Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(89)

“Well, that’s a brain twister if I have ever heard one,” Dramin chuckled after a moment.

“Cool it, Dramin,” I said a little icily, before running my hand through my gross, greasy hair. What a stupid habit to have picked up from Ilyan.

“Look,” I continued, “if she gets Ryland out, I won’t have a deadline anymore. That’s one less stress I would have to deal with.”

“You don’t have to deal with any stress, Joclyn.” Ilyan said as he took my hand. I smiled at him but ignored the sentiment.

“If she gets Ryland out, that’s one less thing to worry about. We get what we want, and she thinks she gets what she wants. Everyone is happy – some more the others,” I added softly, knowing what it would mean for Ilyan to have me back with my mate again. Not to mention the fact that Ovailia got nothing but double crossed in this plan.

“It could work,” Ilyan said softly, his hand squeezing mine.

“Thank you, Ilyan.” I sat back in my chair and recovered my hand, content to lose myself in my Black Water some more.

“Joclyn and I will go to Isola Santa tomorrow to meet with Ovailia. We will instruct her to get Ryland and tell her where we are going…” Ilyan stood up as he spoke and began to pace.

“Why does she need to know where we are going?” Thom jumped to his feet, alarmed. I put down my mug on the side table; so much for calming everyone down.

“Well, if she gets Ryland, she has to be able to bring him somewhere,” Ilyan argued. Thom just continued to fume.

“It’s risky,” Dramin said. He stayed sitting, but I could hear the uneasiness in his voice.

“Of course it’s risky! Having Ovailia anywhere near us is risky! She is going to kill us!” Thom spat, the fire growing abruptly as his magic surged, causing everyone to jump.

“Tomorrow we will go to Isola Santa, we will find Ovailia, tell her to get Ryland, and tell her where we are going to meet her. We will all go there, all four of us. After all, she will soon find out you are alive anyway.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere; I would prefer to stay here. It’s nice, warm, and claustrophobic. It suits me here.” Thom sat down as he spoke, his body language practically closing the deal.

“Thom,” Ilyan whispered. “Please, I may need you.”

“Not right now you don’t.” Thom snapped, jumping up again. “But when you do, you know how to contact me. And when you call me, I’ll come running to your rescue. But right now, I am fine here.” He sat down and turned away, his eyes closed.

“Thom.”

“I have spoken my peace, Ilyan. I am staying here.”

“Dramin?” Ilyan turned to his old friend, hopeful. I felt my insides clench, I didn’t want to witness Ilyan being undermined by two people in one night. I was surprised he hadn’t pulled out his ‘king’ voice yet.

Dramin didn’t answer right away; he took a long drink before lifting his eyes to meet mine, then turning to Ilyan.

“I will come with you, because she will need me.” His voice was darker than usual and I felt my magic spark up my spine in warning.

“Dramin, what aren’t you saying?” I could tell this was more than a hunch. Dramin had seen something, and he wasn’t making it sound positive. I waited for him to respond. He drank from his mug, his eyes looking, unfocused, at the fire. My uneasiness grew.

“What have you seen?” I clarified after it became obvious he wasn’t going to answer.

“Ah, child, sometimes one’s sight is for personal use alone.” Dramin spoke softly, before waving his hand and refilling my mug from across the room.

“I don’t like how that sounds,” I sulked, as I threw myself back in my chair, stubbornly leaving the newly filled mug on the side table.

“Well, at least now we have a plan.” Ilyan sighed, before he too moved to sit back down. At least everyone had finally seemed to calm down.

“Worst case scenario, Ovailia doesn’t bring Ryland, betrays us all, and we are dead by morning.” Ilyan mused humorously. “Best case scenario, she brings Ryland, isn’t a traitor, and everyone lives happily ever after.”

While I was happy that we were finally going to have a chance of getting Ryland back, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss at what we were going to be leaving behind.

“What will happen to Wyn if we take Ryland?” I asked, everything clicking together. “She was their bargaining chip. You don’t think they’ll…?”

“They have Wynifred?” I jumped at the startling panic in Thom’s voice.

My head jerked over to him, my eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Thom, we can talk about this later,” Ilyan said, that thick royal line streaming into his voice.

“But, she said…” Thom pleaded.

“I know Thom.”

Their eyes locked daggers, I looked between the two of them before looking to Dramin for answers but he wouldn’t even meet my eyes.

“They will not hurt Wyn,” Ilyan said. I wasn’t sure if he was assuring me or Thom. “They will still need a bargaining chip to get you to turn yourself in. Without Ryland, Wyn is the best they have.”

Thom nodded and sat down, Ilyan following suit as he grabbed my hand. I looked at him, but he shook his head. I was so confused; Wyn had told me she had never met Thom.