Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(56)

The whole cave was set up like the spokes of a wheel. In the center was the large fire, and surrounding that a circle of chairs and couches, beyond that, raised up a bit from the sunken centers, were about twenty bunks carved into the stone walls. Each had a mattress and a shelf. One was hidden behind a gold inlaid dressing partition and another had an ornately woven blanket. The rest were bare. I could almost guess which one belonged to Dramin and which to Thom. Thom didn’t seem the type for inlaid gold.

I looked around until I found Thom, gently laying Ilyan in one of the bunks. I watched as Thom carefully stripped off Ilyan’s shirt before covering him with blanket after blanket of thick animal fur and placing his hands firmly on his face. I moved in an attempt to get up and go over to him, but Dramin stood right in front of me, placing a steaming cup of some foul smelling liquid in my hands.

“Thom will take care of him, don’t you worry.”

“I have to help him. He needs me,” I said, shock filling me at my own words. It would have been natural to be concerned, but this level of worry was shocking to me. I shoved aside my doubt of my own emotions as I attempted to stand and move around Dramin, but he only pushed my shoulders back into the chair, his hand wrapping around the cup to ensure I didn’t spill any.

“You need to sit right there, drink that, and let your magic heal your feet before you lose them.”

Dramin placed a blanket over me. I could feel my magic moving sluggishly around my body, congregating in my feet and toes as it attempted to heal me. I let it flow freely, even though I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting to where Thom was healing Ilyan. I allowed my mind to continually check the ?tít in my shoulder for any change.

“What happened to him?” I asked, trying to keep the fear out of my voice, but not daring to look away from where Ilyan lay. It was hard to believe that Ilyan could get hurt.

“He’s exhausted,” Dramin said and began shedding his many coats, laying them gently in one of the many chairs that surrounded the fire. The more he shed, the smaller he got, until he was nothing more than a tall wiry man with square shoulders. His hair was a tangle of long brown strands, his green eyes looking into me sharply as he smiled. He looked vaguely familiar. Not like I had seen him somewhere before, but as if I had known him. I knew it wasn’t possible though, he appeared to be a few years older than me, whatever that was worth given how magical people seemed to age.

Dramin sat down in the armchair next to me, his hand patting my knee. “Ilyan is one of only a handful of Sk?ítek who can perform a Stutter. It is draining enough with one person, I have never known it to be done with two people before.”

“A Stutter?” I pulled my eyes away from Ilyan to look at Dramin.

“Yes, a tri-dimensional move from any point to another. It happens in the blink of an eye.” Dramin took a drink from another mug filled with the same foul smelling liquid I still held in my hands.

“You mean, he instantly moved us from farmland in Ohio to...”

“High in the Alps, near a peak known as the Pizzo delle Saette.” My eyes bugged out of my head and Dramin chuckled at me lightly before taking another drink.

I looked away from Dramin to Ilyan; I had no idea anything like that was possible.

“It takes a spectacular amount of power to accomplish. Most people do not have enough magic to transport themselves let alone another. I am surprised the effort did not kill him. But then, Ilyan is one of a kind. His heart is good, child. Without that goodness and light, he may not have been able to save you tonight.”

“‘One seeks power, the other light.’” I mumbled to myself.

“I’m sorry?” Dramin asked, but I only shook my head at him.

I didn’t want to think of Ryland’s words on the roof. I didn’t want to think of the possibility of Ilyan thinking about me that way, or even Ryland using me that way. The thought gave me a jittery butterfly feeling I wasn’t very appreciative of. Ilyan had saved me. He was my Protector and that was what he did.

“And, you are sure he is going to be alright?” I desperately wanted to run over to him and somehow help Thom. But I could still feel the tingling of magic in my toes, and I wasn’t sure I could stand on my feet yet.

“Never doubt the word of a Drak, child. He is resting. You will see him in a few days’ time.”

“After my heart has broken twice,” I repeated. I turned to face him, unsurprised to see him staring at me. I shifted my weight in the chair, the look he was giving me making me uncomfortable.

“I am still very sorry about that, but don’t worry. It will be for a good cause.” He lifted his glass to me as if to tap it with mine, but I stayed still.

“So, you are a Drak, then?”

“Yes,” he said. “Didn’t we establish this already? Oh wait, you are wondering how I can be alive, or even be here considering the position of your Father.”

“Yes, but you promised answers.”

Dramin looked at me for a moment, his eyes making my insides squirm. His gaze made me feel like he was looking into my future, which given his magic he possibly could be. I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone looking into my future, so I shied away from him, squishing my back further into the chair.

“Are you going to drink that?” he asked, gesturing toward the still full mug of steaming dark brown fluid he had given me. I swirled the mug around a bit, the thick fluid not moving around much.