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

by Ethington, Rebecca

  “I was here when Ryland showed you the Vilỳ, I was the one who told him that you didn’t want him, and I was the one that took away the pretty overcoat Ryland had given this place.” He gestured around him to the rotting kitchen, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

  “This is what your mate’s mind truly looks like; destroyed, rotten, forgotten. There is no love here, which is why you don’t belong here. Or maybe you do. You don’t love him anymore, either.”

  He continued to move toward me, but I couldn’t move. The memories and fear of every encounter with him weighed me down.

  “You’re the one who has been telling him to force me out.” I gasped, letting the fact free from my fears.

  “Now, that’s an interesting thing. I actually have not been telling him to do that. It would ruin my fun, after all. Ryland’s mind is an interesting place. Not only does he remember enough about you to realize you’re in danger, but he also risked everything to get into your dream last night. He was desperate to get you to break the bond to keep you from this mess. Thankfully, you didn’t listen.”

  Cail emphasized his last words, each syllable shooting through me like I had been slapped. Ryland had been trying to protect me all this time. I felt the wind suck out of my lungs.

  “And, now,” Cail continued, “here you are. Trapped.”

  “Trapped?” I repeated the little air that I could hold in my lungs gasping out.

  I spun around to look for the black door that I had always been able to exit through. My heart dropped to see a tall man standing in front of it, his eyes boring into me dangerously.

  I took a step forward, my hands raising toward the tall guard, I was getting out of here. I felt my magic crackle between my fingers, it felt more alive than in the nightmares; more powerful.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Cail taunted, freezing me in place. “Everything you do here, you do in the waking world, remember? You attack him, or me, and you will throw that weapon at Ilyan. I bet he sleeps right beside you, holding you. Protecting you. It would be a shame if you killed him. An absolute shame.”

  Cail came up behind me, his hands moving to rest on the table on either side of me, pinning me in place.

  “Now, I bet you are thinking,” he continued as he leaned into me, his voice wickedly soft in my ear, “that you could just find a way to fight him and leave, but then, Ryland hit you with that barstool last time, and I bet when you woke up you were bleeding.”

  He let his words drift off, his hand moving to trail up my arm. The touch shot through me and I spun around, grabbing his arm and twisting it awkwardly into the table. He yelled out as my strength pinned him down. His discomfort lasted barely a minute before I felt his magic surge and a conjured knife appeared in the palm of his free hand. He motioned me away from him. I gasped and jumped away, the memory from my last dream still fresh. My movement only caused Cail’s joy to increase, his smile widening.

  “Did Ilyan heal you when you woke up? Do you think he could heal you if you didn’t wake up?”

  I looked toward the man who stood in front of the door, his eyes following me greedily as he flexed his fingers, red energy crackling between his knuckles.

  “What are you saying?” I immediately regretted asking, but I couldn’t help it. I silently prayed he wasn’t saying what I knew he was.

  “This is not like your dreams, Joclyn. You attack me here, you attack Ilyan there. You conjure weapons here, you do the same there. You will not wake in the arms of your true love if you die here, you will simply die.”

  I gasped and he smiled more. He grabbed a rotten apple and balanced its weight in his hand for a moment before throwing it against one of the teetering cabinet doors. The door fell to the ground as the apple exploded.

  “Boom!” Cail yelled joyfully, causing me to jump. “Dead. Gone! Which in all honesty is how we want you. But I figure, and Edmund agrees with me, why not have a little fun first? Why not play a little game?”

  “No,” I gasped in panicked desperation. I clutched my shoulder where Ilyan’s Štít lay; I felt nothing.

  “Oh, yes.” He smiled and my breathing picked up. “If you try to get through that door,” he pointed to my normal exit, “he will kill you. Which means the only way out of this room is through that door.”

  Cail grabbed my shoulders and moved me to face the door that led into the mansion.

  “Now, through that door is the depths of Ryland’s mind. In there, he may remember you, he may not, or he may hate you enough to kill you himself. But do not fear, I am not sending you in there after him, I am sending you in there away from me. Because when I find you, I will do away with you in the most painful way I can think of. It’s the greatest game of all.”

  I cringed as he produced his knife and rested the blade against my chest. I tried to move away from him, but he held me tighter.

  “Don’t worry, I will give you a head start. It’s only fair after all.” He dug his fingers into my shoulders, causing me to gasp at the pain. “But don’t forget, whatever magic you do here, you do in the real world. Though if I do my job right, in a matter of hours you won’t even remember you have magic inside of you.”

  “Let me go,” I snarled as he continued to hold me. I stumbled when he released me with a little push, surprised he had done it so quickly.

  “If you insist,” Cail said. “But you’d better run, your ten minute head start begins now.”

  I spun around to face him, Cail stood with his face screwed up in manic excitement.

  Cail had trapped me in here with the full intention of torturing me in a way that would only end in my death. I needed to get out of here. I knew there had to be a way. I could already feel my soul call to it, a promise of showing me a way out that would not end in my death.

  My eyes darted to the guard who stood in front of the black door, blocking my exit. I knew I could defeat him easily, but I also knew that Ilyan still lay right beside me, his arms wrapped around me. Anything I would do in a fight, would go right into Ilyan.

  Cail caught my eye, his lip curling as he interpreted my thoughts, knowing his plan was working.

  “Run.” Cail said, and I didn’t wait. I turned and ran into the pits of the house, which was all that was left of Ryland’s mind, my heart slowly breaking.

  One Hundred Eleven

  Ilyan

  Joclyn’s voice had been a treasured memory from the first day I had heard it, eight hundred years ago. The rise and fall of her tone, the way she said her Rs—it was an accent I wouldn’t hear for hundreds of years after the day I had received the sight.

  I had dwelled on her voice for centuries, allowed the memory of her to be my light in my darkest times, and hundreds of years later, I had basked in her voice when I heard it in my ears again.

  “Ilyan.”

  I was so used to hearing Joclyn’s voice in my dreams that when she woke me up by a simple call of my name it always took me a moment to decide if it was a dream or reality. It felt like a dream. Every morning, when I woke with her in my arms after so many years of waiting, it all felt like a dream.

  I didn't even care what Talon had warned me about anymore. Perhaps he had been trying to keep me away from her anyway; I had no way of knowing. All I knew is that the last few days had been less torture and more wonder. Although, I was sure the torture would come.

  The warmth of our body heat was trapped under the layers of furs, a stark contrast to the cold of the cave against my cheek. Her hand was pressed softly against my bare chest, her warm breath flowing over my skin. I could have died right there from the joy I felt.

  “Jos,” I sighed, happy at being comfortable enough to say her name so familiarly.

  She smiled at me, but the smile was sad, the pain behind her eyes stronger than it had been last night. Something was bothering her: a decision, a choice. I couldn’t tell what. I had missed something.

  My muscles tensed in alarm. I should have never let her wait so long between Tȍuhas.
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br />   I pushed my magic through her, letting the warmth slow her heartbeat. She looked at me with those sad eyes before the look began to fade.

  Calm washed through her before I registered the light in the cave. It was morning. She had slept all night. My soul felt light at the thought. Finally, she had gotten some rest.

  “No nightmares?” I was hopeful. How could I not be?

  “I am so glad,” I whispered at the shake of her head, pulling her into me and wrapping my arms around her. The small movement must have triggered a million aches inside of her because I felt her back seize as she gasped.

  My heart clunked heavily in worry and I did the same thing I had done for months. I plunged my magic into her as I healed her. I wrapped her spine in energy as I repaired the tiny fractures that lined her bones. Hopefully Ovailia would bring Ryland back soon and then she wouldn’t have to endure this anymore. I needed her whole. I couldn’t bear to see her in pain, even if his return would take her away from me.

  I was only serving as her safe harbor until Ryland was able to return to her.

  “I have to go in.” Her voice was so soft, so fearful. Not for the first time, I wondered if I should have prompted her to break the bond in that first month.

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips against the skin of her forehead, her warmth shooting through me like lightning. I pulled away, much sooner than my heart begged me to. I had to remind myself that she was not mine for my heart to claim.

  “I will be here the entire time, Joclyn,” I whispered to her, my soul lost to the doubt and fear that flashed through her silver eyes. “Be quick.”

  Something deep inside of me begged me not to let her go. I didn’t want to see the pain on her face, or find her bleeding when she returned. But I couldn’t stop this.

  She pulled the beautiful necklace my brother had given her out from underneath her shirt, the jewel glimmering as she plunged her magic into it. I could feel the power emanating from the immaculate stone, the strength of Ryland’s magic swelling in the air. The jewel sparkled as his heart stayed with her, his magic surging through her as he protected her.

  She didn’t look at me as she pushed herself into my chest again, my arms wrapping around her. Her body was stiff against mine before she relaxed, her mind leaving to connect with that of her mate.

  I ran my hand over her hair, the thick braid I had placed in it only the day before all ruffled and frizzy from a fitful sleep. Neklidný spánek?

  No, that couldn’t be right. Joclyn had said that she had had no nightmares and the few nights without them, she had always slept so still, so soundlessly.

  I reached up to wind a thick strand that had come undone back into place, and her body shuddered against mine. The small movement was almost that of a sob.

  “Jos?” I pulled her limp body away from me, but her eyes were still closed, she was still in the Tȍuha.

  I had almost pulled her back into me when she shook again, this movement heavier. Her head jumped and lolled before coming to rest on my arm. The world seemed to freeze.

  She had never moved like this during a Tȍuha. It was always the nightmares that racked through her body and brought the seizures and agonizing movements. Tȍuhas were gentle. I had seen so many of my kind enter them through my life span. The gentle way their bodies lay, the glowing, ethereal beauty that would overtake them as they visited such a pure eternal place.

  Joclyn twitched again, her fingers sparking slightly. I brought her against me, my hands fanning against her back as her heartbeat fluttered in fear.

  “Jos?” My back stiffened when she didn’t react, my hands moving to clench her to me, my muscles tensing.

  Someone was hurting her. Anger pulsed through me, the need to protect her taking over my better judgment. She had only been gone a matter of minutes, but that was much longer than she had visited recently.

  Her body shook again, her chest heaving as she gasped and coughed into the skin of my chest. Warmth from her breath spread over my chest, leaving behind a wetness that stuck against my chest. I froze as I smelled it; the earthy scent of blood.

  I pulled her away to reveal a bright red patch of her blood on my chest. It continued to drizzle from her gaping mouth and onto the sheet of the bed we lay in.

  “Ne,” I gasped. No.

  Blood trickled down the side of her mouth, the bright red vivid against her pale skin. My fear flowed into my bloodstream, igniting my fury, my anger.

  Someone was hurting her. Someone was going to pay.

  My magic pulsed in search of the connecting thread of the Tȍuha, ready to get her out of there, but I felt nothing before she began to convulse.

  She shook violently, moaning and gasping as if she was being strangled. Her rough movements grew as I attempted to steady her. The more I tried to grab her, the more she writhed, sending my hands away.

  “Joclyn!” My voice broke as I yelled at her in a foolish attempt to wake her up.

  She continued to writhe and seize, the moans turning into agonizing yells. My magic pulsed through the Štít, I knew she could hold the power if the barrier broke, but nothing budged. My jaw locked in fear, my magic bubbling high above the power I normally held in reserve.

  I attempted to move closer when she shifted, hands flying forward as her magic pulsed into me and sent me skidding across the cold floor of the cave. I stood in one jump, immediately running back to her.

  I yelled as I squared my shoulders, fully prepared to battle my way through her seizure and save her… until her hands began to glow.

  If I wasn’t so focused on her, I might have missed it.

  Magic exploded out of her, an electrical current so strong it would have buried us all in the mountain in a matter of seconds. My magic burst away from me in a shield that cocooned its way around Joclyn, trapping her in a lightning storm of energy.

  Her magic crackled and boomed within the shield, flashes of light shooting over the dark walls of the cave. My fear grew as the onslaught I had trapped her in got worse, and I realized the possible danger that she could now be facing alone.

  I ran to her, keeping the shield strong as my magic pushed through the Štít in its desperate attempt to get near her. I couldn’t break in, but it didn’t matter. We had bigger problems. The powerful barrier I had placed around her was no match for her magic.

  I could already feel it giving way, my magic straining as her attacks kept coming.

  “Dramin!” My voice was barely able to rise through the cave before the shield shattered. The loud crack of her magic hitting the stone resounded through the cave in a fearful rumble.

  The sound rattled in my ears, the danger calling right into my gut. I tried to stop her attacks, but I was powerless against her. I was no match for the power that Joclyn held inside.

  Dramin’s footsteps were barely audible above the destructive sound of Joclyn’s magic as the uncontrolled streams of her white hot magic poured from her fingers and tore through the mountain, the impact shaking the ground beneath us. A rumbling sound ricocheted through the cave, echoing off walls as it intensified and the mountain began to fall apart around us.

  Thom and Dramin called out from somewhere behind me when the shaking sent us all to the ground, our feet unable to stay steady inside of the rumbling cave. The current ripped the rock of her bunk apart, pieces of it falling around her, falling from the ceiling as it threatened to entomb us all.

  I didn’t think. If I had, I wouldn’t have moved. My soul just stepped in, moving me forward in an attempt to save her. I dodged the falling stones as magic crackled in the air, yelling as one long tendril sliced deeply into my arm.

  Dramin and Thom were yelling behind me, begging me to stop, warning me of the danger, but I didn’t listen. I ignored the blood that flowed freely down my arm. I ignored their voices. I could only focus on the girl who was fighting for her life right in front of me. I reached her just as the attack stopped and her arms went limp. I grabbed her body and brought her safely into my arms, the b
unk shifting into a mass of rock and debris as it collapsed over where she had been only moments before.

  The rock settled, Joclyn’s magic finally calming as I held her. Everything was silent just long enough for us each to take a breath.

  The groaning of stone turned into a crack of thunder. I turned toward the two men behind me to see my own fear mirrored in their faces. Thom looked around as the groans increased and Dramin’s head whipped around as a loud bang sounded through the cave as the roof began to collapse on itself.

  “Get out of here! Jdi!” I yelled loudly in Czech, fully aware that I had placed the magical stream into my voice that would require them to comply. I knew that neither Thom nor Dramin could perform a stutter, and I was not going to leave them here to die alone.

  Both men turned and ran, their speed increasing as more groaning echoed and cracked. I held Joclyn’s body to me, praying she did not continue to attack her unseen assailant before I could get her to safety, or at least out of the cave that would kill us all.

  The floor shook and the ceiling continued to fall around us. The sizes of the stones increased as the mountain shifted. Groans echoed as we ran, the deep moans from the mountain warning us of the end.

  Thom’s long dreads bounced around his shoulders as they ran, Dramin’s night robe flying behind him like a cape. Joclyn’s continued jerks and spasms were masked by the jostling movements of my run as we dodged around falling rocks and dirt. The intricate stonework of the cave crumbled around us, the beautiful iron work that once hung from the ceiling crashing to the stone floor only to crinkle like paper left too long in water. We darted through obstacles as the noise grew until each of us had made it into the hall that would lead us out, only to find it blocked.

  My heart plunged, Thom and Dramin looked to me, fear and anger lining their faces.

  “The training room.” My commanding voice barely resonated above the groaning of the mountain, but even without the magical pulse weaved inside of it both men quickly obeyed.