“I can’t believe it was that easy. Especially after all the trouble I had before,” I spoke quietly to myself as I stared at my hands. I almost expected them to catch on fire.
“Evil overlords can do that to you,” Talon said as he handed the wrapped necklace back to me.
I took the necklace and looked at it solemnly. I desperately wanted to put it on, but wasn’t sure if I could, or even if I should. The thought of how much it hindered me, of what it was now beginning to mean, was a heavy, choking weight.
“Go ahead,” Ilyan urged as he sat beside me again. “Put it on.”
“What if it keeps restricting me?” I carefully peeled away the folds of fabric to look at the jewel nestled there, the fine silver chain circling around like a snake.
“It will. Which is why I want you to try something,” Ilyan replied. “Put it on, tell me what you feel.”
I removed the necklace from the cloth and carefully placed it around my neck. At almost the exact moment that the ruby touched my skin, I felt my magic slow down, the energy losing some of the wriggling nature that I was becoming used to.
“How bad is it?” Ilyan asked, and I knew what he was referring to.
“Everything slowed down; it almost feels like my body has become sludge.”
Ilyan nodded his head in understanding.
“Your magic is very strong, Joclyn. I think you can fight through this. In fact, if you can master it, it might help everyone in the future, especially Ryland.”
My head perked up. I leaned closer to him, even though my instinct was to move away. My dark hair fell around my face as I bent toward him.
“How, Ilyan? How do I do it?” I asked.
“I don’t know. You will have to figure it out yourself.” He smiled, and I had the distinct impression he did actually know what I was supposed to do.
“Can’t you just tell me?”
“I would, but I have never actually witnessed something like this. I have ideas, but they will probably not work for you.”
“Why not?”
“Well, Joclyn, because your magic is still underdeveloped. For example…” His voice had taken on that deep, commanding tone that I had heard in him the first moment I had met him, in front of the school.
I flinched away.
“…if I told you to try to perform a double barrier and reverse it, would you be able to do it?”
I just stared.
“Or, how about an extended growth spell? No. You would not know what to do. I could teach you all that in a month, maybe two, but not today, not when your knowledge of magic is so limited. You have to figure it out for yourself because you don’t know all of the basics yet.” He looked away from me with superiority.
Wyn rubbed my back sympathetically, whether because Ilyan had just put me in my place or because I looked absolutely forlorn, I had no idea.
I lay back in the grass, dejectedly. Of course, it couldn’t be quite so simple. I looked through the grass to the dirt, my mind spinning as I tried to figure out what to do. I could feel the low buzz of my magic. I still felt the desperate need for it to get out, but no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t come.
I flexed my fingers and placed the very tips in the dirt, digging them in a bit. The warm earth and the electric hum from within me combined aggressively, but the magic would not move. I had the foolish thought to cut my skin to simply let it out. While probably a very natural progression, the image of cutting my own skin brought visions of Ryland being tortured to the forefront of my memory.
I flinched at the image, wiping it from my mind. Then I paused; the image had instigated something. I could still feel the super-charged buzz as the magic released into the ground where my fingers touched it. I knew what I needed to do, and although I sincerely didn’t want to, I brought a vision of Ryland to my mind.
This time, I chose the gentle image of him placing the necklace around my neck. The beautiful memory caused my heart to swell, and with it, a tiny bit of energy expelled itself. It wasn’t enough to do anything, but it was something. I felt the warmth of it leaving my fingertips before it subsided.
I tried again, this time remembering the first time we had climbed the trees and how he had gently coaxed me down and hugged me tightly. My soul flew at the imagery, the magic surging momentarily and shooting out of me, causing the grass to grow about an inch.
I sat up, staring at my dirty fingers in amazement. I had felt it; felt the change. I could have sworn I could almost feel the restrictive cover that the necklace placed over me shift. If only I could shift it enough to overcome it.
“What is it, Joclyn?”
My head snapped up to see all three of them looking at me, confused. I could tell they had just been laughing about something; Wyn’s shoulders still shook as if trying to restrain a latent laugh.
“It’s... I thought...” I paused. No matter how much I was learning to trust Wyn and was growing to like Talon and Ilyan, I still wasn’t sure I was ready to go into everything quite yet. “It’s nothing,” I finished lamely.
Talon turned away from me, returning easily to whatever conversation they had been having a moment before. Wyn stared at me a moment longer before shrugging and returning to jabber along with Talon. Ilyan, however, continued to look at me curiously. The intensity of his gaze locked me in place, the familiar blue shooting into me, sending shivers up my spine.
I didn’t like the sensation that his gaze gave me. My stomach glittered with the attention, while simultaneously shying away from him. I was thankful when he looked away, releasing me from my inner turmoil.
I threw myself back into the grass and focused on what should be my only thought: getting my magic under control so I could help save Ryland.
Last year, when the spring flowers had begun to bloom, Ryland had taken me up the mountain to have pie. We had arrived right at dusk, and Ryland had been quieter than usual during our trek through the forest. When we had gotten there, he had produced not only the pie, but a chicken dinner he had obviously bribed my mother to make; he knew it was one of my favorites. I could still see his broad grin as he produced the food, the memory surging my magic. I plunged my fingers into the dirt again as a small amount escaped. I pulled my attention back to the memory, desperate for more magic to find its way out.
I think it was that night in the mountains that I had started to fall in love with Ryland. After we had eaten and laughed and joked as we always did, we had chased each other through the forest with the water guns that Ry had brought along. I had snaked through the trees, unable to keep my giggling contained, giving Ryland more than one opportunity to soak me. My sneakers had squished as I walked, another sure giveaway. I had caught sight of Ryland ahead of me and prepared to make my attack when a perfect circle of flowers caught my attention.
Purple pansies grew among the pine needles and forest decay in a dainty, four foot wide ring. It was such an odd flower to find in the forest, and the circle so perfectly round. I had walked around it slowly, something pulling me to stand in the middle of it, even though I was sure it was taboo.
“Go ahead,” Ryland had said. Now, even a year later, his voice remained crystal clear in my mind.
My magic surged again, but none escaped.
I had stepped over the border of flowers slowly, laughing at the intent of this new game. Ryland had walked around me, hailing the king of the fairies and urging him to accept me as a gift and to treat me well, his voice barely able to contain his laughter. Ry had leaned down slowly and plucked one of the beautiful flowers, presenting it to me with smoldering eyes…
“How did you do that?” Wyn said.
I shot up, surprised at the garden of pansies that had grown around me. Ilyan and Talon had disappeared, leaving only Wyn to witness my amazing breakthrough. I reached out and touched the soft petals; they were almost identical to the ones from my memory.
“Ryland. Our memories together,” I whispered, fighting the tears that still fought their way out from my ex
tended visit with such beautiful memories.
“Really?”
I didn’t dare look at her; I only nodded.
“You think of Ryland, and your magic can move? What do you think of? Kissing him, his rippling muscles...? What?”
My heart thudded as I looked up to her: I didn’t know what to say. “No, nothing like that. Just him. Memories of him.”
Wyn’s shoulders slunk sadly. “Like kissing him?”
“No, Wyn,” I whispered. “I have never kissed him.”
She stared at me in shock; she almost looked scared. “Never?”
“No, never. I mean, we got close,” I added, just in case she got the wrong idea, “but we never actually made the connection.”
Wyn continued to stare at me with that strange look on her face. I ran my finger through the flowers again in an attempt not to look at her.
“Is that bad?” I asked when the silence had become too much.
“No, no, no.” Wyn reassured me. “It’s just that... normally to have a connection as strong as yours, you would have at least kissed.”
I began to feel even more uncomfortable. I looked down into the carpet of flowers as the blush crept up my cheeks.
“Your souls are connected.” I couldn’t help but hear that teenage longing in her voice. “It’s like you are meant to be.”
I rolled my eyes at her, but secretly, I hoped she was right. At least then I would be able to save him.
Forty-Three
Joclyn
Ilyan had knocked loudly on my door at daybreak to command me to meet him in the courtyard in ten minutes. Even without being awakened by the bright sunlight in his room, I still wasn’t allowed to sleep in, this close to going and saving Ryland I was surprised we had time to sleep at all.
Train and sleep. Train and sleep.
I rolled out of bed, thankful for the disappearance of the ancient décor. The brown and orange paper had been replaced by white walls with a deep green stripe circling the ceiling. The lumpy bed with the ancient bedspread was also gone; a small, squishy, pure white day bed in its place. The dark table and orange lamp were still there, but they didn’t look as old as they had before; they looked almost chic. It wasn’t really my style, but I liked it anyway.
I had opted to shower first, deciding that since I hadn’t actually taken a real bath in a while and knowing that I could be in and out in five minutes, it wouldn’t be a problem. When I stepped into the hot water though, I knew I was in trouble. The jets of steaming water hit my skin, and every muscle in my body relaxed into a comfortable jelly. I let the water flow over me in long rivers as it wiped away the grit and grime of everything that had happened to me in the last two weeks. Granted, the water was clear and I actually had no real dirt or grime, it still felt wonderfully cleansing and invigorating.
I stood there for longer than necessary, feeling the now constant buzzing. After my success with the circle of pansies, I hadn’t been able to accomplish anything else without removing the necklace, despite trying late into the night. Standing here without the necklace, I felt my magic surge again. I didn’t dare attempt anything for fear that it would hinder any success later. I turned off the water and stepped out, knowing Ilyan would be upset with my tardiness.
Sure enough, without the sound of the water, I could hear Ilyan and Ovailia shouting at each other in Czech again, their voices carrying through my door. I was beginning to wonder if this was a daily occurrence.
I dressed quickly as the angry yelling continued, trying to pick out clothes from among the mismatched array of what had been brought over for me. I could tell that most of these clothes had belonged to several different people. I opted for a band shirt I was sure was Wyn’s and a pair of baggy, gray pants. Thankfully, a pair of flip-flops near my size had been left for me, so I slid them on as I pulled Ryland’s sweater over my head, his lingering smell still clinging to the fabric. I flung the door open, and the yelling stopped.
“Look who it is,” Ovailia sneered in a sugary sweet voice. “Finally decide to grace us with your presence, did you?”
I looked from Ilyan to Ovailia in confusion. Ovailia kept her eyes glued on me, her lips pursed, while Ilyan had his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed toward no one in particular.
“Here I am.” I sang the words in a mockery that only pissed her off more.
“Wonderful.” Ovailia walked away, her hair swaying ominously behind her. Ilyan followed her, beckoning me to follow.
My guard went up instantly. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend an hour, let alone a day, with the two of them together. My experiences with them so far had been less than stellar. Ilyan led us, once again, into the courtyard, but my heart plunged at seeing the thirty or so people who were milling around the large space. My hands moved to pull my hood up, but stopped halfway; I needed to be brave.
“Sorry,” Ilyan said sheepishly. “I had hoped to prepare you for this, but I didn’t count on your needing a shower.” He grabbed my hand and placed it gently in the crook of his arm. It didn’t escape my notice that his posture improved almost instantly. “‘My Lord’, remember.” He smiled bashfully at me before leading me into the large courtyard.
Everyone stood and faced him. I couldn’t help but feel that my baggy pants and sweater left me terribly underdressed for this. Even though Ilyan wore his trademark torn jeans and button-up shirt and no one else was wearing anything out of the ordinary, the air of the situation demanded something better. As we walked past each person, they would bow their head and lower slightly. Ilyan would return the bow with a slight head nod and sometimes say a name. Thankfully, by the time we made it to the tree, most everyone had returned to what they were doing previously.
“Is it always like this?” I asked quietly, noticing that several of the people continually looked over toward us.
“My Lord,” Ilyan reminded me under his breath.
“Is it always like this, My Lord?” I asked stiffly.
“Unfortunately,” he mumbled.
“It should be like this more often and handled with much more dignity, but my brother seems to think otherwise.” Ovailia said, glaring me down, “Now, that you are here, should we continue?”
“Ummm... sure,” I answered, unsure if I should be adding some form of a title to Ovailia’s name. She acted like she was entitled to one, so I wasn’t sure.
“Good. Now, Ilyan tells me you have mastered plant growth easily enough. Let us hope the same rings true for your command of the wind.” She held out a heavy muslin cloth. I hesitantly removed the necklace and placed it in the folds. Ovailia wrapped it up tightly and placed it near some bushes on the ground. I looked at it, longing to put it back on, but knew it would only hinder me, and I needed to get control of my magic fast.
“Now,” Ovailia continued, “the concept of manipulating wind is much the same as plant life. You must infuse the wind with your magic until you receive the ability to control it. It is through this control that you will be able to manipulate yourself and objects around you.”
I just nodded my head numbly. I knew that should make sense, but I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around it.
“Think about how you move your magic into the plants and tell them what to do,” Ilyan said. “It’s much the same concept, except with wind, you can do more; move cars or buildings, fly.”
“We were flying that night you saved me!”
“Yes, we were,” Ilyan said happily. Ovailia however, cleared her throat.
“Sorry... My Lord,” I added hastily.
“I want you to learn this skill, so in case anything happens this week, you will be able to get away and save yourself.”
I nodded. I wanted to be able to save Ryland, and if that meant running away, it meant running away.
“All right,” Ilyan said, “bring your magic to the front and release it into the air around you. I want to see if you can summon wind from nothing.”
I focused intently on the air and felt my magic seep out of me like a s
low leak, pleased when I felt the air softly move itself into a subtle breeze. I pushed more magic out, excited at the quick success. The more I released into the air, the bigger the breeze became, until it swirled swiftly through the courtyard, pushing into those who remained watching us and eventually knocking me into Ilyan.
“Sorry, My Lord,” I whimpered as he set me straight again.
“Don’t be. That was wonderful!” Ilyan was pleased. Ovailia looked anything but.
Ilyan grabbed my shoulders and steered me to stand right in front of the large tree.
“Okay, now, climb the tree,” Ovailia snapped impatiently, ignoring my quick success. “Show me how you accomplish these tree races that Wynifred has told me so much about.” Why did she always sound so irritated?
I felt excited for a whole moment, until I looked up into the tree branches. The tangled knot of the tree extended high above me; no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t see a way through. It was more than the impossibility of the branches though, it was the fact that I could fall. That fear was new… and I hated it.
My hands moved to wrap around my back without my even knowing. My fingers spanned flat against, the fingers touching the places where broken bones and nerves had been only a week before. Great, my broken back had given me a fear of falling.
“You won’t fall,” Ilyan whispered in my ear.
“How do you know I won’t?”
“I won’t let you.” His finger moved up to trace a circle around my kiss.
I tore my eyes away from the tangled branches to look at him, stepping away from his touch.
“But there is no way up, Ilyan—My Lord.”
Ilyan smiled at me before turning to Ovailia. “If you will excuse us, sister, I believe this lesson will not require your assistance today.”
Before Ovailia could open her mouth to rebut, Ilyan had opened his hand, the necklace flying into his open palm from within the bush. Ilyan then took my hand and began to lead me out of the courtyard. Everyone looked surprised that we were leaving so soon, but they stood and paid their respects to him as we walked by, nonetheless.
Imdalind Ruby Collection One: Kiss of Fire | Eyes of Ember | Scorched Treachery Page 30