Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)

by Rebecca Ethington

  “No! Please don’t!” I cringed as she screamed, her voice cracking and breaking. Other voices yelled in the background but I couldn’t make anything out. Ilyan’s knuckles went white as he clutched his phone, his arm tightening around me.

  “Father! Please don’t! Don’t let them hurt me!” I listened to her plead with her father. The thought that Timothy could be there, in Prague, was terrifying.

  Wyn screamed again, her voice breaking and crackling though the phone’s speaker. I turned my head into Ilyan’s chest, not wanting to hear anymore.

  “Ilyan!” Wyn screamed, her voice losing strength. “Run!”

  She hadn’t even gotten the full word out before the line went dead. I peeked out from behind Ilyan’s shirt, not wanting to see. His knuckles remained white and hard against the phone, his jaw clenching below his ice-like eyes.

  “Ilyan?”

  He didn’t respond to me. He stared at the phone as the screen flashed white and Ovailia’s name popped up on the screen. It rang – once, twice, a third time. We stayed frozen against each other until she answered, the same screams and explosions sounding in the background.

  “Ilyan?” Her voice was frazzled and scared. I had never heard her sound so raw before. “Ilyan, where are you? Please tell me you are all right.”

  “We are fine, Ovailia. What is going on? Wyn called...”

  “They took her,” Ovailia cut him off, panting as she moved through whatever destruction was tearing through the space. “They took Talon too. I don’t know where he is, but Timothy dragged Wyn off.”

  “Who’s they?” Ilyan’s voice was hard as he spoke through his tightened jaw.

  “Father. Timothy. There are hundreds of them.” I cringed I didn’t need her to elaborate; I knew who they were now, Edmund’s hundreds of Trpaslíks.

  “I don’t know how they got in. Our whole city... I don’t know how many are going to make it out.”

  “Get out as many as you can, Ovailia. Meet me in Isola Santa in five days. Can you do that?”

  There was a break as Ovailia panted, ran, and more explosions filled the air that was already rent with screams. The phone’s speaker vibrated at its exertion.

  “I can try.”

  Neither Ovailia nor Ilyan said anything as more screams filled the space and more explosions, crying, and pleading sounded around them. I moved my head back into him in an attempt to block it out.

  “Be safe, Ovailia.”

  “And you, Ilyan.”

  The line went dead for the second time and Ilyan’s other arm came to wrap around me. I could feel his heart hammer through his chest, his anger pulsing his magic through his veins, and in turn through my shoulder. I was beginning to understand what Wyn had said about Ilyan’s temper.

  Wyn.

  “Ilyan?”

  “I know, Jos.” I flinched at the use of my nickname. He had never used it before. “I will keep you safe, I promise.”

  “And how do you plan on doing that?” I jumped at Cail’s voice, a hundred volts of emotion plunging through me. I clung tighter to Ilyan as I moved my head away from his chest to face the two still figures that stood in the street below us.

  “I told you I could find you,” Cail sneered through the dark. I could feel Ryland’s black eyes on me as he stood next to the tormentor from my nightmares.

  Sixteen

  I stared at the two figures. They didn’t move, didn’t deviate even a millimeter from where they stood. They looked up at us as Ilyan and I looked down on them. Ilyan’s arms never moved away. If anything, they only increased their strength against me. I felt his magic flare, his shield around me growing. Even with Ryland right there, I couldn’t feel the pull of Ryland’s magic through the shield. Which means Ryland couldn’t feel it either.

  My eyes fluttered between Cail and Ryland, my heart beating stronger the more I looked. The last I had seen of Ryland was in the dream – and in the dream he was himself, his memories back. But the man before me looked up with black eyes and a menacing snarl as he plotted all the ways he could hurt me.

  They both laughed menacingly at us, and Ilyan’s arms pulled me closer to him. I knew why. After what we had heard, neither of us was sure what to expect. I was scared, and by the erratic pulse of Ilyan’s heart, I knew he was too. One of his arms moved away from me, his hand gently facing the two figures below us.

  “Relax,” Cail drawled in a falsely bored voice, “we are not here to kill you, at least not yet.” He smiled as his teeth flashed in the dim light.

  I could feel Ilyan’s magic swirl angrily under his skin, the power of it growing hot in my shoulder.

  “Then what do you want?” Ilyan yelled down to them, but neither of them flinched.

  “To give you a message. You must have heard by now that your precious safe house in Prague is gone. The wells of Imdalind are now ours. Imagine what we can do with all that power! And you, the last of the true Skȓítek, have failed in protecting it.” Cail laughed as Ilyan’s muscles tightened even further. Ryland’s musical chuckle joined in, and I felt the chill of ice run over my skin. That laugh was almost identical to how it used to be. I pushed myself into Ilyan’s side, repeating to myself that it wasn’t Ryland down there.

  It isn’t him.

  I looked to where Ryland stood, his hair falling over his head the way it always did. I couldn’t help but think that Ryland was still there. I wished I knew a way to pry him out of his prison. I stepped toward him, moving back when his black eyes met mine.

  It isn’t him.

  “Then what is your message?” I heard the strength in Ilyan’s voice rumble through his chest.

  “It is for Joclyn,” Cail said, and I reluctantly looked over to him. “We have found you, as I told you I would, and we have your little friend locked up where you will never find her.”

  “No!” I called out without meaning to. It was just like in the dreams, I knew I shouldn’t show him my weakness, I needed to keep how scared I was inside, but this time I had failed. Cail smiled at my loss of control, his eyes dancing in pleasure.

  “Oh yes, and you still have one month. Twenty-nine days to be exact, or your little friend is gone, along with the love of your life.” He stopped as he placed a hand on Ryland shoulder. My insides froze, terrified as to what he was going to do.

  “Unless you don’t need him anymore,” Cail finished, his head turning to Ryland. “Look how cozy they are up there, Ry.” Ryland turned his head to face me. I almost expected blue eyes, but instead only saw the black. “It almost looks like she doesn’t need you anymore, don’t you think?”

  “You’re right,” Ryland said. I tried to pull away from Ilyan when I heard Ryland, but Ilyan’s strong arms kept me there. “Have you told her then brother? Have you told her of her true purpose and what she is to you?”

  Ilyan said nothing. I stayed frozen against him, not wanting to hear anymore. My heart still called down to Ryland, but I clung to Ilyan out of necessity and security.

  “Well then,” Ryland said, “if you have, I suppose you won’t be needing me.”

  In a flash of blue I saw a spark of light bounce off a golden sword that had appeared in Ryland’s hands. He spun it once before swinging it violently through the air to plunge it into himself. Ryland didn’t even flinch as it moved toward him, the air streaked with gold as it flew.

  “No!” I screamed louder than before as I fought against Ilyan’s arms, he let me move, but still not enough to fly to Ryland’s aid. Despite my reaction, I was thankful for his impeding arms. If I had gone down there, Cail would have killed me easily. Part of me knew that was the whole point of this demonstration.

  My body went limp as Ryland moved the sword, having stopped it millimeters from his body. Ilyan gathered me up and pulled me back into him.

  “Hmmm, I don’t think he has,” Cail said, his voice sad.

  “I take it Sain has told you then?” Ilyan asked.

  “Oh! Bravo! You figured it out. You will make your Father so proud.
He was beginning to think you had lost your touch. I sure hope it didn’t take you the full three months to realize that we were controlling her dreams?” Cail took a step forward, his hands moving as he spoke. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them, terrified he would attack at any moment.

  “Not even close,” Ilyan laughed humorlessly through his lie. “See, I know the full story. And no matter what you have done to Sain, I doubt you have managed to get it all.”

  “Sain may not have told us everything, but he has been a wealth of information – both now and before. We have been waiting for her to make an appearance as long as you have, and we are willing to wait just as long to find the secret of how to destroy her. Another month or so and we will crack the lock you put on his mind. Then we will know everything.”

  “I wish you luck with that,” Ilyan laughed, his deep joy rolling through the main road.

  “At least you continue to make this whole game more interesting,” Cail said.

  “It’s not a game,” I yelled down to him, interrupting their banter.

  “Oh really?” Cail sneered, “I think it’s a game. Ryland thinks it a game. Edmund knows it is a game. Your Protector up there, seeing as he hasn’t told you everything, he must be playing the game as well.”

  Ilyan pulled me back against him, and my insides went numb. Cail’s loud voice boomed as he laughed and the yard to the house suddenly lit up with artificial light as a door was opened. Cail’s attention turned to a man in the doorway, his laughter stopping as his face went hard.

  “What’s going on out here?” I heard the old man yell shakily through the yard, Cail having obviously scared him.

  “Nothing that concerns you, old man.” I realized what was going to happen a moment before it did. Cail raised his hand and placed his palm toward the old man. As he had with me the first time, he let the power grow, his amusement at scaring his target stronger than his intent to kill. Ilyan left my side to intercept the ball of energy Cail sent toward the old man. Ilyan’s powerful energy redirected the fire toward a field of trees off to the side of the house with only a thought. Cail’s red light connected with the trunk of the tree, sending it into a roaring inferno that spread inhumanly fast to the other trees in the small grove, the magical fire gladly accepting the timber.

  The man yelled out in fear and the door closed, the yellow glow leaving the yard with the click of the door as the flickering light from the fire began to take over.

  Ilyan stood before Cail, his tall frame towering over him. I turned to see the family coming out of the other side of the house and running away from whatever altercation was about to take place. I calmed a bit hoping they would get away from this.

  “Do you wish to fight me, Ilyan? I told you we were not here to hurt you. Not today.” Cail’s voice was strong, but I heard the fear that lay behind it.

  “Then do not attack the innocent,” Ilyan said, his magic growing and spreading through me from the Štít, as his shield encompassed me.

  Ilyan took off into the sky, presumably back to my side, before his body was pulled back down to the ground and restrained against the damp grass by Cail’s magic.

  “I will attack any that get in the way of my job for my master,” Cail said.

  “You serve the wrong man, Cail.” Ilyan’s body seemed to glow with golden light before he burst into the sky, Cail’s magical restraints flying off of him. He moved enough to put himself between me and the two men on the ground. Ilyan flexed his fingers, electricity crackling between his knuckles.

  “I guess that is a matter of opinion.” I froze as Cail raised his hand toward Ilyan. Ilyan did nothing. He stood there as his hair danced in the wind, his muscular body lit by the firelight. I felt his magic surge through me.

  Light exploded out of Cail’s hand and a half-second later, Ilyan sliced his hand to the side, sending Cail’s magic uselessly into the already blazing trees. Ilyan flexed his hand as the ground exploded around Cail, showering the yard with dirt and rocks.

  I shielded my face from the onslaught of dirt, only to come face to face with Ryland when I emerged. I didn’t wait; I raised my hand to attack. But before I could do anything, his hand wrapped around my neck and forced me against the house.

  “Now, now,” he said, his wicked voice cutting into me. “You know your magic has no effect on me. And as fun as a scuffle with you would be, my job is not to attack you. My job is to keep you here.”

  He snarled at me and increased his hold. My vision popped and swayed from the lack of oxygen. I grasped at his hands, my magic not responding to my mind’s weak calls.

  “Oh sorry,” he said, although I heard no sympathy. “I guess it would be better not to kill you yet. It was nice of Ilyan to leave you here for me to play with. I guess his desire to kill Cail was greater than his need to protect you.”

  He smiled as I squirmed underneath his hold. I wanted to yell at him that he was wrong, that Ilyan was helping everyone, but I couldn’t get Ryland’s words out of my head. I knew he was manipulating me, like his father did in my dreams, but I couldn’t get enough oxygen to even attempt to rebut him.

  Ryland released his hold enough to give me breath, but not enough to move. I let my magic swell at my increased freedom, only to have Ryland amplify his hold again. I groaned as he slammed my head into the house, the impact ricocheting through my skull. He smirked at me and my heart thumped. The look was the same one he used to make when he was teasing me. But there wasn’t any love for me in him anymore, not in his eyes, nowhere.

  “Stop trying to fight me,” he snarled, slamming my head against the house again. “After all, there is nothing you can do. You see there?” Ryland decreased his hold on me again, my head spinning from lack of oxygen and the aggressive impact, only to force me to look toward the side of the house. Four Trpaslíks had gathered in the shadows, out of Ilyan’s sight, their hands against the house.

  “And there,” he moved me roughly, this time to the other side of the house, where even more Trpaslíks stood.

  “They are going to blow you and this house clear into the sky, all while your dear Protector is in battle, too busy trying to kill Cail to save you.” Ryland said, his black eyes shining. I stared at him, my jaw working independently of my mind. It was as if it was trying to bite the oxygen out of the air around me.

  I could feel the house vibrate under me, the joined magic of those below congregating beneath us. The vibrating house continued to shake as he held me against the side of it, my body barely getting enough oxygen into my lungs. I gasped for a desperate breath, in my attempts to yell, to scream, to fight him, but my voice was caught, my magic a limp spark. It wasn’t enough.

  “Oh, and I have a riddle for you. Straight from Sain’s own mouth.” I froze. My Father?

  “‘Two brothers stand beside you, both know of your true fate. They both have love in their hearts, but different needs to gain. One seeks power, the other light. The one with light in his heart may love you more, but he is the foolish one, the one who will die first.’ I will give you one guess as to who that one could be,” he said, releasing my throat as the vibrating reached its peak.

  I gasped for breath again, trying to regain use of my magic, knowing there was only a matter of seconds before the house exploded.

  “Ilyan!” I screamed with all the air I could gather, hoping that he would hear my call or feel my pain in his magic that pulsed through me. What I didn’t expect was Ryland’s answer.

  “Correct.” My eyes widened, as Ryland’s smirk increased. I didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant before Ryland pushed away from me to escape the impeding blast.

  I fell to my knees as the house begin to collapse on itself and tried to push myself into the air, my body too weak to answer my call. I felt Ilyan’s arms wrapping around me as the house imploded below me. The heat of the explosion on my feet burned as the blast grew, the sound of destruction ringing in my ears. I looked back and knew we couldn’t escape it.

  “Hold on to me,
Silnỳ, and whatever you do, don’t let go.” I looked up at Ilyan’s face as his hold on me increased.

  He wrapped his body around mine, his hold tight as I felt his magic rush into me with more pressure than he ever had used before. The pressure broke through my barrier, but instead of making me feel as if I was going to explode, I experienced the exact opposite. My body was squished even further against Ilyan as our bodies were pressed together.

  The pressure melded us together. The air was pushed out of my lungs, and my body felt as if I was being forced through a toilet paper roll. I tried to scream but no sound came out, the last of my air leaving my already deprived lungs.

  I could feel everything. For one moment I was convinced that the blast had found us. Until suddenly, the sensation left. My body crashed against Ilyan’s as we fell to the ground, his arms going limp and falling away from me.

  Frigid air swirled around me, snowflakes flying around while my hair and clothes were whipped through the winter storm.

  I sat up, my body beginning to shake in the cold air. I looked around in a panic, confused at the mountain landscape I was surrounded by.

  “Ilyan?” I asked, my body beginning to shake with cold. “Where are we?”

  I looked at the tall snow covered peak that towered over us, my eyes scanning for some form of shelter. I turned toward Ilyan when he didn’t respond, and my stomach dropped into the icy landscape I was surrounded by.

  Ilyan lay still, his body surrounded by snow. His blond hair whirled in the air, but he didn’t move. His lips and eyelids were tinged with a sickly shade of blue, his body limp and still. I began to shake in fear as I saw him there.

  “Ilyan?” I couldn’t stop the panic that seeped into my voice. I pressed my hand against his cold cheek, surprised not to feel the warmth that usually lay right below his skin.

  I moved my hand to my shoulder, trying to focus on his magic inside of me, but all I felt was a weak and dying pulse of latent energy. I pressed my hands against his skin, pulsing my magic into him, trying desperately to figure out how to help him, how to heal him.