to let you out of his sight.” Her violet eyes studied me, and she waved me forward. “Come on; you wanted to find out how the trees work? I’ll showyou.”
I followed Kamini deeper into the woods, and my hearing confirmed what she’d said. Harlan followed, his movements obvious in the underbrush where twigs and leaves hadfallen.
“Did you know about our war before you came?” she asked, turning to look at me after she delivered herquestion.
“No.” I probably wouldn’t have come if I did. One civil war was enough—at least, for me. Actually, one civil war had been toomuch.
As soon as I answered, she turned around and pushed forwardagain.
“I thought the Phaetyn only had healing powers,” Isaid.
“That’s true for most Phaetyn,” she said, an answer that wasn’t really ananswer.
Kamini stopped in front of a small spruce tree. “Do you see how the needles on this tree’s branches glow? Do you see how the trunk of the tree almost pulsates with energy? If you touch here”—she put her hand on the tips of the needles in front of her face—“you will see the tree’s most recent memories or the messages that float through the air likegossip.”
That was . . . awesome. I rested my palm on the prickly spines of the blue spruce. Fleeting images of a Phaetyn crossed the canvas behind my eyes. The images were pale, almost faded, and only pieces of the picture were clear; almost like a puzzle with only half thepieces.
“If you place your hands on the branches, you will see further back. The thicker the branch and the closer to the trunk, the older the memories will be. The trunk holds the truth of the person’s life as well as those events that shapedit.”
I reached forward, placing my palms on the branches, letting the needles scratch at my skin with their blurry and distinct visions. Keeping my eyes closed, I let the truth from the tree sink into my mind.A toddler, no more than three, giggled as he ran through the woods, an adult Phaetyn male chasing after him. Their features declared them relatives, most especially the wide smiles that stretched across their faces as they burst into a meadow. A flash of black rolled over the pair, and a moment later a black Drae landed in the clearing, the air around itshimmering.
I pulled my hands away before Tyrrik materialized in his humanform.
Kamini’s eyes gleamed as she studied me. “The trees know who's important to you, who you have connections to, and what you should see. You could sit here all day and sift through their memories, but usually what they show you when you first touch them will be their answers, or the truths pertinent toyou.”
“Can all Phaetyn read thetrees?”
“All Phaetyn have their own tree, usually near where they were born. The trees can share . . . we’ll call them memories, right?” When I nodded, she continued, “But most Phaetyn can only see from their tree.” Kamini tossed her braid back over her shoulder. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders looking more like an adult than child.So creepy.“But you're asking the wrong question. What you want to know is whether you can see all truths, not just those pertaining to you. Only the queen with the ancestral power can see the truth of all past and current events from anytree.”
I wondered if she was supposed to disclose that. Did she already know I had Queen Luna’s power? Or was Kamini guessing? She was the first to actually teach me anything, so even not knowing her motivation, I asked, “Can you teach me about the ancestralpower?”
She shook her head. “I taught you all I know. My mother said she’ll teach me more when I am older.” She paused and then blurted, “Are you going to bind yourself to Kamoi? Is thattrue. . . ?”
“W-what?” I stammered, completely taken off guard by the shift insubject.
“Is it true you'll become hismate?”