Whoa. The Phaetyn princess was direct. I hadn’t gotten that vibe from her yesterday with her one million emotions per minute.

How to explain to the young girl what was happening in the world outside of the Zivost forest? That it made me sick to know there were so many Phaetyn here who could change so many lives in the realm. There was no way I was going to explain about Gemond and their cannibalistic ways. I thought of Verald and its recent coup. Not at all appropriate for a seven-year-old. I wasn’t going to get into how power-crazy my father was . . . a recount of how he’d tortured the girl’s aunt to try and make a super race wasn’t exactly a conversation starter.

“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’t you?”

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 my powers.”

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 tell you?”

Good thing I told the truth. I shook my head.

Kamini waved at Harlan. “You can go.”

Harlan puffed out his chest and said, “Kamoi has commanded—”

“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 issue commands.”

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 or something.

Harlan inclined his head and stalked off, disappearing among the trees.

“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 show you.”

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 had fallen.

“Did you know about our war before you came?” she asked, turning to look at me after she delivered her question.

“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 too much.

As soon as I answered, she turned around and pushed forward again.

“I thought the Phaetyn only had healing powers,” I said.

“That’s true for most Phaetyn,” she said, an answer that wasn’t really an answer.

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 like gossip.”

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 the pieces.

“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 shaped it.”

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 it shimmering.

I pulled my hands away before Tyrrik materialized in his human form.

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 to you.”

“Can all Phaetyn read the trees?”

“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 any tree.”

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 ancestral power?”

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 that true . . . ?”

“W-what?” I stammered, completely taken off guard by the shift in subject.

“Is it true you'll become his mate?”

I sucked in my breath. “What the . . . Absolutely not!”

I blushed as I remembered we were speaking of her brother. I rushed to mitigate my appalling manners. “I mean Kamoi is the full harvest, for sure . . . Uh, I mean he’s nice, and I’m sure every girl in Phaetynville probably wants to mate with him or bind with him. And sure, maybe he’s as amazing with everything else as he is good looking, but . . . Anyway, no.” Shaking my head, I added, “A solid no. I’m not going to bind myself to Kamoi.”

The young Phaetyn girl’s face drained of color, and her eyes widened. “You’re not in love with him?”

My face burned like it was on fire, and I shook my head. “I don’t know him. To bind myself to him would be completely shallow.” And he’s prettier than me.

Without another word, Kamini ran away from me, disappearing into the woods.

“Well . . . okay. Bye.” I stood there and attempted to process my bizarre morning thus far. I felt like a fool, especially after being so adamant with Dyter that I wasn’t an idiot. And then here I was, a total idiot. Kamoi was telling people we were going to, like, dance the maypole together? Shouldn’t he have asked me first? If Kamini was seven, I might’ve excused her comment, but the girl was thirty. My humiliation turned to anger as I grasped Kamoi’s plan. I was not going to bind myself to him to solve their political and societal woes. I couldn’t fault him for wanting an easy answer, but I didn’t like feeling like a tool.

My musing was interrupted by the rustling of branches. The surprise combined with the spike in fear, as well as my simmering anger, caused my Drae to burst forth. Scales again erupted above my heart and down my arms. My hands shifted so that my fingers became talons. I turned toward the noise to see three Phaetyn emerging from the brush. They stopped as soon as they saw me. The youngest, who appeared to be twelve, which probably meant he was fifty, gasped.

“We mean you no harm,” the eldest man said, dropping his spear and raising his arms in surrender. “We only want the opportunity to speak with you.”

“Really?” Everyone I’d met in Phaetynville seemed to have an agenda involving me. “If it involves binding with Kamoi, the answer is no.” My aggravation spiked, and I narrowed my eyes, noticing the colors sharpen as they shifted, and the rest of my retort was lost in a low growl.

The other Phaetyn dropped their weapons and held up their hands. “We pledge our oath on Luna’s Elm that we mean you no harm,” the man said, and the boy and big Phaetyn nodded. A slow smile spread across his face as he studied me. “Even if we did, I doubt we could. Please, we just want to talk.”

I closed my eyes and took slow deep breaths, allowing my Drae to settle and recede. When I opened my eyes, the three Phaetyn surrounded me, but the boy and husky Phaetyn held their weapons at the ready facing outward toward the forest—protecting me.

“Please, come with us. Soon, Harlan will return.”

I followed the three Phaetyn deeper into the forest until we came to a small clearing with several lean-tos, much like the ones found in Gemond. If the Phaetyn were about to eat me, I’d be really, really mad. We stopped outside one of the make-shift shelters, and one by one, we ducked inside. The eldest indicated a chair and invited me to sit around a small table.

“May we offer you some food?” the youngest asked.

I’d followed them into a dark place in the depths of a forest. I wasn’t quite stupid enough to eat their food. “No, thank you.”

The Phaetyn shrugged and popped a red berry from a bowl into his mouth.

The eldest one didn’t waste time beginning. “Our people are at a crossroads as I’m sure you’ve seen.”

Even a fool could see the civil unrest in their community. “Crossroads is putting it lightly.”

The oldest Phaetyn inclined his head. “Yes, you’re right.” He took a deep breath and asked, “Will you indulge me in a little history? I think this is the best way to describe our conflict.”

“Please,” I said. “I’d love to understand what’s going on.”

The youngest Phaetyn snickered, and the beefy one nudged him.

“Queen Luna partnered with Kaelan when she was very young, perhaps a hundred annum. They seemed happy for a time, but Luna didn’t produce an heir after several decades, and there were murmurings that Kaelan was not worthy to be her partner.

Our Luna was a soft ruler, not lazy or indifferent, but perhaps a little overly generous and kind. She enjoyed healing the land, saying it gave us purpose. Even when the rumors of Phaetyn being captured by the emperor came, she encouraged us to leave the sanctuary of Zivost and heal the land. She led this charge by example.

When Queen Luna left, she gave the responsibility of rule to her sister, Alani. Even though Luna was partnered with Kaelan, she left sometimes for weeks or months to do what she called the Phaetyn’s work. Perhaps this is what drove Alani and Kaelan together. Perhaps, it was the other way around.”

Holy Drae babies . . . or rather Phaetyn babies. This was the inside scoop. Alani and Kaelan got together while he was still with Luna? What a turd. But how much merit did the gossip have? What people saw and interpreted was not always truth, a lesson I’d learned in Irdelron’s castle. Still, Kaelan was a jerk, so I was inclined to believe it.

I nodded, not wanting to interrupt the story, letting the Phaetyn know I was listening.

“Alani acted as regent often, and the Phaetyn accepted their ruler’s choice. In truth, we thought nothing of it. Luna still set the rules, although there were very few, and on the rare occasion there was a dispute amongst our kind, she still passed judgment. But Luna’s trips out of Zivost increased in frequency and then in length. One day, she left and several annum passed without Queen Luna’s return. Almost two decades ago, her tree stopped growing.”

An odd sense of trepidation settled deep in my chest. I looked at the three Phaetyn and couldn’t help but feel like they were looking at me with eager anticipation in their eyes. “What do you think happened?”

The older Phaetyn furrowed his brow, and the air in the room grew heavy. “Initially, the Phaetyn thought her dead, but The Sacred Tree, Queen Luna's elm, did not wither and die like it should’ve had the queen’s power been extinguished. Even if Luna is gone, her power did not die with her. The rumor is she infused you or your mother with her magic, passing the ancestral force to you.”

“Do you think that’s true?” I hedged, not wanting to reveal anything.

The older Phaetyn shrugged. “It seems like it. You can talk to the trees, right?”

I shook my head in disbelief; news sure traveled fast. Maybe I could get some more answers from them. “So, why don’t the Phaetyn heal the land anymore? What happened with that?”

“Queen Luna erected the borders around Zivost when the Phaetyn started disappearing over a century ago. The border that cloaks the skies is the one that keeps us safe from the Drae, and the stone one around the forest protects us from humans. However, Luna dropped the physical wall regularly for the Phaetyn to visit other lands. Remember, she felt it our purpose to regenerate and renew the earth. Less than a decade after Luna’s disappearance, Queen Alani decreed the outside world unsafe for all the Phaetyn. She pointed to those captured and killed as reason for her decision. She insisted that if the wall had been up, her dear sister would’ve been safe. The majority of the Phaetyn supported Queen Alani’s decision for isolation, if for no other reason than their love for Luna.”

As I listened to the Phaetyn explain their history, I wanted to ring Kamoi’s neck. His grossly abbreviated history was rife with missing bits.

“The intent of our rebellion is not to protest Alani’s right to be queen. Luna gave her that right, and it was hers to give. But it is our calling and purpose to heal the land. Word has reached us of the need of the kingdoms in the Draecon Empire. We just want the choice to leave Zivost.”

“It’s not like there aren’t a few Phaetyn out there anyway. Or there were when Alani raised the wall. The emperor probably got them all by now,” the biggest Phaetyn said in a rumbling low voice.

“We want to leave, and she won’t let us,” the youngest of the three said.

“But if you leave, you might die,” I argued. “Isn’t she just trying to keep you safe?”

“Some want to leave to heal the land; some just don’t want to be trapped. Others want to look for their loved ones even if only to bring closure to their disappearance. They can lower and raise the wall, but they rarely let anyone leave. Very rarely.” The eldest Phaetyn gave me a sad smile. “Have you ever felt trapped?”

The question made me nauseated, and I nodded.

“Is it true you saw visions of Queen Luna?” the eldest Phaetyn asked.

I shifted on the hard seat and stared into the empty bowl, contemplating my answer. The biggest problems I’d experienced in my life were because of other’s lies. I took a deep breath and raised my head to meet the three Phaetyn’s gazes. I didn’t want to be a liar. “Yes,” I said. “I did.”

“Then you must come back to The Sacred Elm tree and ask it to show you the truth about Queen Luna. Alani said it was her sister’s last wish to keep the Phaetyn safe. If that were truly her wish, we would all comply. She was our true queen. She held the ancestral powers.”

“But if Queen Alani is lying,” the stocky Phaetyn said in a deep voice, “then we would ask that you drop the rock barrier so those of us who want to leave are free to be one with the world again. If you can see the truth from the trees, you have the ancestral power, and it is your right to do it.”

“You can’t move it like Kamoi?”

He shook his head. “Only the royals have that power.”

I wanted to tell them not to be stupid or rash, but I didn’t know what life was like here or how it was affecting the Phaetyn. I also didn’t want to drop the wall and leave them exposed, but the safety they were told they had here, just like the high tower I’d once been in, was only an illusion. Alani’s grip on the barrier would inevitably fail.

Knowing the Phaetyn in Zivost were divided, I wasn’t about to agree to just anything. But they weren’t asking me to do anything more than tell them the truth, and I was more than willing to do that. Everyone deserved the truth.

“If you want to take me to the tree, we’ll have to do something to disguise me. Let’s face it,” I said, holding up my hemp sack tunic. “I stick out like a sore thumb.”