Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, #1)(71)

“I am sorry, Ilyan. I couldn’t stay in that room another moment. It’s so dark and musty. Besides, I hated the 60s,” Wyn grumbled and folded her arms.

“Yes, but my mother loved them.”

“Your mother?” I asked, my voice catching on the word. Odd, since I wasn’t even talking about my own mother.

“It’s okay,” Ilyan said. He had caught the heartbreak in my voice and brought his hand up to rest against my cheek. “You will get used to the pain you feel now. It will become part of you, eventually. I promise. But in the meantime, it’s okay to cry.” His voice became so low, I was sure that Wyn and Talon couldn’t hear him. I nodded numbly at him, and he smiled, finally letting his hand drop from my face. My body loosened gratefully at the end of the contact.

“Now!” Ilyan announced, jumping up and clapping his hands together. “The Council has decided that it is worth the risk to go and remove Ryland from within Edmund’s grasp.”

“What are you saying?” I asked, not daring to hope.

“That, on the night of his graduation party, we will be going into the mansion and bringing Ryland back with us. We have to get to him before the Vym?zat completes itself. I know how to stop it, but only before it completes, so that’s the key.” My heart swelled at the renewed hope, my body’s restless energy seeping into me again.

“But his party is more than three weeks away,” I said in a panic.

“You are forgetting that you have been healing and unconscious for the past twelve days. We have eight to prepare.”

“Eight days?” Wyn asked.

“Yes, which means we have eight days to get Joclyn ready to go and to be able to marginally defend herself. A Vym?zat is powerful magic, so I need someone who can keep him in his right mind for as long as possible. The strength of Joclyn’s connection with him is unparalleled; meaning, you, Joclyn, are more likely to be able to do that than anyone else.”

“Me...? Go into the mansion...?”

“Yes, Joclyn. You must be willing to do anything it takes to save him. How far are you willing to go, Siln??”

I looked up to meet his piercing blue eyes, so full of confidence.

“I would do anything to save him.” I was shocked at the confidence I suddenly felt. I had never been one to hold my own, to stand up to someone. I had practically hidden from Cynthia McFadden for years. Now, knowing I had a chance to save the one person who was the most important thing to me, my confidence felt more secure.

“Good,” Ilyan said.

Eight days. Eight days and I would be back in the mansion I had practically grown up in. A shiver ran up my spine, but not in a good way.

“But… the mansion… it burned down,” I said, suddenly panicked that we wouldn’t be able to save him after all. “I saw it; the whole third floor was in flames.”

“I can only assume that much of the damage was repaired or contained magically. Either way, the party will be held in a different part of the estate.”

“Wait,” Wyn’s voice was loud and panicked from behind Ilyan. “You say you need her to defend herself; you can’t possibly mean you are planning to center her, are you?”

“That would be the natural choice, yes,” Ilyan responded as he stood.

“Now?” Wyn said.

“Yes.”

“You can’t, Ilyan.”

“Don’t worry so much, Wynifred. Joclyn is a very strong girl, I think she can handle a little bit of centering,” Talon said.

“It’s not Jos I’m worried about,” Wyn grumbled behind clenched teeth.

“What exactly are we talking about?” I interrupted, becoming more and more confused by the minute.

“He just wants to center her, Wynny.”

“What’s centering?” I tried again, hoping this time to get an answer.

“Right now your magic is spread all over your body,” Ilyan provided. “It’s hiding in your muscle tissue and in your blood stream. When we center magic, we collect it all and bring it to one central place, making it usable. Right now, you can’t use your magic because it’s spread out. It’s been spread out for so long, it doesn’t really know where it’s supposed to be; so for you, it will probably hurt much more than it’s supposed to.”

“Great, more pain,” I moaned.

“Not that much pain,” Talon provided with a smile. “So no reason to worry, right, Wynifred?”

“I told you, I am not worried about her. I am worried about Ryland.”

“Ryland?”

“Ryland?” Talon echoed me. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Joclyn and Ryland have undergone the beginnings of a Z?lství, Talon.” Wyn provided gravely. Talons jaw dropped. “If he is as weak as I am thinking, then centering her might well kill him.”

“No!” I stood in alarm, but my legs almost instantly gave out and I tumbled back down to the chair. Ilyan was at my side in a moment, his warm magic plunging into me.

“It’s all right, Joclyn. We are not going to hurt Ryland.”

“But, Wyn said—”

“I think I have found a way around that,” Ilyan interrupted me.

“How?” Wyn demanded angrily.