Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(95)

I sighed dejectedly before closing my eyes and pushing that portion of the vision into his mind.

Edmund held Talon against the wall, his hand tight around his throat. Talon’s face was bloodied and battered.

“Give me what I need, Talon,” Edmund said, his voice the long echo that signified a sight of the past.

“You better make it look good, Edmund,” Talon laughed, his deep laugh echoing around my head.

I pulled the vision back, not wanting Ilyan to see too much. Ilyan’s face swam back into view, his jaw set hard.

“You don’t think…” I couldn’t finish, I knew what it looked like, I had known from the beginning. I had always assumed that it was just Talon egging him on because it seemed like something he would do. At least I thought it was.

“I do.” The look of ultimate betrayal on Ilyan’s face mixed with furious anger in a way that terrified me.

“Wait,” Thom said loudly, “Talon is the traitor?”

Ilyan nodded once. “How is that even possible?” Dramin said. It was obvious no one but Ilyan believed this line of thinking.

“I’m not sure, but I will figure it out,” Ilyan said.

“I can’t believe it, he wouldn’t do that to Wyn,” Thom began, his body leaning forward, his dreads shaking. “Talon doesn’t make any sense. Ovailia, however, does.”

“I will give you that, Thom. If it is not Talon, then it is Ovailia.”

“Really?” I didn’t expect Thom to sound quite so surprised. He was hell bent on how evil Ovailia was a few days before. Ilyan obviously didn’t expect it either. He chuckled lightly, but the sound was strained.

“Now you’re surprised. You were sure of her guilt forty-eight hours ago,” Ilyan laughed.

“Oh, you misunderstand, Ilyan. I am not surprised she is a traitor. I am surprised that you are admitting it.”

“Only partially,” he said.

“So did she agree to it?” Dramin asked, heading off the bickering.

“She did,” Ilyan said confidently. “Not without revealing her true nature, but she agreed to do it.”

“So she’s a traitor,” Thom said happily.

“We’ve covered this already,” Ilyan said as he popped a few of his favorite dandelion covered berries into his mouth. He must have known I was watching him because he turned to me and winked. I looked away, unwilling to accept the mix of nerves I was filled with.

“So she knows about Sain?” Dramin asked, his intent to stop any argument obvious.

“Without a doubt. If she is working for Edmund, then he has shown her. Especially if he is hoping it will fuel the fire of her anger against me.” Ilyan’s voice was firm.

“Oh, she must hate you,” Thom taunted, his feet moving back and forth in joy.

“And yet, you do not think she is the one who betrayed you?” Dramin asked, his eyebrow rising as he ignored Thom.

“You have seen Joclyn’s sight, Dramin. You know what it looks like.” Ilyan’s voice was tight and restrained. He leaned forward in the chair as he pleaded angrily.

“I have.” Dramin said calmly as he sipped at his Black Water. “But sometimes things are not what they seem. You know this better than anyone.”

Ilyan exhaled deeply and sat back against the chair, his jaw tight. I had never seen Ilyan like this. He was so angry and betrayed. I reached out awkwardly and placed my hand against his cheek briefly.

“So,” Dramin spoke loudly in an attempt to offset the tension. “Where is she bringing him?”

“The Rioseco Abbey.”

“In Spain? The same one...”

“Yes.” Ilyan cut him off in an obvious attempt to stop him from saying something.

I looked at Ilyan curiously, begging him to elaborate, but Ilyan only shook his head. Unfortunately, the exchange did not go unnoticed.

“Tell her, Ilyan,” Thom moaned as he sat up on his couch. “Deep inside she wants to kiss you anyway, so you might as well let her know when and where it’s going to happen.”

I froze, an onslaught of images from the sight ramming into my brain. Not yet, maybe not ever. I repeated it to myself, although I couldn’t ignore the excited heart slamming I was experiencing. My breathing picked up before Ilyan’s magic surged into me, calming me almost instantly.

“Not yet.” Ilyan spoke quietly in an effort to calm me. It worked, until Thom spoke.

“Get it over with, brother! Kiss her!”

“You’re right, Thom,” Ilyan said, his voice light. I froze. “Would you care to practice with me?”

Both men laughed in a way that said they were going to keep the bashing comments going for a while, something I wasn’t looking forward to.

I wasn’t the only one.

“Now, now boys,” Dramin said with a smile. “You can battle it out in the hall in a little while, goodness knows you need a bit of a testosterone release, but now is not the time.”

Thom huffed and put his feet back on the couch, his hand moving to rest behind his head.

“If you do, I would want to watch,” I said, the thought of them battling out their manhood was almost too good to pass up.

“You can join in too, Joclyn,” Ilyan teased, as he popped a berry into his mouth.