Imdalind Ruby Collection One: Kiss of Fire | Eyes of Ember | Scorched Treachery

by Ethington, Rebecca

  “Can you stand?” Sain asked, his hands wrapping around mine and pulling me up before I had a chance to respond.

  “It can be disorienting at first, so don’t try to make too much of it. We are only here for a few minutes.”

  “Where are we?” I asked, the mist retreating as I looked around.

  “This is where we wait,” Sain said as he steadied me. “He doesn’t know we are able to materialize. He makes us wait before he uses us as his pawns.”

  “He?”

  “Your brother.” I winced at Sain’s words. The memories of what had just happened mixing with the old and making Cail even more of a bastard.

  “So what is this place? What happens now?”

  “Nothing good happens now. What your father has done to you in the dungeon, that’s just the opening act.”

  “I thought you said we were safe here,” I said, looking around and still not understanding.

  “Not here,” he said. “Where he takes us afterwards. Just remember, it is only a dream.”

  I swallowed hard, the inflection in Sain’s voice heavy with fact and warning.

  “It's gone.” Ryland’s voice was loud as it broke our conversation apart, leaving my hundreds of unasked questions unanswered. “What was it?”

  “You control this place, Ryland; you tell me. It's just my blood that makes the connection.”

  Ryland snorted and shook his head, his curls bouncing as he finally turned and acknowledged I was there. He stared at me intently, a million emotions set into his eyes.

  “Is she all right?” he asked succinctly.

  I leaned into Sain, not knowing what to say or how Ryland would react to the little I did know. While I would like to say he was safer here, more stable, I could still see the anxiety and the exploding anger behind his eyes.

  “Don’t worry, Wyn,” He said, stepping right up to me and holding the big paws of his hands out. “I’m alright here. Well, alright as I can be. Everything has gotten worse since my father started using the blade, but here, here it feels almost normal.”

  “Here in the mist?” I asked, turning toward it. It moved as though it was trying not to be seen and I could have sworn I felt those fingers on my cheek again.

  “It’s the closest he is to having his soul in one piece,” Sain said, his tone far sadder than I expected.

  “Out of here…” Ryland hesitated, his voice catching, my heart tightened right alongside. “Out there all I can remember is Joclyn, but the details are all fuzzy. And Cail makes it worse… so… tell me. I need the truth. How is she?”

  It was an honest enough question, but even Sain was coiled in nervous energy. I had a feeling I still needed to tread very lightly.

  “I don’t know,” I whispered. “She has been in hiding with Ilyan. I haven’t seen her in months.”

  I watched as Ryland’s jaw clenched, his eyes turning to the chilling color of ice. I could feel the anger radiating off him as he walked away from us, his fist colliding with a tree and then punching through it as the sturdy trunk turned to smoke.

  “Calm down, Ryland,” Sain ordered, his voice deep and fatherly.

  “How can I calm down?” he yelled, his voice loud as he turned on us. I flinched, Sain barely moved. “It’s been months, she says. Months! We have been tortured, used against her, beaten—for months. All while she has been on an extended date with her new boyfriend.” I flinched at his words, taking a step closer to Sain. I really wished I hadn’t said anything.

  “That’s not true, Ryland,” Sain said, his voice a calming beacon that Ryland didn’t seem to respond to.

  “Ilyan is just protecting her—” I tried to help, but Ryland whirled on me, angrier than before. I guess I had chosen the wrong thing to say.

  “No! He’s not! He has his hands all over her!”

  “No, Ryland, don’t give in to Cail’s games. You know he is lying,” Sain pleaded as he stepped closer to him.

  Ryland stepped forward, squaring his shoulders, but Sain didn’t back down.

  “How do I know that?” Ryland spat, his anger fuming as he moved and paced.

  “Because I’ve talked to them,” I tried again, watching both Sain and Ryland for clues on what to say. “Ilyan is protecting her, but she still asks about you. Talks about you. She got mad at Ilyan over you. She is training to save you.”

  Thankfully that time was better and Ryland’s breathing slowed.

  “Save you, Ryland. And more. Remember what I told you?” Sain’s voice was calm as he placed his hand on Ryland’s shoulder, the touch once again triggering a calmness in him.

  “Only Joclyn can stop my father.” Ryland’s voice was tight as he spoke, his eyes focused on something far beyond us.

  “Yes, and who is the only one that can help her with that?”

  The temporary calm that Ryland had found faded away as fast as a slap. His breathing picked up, and his chest heaved, his eyes darkening into a deep icy blue. “I can do it.”

  “Ryland, I—” Sain tried to interrupt him, but Ryland exploded, and I jumped away from him.

  “I am strong, too. Stronger than him. The sight was wrong, Sain! It is me that can help her! I need Jos’s power to stop him.”

  “No, Ryland!” Sain roared, causing Ryland to stop in his tracks. “You must not take her power. That was your first mistake—when you foolishly sealed yourself to her. At that moment, you were more in love with Joclyn’s power than with her.”

  “Don’t judge what you don’t know! I love her!”

  I was not one to hide by any means, but the volatility of Ryland’s emotions was terrifying. I stepped behind Sain, who thankfully didn’t protest.

  “You did, Ryland, you loved her. But when you found out who she was, your love changed—”

  “No…” Ryland interrupted, his voice airy and desperate.

  I looked at Sain, this seemed like dangerous territory, but he plowed on. He was here with him enough that I would have to assume he knew what he was doing.

  “You loved her magic more than her,” Sain insisted, his voice calm and level. “You loved what her magic could do for you.”

  “No, I need her magic.” Ryland sighed and shook his head as if clearing the thought from his mind. “I love her.”

  “That may be,” Sain said, his voice still low and comforting, “but this bond has only caused her pain. We have talked about this; you are not helping her now. You must trust in the sight if you wish her to end this.”

  “You just want Jos to be with a king, not a worthless prince.” Ryland spun to face Sain as he spoke, the anger deep in his voice as he hissed at the old man, his face only inches from Sain’s.

  “I want her to live up to her true potential.”

  I stayed one step behind Sain, trying to follow their strange conversation. I felt like I was only hearing one side of a phone conversation, however.

  “And that is not with me?” Ryland asked, the deep root of his voice struggling to keep steady. Sain only shook his head.

  “How do you know, Sain?” Ryland spat. “Have you seen something new?”

  “You know I have no control over my sights anymore, Ryland. I see only what he would have me see.” Sain’s voice was a whisper against Ryland’s outburst.

  Ryland howled at Sain’s words, moving away from us to smash his fist through several more trees that turned to mist at the impact. Ryland stood still after disintegrating his eighth tree, his chest heaving as he watched the white mist float toward the empty expanse of sky above us.

  “Don’t give in to Cail’s taunts, Ryland,” Sain counseled. “If you give in, then he has won. Use this time to clear your mind. It’s the only time you are in control of yourself. Don’t let Cail’s words cloud you here.”

  “He’s my brother,” I interjected, stepping forward confidently. This I could contribute. “He’s a bastard. He only lives to serve Edmund and hurt everyone who is against him. Right now, that means you.”

  Ryland stood with his back to us, h
is head bobbing once in understanding before he turned, his strides taking him right into Sain’s arms. The older man embraced him, his hands wrapping around him tightly. They said nothing; the embrace was enough to convey all that was needed. Ryland moved away and came right over to me, his giant arms sweeping me up as he squeezed me against him.

  “I’m sorry, Wyn,” he whispered in my ear. “I’m sorry I got so mad. I just can’t tell the lies from reality anymore.” He dropped me and smiled. “My brain is a mess. It’s like a child is playing with crayons in there, and the colors got all muddled.”

  I wanted to laugh at what he said; I could tell that had been his intention, but I couldn’t. I heard the honesty behind it, and it broke my heart. Edmund had tried to delete Ryland’s mind, but somehow Ryland had fought him. So instead, they turned to manipulation and torture. I felt my stomach swim, the lack of contents adding to my nausea.

  “If it wasn’t for Sain, I would probably be more of a mess.” He chuckled again, only for the sound to die as though it had been sucked through the air. He looked away, his hands tightening on my biceps. Both his and Sain’s eyes turned outward as tree after tree began to vaporize, the white fog that surrounded us started moving forward, seeping through the trees much faster than was natural.

  “Remember, it’s only a dream, Wynifred… Brace yourself.” I barely heard Sain’s words before the mist took me, the white mass moving into me and breaking me up into a million pieces again. This time, however, the feeling of carelessness didn’t take me. I was aware.

  I was aware as different trees began to form around me and aware of voices in the distance, these ones hard and menacing. I was aware of the change in my body and the hands that wrapped hard around my arms, aware of the fear that gripped my heart.

  “This isn’t a game!”

  Joclyn? Joclyn was here...

  Ninety-One

  Joclyn

  The forest.

  These weren’t just nightmares anymore, they were real. With nightmares you could at least count on waking, but with these dreams I was not so sure anymore. Plus, after seeing the scorch mark in the wall back at the farm house, I didn’t even dare defend myself in these living dreams without the risk of hurting someone else.

  I ran the second the forest materialized, darting through trees and jumping over rocks. My breath came in sharp bursts as I raced away from the men I knew would find me. I hadn’t made it far when the growling started, the sounds matched by high pitched laughter.

  The sounds chased me, increasing as my heart rate did, echoing as I jumped over a fallen tree and landed in the middle of a clearing. I uncoiled from my not so graceful landing only to find myself face to face with Cail. He stood in the center of the patch of dirt, inspecting his fingernails as if he was bored. Edmund stood behind him, but he was faded somehow, as if he was shrouded in fog.

  “Tsk. Tsk. Running from me, Joclyn? Really? Are you that scared?” Cail mocked me, his slimy grin uncoiling as I planted my feet in the ground, my back straight as I prepared to fight him.

  “Never. I just couldn’t wait to smash your face in.” It was a lie, no matter how confidently I raised my chin toward him.

  Cail smiled at my taunt, excited at the prospect of a fight.

  “Really? I would run if I were you. You haven’t made us very happy, you know. Escaping from Edmund’s trap yet again, surviving no matter how hard we try to kill you. It’s not fair.”

  Cail gestured toward Edmund who smiled slightly.

  “Make it good, Cail.”

  “Of course, master.”

  Both men sneered before Edmund’s shape shimmered and disappeared from view. I flinched as a jolt of fear lodged itself in my chest. I clenched my jaw and ignored it. I refused to let him beat me down.

  “I’m actually impressed, you know. How far you’ve come. So strong, and yet, so breakable.” Cail circled around me, his eyes never leaving me. When his hand reached out and glided down my long hair, I pulled away from the touch, but he only smiled more.

  “Did you come bringing another message, Cail, or is this the only way you can even get close to a woman?” my voice was hard as I glared at him, locking my jaw in what I hoped looked like strength.

  It was harder than it should have been, facing Cail. The guy was just so freaky. Dangerous. I shivered.

  Cail laughed, pulling my hair up to his nose. He inhaled the scent as I moved away from him, the strands falling from his grasp.

  “Hmmm, no message. You already know my deal… twenty days left to bring yourself to me and save him. Until then, I just enjoy spending time with you.” He kept his hand against his nose as he looked up at me, his intense gaze causing me to shrink away.

  “Yeah right,” I scoffed. “You only like spending time with me if it involves attempted murder.”

  Cail smiled wider, his body moving closer to mine. It took everything in me not to step away, I swear I could feel the slime of his soul rub up against mine.

  “Or torture,” he added, his smile growing.

  “Is that what Edmund told you to do, Cail; to torture me?” He didn’t answer. He just continued his advance into my personal space.

  “Ryland tells me you know that Ilyan loves you. Is that true?”

  “Ilyan doesn’t love me,” I shot back, side stepping him to move across the clearing. I didn’t like how this was going. There was always more than this. More screaming, more crying, more pain.

  This was too much talking for him. He was up to something.

  “Not in that way.”

  “Oh, so he hasn’t told you. Could it be that I know more than you at this point in time? Oooh, I would love to see your face when you figure everything out; what Ryland did, what Ilyan is keeping from you. This game gets more and more exciting.” He clapped his hands, his eyes dancing in a way that made my insides squirm.

  “This isn’t a game!” I yelled at him, making my voice ricochet off the trees and reverberating through the clearing.

  He froze, his face blank for a moment before the grin returned.

  “Not a game you say? Well, what do you say we turn it into a game?” He came up behind me quicker than I had expected him to, his hands wrapping around me and holding me in place. He rested his chin against my shoulder, my insides squirming at the unwelcome contact.

  “Why don’t we see who has the upper hand?” His voice was soft in my ear, I moved my head away from him, but he followed, keeping his cheek against mine.

  “Bring them out!” he yelled. I cringed against the sound, but his arms still held me against him.

  My magic crackled in expectation of an attack, but I pushed it away. It wouldn’t work here anyway.

  Instead, I was frozen as dark shapes began to form. They were not the regular shapes of Edmund’s henchmen, they were rounded trolls that were accompanied by the grunts, groans, and screams. My mouth opened in a silent scream as the forms stepped from between the trees. One after another they came, each of their broken bodies framed by two of Edmund’s men. I looked to each of them, Ryland and Wyn fighting weakly against their captors, Talon weak and still on the ground, and a man I didn’t recognize. The man lifted his gaze to mine and I knew at once who he was.

  Sain.

  He looked the same as I remembered him, the imprint of his features still strong in my mind. His hair, as black as mine, was longer than I remembered. It made him look older and more travel worn. He looked up to me with his rounded face, his strong jaw tight and defiant as he fought against the men who held him. His eyes were as green as mine were before they changed, the orbs glossing over with unshed tears. Thom had been right, I looked just like him.

  I wasn’t sure what to say or how to react to this man. He was my father, but I barely knew him. He had left me. My heart beat heavily against my chest as it screamed at me to run to him. Part of me wanted to, yet another part was too hurt to care.

  “We hold in our possession two of your friends, your lover, and even your father. And who do you sti
ll have? A ‘Protector’. Someone who hasn’t even told you the truth yet.”

  I looked between them all, my heart breaking at seeing them there. I had to remind myself that this was only a dream. They weren’t really here. I could not save them.

  “Where is your protector, now?” Cail taunted, and my blood turned to ice.

  He didn’t know that Ilyan lay unconscious. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him where I was, or who I was with. I needed to get out of here as fast as I could.

  “Let them go,” I snarled, swallowing the giant lump in my throat.

  “Why? We have the upper hand. We. Are. Winning. And you, you don’t even know what’s going on.” He smiled and I pushed against his strong arms. He just pulled me closer. Everything about him was vile.

  “Now, now, don’t go anywhere yet. We still haven’t gotten to our game! You see, we have four people in front of us and you can pick one. One that you will not have to watch die right now. The others we will kill before you. You will not have to see the last die, but here is the clincher. Whoever you choose will have to watch you die before we will release them from this nightmare, and let them wake up.”

  “You’re a bastard!” I fought against him, not wanting to hear anymore; not wanting to play his game.

  “Oh, I am so much more than that,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered. I could smell his breath. “Who do you choose, Joclyn? Who do you want to watch you die?”

  I looked at each of them as they fought their captors. Each one had fought for me, and I for them. I fought the burning emotions behind my eyes as I looked between them, my vision stopping at my father. He didn’t fight against those who held him. He met my eyes, nodding his head once in understanding. I inhaled deeply.

  “My father,” I said. “I choose my dad.”

  He nodded to me once more, my mouth forming the words ‘I’m sorry’, hoping desperately that he would understand.

  “It’s okay, Joclyn.” A million childhood memories flooded me with his voice.

  “Wonderful!” Cail sneered, his hold on me tightening, his hand tight against my stomach. I was going to throw up. “She’s made her choice. Dispose of the rest.”