Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, #1)(93)

After Wyn had placed the finishing touches on my disguise, about twenty of us met in the middle of the courtyard in preparation for leaving. I wasn’t the only one who had changed my appearance. Ilyan had cut his hair short and dyed it brown. Talon had kept his hair long, but had bleached it white; from the back he almost looked like Ilyan. I got the distinct impression that was the idea.

I pulled and tugged at my clothes as I walked toward the group, not wanting so much of my body to be visible. We all gathered together and took off into the sky, following Ilyan to a small run-down conference center in a city I didn’t recognize. He herded us into a small room, with the sole intent of holding a planning meeting.

Ilyan had been speaking nonstop since the meeting began; he wrote on an old chalkboard, separated us into groups, and spoke to each member of each group individually. I didn’t understand a word; everyone was speaking only in Czech. I shifted my weight again, my body sore and stiff against the folding metal chair I sat in.

I looked around; luckily, I wasn’t the only one who was uncomfortable. Wyn sat in the back next to Ovailia whose icy stare was penetrating Ilyan as he continued to lay out what I could only assume was the plan of attack. Ovailia had spoken up several times during the meeting, and although I had no idea what she was saying, her voice was still venomous.

Suddenly, everyone stood in succession, the quick movement startling me. I stood with them, but immediately regretted it as they all began to pull chairs together and sit down in smaller groups. I sat back down, hoping no one had seen my blunder, and focused on my strappy four-inch heels as I once again adjusted my clothes.

I just wanted to disappear, and this outfit did not give me that opportunity. I tried to pull out my confidence for rescuing Ryland, but it was no use; only nervous energy remained.

“So, did you enjoy the meeting?” I looked up just as Ilyan pulled up a chair directly in front of me. His hair was too off-putting; I couldn’t seem to stop looking at it. It just made him look too much like Ryland would look without his curls.

“I suppose it would have been great if I had understood anything.”

“Sorry about that. But don’t worry, I’m here to give you the Cliff Notes.” He leaned forward and my eyes drifted to his short brown hair again in an effort to avoid eye contact.

“Gee, thanks.”

“We discussed our attack plan.”

I looked up expectantly, but he just sat there staring at me.

“And?”

“That’s it.”

Two hours of sitting in a hard chair and they had discussed the “attack plan”. Great.

“So what are they doing now? Planning the after-party?” I spat bitterly, but instead of laughing, Ilyan’s face fell instantly.

“They are saying goodbye to their loved ones, Siln?.”

I peeked around him to see Wyn and Talon with their arms wrapped around each other, a few other pairs coupled off around them. Most of the others were quietly talking on cell phones. I sat back in my chair, my nerves jumping angrily.

“Are you saying goodbye to your loved ones, too?” My eyes floated to Ovailia who stood against the wall, her head bowed.

“Of course.”

My stomach jumped at his response. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it as my confidence wavered. Ilyan chuckled at my indecision and leaned back against his chair with his arms folded as if he was getting ready for a show. I determinedly looked away from him, but my eyes were automatically drawn to his hair again.

“Are you going to be looking at my hair all night, Joclyn?”

“No!” I responded, a blush at being caught rushing to my cheeks. “It just looks so weird on you.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Ilyan said, pulling on one of the long, red strands that hung down at the sides of my face.

“Don’t remind me. My hair grows slowly, too; I am going to be stuck with this hairdo forever.”

To my embarrassment, Ilyan laughed, causing several people to turn.

“What?”

“You can grow it back with your magic, Joclyn.” Ilyan chuckled deeply at me, causing a furious blush to deepen against my cheeks.

“What?”

“Didn’t Wyn tell you?”

“No!” My mouth hung open in frustration.

Ilyan only continued to smile. “No wonder you looked so depressed when I saw you last night.”

Truthfully, I hadn’t been depressed because of my hair; I had been more concerned about his wicked father, but I wasn’t going to get into that right before we left to rescue his youngest brother.

I shook my head and slammed my bare back against the cold, metal chair. I tried to shift my clothes again, but there simply wasn’t enough fabric.

“So… are you going to tell me what this attack plan is?”

He sighed before nodding once and then angled his chair so we could both see the group that was still shuffling around the conference room.

“Wyn, Talon, Evert and Glenna will be clearing the roof. Ovailia, Ferne and Nyse will be clearing the upper hallways. Adyl, Benton and Eber will already be stationed at the party. Delia, Iolo, Jevon and Evadne will be clearing the exterior; and Tace and Zilla will be our forward guard. You will be with me.” He pointed each of them out as he spoke; my mind unable to connect faces with their unusual names.