Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2) (21 page)

“Amazing,” Dramin whispered beside me.

“How is that possible?” I asked, looking at my hand. “I have never been able to... I mean, I…”

“It appears the
Black Water has opened up your true potential, Silnỳ.”

I turned to him, my hair flying as I moved. I stared at him wide eyed, hoping he would answer my unasked question since I was not sure how to phrase it. He met my eyes, his eyes shining as they searched through me – for what I did not know.

“No, not yet.”

“Then when?” I demanded, suddenly worried I would not get the answers I desperately needed.

“When you have
accepted who you truly are.” His answer was simple, but yet seemed so impossible. Especially considering that I didn’t even know
what
I truly was. I looked at my free hand, my eyes trailing back to the large dent that rent the smooth surface of the stone.

“I am a Drak
,” I said. I could still feel the Black Water buzzing through my veins. The feeling was definitely addicting.

“Yes.”

“But I am also one of The Chosen.” My fingers grazed over the seldom touched skin of my mark, as if I needed concrete proof.

“Yes.”

“But the two cannot exist together. Different magic cannot exist in one being without a bonding.”

My statement was simple, confident. He had already told me the answer, had already given me that much of my fate.

“It seems,” Dramin said, “that now they can, Silnỳ. In you, all things are possible.”

Nineteen

Th
e
forest. I cringed when I saw it, my heart falling to my feet in terror. I fought the urge to curl into a ball in expectation of what awaited me. 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. I couldn’t even defend myself in them without the risk of hurting someone else.

I began to run into the forest. I darted through
trees and jumped over rocks, my breath coming in sharp bursts as I exerted myself. I had reached about two hundred yards from where I started when I heard it: the growling, the laughing, and the panting. It all flooded over me and I picked up my pace.

My running took me straight into a large hedge
. I jumped swiftly over it only to land right back in the middle of the clearing, face to face with Cail who stood in the center inspecting his fingernails as if he was bored. Edmund stood behind him, but he was faded somehow, as if he was looking in through a fog.

“Tsk. Tsk. Running from me, Joclyn? Really? Are you that scared?”
Cail mocked me and I took half a step back before bringing my feet together again. I stood straight in front of him, chin held high.

“No.” I let enough magic stream through my fingers to let the electricity crackle between them.
Cail smiled at my taunt, excited at the prospect of a fight.

“Really? I mean, you should be.
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 smiled 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.

Cail circled around me as he spoke, his
eyes never leaving me. 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 looked away from him, locking my jaw in defiance.

Cail
laughed a bit, pulling my hair up to his nose. He inhaled the scent as I moved away from him, the strands pulling from his grasp. He kept his hand against his nose as he looked up at me, his intense gaze causing me to shrink away.

“Hmmm, no message. I just enjoy spending time with you.” I laughed at him, the hollow sound giving my nerves away.

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

Cail smiled wider at my voice, his body moving closer to mine.

“Or torture,” he added, his smile growing. I stepped away again, hating how insecure I was feeling.

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

“Rylan
d told me you knew. He said you now 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. “Not in that way.”

“Oh, so he hasn’t told you. Could it
be that I know more then you at this point in time? Ooo, 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 of the trees and surrounding the clearing with the sound of my outburst.

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 too, 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.

I felt my fingers crackle, my magic
was surging in expectation of an attack, but I pushed it away. It wouldn’t work here anyway.

I watch
ed as dark shapes began to form in front of me. They were not the regular shapes of Edmund’s henchmen, they were rounded balls that were accompanied by the grunts, groans, and screams of injured people being forced to move. My mouth opened in a silent scream as I saw the forms break 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.

M
y Father.

He looked the same as I had always 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, my breath catching at how much I looked like him. The resemblance that would never have been recognized in a child was now obvious in his teenager. Thom was right, I looked just like him.

He blinked at seeing me there, his eyes instantly glossing over
with unshed tears. I could see the confusion and heartbreak that must have been tearing him up inside.

I could only stare at him
. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to react to this man. He was my Father. My heart beat heavily against my chest as it screamed at me to run to him. Part of me wanted to. But another part was too hurt to care.

We stared at each other, a million words, thoughts
, and purposes flowing between us, before Cail cut off our individualized reveries.

“We hold in our
possession two of your friends, your lover, and even your Father. And who do you still 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. But most importantly, I reminded myself that I could not tell Cail of Ilyan’s current state. I swallowed the giant lump in my throat and looked away from them, trying to keep my confidence high.

“Let them go,” I snarled.

“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.

“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.”

I fought against him, not
wanting to hear anymore, not wanting to play his game.

“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 n
odded 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. “She’s made her choice
. Dispose of the rest.”

I tried to look away
, but Cail held my head as three swords plunged through the chests of my friends. In sync, each screamed, and gargled as the life left their bodies. Wyn’s hand extended helplessly toward Talon. I tried not to cry, tried to convince myself that they were not hurt, that it was only a dream. But the tears dripped down my cheeks anyway.

“No!” I yelled the word even though I didn’t want to, even though I knew it was useless.

Cail laughed at me, holding my head in place for a moment longer as I watched their lifeless bodies on the forest floor.

Cail, thankfully, didn’t let my eyes linger lon
g before turning me to face my Father, the men behind him holding him in place and forcing his eyes open so he didn’t miss a thing. I saw the flash of the blade to my side, praying that whatever Cail was going to do would happen quickly.

“I’m sorry, D
addy.” I closed my eyes as I spoke, not wanting to know what was going to happen.

I felt the flow of the air as the sword moved, and then the
pain filled me. I screamed at the impact, at the intensity of the agony. I continued screaming as Cail’s arm around me disintegrated and the rough sheet of my bunk took its place.

I continued to scream and writhe at the memory of the pain,
waiting for the arm to wrap around me that would never come. I cried, and howled, and yelled in panic. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that Thom and Dramin could hear me.

I screamed Ilyan’s name until I had gained a little bit of control over myself
. Still shaken, I replaced his name with his song. My shaky voice was louder than usual, the song ricocheting around the stone walls that threatened to swallow me whole. I sang Ilyan’s song over and over until my voice became a whisper, and then faded to nothing.

I didn’
t dare move. I faced the cave wall, not wanting to know if Thom or Dramin had witnessed my episode. I held still for much longer than necessary, not daring to go back to sleep, no matter how much my exhausted body begged me too. When I was sure that enough time had passed, I turned, thankful to find no one but Ilyan’s still body that lay in the bunk across the common area from me.

I couldn’t take my eyes from him
. I stood, my stocking feet hitting the stone of the floor. I grabbed one of my heavy fur blankets and ran across the space, prancing lightly from level to level until I stood before him. I had checked on him before I went to bed, but after the terror of my nightmare, I ached for him.

I hadn’t realized how
much I had come to rely on him, how much I needed him, especially in times like these. I hadn’t realized how much he had come to mean to me.

And it scared me.

I climbed onto the bunk, worming my way behind him. Making sure not to step on his feet, I curled myself into a ball, the blanket around me, as I leaned my back against the wall. I stared at his calm face, the blue tint still prevalent, folding my arms over my knees in frustration.