Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)

by Rebecca Ethington

  I reached across the table and grabbed his hand, instinctively pushing my magic into him in an effort to calm him, I could feel his heart stutter and pulse as my energy wrapped around it, his muscles relaxing as extra oxygen flew to them. My actions must have caught him off guard because he looked up to me with wide eyes, his expression startled. The look made me uncomfortable so I quickly pulled away.

  “Sorry,” I said softly, dearly hoping he wouldn’t make me elaborate or say something gushy.

  “Don’t be. No one has ever done that to me. Not since my Mother anyway.” His voice was soft, and I barely heard him.

  “Healed you?” I asked, confused. After all, Thom had been pushing his magic into him all last week.

  “Comforted me,” he clarified, his eyes boring into me. I looked away, my heart pumping much quicker than normal.

  Twenty-Nine

  I walked into the cave late the next day feeling clean and refreshed, if not a little awkward. In four months I had been through hell and back, chased, beaten, and attacked. So, when Ilyan had taken me to a nice hotel after our unfortunate encounter with Ovailia I didn’t know what to expect. It had been amazing to have running water, and cotton sheets. But my life wasn’t normal anymore, it didn’t seem right to have normal things.

  While there, I had taken a two hour shower that cleaned the obscene amount of dirt off of me, only to get out of the shower to a perfectly folded pile of clothes. I had breathed in the fresh smell and rubbed the cotton against my skin, thankful for something clean to wear. Who would have guessed that I would ever feel so much joy over a simple pair of khaki pants and a blue t-shirt?

  I put them on and ran out to thank Ilyan who then convinced me to let him braid my hair. He had done it so gently, his finger rubbing over my mark frequently, each time sending a jolt up my spine.

  So when I walked into the cave, my hair was pulled away from my face, my mark revealed, and Ilyan’s hand was wrapped firmly around mine. The contact, and his magic, had been taking away the overwhelming aches I was feeling from my absence from the Tȍuha.

  We walked in to find Dramin holding two large mugs. He handed one to me and I grabbed it greedily, thankful for his preparedness.

  “You wouldn’t be so needy if you would go into your Tȍuha when you are supposed to.” Dramin said; his scold lost amongst his chuckle.

  “Don’t judge me, Uncle,” I growled between gulps.

  “Next time you take her anywhere, Ilyan, remember a mug. This poor girl is ravenous.”

  I moved the mug away from me to scowl at him, but Dramin only chuckled more. Ilyan smiled down at me before placing his arm around my waist and leading me right to the same squishy arm chair I had been using for the past few days.

  “Ah!” Thom yelled at us as he came around his bunk’s partition. “You’re back. And alone I see.”

  “Were you worried, Thom?” Ilyan asked as he covered me in several furs before turning to his brother and embracing him in a slightly awkward way.

  “I was.”

  “Well,” Ilyan announced as he pulled away and moved to a large table laden with fruits and leaves, “you didn’t need to be. You were right.”

  Thom stopped, hovering in mid sit right before he fell onto his couch in shock.

  “So she is a traitor then?” Thom said excitedly.

  “I am still not convinced about that,” Ilyan said, causing Thom’s excited face to drop dramatically. Ilyan hadn’t said anything about this to me last night.

  “But, you just said I was right.” The disbelief in Thom’s voice was clear, but Ilyan disregarded it.

  “And you were. She can’t be trusted. I am sure she is working with our Father.” Ilyan’s voice was heavy, his heartbreak at the news still evident.

  “But not a traitor?” Dramin spoke, putting words to the confusion we all felt.

  I looked up at Ilyan, my eyebrows raised nervously; I had a feeling about where this was going, and I didn’t like it.

  “No,” Ilyan said, his eyes meeting mine with deeper sorrow.

  “Joclyn, you told me you saw my Father with Talon in your first sight.” My heart plunged to my toes, I didn’t want to accept this.

  “She wasn’t telling the truth, Ilyan. She was lying to you to throw you off the trail.” I pleaded with Ilyan as he returned to the fire with a small stone plate covered with what I could only assume to be dandelion leaves.

  “I’m not so sure of that.” I could hear the regal tone creep into his voice, but I disregarded it.

  “You have to be. Talon had nothing to do with this.” I begged him to understand. I had already lost Wyn, and Talon couldn’t be responsible for that. He wouldn’t have done that to Wyn.

  “Talon?” Dramin and Thom’s voices blended together in alarm. I ignored them, desperate to get my point across.

  “There is no reason for him to side with Edmund, Ilyan.” I reached for his hand, plunging my magic into him. I wanted to believe he was blaming Talon to try and take the blame off of Ovailia, but I knew it was deeper than that.

  “The Silnỳ is right, Ilyan. Talon has no reason to double cross you.” Dramin said, but I wasn’t sure Ilyan even heard him. His eyes never wavered a millimeter from my own.

  “The sight, Joclyn. Show me the sight.”

  I sighed dejectedly before closing my eyes and pushing that portion of the vision into his mind.

  Edmund held Talon against the wall, his hand tight around his throat. Talon’s face was bloodied and battered.

  “Give me what I need, Talon,” Edmund said, his voice the long echo that signified a sight of the past.

  “You better make it look good, Edmund,” Talon laughed, his deep laugh echoing around my head.

  I pulled the vision back, not wanting Ilyan to see too much. Ilyan’s face swam back into view, his jaw set hard.

  “You don’t think…” I couldn’t finish, I knew what it looked like, I had known from the beginning. I had always assumed that it was just Talon egging him on because it seemed like something he would do. At least I thought it was.

  “I do.” The look of ultimate betrayal on Ilyan’s face mixed with furious anger in a way that terrified me.

  “Wait,” Thom said loudly, “Talon is the traitor?”

  Ilyan nodded once. “How is that even possible?” Dramin said. It was obvious no one but Ilyan believed this line of thinking.

  “I’m not sure, but I will figure it out,” Ilyan said.

  “I can’t believe it, he wouldn’t do that to Wyn,” Thom began, his body leaning forward, his dreads shaking. “Talon doesn’t make any sense. Ovailia, however, does.”

  “I will give you that, Thom. If it is not Talon, then it is Ovailia.”

  “Really?” I didn’t expect Thom to sound quite so surprised. He was hell bent on how evil Ovailia was a few days before. Ilyan obviously didn’t expect it either. He chuckled lightly, but the sound was strained.

  “Now you’re surprised. You were sure of her guilt forty-eight hours ago,” Ilyan laughed.

  “Oh, you misunderstand, Ilyan. I am not surprised she is a traitor. I am surprised that you are admitting it.”

  “Only partially,” he said.

  “So did she agree to it?” Dramin asked, heading off the bickering.

  “She did,” Ilyan said confidently. “Not without revealing her true nature, but she agreed to do it.”

  “So she’s a traitor,” Thom said happily.

  “We’ve covered this already,” Ilyan said as he popped a few of his favorite dandelion covered berries into his mouth. He must have known I was watching him because he turned to me and winked. I looked away, unwilling to accept the mix of nerves I was filled with.

  “So she knows about Sain?” Dramin asked, his intent to stop any argument obvious.

  “Without a doubt. If she is working for Edmund, then he has shown her. Especially if he is hoping it will fuel the fire of her anger against me.” Ilyan’s voice was firm.

  “Oh, she must hate you,�
�� Thom taunted, his feet moving back and forth in joy.

  “And yet, you do not think she is the one who betrayed you?” Dramin asked, his eyebrow rising as he ignored Thom.

  “You have seen Joclyn’s sight, Dramin. You know what it looks like.” Ilyan’s voice was tight and restrained. He leaned forward in the chair as he pleaded angrily.

  “I have.” Dramin said calmly as he sipped at his Black Water. “But sometimes things are not what they seem. You know this better than anyone.”

  Ilyan exhaled deeply and sat back against the chair, his jaw tight. I had never seen Ilyan like this. He was so angry and betrayed. I reached out awkwardly and placed my hand against his cheek briefly.

  “So,” Dramin spoke loudly in an attempt to offset the tension. “Where is she bringing him?”

  “The Rioseco Abbey.”

  “In Spain? The same one...”

  “Yes.” Ilyan cut him off in an obvious attempt to stop him from saying something.

  I looked at Ilyan curiously, begging him to elaborate, but Ilyan only shook his head. Unfortunately, the exchange did not go unnoticed.

  “Tell her, Ilyan,” Thom moaned as he sat up on his couch. “Deep inside she wants to kiss you anyway, so you might as well let her know when and where it’s going to happen.”

  I froze, an onslaught of images from the sight ramming into my brain. Not yet, maybe not ever. I repeated it to myself, although I couldn’t ignore the excited heart slamming I was experiencing. My breathing picked up before Ilyan’s magic surged into me, calming me almost instantly.

  “Not yet.” Ilyan spoke quietly in an effort to calm me. It worked, until Thom spoke.

  “Get it over with, brother! Kiss her!”

  “You’re right, Thom,” Ilyan said, his voice light. I froze. “Would you care to practice with me?”

  Both men laughed in a way that said they were going to keep the bashing comments going for a while, something I wasn’t looking forward to.

  I wasn’t the only one.

  “Now, now boys,” Dramin said with a smile. “You can battle it out in the hall in a little while, goodness knows you need a bit of a testosterone release, but now is not the time.”

  Thom huffed and put his feet back on the couch, his hand moving to rest behind his head.

  “If you do, I would want to watch,” I said, the thought of them battling out their manhood was almost too good to pass up.

  “You can join in too, Joclyn,” Ilyan teased, as he popped a berry into his mouth.

  “No, thank you,” I laughed.

  “Why not,” Thom said, sitting up. “You can be on my side. Together we can take him.”

  Thom rammed his fist into his open palm and I almost choked on the Black Water I had just drank.

  “Number one,” I sputtered as I tried to clear my throat, “I am not a man. And number two, I can probably take both of you with my eyes closed, thank you very much.”

  Both Ilyan and Thom stared at me open mouthed for a minute as if I had seriously undermined their testosterone, but Dramin only laughed.

  “Of course you can take them with your eyes closed, your mind’s sight is better than your vision.”

  “Is that a challenge?” Thom said, standing up as if Dramin hadn’t even spoken. “Ilyan and I can beat you!”

  “I’m not joining in on this,” Ilyan said, but no one seemed to hear him. I locked eyes with Thom, trying to determine why he had gotten so upset, before shaking my head and turning away from him.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” I said.

  “Tomorrow? I say now!”

  I jumped a bit at Thom’s tone, Ilyan jumping into Protector position automatically. Thom was obviously a little too cooped up in here.

  “I’ll spar you tomorrow, Thom,” I said from behind, Ilyan. “I’m too weak today.”

  Ilyan turned, his body dropping to my level, his face instantly concerned.

  “Is it too much? We can do it today.” I smiled at how he instantly knew what I was talking about and at his willingness to fix it. I felt his magic surge as he tried to repair any current damage that was being done to my body.

  “Not today,” I cringed. “I can wait one more day.”

  “Are you sure? It’s already been two days.” Ilyan asked, his finger tracing down my neck. I jumped involuntarily when the shock sped down my spine at Ilyan’s contact with my mark.

  “Yes,” I said somewhat breathlessly. Ilyan smiled at my reaction.

  “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “Ugh!” Thom groaned loudly as he flailed around on his couch in obvious discomfort. “Will you two get a room? With a door?”

  I blushed and looked away, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Ilyan stood and moved away from me to stand before Thom, the two beginning to fist fight each other playfully. Dramin took a long drink of his Black Water and I did the same, sighing and sinking into the chair.

  I watched the two men fight, their odd banter bouncing back and forth as they jumped around the large space. Dramin chuckled at their play. I sunk back further and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

  My eyes opened to Ryland standing alone in the middle of the clearing.

  “Jos.” He whispered my name before running to me, his body strangely strong and whole again. His dark curls bounced as he came to me, his bright blue eyes cutting into my soul.

  “Ryland?” I didn’t dare hope, but right then I was so happy to see him, after everything that he had said before, and I needed to know.

  I opened my mouth to ask if it was really him, but never even got one word out. His lips covered mine as he pressed into me, his hands and mouth encompassing me with a kiss I could have never imagined would come from him. It was deep and needy in a way that made my toes shake. I sighed as a spot deep inside my belly spun with joy.

  He pulled away, his eyes looking deep into mine. His look was suddenly desperate and panicked.

  “Ryland?” I asked, growing worried.

  “You know I love you, right?” he asked, his eyes darting frantically over my face. “More than anything?”

  “Yes,” I answered breathlessly.

  “And you know I would do anything to save you, to protect you. Right?” My veins turned to ice. I didn’t like where this was going.

  “Ryland?” I asked, not willing to give him the answer to his question.

  “Break the connection, Joclyn. Now. Have Ilyan show you how. Do it the second you wake up.” He grabbed my hands tightly and pulled me down to the forest floor, my knees crunching against the dead leaves.

  “Ryland, why are you asking me to do this?” I could barely get the words out, my throat felt so tight.

  “It’s the only way to keep you safe, Jos. I should have never completed the Zȇlství. I thought I was strong enough, I thought I could…” He shook his head and looked away from me.

  “I can’t. Ryland... I can’t.” I clung to his hands tighter, pulling him into me. “I need you.”

  “No you don’t!” he yelled loudly, his voice reverberating off of the trees. “I can’t save you. I can’t protect you. Not anymore!”

  “Ryland,” my voice was a squeak, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

  “You have to break...” He stopped and his eyes went wide, his gaze was beyond me, the panic evident on his face. I went to turn, terrified at what I might see, but Ryland forced me back to look at him. Quick footsteps were coming up behind me; a hand grabbed my hair and pulled me to standing.

  “Break the connection, and don’t go in...” Ryland’s voice was silenced in my ears as I felt a body behind me, a knife against my throat, and heard Cail’s wicked laugh before I woke up clutching my neck. My breathing came in sharp panicked spurts, but I did not scream.

  I stared at the roof of the bunk as I waited for my breathing to calm, my mind playing Ilyan’s song for me inside my head. I listened to it until the panic was gone, most of the vivid images of the nightmare fading into the netherworld that exists between sleep and
waking. I curled into Ilyan’s chest, partially wondering why he was already in my bed before I drifted off to sleep again.

  Thirty

  I woke up the next morning and almost yelled out with my first movement. My body was filled with the aches of having avoided the Tȍuha for so long. I shifted my weight in Ilyan’s arms and my back seized, the muscles calling out in protest.

  I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to go into the Tȍuha, but I was still scared – more so after last night’s dream. Dramin had told me to wait to talk to Ilyan about breaking the bond until after I had decided what course to take, but I didn’t know how much more time I could wait. I needed to talk to someone.

  It scared me the way Ryland had begged me to break the Zȇlství, begged for me to do it right then. And then there was Cail.

  Cail lived off of his taunts, his torture, but he hadn’t even hesitated before killing me. The lack of his usual games made my teeth clench.

  I shuddered at the memory, my heart rate accelerating in an unhealthy way.

  I rolled over again, turning to face Ilyan. I moved the hair that had fallen over his face, his mouth slightly open in his sleep as usual.

  I knew what I had to do, as much as I didn’t want to. As much as it hurt, I needed to break the connection. I needed Ryland; at least I thought I did. Ryland had protected me as I was growing up. He had loved me and taught me how to love when I wasn’t sure I knew how to anymore. He protected me from his Father and used his body to shield me, and now he was trying to protect me by breaking the connection.

  I loved him more than I ever thought I could love someone. That’s why it hurt so much every time he asked me to break the connection. I didn’t want to lose that. I didn’t want to lose the last normal thing from my old life.

  But I wasn’t normal anymore, and I had changed. I had grown stronger and more confident than I had ever felt.

  I think I knew I had to break the last connection to the old me, no matter how much it hurt to say it. And once that connection was broken, I would be free. Free from the torment. Free to become what I was born to be.