Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2) (16 page)

“Thom.” Where had I heard that name before? “They have Sain
. I need to tell the Silnỳ. Tell Dramin of our arrival. We will be there in two days.”

Ilyan dropped the phone without even waiting for a response, the screen flashed white before returning to its screen saver. I looked from the phone to Ilyan, more confused than before. Ilyan was looking at me, his eyes bright and fearful. My body froze a
t the look he was giving me and the strength that was radiating off of him.

“Thom?” I asked
, still trying to place the name in my memory.

“
Thomas. He is my brother.”

My jaw must have dropped a
visible inch. Wyn had told me of him, of how he went missing years ago.

“But I thought
he was missing, I thought…”

“
I hid Thom after Cail found where he was hiding. I couldn’t trust anyone with the knowledge of his survival, it was easier to have them believe he was dead.”

The explanation of Thom made sense, but still left me confused, “Wha
t does Thom have to do with my Father?”

“
Thom had been your Father’s bodyguard for four hundred years, until twenty-five years ago when they were found at a University in Ohio. Thom was able to wipe your father’s memory and put him into hiding, before he, himself had to run to pull Edmund off of your Father’s trail. We never thought your Father would fall in love, let alone have a child. So when he found me in Prague, with no memory of who he was, you can imagine my surprise. I almost told him of his past right then, but I could already see bits of the magic breaking away, parts of his memories seeping through. It was how he knew to find me; how he knew that something was wrong with your mark. I needed to break the truth of his past to him gently, and right then we didn’t have the time. I needed to get to you first.”

Ilyan ran his hand heavily through his hair
in agitation. I couldn’t piece any of it together in my mind. I tried to sit and listen, waiting for Ilyan to finish, but my disjointed questions kept flowing of their own accord.

“Wipe his memories?” I repeated, “
Why would Thom do that?”

“It was necessary. Thom knew he could get
Edmund’s men to Follow him, but your father had to stay behind. Your Father’s memories are more of a curse. It was essential to displace them in the chance that Thom failed and your Father was found.”

“
But he…” I tried to form a question, but it didn’t come. After all, I didn’t want to hear this. What he was saying couldn’t be true. There wasn’t any way it could be.

“You’re wrong, Ilyan
. You have to be. I mean, I have grandparents, and uncles, and cousins!”

“The Despains lost a son, Jeffrey, in
a car accident. Thom put your Father in his place, replacing their grief with a surrogate son.” My mouth dropped open in horror. So much of my life was a mystery, a lie. I felt so empty.

“But why…” I broke
off, not sure what I wanted to know.

“I will not tell you everything, Joclyn. All of it is not to come from me. But I will tell you this.
By blending the blood of your Father with the magic of your mate, Edmund has found a way to torture you, to infiltrate you from a distance. To try to stop you from what destiny has planned for you.” Ilyan’s strong voice ricocheted around the space, the power behind it seeping into me uncomfortably.

“But, my F
ather?” I asked, still waiting for clarity. Everything was still jumbled in my head.

“His name is not Jeffery. His name is Sain.
He was bred from the mud to be one of the first of the carriers of magic. He was the first of the Drak.”

I gasped, the quick intake of breath
trapped inside of me as I froze in place. The Drak. The beings who possessed the gift of sight. The magical creatures who were massacred at the hands of Edmund LaRue. Well, not completely, my father was still alive. The last one.

My head reeled like I was inside an old cartoon,
my eyes bugging out of my head unnaturally. I knew this was huge, and scary, but I didn’t quite understand how it had happened or even what it all meant.

“So, if my father was the first of the Drak, does that mean I am a Drak too?”

“No, you bear the kiss of a Vilỳ. You are one of The Chosen, nothing more.” Ilyan placed his hand softly on my neck, his whole hand covering my mark. I looked up to him, my wide eyes reflected back at me through his own.

“Then why does Edmund want him so much? What was so important that he had to have his memories erased?”

“He is not just any Drak, Joclyn. Not only is he the first of his kind, he is the one who saw a child come forth to defeat an opposing power. He was also tortured at the hands of my Father, so that he could convince his own daughter to work for him.”

“You’re not saying…” I
stopped as his meaning caught up with me. I wasn’t panicked. I wasn’t scared. I was in shock.

Ilyan nodded as I pieced the last of it together
. I remembered this story. Edmund had tortured Ovailia’s mate to get her to work for him. Sain, my Father. My Father had been Ovailia’s mate. He was the one she had double crossed in her rise to a supposed power. No wonder he wanted his memories erased.

“But I thought he was dead.”

“Edmund weakened their Zȇlství to convince her of that. Ovailia, believing him to be dead, broke their bond. And for hundreds of years my Father kept Sain hidden as he forced information of the future out of him. Until the day he escaped with his memory mostly gone and his powers greatly weakened. I stopped Edmund’s Vymȁzat and put him into hiding. Too hurt, too ashamed, to ever see my sister again. Ovailia still believes him dead and I will do everything in my power to keep the truth from her.”

“So, Ovailia doesn’t know?”
My stress lessened a bit, but not a lot. I knew I should be reacting more – crying, yelling, screaming – but nothing came. What Ilyan had said had not sunk in yet.

“No.
She doesn’t know he is alive. It is best kept that way.”

“So, what my F
ather saw… about the child… It’s about me isn’t it?” My pulse thumped in my ears at the fear of the answer I knew was coming.

“Joclyn,
it is not my place to say…”

“Then don’t tell me everything, Ilyan. Don’t tell me what he saw
. Don’t tell me how, or why. Just say yes or no!” I moved to stand in front of him, making it clear I wasn’t going to let him off the hook. He hesitated for a moment before answering, his eyes large and softer than usual.

“Yes.”

I hung my head, my jaw tightening.

“
I cannot tell you all, Joclyn, not yet. But soon. We are going to see Thom and Dramin in two days and then you will know everything. And when they tell you… Joclyn, when they do, please do not hate me.”

“Ilyan?”

“Know I am here to protect you – as I was born to do, as I have promised you.” He reached up and softly traced my skin from my jaw to the mark and back again, his eyes never leaving mine. I couldn’t move. I didn’t register the shiver that moved through me at his touch. I stood still waiting for everything I had been told to settle into an understanding.

“I will do whatever I must to keep you safe.” He smiled and my breath caught
, which only seemed to increase his happiness. I stepped away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Ilyan moved toward the window, the pane opening before he even reached it.

“Ilyan?” I wasn’t sure what was happening.

“I am going to go get some food
. I won’t be long. Promise me you will stay inside these walls.”

I nodded and he began to move, but I knew I couldn’t let him leave without knowing
. He wouldn’t tell me everything, but I knew this one thing he could.

“Ilyan?” I asked again
. This time he turned his body, hesitant.

“What does Silnỳ really mean?”

His answer came without hesitation, two words spoken before he left the space, leaving me alone with a bit of his warm magic shielding me from the inside.

“Most
powerful.”

Fifteen

Mos
t
powerful.

I stared at the window
where the last light of day was seeping in. My body was exhausted, but all the new information had left me feeling jittery and wide awake. Or maybe I was just stressed. I plopped down onto the bed, Ilyan’s cell phone bouncing around next to me.

I grabbed it without
thinking, flipping it open and staring at the screen saver. I missed my phone. I missed all the pictures of me and Ryland. I ran my fingers over the screen repeating his number in my head as I traced it.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to call him, to hear h
is goofy voice as he taunted me, to feel his hand against my skin as he comforted me. I closed my eyes, willing an imaginary phone call; bringing his voice so strong to the forefront of my mind I could almost hear it. I could feel the leather seats of his Lotus as we talked about everything… anything. We could talk about my Father, about what I...

I pushed the phone away
and dropped my head in my hands. The stress at what Ilyan had said was growing, but so was my irritation at still not having been told everything.

“So,
Dad,” I sighed aloud to the empty space. “You cursed me, and you didn’t even know it. You keep getting better and better.”

I
pulled up the blanket that I laid on, needing some comfort since my hoodies were probably gone forever. As the blanket moved, Ilyan’s cell phone fell back onto my stomach. I grabbed it, making sure to keep the blanket around me. I held down the number three and waited impatiently for Wyn to pick up the phone.

“
Jos!” She yelled the second she picked up. “Oh please tell me you are okay! I’ve been so worried since Talon told me what happened. And then you didn’t call me at all yesterday. I knew I should have gone with you! This never would have happened if I had…”

“It would have happened either way, Wyn.” I cut her off, worried she would run out
to find us right now. “If you were here you would have gotten hurt too.”

“
Too? You got hurt?” she asked, alarmed. I rolled my eyes.

“Nothing a little magic can’t fix.” I heard her exhale through the line
.

“I can still come out if you want, an extra pair of hands doesn’t hurt.”

“No!” I sat upright, the blanket falling off of me as I moved. The last thing I needed was Wyn anywhere near me. “Stay where you are. You’ll only get hurt if you get too close to me.”

“Joclyn?” Wyn’s voice broke a bit over the line, “What are you saying? I’m not going to get hurt.”

“I don’t want to risk anything. People seem to get hurt around me.” I said and fell back down on the bed, cursing the tiny space. There wasn’t even anywhere to hide around here.

“Is Ilyan okay?
” she asked, alarmed.

“He’s fine,” I felt his magic pulse in my shoulder, and I instantly became worried he could feel my anxiety.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come out?” she asked again, her voice gaining back some of its normal playful quality.

“I’m sure, but
can you do something for me?” It was a silly idea, but I needed some of Wyn’s silliness right now.

“Sure! What’s up?”

“Sing me a Styx song.” I smiled as she laughed, her voice echoing through the phone.

“You’re a dork,” she giggled
. I smiled, I knew it was a silly request but I needed to feel at least a little bit normal.

“I can’t help it, you’ve got me addicted.”

“Addicted to Styx?” I could hear her disbelief, I only smiled more.

“Yep.”  I rolled onto my side, bringing the blanket with me

“Alright then, when was their first album released?” I paused, leave it to Wyn to see through my little lie.

“1840.” I said as confidently as I could,
causing her to laugh harder at me.

“L
iar.” She obviously wasn’t going to sing anything for me.

“Come on
, Wyn, just sing me one of their stupid songs.” Her loud gasp came through the line. I could almost see her offended face, dark scars and all.

“I thought you said you liked them?” Her voice was
hard. Leave it to me to piss her off by offending her precious Styx.

“Please, Wyn.” I let a little bit of whine seep into my
voice. I didn’t want to have to explain.

“I’m sailing away,” she
sang, “I’ve got to be free…” I smiled. Her choice of song seemed a little bit too perfect given the current situation.

She sang and sang, and I let the lyrics wash over me, their meaning becoming deeper the more I heard.

Her song faded away, although I knew the song wasn’t over. Somehow the words from the song had helped, the edge of my anxiety had dulled and I felt a bit more relieved. I was glad I had Wyn, I just wished she was closer. I wished my existence hadn’t put her in danger too. I cringed and sat up, the blanket falling away from me.

“Thanks
, Wyn.”

“No problem. A
re you okay?” she asked, her voice heavy.

“I’m better now.” I spun around, looking at the window. I needed to get out of here.

“Good, I’ve gotta go find my husband now, okay? I’ll call you in few hours.”

“Sounds good
, Wyn.” I heard the phone click and I shut Ilyan’s and placed it in my pocket, my eyes still focused on the window.

I knew Ilyan had asked me to stay in the room, but I needed fresh air.
I had been trapped inside for two days, stuck in the same clothes I had been attacked in. My hair was gross, and I was sure I was beginning to stink. Besides, I had his shield around me, not around the room. I could go anywhere. I shuffled my feet as I rationalized, hoping this wasn’t going to end up being one of my stupid decisions.

The cr
isp air of dusk filtered into the room as I opened the window, and I breathed it in, letting its heavy energy fill me. The chill undertone of it reminded me of home. I opened the window a bit more and stuck my head out, a slight evening breeze tugging at my hair.

I could feel the steady warmth of Ilyan
’s magic surge through me. I focused on it as I pulled my body out of the window, moving to sit on the small eave right next to the casement.

The main street of the sma
ll town was directly below me. Most of it was occupied by houses and small businesses. I could see a small restaurant and a gas station, and I thought I could make out about three hardware stores.

I curled my legs into my chest, cursing the breeze and
my lack of hoodie for giving me goose bumps up and down my arms. But even with the chill, it still felt nice. I felt the heavy reality of what had happened sinking into me. Ryland was alive, Wyn was being threatened, my dreams and my Tȍuha were both essentially controlled nightmares, and my Dad… my Dad…

I laid my head back against the siding of the house. It was
almost too much for me to handle. And what was worse, there was more, more that I hadn’t been told yet. I mentally pushed everything around trying to find a free path through it all. I could do this, I was strong enough. Slowly, the numbness I had been shielding my emotions with began to recede, my panic over everything creeping in but only enough to keep me aware.

“I thought I told you to stay inside?” Ilyan
’s voice wasn’t mad; he was more amused than anything.

I didn’t even open my eyes.

“I knew you would keep me safe,” I said, patting my shoulder.

“Well, I am glad you have so much trust in me,” Ilyan
said as he sat down next to me, “but, next time wait until I get back. You are lucky I was paying attention or someone would have seen you.”

I blushed and looked
at him. I was glad he wasn’t mad at me, but I felt bad for not listening to him.

“I couldn’t stay in there any longer
. I felt like I was going to collapse in on myself.”

“I guess I did leave you at a bad time, but I couldn’t…” Ilyan stuttered to a stop, something I had never known him to do before. I looked to him
curiously. His head was leaning back against the house, and as he turned to look at me, his long hair glistened in the setting sun.

“I’m sorry,” he
said through the night air. “I never should have left you right then.” He paused and exhaled, his hand reaching around me to rub the goose bumps on my arm away. I leaned into him, part of me cringing against the contact, the other part desperately needing it and the warmth it gave me.

“
It’s okay, Ilyan.” His hand continued to move up and down my arm, his magic warming me from the inside out.

“How are you coping with everything?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed and Ilyan squeezed me against him. “I’m not sure I understand everything, especially everything about my Dad. It still doesn’t make much sense.”

Ilyan rested his head on top of mine, the weight awkward, but
strangely comfortable.

“It will, in a few days, and then if you have any questions I will answer them, I promise.”

“I’m not sure I want to know, Ilyan, not anymore.”

“I know, Joclyn. Just remember that I am here to help.
I will keep you safe. I will help you through anything.” Ilyan said, his hand continuing to run up and down the skin of my arms.

“My
Protector.” I spoke it like the term had become revered.

“Yes.” Ilyan moved me
closer into him, giving me a squeeze before he moved away.

“Well, your
Protector has broken a cardinal rule and brought you back a greasy, meaty, nothing in it that’s good for you sandwich for dinner.”

I jumped away from him as he produced a brown paper bag from a fast food chain I knew all too well. I couldn’t help the smile that broke across my face. There wouldn’t be a dandelion leaf in the bag
. I opened it greedily inhaling the smell of grease.

“Oh, I could kiss you!” I
said, holding the bag against my chest.

“Um
, no thank you,” Ilyan responded a bit too quickly, his words morphing into an uncomfortable laugh.

I looked at him wide eyed
. I don’t know why his quick shut down of my offhand comment hurt, but it did. I sighed and looked back to my cheeseburger, my stomach swimming uncomfortably.

“U
nless you were talking to the cheeseburger, in which case, I will leave you alone.” Ilyan laughed, my reaction obviously having gone unnoticed. Thank goodness.

I pulled the bag open and removed the haphazardly wrapped burger, silently thanking Ilyan for keeping it warm.
The smell of meat, cheese, and mayonnaise wafted up to me. Right now I didn’t care that my last cheeseburger had been the night I had to run from Ryland. I was happy for what could only be described as comfort food.

I took a bite and savored it
, letting everything roll around in my mouth. I groaned and slammed my head against the house in appreciation.

“Fat, burned meat
, and dead veggies… and they get that kind of reaction?” Ilyan said, disgusted.