Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, #1)(68)

Ryland.

“Will Ryland be all right?” My question was that of a child, and I knew it. I needed answers; I needed to know exactly what was going on so that I knew how to save him.

“He will if we get to him in time.”

I shivered, my shoulders jerking uncomfortably. I wasn’t sure if my jolt was due to Ryland’s fate or to the icy magic that was moving through me.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “The magic of a Trpaslík tends to be very cold. Of course most of my kind use their magic to kill rather than to heal, so that may be why.”

I could almost hear the sarcasm in her voice.

“A Trpaslík?”

“Yes. Once, a very long time ago, my kind were the keepers of the fire magic.”

Ironically, I shivered as the icy cold of her magic continued to move into me, chilling every part of me.

“Sorry, I’m almost done.”

“Why is your magic so cold if you used to keep the fire magic?”

“I was told as a child it was taken from us by the Sk?íteks, and in the absence of heat, we froze. But I don’t believe that anymore. Everyone here is a Sk?ítek; I am just the odd man out.”

“A Trpaslík.”

“Yep.”

“So why have different names at all, if you all look so much like humans?” I asked.

“It relates to our magic. Sk?íteks are the keepers—or the warriors—of all magic. They were once a powerful army that kept balance over the rest of us, but have since been almost driven to extinction. The Trpaslík are destructive by nature; our magic relates more to earth elements, and we can control them at will. Vil?s were the givers of emotions, and kept the humans from their vices. The names relate to what we do, not who we are.”

“Then why do you still call yourself a Trpaslík if you no longer live with them?”

“Because I am destructive above all else.” She grinned menacingly. “Trpaslíks are very good at making things explode. I’ll show you sometime.”

I couldn’t help the shiver that spread up my spine. She enjoyed that reaction and smiled even more.

“Well, your back feels fine.” Wyn jumped off the bed and flung the covers off me. I still wore the mysterious fleece pants and Ryland’s sweater. I sat and picked at the soft fabric. Thinking of Ryland had made me edgy, like I needed to go run a marathon. My soul called for him, begging him to be okay, to wait for me.

“Broken back, huh?” I asked quietly.

“I know, hard to believe, isn’t it? It actually broke in two places. Right here,” she placed her hand at a spot right between my shoulder blades, “and here.” Her hand slid down to rest a bit above the small of my back. “If it wasn’t for Ilyan, you would have died.”

I only nodded. Ryland had saved me, too. The images of Ryland’s beaten face and my mother’s broken body filled me. I felt my heart constrict again in its futile attempt to control the waves of emotion behind the dam I had built. I tried to push the heartbreak away; I needed her to be proud of me, wherever she was.

“Are you okay?”

I could only nod, my emotions moving far too slowly back behind their fortification.

“Where are we anyway?” My voice broke uncomfortably at the attempted subject change. I obviously couldn’t handle thinking much about my mother just yet.

“This is one of our safe houses; it’s an old motel that Ilyan bought and remodeled in 1968, hence the décor. We call it ‘The Motel’ strangely enough. Most everyone has updated their rooms, but this one and a few others have kind of been left alone.”

Wyn helped me to swing my legs over the side of the bed, her hands assisting me to stand. My spine creaked, and I inhaled sharply as pressure was placed on it. Although the sensation was uncomfortable, it didn’t hurt. It felt like I had never stood on my legs before.

“Come on,” Wyn coaxed. “I want to show you something.”

Even though stiffness had replaced the pain, I still needed help to walk; my legs needed to be reminded how to do it. Wyn helped me, step by step, as we moved slowly forward, stopping after a few steps when Wyn turned me to face the window.

The window opened to a beautiful courtyard that was surrounded on all sides by other rooms. It was full of flowers and vines that covered stone paths and beautiful wrought-iron patio furniture. And in the middle of it all, stood a giant tree. I had never seen one so large. It wasn’t a pine tree like the massive redwoods; it almost looked like an oak. Its broad leaves stretched up and out, covering the courtyard in a relaxing canopy of quivering leaves.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I know. The view in Prague is just as nice, too. You will see it when we get there.”

“Get there?” I couldn’t help the panicked edge that crept into my voice. I couldn’t go anywhere without Ryland.

“Prague is the city where all magic originates; it’s where we live. I am sure we will go home after we get Ryland out.” She smiled sadly as she answered my unasked question. I couldn’t help but feel the waves of uncertainty she was broadcasting, like she didn’t think rescuing him was a possibility.

“When do we go get him?” I could feel the jittery feeling coming back.

“That’s what Ilyan is in council right now to decide, Jos.” She moved some of my hair behind my ear, and I fought the urge to yell at her, not because she had touched me, but because I felt the need to leave to save Ryland right then. It bothered me that this need to rescue him had come on so strong, so fast.