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

“You don’t hate me,” I said, as I carefully placed my hand on his knee to comfort him, but he only cried harder.

“I have to, Jossy. He said… you don’t…” He stuttered a bit until his voice disappeared.

“He?”

“You don’t love me anymore, you love the other guy.” His shoulders shook, and my heart shattered.

“Of course I love you, Ry. You are my everything.”

He stared at me, I could see something click together in his mind, and a weak light began to return to his eyes. I took the opportunity and moved closer to him.

“Really?” His face brightened with hope. I returned the smile and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him to me.

“Yes, really. I couldn’t live without you, Ry. And I never want to hear you say you hate me, because I know it’s not true.”

He nodded against me and I squeezed him tighter, grateful when he returned the hug. I held him for much longer than necessary, but I wanted him to calm down, to know the truth of what I said. I wasn’t sure how to communicate that to a child. A hug seemed the simplest way.

“Now, about this ‘other guy’ I don’t think you are the other guy. I think you are you. I loved your drawing, and I am sorry I didn’t say so. I shouldn’t have said those things before, and I am sorry I did.”

“Thanks, Jossy.”

“No problem, little man. Now, I did come bearing good news.”

“You did?”

“I did. I get to go to the city tonight.” I smiled brightly, hoping at least one person would be excited for me. Instead, his face fell a little bit.

“But, I’m still stuck here.”

I sighed. Obviously this was not the best timing to have told him, given the outburst he just had.

“How about tomorrow, after I get back, we get rid of our white room and make the city. Then we can have our own adventures; pretend to be superheroes and magicians and anything you want. I’ll spend all day with you if you want.”

“Really?”

“I would love to.”

Ryland’s face lit up like a million fireworks and he crashed against me in a big hug. Giggling like crazy, I reached for him as he jumped up, his face serious again.

“You’ve gotta go! That way you can bring the city back with you.” He grabbed my hand and heaved until he pulled me to a stand, dragging me toward the door. “I’ll make super hero capes, and villains, and all sorts of stuff.” He jumped up and down a bit before running away, presumably back to where his chalk lay scattered.

“Bye, Jossy!” he yelled behind him, his focus on his new tasks.

“Bye, Ry,” I said softly before turning the knob on my exit door, my eyes opening to Ilyan staring right at me.





Seven


“Been busy have we?” Ilyan said, his lips pulled up in a half smile.

“I wouldn’t call it busy.” I pulled myself to standing and stretched my joints out a bit. My body was supercharged after the T?uha, but strangely stiff from sitting. I glanced toward the digital clock on the floor. I had been sitting for twenty minutes which meant I had been with Ryland for a little over two hours. We had done the math when I first started having to visit the T?uha every day. Two hours in the T?uha was equal to about twenty minutes of real time, and it was a good thing it wasn’t the other way around because I needed about forty minutes of real time in the T?uha for my body to stay perfectly strong.

“More like stressful and confusing.”

“Hmmmm, yes,” Ilyan said, moving away from me. “Ovailia called me.”

“Great,” I grumbled, dreading his response to my foolish phone call. But instead of yelling, Ilyan only smiled.

“Don’t worry Siln?, despite Ovailia’s best efforts I am not upset with you. I have decided that the one who kept things from me in the first place should be the one to gain the punishments.”

“So Ovailia’s in trouble?” I said.

“I don’t know what you qualify as being ‘in trouble’ but she is no longer acting in my stead, that role has been taken over by Talon.”

“Talon?” While he seemed the obvious choice, something about changing leadership in Prague made me worried.

“Yes, Siln?. This would not be the first time he acted in my name. Many years ago, before Ovailia returned to us, it was expected that Talon would take my place if I was to pass.”

Ilyan cocked his head to the side and looked at me heavily, his eyes digging into my soul.

“Why are you worried?” he asked.

I sighed and joined Ilyan in the kitchen. “I don’t know. Something feels off, like a snake has wound itself up my spine.” Ilyan raised an eyebrow at me, or perhaps at my odd description.

“Shouldn’t we be running back to Prague right about now? I mean someone is ‘crying’ information about us all over the city.”

“You mean the bunker?” he asked, his eyebrow still raised.

“Excuse me?”

Ilyan narrowed his eyes and pulled out our two juice glasses. “Everyone is confined underground, in the side of a mountain, near the city of Prague. When we say Prague we mean our bunker. So someone is going around our underground bunker – not the city – crying and doing who knows what.”