Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)

by Rebecca Ethington

  Ilyan grabbed my hand and took off into the air, dragging me behind him. His magic swelled inside me as he shielded me again, flying us down the street to land near a large white statue that adorned the façade of the main cathedral.

  “I’m not treating you like a child, Joclyn,” he hissed icily.

  “Then why won’t you let me fight, Ilyan?” I wasn’t sure why I was fighting this. I didn’t even think I was ready to face Ryland. I certainly didn’t know if I would be able to fight him.

  “I need to protect you, Joclyn. I have to keep you safe and this is the only way I can do that.”

  “By hiding me?” I asked, wishing I could move away from him.

  “Yes, until you are strong enough to fight.”

  “But you just said I was…” Ilyan cut me off with one look, the desperation in his eyes deepening the blue hue.

  I didn’t respond. I knew Ilyan was right. I couldn’t seek Ryland out. He would kill me. Even though I wanted to believe I was ready to fight, I was not sure I could, or if I was strong enough.

  “Stay here. Don’t do anything stupid, Silnỳ.”

  “Why would I do anything...?”

  “Please.” Ilyan removed his hands and waved both over me once like he was framing my body. The heat of the shield stayed with me, even without his contact. I stared at him wide eyed. I didn’t know he could shield me without touching me.

  “This shield is unmovable, Joclyn. If you move, even a step out of the way, it will shatter. It is strong, like the one I placed around the apartment, but it is fickle. I can control it when I am away from you, but it is around you, not inside you. It cannot move like you can.” His eyes were a combination of fear and excitement. He kept glancing behind him, an eagerness to fight battling with his need to stay with me.

  “So, if Ryland finds me?”

  “It should hold, but if you move…”

  “Then it’s gone,” I finished for him, my heart beating wildly.

  “And you fly right to me.”

  I nodded once in understanding and Ilyan took a step away from me before moving back, his internal conflict still raging.

  “Stay,” he commanded me like a dog and I fumed a bit, but pushed it away to nod at him.

  Ilyan looked at me one last time before flying away, directly toward his father who stood in the middle of the busy street.

  Ten

  Ilyan shot through the air like a bullet to land gracefully a few steps away from Cail and who stood protectively around Edmund in the middle of the main road.

  The three faced each other in anticipation. I could feel the pressure of the situation, even from a distance, their words flowing up to me much louder than I would have expected.

  “Hello, Son,” Edmund crooned, and I cringed at how happy and normal he sounded. The impending battle didn’t seem to bother him at all.

  “Father.” Ilyan’s voice was tense and I could tell he was gauging what he should do. Part of me hoped he flew back to gather me up and fly away.

  Cail silently paced in front of Edmund, his body tense and ready, his eyes moving from Ilyan to the street around him as he searched for me. I instinctively held my breath and controlled my jitters.

  “I hear you stole something that belongs to your Brother,” Edmund continued as if Ilyan’s tense voice had been nothing but a casual greeting.

  “I stole nothing. I am simply holding it for safe keeping.” Ilyan ground his foot into the ground and for one ridiculous moment I was reminded of an old time gun fight. I shook my head at the thought. This was no ordinary gun fight, this was much more serious.

  “Hmmm, that is not what I hear,” I saw Ilyan flinch a bit at Edmund’s words, his back tensing. “Stop that, Cail, you’re going to wear me out.”

  Edmund gave one casual swipe of his hand and Cail stopped pacing immediately. Moving himself to stand in front of Edmund, he never let his dark eyes leave Ilyan as he moved.

  “Yes, master.”

  This time I flinched.

  At the Rugby game, and even in the ballroom of the mansion, I had never seen Cail respond that way to Edmund. It may have been that I wasn’t paying close enough attention, but he didn’t strike me as the subservient type. I had only seen Cail act that way around Edmund in my dreams, and the fact that my subconscious rendering of him could have been that precise made me uncomfortable.

  “Don’t move,” I said to myself, as if my own voice would be able to help me keep still.

  “Well, job well done I’d say. She’s safe. You’re safe. Everyone’s happy, and we are here to collect.” Even though his words were still upbeat, Edmund’s voice had begun to darken.

  “I don’t think so,” Ilyan said darkly, as if Edmund’s words had been some great joke. The sound reverberated up to me, making the whole street sound as if it was haunted.

  “I was afraid of that,” Edmund sighed, his feet stepping back as he moved himself out of the way.

  “Cail.” Cail stepped forward at Edmund’s words, his eyes not leaving Ilyan’s in sudden anticipation. “Restrain him.”

  “With pleasure.”

  Ilyan bowed his back slightly in preparation for Cail’s assault.

  Cail turned to face Ilyan with a stream of power and light shooting out of his fingers. Ilyan didn’t dodge. He simply stepped gracefully out of the way. The energy, however, continued on and slammed into a supporting beam of the cantina’s outdoor overhang.

  The Salsa music was replaced by screams as the roof to the patio collapsed. Ilyan lifted his hand and detached the entire roof, sending it flying toward Cail. The screams from the people in the cantina increased as the air seemed to explode around them.

  The roof made contact, sending Cail to the ground. The pile of wood, fabric, and fairy lights sat in a crumpled heap in the middle of the street.

  Edmund clapped his hands as if he was enjoying the show, and I knew why the second I looked down to the street.

  With the roof to the cantina gone, a stationary dark figure stood alone in the center of the once crowded restaurant.

  My heart beat was disconnected at seeing Ryland there. As Ilyan turned to face him, I took a step forward without thinking, the shield wavering at my movement. I hesitated. I didn’t know what I wanted. Did I want to be near him? Did I want to fight him? Or did I want to save him? What did I actually think I could do?

  My whole body shook as I struggled through my options. My mind called for one action and my heart for another.

  “Ryland,” I whispered.

  I stepped back, hoping my movement hadn’t broken Ilyan’s shield. My magic pulsed and flowed with more heat and power than I had ever felt, but still I knew it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t even mark Ilyan without playing dirty, and tricks like that with the possessed Ryland would get me killed. I clenched my fists and focused on Ilyan’s slow movements toward Ryland, trying to keep my thoughts off of my inability to help.

  Before Ilyan could move too far toward Ryland, the shattered remains of the cantina roof exploded into fragmented bits, leaving Cail standing in the rubble. Distracted by the commotion, my eyes flew back to where Ryland had stood a moment before. The now empty dining area was devoid of any dark haired men.

  Raw fear rippled through me, taking my breath and logic away. Ryland was coming to find me. I stood still, listening to the beat of my heart, expecting Ryland to come around a corner at any moment.

  Ilyan must have jumped to the same conclusion because he began to battle Cail, his eyes scanning around for Ryland while also keeping tabs on his Father, who seemed content to let Cail do his dirty work.

  “Hello, little pony, come to be broken?” I froze at the words, my whole body going rigid as my pulse skyrocketed. I felt Ryland’s hand trail down my scalp, his fingers running through my hair. I didn’t dare turn, I didn’t know if I could manage it.

  “I like your hair better this way, it’s beautiful. I think, seeing you like this, I would like to keep you as a pet.” Ryland came around to face me,
his black eyes the only things I could look at. Not for the first time, I had to remind myself that his mind was gone.

  He wasn’t there.

  It isn’t him.

  It isn’t him. I reminded myself over and over, trying to ignore the heavy thump of my heart against my chest.

  Ryland reached up and placed a cold hand against my skin. I felt the warm buzzing of Ilyan’s shield evaporate. Ilyan must have felt his magic surge as his power returned, but I couldn’t look away from the black depths of Ryland’s eyes to see if Ilyan had noticed.

  “What? Not going to say hello?” My eyes ran down his face to his lips – the lips I only got to kiss once. Even though my face burned with happiness, I had to tell myself again: It wasn’t him.

  It isn’t him.

  My head was buzzing with internal yells, many prompting me to run.

  It isn’t him

  “Goodbye, Ry.” I whispered the words before slamming my hand into his stomach. I filled my hand with all the abnormal buzzing I felt and lunged it at him, sending him spinning through the air, away from me, to land on the street twenty feet away.

  I didn’t dare look. I took off into the air, needing to get to Ilyan.

  At some point in my brief contact with Ryland, Ilyan had begun fighting with Edmund, Cail taking a supporting role; the scene before me was terrifying. I landed further away from Ilyan than I wanted to, scared to get too close.

  Ilyan’s and Edmund’s hands moved seamlessly as they fought. Tables, daggers, swords – objects both real and conjured – everything flew across the space between them. Physical weapons to magical attacks, they blended into one another. The energy fields and magic that they fought with sent flashes of color through the darkened street.

  I watched for a moment. I needed to get to Ilyan, but more importantly, I needed to help him.

  My hand flexed in preparation for an attack when I was struck across my back by a long strand of white-hot heat. I fell to the ground as the burning pain seeped into me before dissipating. I scrambled to flip around on the asphalt only to get tangled up in the remains of my hoodie, which had been shredded by the whip-like attack. I yelled as I pulled at it, frantic to remove it and get away. My efforts were halted by Ryland’s legs straddling me and holding me in place.

  “Now, where were you going?” he sneered. “I told you I need to break you.”

  He sat down on my legs, the pressure inverting my knees painfully. I moved to place my hands against his skin, ready to attack him, but Ryland grabbed my wrists before I could make contact. He transferred both of my wrists into one hand and leaned towards me, pushing my arms above my head. His searing magic moved into me and blended with my own, his negative energy stopping the flow of magic and blood to my arms. I attempted to pull my hands away, to kick him off of my legs, but he was too strong and his weight too much for me. I could feel my body weakening the more I fought him.

  “Do you know how they break a horse?” He increased the weight on my legs and against my wrists as I fought him. “You have to whip it.”

  Ryland sliced his free hand through the air in front of me sending the same burning sensation, this time through my chest. I screamed out at the centralized pain. He swiped his magic across me again and again, the pain surging with each new impact. I continued to fight him as I screamed and writhed, my hands still bound as he pinned me down.

  I was desperate to escape the agony, but I also knew I should be hurting more. With each painful swipe of his hand the pain grew, only to be swallowed up by my body as I absorbed his energy, his magic, the Zȇlství forming a loop between us.

  I waited until his next strike and grabbed the burning energy before my body dissipated it within me. I combined it with my own magical energy and shot it back at him through my hands, directly into his face.

  Ryland yelled in pain as he fell off me, freeing my legs. I scrambled up, the now shredded fabric of my hoodie falling to the ground. I didn’t wait to see if Ryland was still down. I did the only logical thing that I knew; I ran and hid.

  I bolted into a dark alley, the large adobe buildings towering over me and enclosing me in the dark space. A few steps in and the darkness had engulfed me, leaving me alone with my pounding heart as I felt my way along the rough wall, waiting until I was far enough into the alley not be seen. I jumped into the air. The wind caught me and hoisted me onto the nearest roof.

  I knew it was pointless to run. I could already feel my own magic pulse toward Ryland, the heavy weight of the pull increasing the closer he got. It was part of the magic of the Zȇlství, the bonding. The connection that was supposed to be such a joyous occasion had turned into my own personal hell. I was, at this moment, being hunted by my mate.

  I ran and hid behind a large air conditioning unit, knowing it was hopeless. I attempted to convince myself of my need to fight him, no matter how much I hurt at the thought. The pulse of my magic continued to grow as he moved closer. The sounds of Ilyan’s battle with Edmund and Cail from the street below echoed in my ears. The air was becoming thick with the smell of dust and burning wood. I vaguely wondered what had caught fire when Ryland suddenly pulled me up by my hair.

  I controlled my breathing, squaring my jaw to face him. His eyes were so full of hatred that my stomach tightened and churned in warning. I fought against his hold, my arms swinging wildly at him when it became obvious he wasn’t going to let me go.

  “If whipping doesn’t work, make the horse submit.” he stated blandly, as if reciting the words in a book.

  His hand flew through the air and made contact with my stomach. I gasped as the air left my lungs and was replaced with the pain of the punch’s impact.

  I reached up and cupped my hands around his face, letting my magic flow into him in a boiling heat. He should have screamed in pain, but instead he smiled before slapping me hard across the face. Ryland released the hold on my hair, sending me tumbling to the roof’s surface. I reached up and touched my swelling face, unsurprised by the trickle of blood flowing from my nose.

  I moved myself onto hands and knees as his leg swung forward, his heavy shoe making contact with my stomach. Pain jolted up my spine and stayed there, centering in the tender bones and tissues of my back.

  I fell to the ground, my stomach landing hard on the gravel of the roof. I tried to sit up but was stopped as Ryland once again came to sit on my legs. I cringed in pain as he leaned over me, the weight of his body adding to my agony.

  “Stupid girl,” he said, pushing me further into the gravel, the large ruby of his necklace pushing hard and cold into my skin. “Haven’t you noticed? Our magic doesn’t have any effect on each other. If I wish to break you, I’ll have to do so literally. One. Bone. At. A. Time.” With each word he ground my wrist into the gravel, pressing the delicate bones into a dangerously compacted state. I felt the snap as my bones broke, the turquoise bracelet Ilyan had given me also snapping under the pressure. I screamed at the pain that shot up my arms as each bone cracked.

  My magic pulsed, attempting to heal me even as he broke me. And then I realized, magic didn’t work on him, but it could still work against him. I pressed my hand into the gravel beneath me and pulsed the panicked flow of my magic into it, sending thousands of pieces of gravel off the roof and into Ryland’s face. He jumped away from me, unable to breathe or see through the arsenal that I shot at him. I spun around, ignoring the pain that still shot through my body, to magically reach for the air unit and rip it off the roof and right into Ryland.

  The large metal box smashed into him and sent him flying into the street below. I crawled to the edge of the roof and peeked over. Ryland had landed with the air conditioner on top of him, right in the middle of the brutal battle that Ilyan had been fighting.

  At first all I saw was his hand sticking out from underneath the large unit. It was like the Wizard of Oz. I expected the fingers to curl away into a lifeless form, but instead they flexed and moved with strength. We didn’t have much time.

  The
whole area lay in ruins. Most of the cantina was on fire, the street was ripped apart and full of giant pot holes, and pieces of asphalt were littered around like odd pieces of modern art. Ilyan stood straight and tall, his braid still sleek and falling down his back. Cail was gasping and clutching his side, while Edmund stood next to him laughing. When the air conditioning unit hit the ground the fighting had stopped and Cail had fallen to the ground, thankful for the chance to heal. Edmund, however, seemed uninterested in the interruption and squared his shoulders, his hands moving swiftly through the air.

  I could see the air quiver. Color and energy built as he gathered his magic together. It was obviously meant to be a death blow.

  Ilyan seemed to sense that as well, and without even a word, he took off into the air. Edmund’s explosion lit up the air behind us as Ilyan scooped me up and continued his flight. I felt his magic grow fast and strong inside of me, the shield stronger again thanks to our physical contact.

  Almost immediately, the glow of Edmund’s useless attack faded, and I could hear him yelling angrily at his apparent loss.

  Ilyan soared through the night sky, the hot wind whipping at our clothes. I looked back to the destroyed city street, relieved to see Ryland standing, but thumping all the more at the possibility of being followed. They had proven once already how quickly they could find me.

  “Are you alright?” Ilyan’s panicked voice broke through my thoughts and I turned to face him.

  “A little beat up, but what’s new?” I tried to laugh but my lungs ached from the large bruises I was sure I had.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  I didn’t give him a response. I wasn’t sure what needed to be said.

  Ilyan’s magic flowed stronger through me as he checked for more injuries, his face growing hard at what he found. Part of me wanted to push him away, but I was grateful for the comfort his warmth provided me. His arms around me a reminder that at least here I was safe.

  I leaned into him as he held me, healed me, and flew us away from the man I loved.

  The man who hunted me.