Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(45)

My pity party was cut short by Ilyan’s finger dragging along the chain around my neck. I looked up, unsurprised to see him kneeling right in front of me.

“I need you to go to Ryland. See if the boy will tell you anything. If something is happening, he should know something about it.”

“But what if he doesn’t tell me? What if he pushes me out like last time?”

Ilyan gathered my hands in his, his look sympathetic. I fought the urge to pull away.

“I need you to try, Siln?.” I hesitated before nodding in agreement.

“Will you call Wyn while I am gone? Make sure she is okay? Tell her I will call her in a few hours.” I pulled the chain out from under my shirt, letting the ruby settle on my palm.

“Of course. Tell Ryland his brother says hello.” Ilyan smiled but it was strained. I nodded my head once and settled back down into the bed before closing my eyes and walking into the T?uha.

I opened my eyes to the kitchen of the LaRues’ estate and gasped. It was the same kitchen my Mother worked in, the one I had first met Ryland in, except very little was recognizable about it. Yesterday’s deteriorating expanse had been replaced by the kitchen, but the same rot had taken over the once familiar space. The counters were dark and slimy looking. The sink was filled with dirty dishes and molding food, and chunks of marble flooring were missing. The once pristine cabinet fronts were burnt, or rotting, or worse – many were covered in molding food and hanging off of their hinges. I jumped at the large rat that I glimpsed running from one food container to another.

I wanted to scream. This felt like a trick, a cruel joke, being stuck in the place where everything started. A place that reminded me so much of my Mother.

No one was in the kitchen, and I didn’t hear any sounds. I looked hopelessly toward the door that would eventually lead me to Ryland’s room. The front was grey and seemed to be covered by what I could only explain as rotting marshmallow. I took a step and stopped, hating how everything affected me. Without thinking, I turned toward the black door, the door that would make me wake up. Everything thumped inside of me, begging me to run through it. I squared my shoulders and ignored my fears; I needed to find out what was going on.

I had been told that Ryland remembered me. I just needed the boy to remember me too. I needed him to tell me what was going on. I walked across the kitchen and swung the marshmallow covered door open wide to reveal the little five year old boy I had grown to love on the other side. The hallway behind him was just as deteriorated and neglected as the space I stood in.

He looked up at me with dark blue eyes and a hard set jaw. I had never seen any child look so angry.

“You can’t have him.” He said, stronger than I would have expected him to.

“Have who?”

“Your friend. The one you are looking for. The man told me you knew he was here, but you can’t have him. I won’t let you.”

“My friend,” I couldn’t ignore the overdrive my heart was experiencing right now. “He’s here?”

“You can’t have him,” Ryland spat, his little voice laced with hate.

“Why... why not? Ryland, you have to tell me...” I kneeled down to get close to him and froze, hate and anger the only emotions that looked back at me.

“You can’t have him. If I give him to you, then I die.” His eyes grew wide when he said the last word. It looked more like he enjoyed it than he was scared of it.

“Who told you that?”

“The man.”

“What man?” My nerves jumped once, something inside triggering me to run.

“The man with the black eyes. He told me you wanted me dead. That’s why you want your friend. Because you hate me.”

“I don’t hate...”

“LIAR!” His yell rocked the air and I lost my balance, and toppled backward into the kitchen. “You hate me. And I hate you too.”

Ryland took one step forward and looked down at me. I cringed away from him, seeing what he was planning a second before he did it. His little hand made contact with my cheek, his hit hard against my skin. I closed my eyes and turned away from him, knowing instantly that Ryland had pushed me out of our T?uha.

I opened my eyes to dim light seeping through the blackout curtain that covered the tiny window. I could tell I had only been gone a matter of minutes because the light hadn’t changed. I could feel Ilyan’s weight on the bed and heard him talking on the phone.

“Tell no one where we are, Talon. You cannot tell Wyn or Ovailia. This information is for you alone.”

I twisted on the bed to face Ilyan who sat with his back to me. He turned at my movement, his expression dropping to see me awake. I am sure my face told the story of what had happened because Ilyan’s expression only dropped further.

“We will be here a week. Then we will be moving.” Ilyan’s eyes dug into me as he silently asked me what had happened. “I will tell you our next location when we get there, Talon. The less information you have the better.”

Ilyan reached out with his free hand and moved some hair that had fallen over my face, his hand resting against my cheek for a moment before he turned back to his phone call.

“I don’t care how much damage she causes, she is officially out of the loop, Talon. She cannot be Ochrana on this. Call me if you find anything out. I don’t care what time it is, just let me know.”