Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(20)

“Because, if he knew, he wouldn’t be taking me out to dinner tonight.” There was a pause, but it wasn’t the pause of someone who is contemplating how much information to tell you. This was Ovailia, and her pauses ended with her decision of how much to scold you.

“He’s taking you out? Out of the apartment?” I was surprised by the alarm in her voice, she obviously hadn’t told him.

“Yes, and I am concerned that as ‘My Protector’ he doesn’t know that Edmund might already know where I am hiding.” I placed it well, hoping the words were heavy enough that she would either give away what Ilyan had meant or verify that the words meant nothing.

There was a pause, and I waited. I didn’t dare say anything, worried I wouldn’t get any of the answers I needed. But instead of answers, Ovailia began to laugh.

“Your protector?” she said through her wicked laugh.

“Your protector. Oh you stupid little girl, don’t make me laugh. If he had told you, you wouldn’t be saying the words with such pride. You would be terrified.” She laughed harder and my stomach dropped. “I will tell Ilyan when I am ready. Don’t you ever come prying for information from me again, or I can assure you, you will get more then you bargained for.”

The phone went dead, and I dropped it to the floor like it was poison.

That didn’t go at all as I had planned. Not only did Wyn dash my joy at getting to leave the apartment, but my impromptu espionage for answers blew up in my face. It was obvious that the news of the spy was being kept from Ilyan, and that Ilyan was in fact ‘my protector’ – whatever that meant. But worst of all, my chat with Ovailia left me feeling dirty and even more stressed.

Secrets, lies, spies. I didn’t like it at all.

I stood and stumbled around the apartment for a minute, waiting for my brain to tell me what I should do next. Ilyan wouldn’t be home for an hour at least, and who knows how much trouble I just got Talon and Wyn into – I cringed at the thought.

I needed to talk to someone. And there was only ever one person I could really talk to.

Without thinking, I grabbed my necklace and pushed my magic into it. This Ryland wouldn’t hold my hand and talk me through my problems like he used to, but I could at least talk without him judging me.

I opened my eyes to the T?uha and gasped. Everything had been destroyed in the few short hours since I had left him. Every single drawing, every one of Ryland’s masterpieces, were smudged and smeared, some erased completely. I looked around me in shock, my mouth hanging wide open in horror. Could this day get any worse?

“Ryland?” I asked softly. Normally he was right here waiting for me. But no one was here. No running feet. No happy smiling face, just months of masterpieces – destroyed.

“Ry?”

I ran through the room filled with smudged and destroyed dreams until I heard him. His little whimper was soft and broken. I ran toward the sound until I found him, hunched against the wall, crying into what was once the drawing of him holding the Vil?. He rubbed his fist into the face of the creature, his body shaking with sobs.

“Ryland?” He spun at my question, his face screwed up in anger.

“Go away!” He yelled, throwing broken bits of chalk and crayon at me. “I don’t need you anymore!”

“Ryland? Wha… what happened?”

“Go away!” he yelled again, his words cutting through me.

“You don’t mean that, Ry.”

“Go Away!” He turned away from me, rubbing harder into the blue smudge and turning it into a blur.

I rushed to him, wrapping my arms around his tiny frame. He fought me off, but I fought back harder. He cried as he fought and pushed away from me. I held on as he battled, his cry getting louder rather than softer as I had been hoping for. His pushing turned to punching and finally I was forced to let him go. He skidded away from me, both of us panting hard. I couldn’t stop looking at him. I didn’t know what had happened, where this had come from.

“Ryland?”

“Leave me alone! Go back to wherever you come from and never come back here again!” he screamed at the top of his lungs and backed himself into the wall. I wanted to reach for him, but was scared as to how he would react.

“I can’t do that, Ryland, you know I can’t do that. I’ll die.” I spoke softly, hoping to calm him down, but mostly because I was scared. I didn’t know how to react or what to say.

“Then die!”

“Ryland!” His words cut through me, he couldn’t possibly mean that.

“You don’t care what happens to me, you don’t care that I am here alone. You don’t care about me. You just want that other guy!”

“What other guy?” I asked, confused.

“The one you are waiting for, the one you lost. You think I am him, but I am not. I am just me, and you don’t care!”

“Ryland, I do care… I…” I pleaded with him quietly, as I tried to piece together the puzzle of his outburst. He interrupted me, his next words like lemon against an open wound.

“No you don’t! I hate you!”

“You don’t mean that.” My voice was almost a whisper.

“Yes, yes I do,” Ryland was losing momentum, his tears were taking over. “I have to.”

“You have to? Ry, you don’t have to do anything. I know you don’t hate me, so please don’t say that.” I carefully moved closer to him, watching his movements to see how far I could get. He stayed leaning against the wall, crying and watching me get closer.