Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(36)

My lips twitched. “You’ll do.” He sounded exactly like the captain too—I guessed Iannis must have put some kind of spell to help out with that part, since Rylan didn’t know his voice.

“All right, let’s get the scry-eye on you.” Elnos pulled a gold necklace chain from his pocket, from which a large, square pendant with a tree carved into it had been attached. “Are you sure you want Sunaya to be at the other end of this?” he asked Iannis.

“I don’t think it would be wise for me to do it under the circumstances,” Iannis said. “If Lord Logar and his mages arrive early, or if anything else should go wrong, I want to be fully present to deal with it.”

“Very well.” Elnos turned to me. “Hold out your palm.”

I did so, and Elnos placed the pendant in my hand. Earlier, when he’d hatched this plan, Elnos explained to us that the scry-eye was a magi-tech device he and Noria had invented, which would allow another person to borrow the eyes and ears of whoever was wearing it at the time. This way, I’d be able to see exactly what was going on around Rylan as he infiltrated the bunker, and relay important information to the others. It didn’t allow for communication, but I could use my own magic to boost a mindspeak connection between Rylan and myself. Elnos was more familiar with the device, but couldn’t use mindspeak.

Not for the first time, I wondered why it was that Iannis was able to communicate with mindspeak, but not Elnos. Was it an ability Iannis had cultivated over his long-lived life that Elnos had not? Or was it yet another gift of his Tua heritage?

“Close your hand around the pendant and concentrate on it,” Elnos told me.

I did so, putting all my attention on the cool square in my hand. I focused on the smoothness of the glossy outer stone against my fingers, and the hardness of the metal backing. I wondered exactly what was inside it that made it function the way it did. How could a tiny piece of equipment do such extraordinary things?

Elnos covered my closed hand with his own and spoke a few Words. The pendant grew warm in my hands, and a tingle of power rushed up my arm and into my chest.

“There,” Elnos said, stepping away. “Now put it on Rylan.”

I did as he asked, crossing over to where my cousin stood. He might have had grey human eyes instead of yellow shifter ones, but the gleam lurking behind them as he ducked his head was all Rylan.

“This seems like an awfully pretty piece for a man to wear,” Rylan said as he tucked it beneath the collar of his uniform shirt. “Hope they don’t decide to strip search me for any reason.”

“This particular piece was intended for Annia,” Elnos said dryly.

“That makes a lot more sense,” Rylan agreed. He looked at me expectantly, then back at Elnos. “So, am I supposed to do anything to make this work?”

“It’ll kick in. Just give it a moment.”

My vision blurred just then, and I let out a gasp of surprise. Colors swirled in a confusing pattern, then my vision suddenly snapped into focus. I wasn’t staring at Rylan anymore… I was looking at myself, through Rylan’s eyes. And the shock stamped across my features was almost comical.

“By Magorah, this is strange.” I slapped my hand to my forehead, then grimaced as I watched myself make the motion. “Do you think you could not look at me? It’s really weird to be looking at myself from outside my own body.”

“Sure.” Rylan switched his gaze to Iannis, and gave him a long once-over. My gaze traveled from the hem of his robes—dark red today—up his chest, and lingered on his face for a long moment. Iannis’s eyes narrowed, then his violet eyes sparkled with something that looked suspiciously like amusement.

“Oh, knock it off!” I stomped my foot, having no other outlet for my frustration. I wanted to punch Rylan in the arm, but I worried I would miss since I couldn’t actually see him.

“Fine, fine.” Rylan’s gaze switched toward the canopy of tree branches. “Is there anything else I need to know, or can I get going now?”

“No, you should go,” Iannis said, urgency entering his tone. “If you delay any longer, they might become suspicious.”

“True.” Rylan’s gaze turned toward the hill that blocked our view of the compound. “I’ll be off then.”

He turned away and headed deeper into the woods. Letting out a deep sigh, I lowered myself onto the log and prepared to be a spectator in one of the most important missions I’d ever participated in.





16





Rylan didn’t waste any time. He dashed through the trees at lightning speed, somehow managing not to make a sound as he dodged branches and roots along the way. He made it to the spot where the vehicle was hidden, then paused just at the edge of the forest.

“Drop the illusion,” I said aloud to Elnos. A moment later, the car popped into view.

“Thank Magorah,” Rylan said to me as he hopped into the driver’s seat and pulled the key from his pocket. “For a moment there, I thought you expected me to drive an invisible car.”

“Ha-ha,” I said, rolling my eyes. It was really strange, feeling my eyes roll in my head while my vision stayed stationary. The sooner this was over and I was back in my own head, the better.

Rylan turned on the engine, then peeled out into the road with a loud whistle of steam.