Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(98)

Cail emphasized his last words, each syllable shooting through me like I had been slapped. It was Ryland; he had been trying to protect me all this time. I felt the wind suck out of my lungs.

“And, now,” Cail continued, “here you are. Trapped.”

“Trapped?” I repeated the little air that I could hold in my lungs gasping out.

I spun around to look for the black door that I had always been able to exit through. My heart dropped to see a tall man standing in front of it, his eyes boring into me dangerously.

I took a step forward, my hands raising toward the tall guard, I was getting out of here. I felt my magic crackle between my fingers, it felt more alive than in the nightmares; more powerful.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Cail taunted, freezing me in place. “Everything you do here, you do in the waking world. You attack him, or me, and you will throw that weapon at Ilyan. I bet he sleeps right beside you, holding you. Protecting you. It would be a shame if you killed him. An absolute shame.”

Cail came up behind me, his hands moving to rest on the table on either side of me, pinning me in place.

“Now, I bet you are thinking,” he began, his voice wickedly soft in my ear, “that you could just find a way to fight him and leave. But then, Ryland hit you with that barstool last time, and I bet when you woke up you were bleeding.”

He let his words drift off, his hand moving to trail up my arm. The touch shot through me and I spun around, grabbing his arm and twisting it awkwardly into the table. He yelled out as my strength pinned him down. His discomfort lasting a minute before I felt his magic surge, and a conjured knife pressed against my neck as he motioned me away from him. I gasped and jumped away, the memory from my last dream still fresh. My movement only caused Cail’s joy to increase, his smile widening.

“Did Ilyan heal you when you woke up? Do you think he could heal you if you didn’t wake up?”

I looked toward the man who stood in front of the door, his eyes following me greedily as he flexed his fingers, red energy crackling between his knuckles.

“What are you saying?” I immediately regretted asking, but I couldn’t help it. I silently prayed he wasn’t saying what I knew he was.

“This is not like your dreams, Joclyn. You attack me here, you attack Ilyan there. You conjure weapons here, you do the same there. You will not wake in the arms of your true love if you die here, you will simply – die.”

I gasped and he smiled more. He grabbed a rotten apple and balanced its weight in his hand for a moment before throwing it against one of the teetering cabinet doors. The door fell to the ground as the apple exploded.

“Boom!” Cail yelled joyfully, causing me to jump. “Dead. Gone! Which in all honesty is how we want you. But I figure, and Edmund agrees with me, why not have a little fun first? Why not play a little game?”

“No,” I gasped in panicked desperation. I clutched my shoulder where Ilyan’s ?tít lay, but felt nothing.

“Oh yes.” He smiled and my breathing picked up. “If you try to get through that door,” he pointed to my normal exit “he will kill you. Which means the only way out of this room is through that door.”

Cail grabbed my shoulders and moved me to face the door that led into the mansion.

“Now through that door are the depths of Ryland’s mind. In there, he may remember you, he may not, or he may hate you enough to kill you himself. But do not fear, I am not sending you in there after him. I am sending you in there away from me. And when I find you, I will do away with you in the most painful way I can think of.”

I cringed as he produced his knife and rested the blade against my chest. I tried to move away from him, but he held me tighter.

“Don’t worry, I will give you a head start. It’s only fair after all.” He dug his fingers into my shoulders, causing me to gasp at the pain. “But don’t forget, whatever magic you do here, you do in the real world. Though if I do my job right, in a matter of hours you won’t even remember you have magic inside of you.”

“Let me go,” I snarled as he continued to hold me. I stumbled when he released me with a little push, surprised he had done it so quickly.

“If you insist,” Cail said. “But you’d better run, your ten minute head start starts now.”

I spun around to face him, Cail stood with his face screwed up in manic excitement.

Cail had trapped me in here with the full intention of torturing me in a way that would only end in my death. But I needed to get out of here. I knew there had to be a way. I could already feel my soul call to it, a promise of showing me a way out that would not end in my death.

My eyes darted to the guard who stood in front of the black door, blocking my exit. I knew I could defeat him easily, but I also knew that Ilyan still lay right beside me, his arms wrapped around me. Anything I would do in a fight, would go right into Ilyan.

Cail caught my eye, his lip curling as he interpreted my thoughts, knowing his plan was working.

“Run.” Cail said, and I didn’t wait. I turned and ran into the pits of the house, what was left of Ryland’s mind, tears already streaming down my face.





Thirty-One


Iran into the mansion without looking back. I knew Cail was serious. I needed to get away from him as fast as possible and figure out a way to get out of here before Cail found and killed me.