The pain lasted until I woke up in a panic, my terrified screams bouncing around our tiny space.
Ilyan’s arms were already wrapping around me, his hand moving to cover my mouth. I didn’t hear his comforting sounds, his song. I screamed into his hand, his warm skin muffling the sound.
I couldn’t calm down. I couldn’t shake the feeling of the dream. My mind kept replaying what Edmund had done, what Cail had said, and the feeling of Ryland’s lifeless body.
Eventually, my screams died down, but my cries remained. Howls of despair broke from my chest as my breathing caught and shuddered. Ilyan held on until my sobs had stopped, his song finally seeping into my mind as he sang it over and over.
“It’s okay, Joclyn. I’m here. The dream is gone.” Ilyan’s hand ran over my back, the touch triggering something in me. I pulled away from him in fear, wiping away the last of my tears. I looked beyond him to the large scorch mark in the wall and my insides turned to ice.
“They’re not dreams,” I gasped through the remnants of my sobs. “They are something far worse.”
Fourteen
Ilyan pried the memory of the dream out of my head and replayed it twice before I made him stop. I couldn’t stand to see it anymore. I felt like my heart had been ripped open and filleted in front of me. Reliving every emotion, with Ilyan to see, we felt every pain, saw all of my reactions. In the end I had pulled his hand away and begged him to stop before collapsing on the bed, my head aching from the extended digging.
The exertion from the dream mixed with Ilyan’s brain foraging had left me exhausted. I stared as Ilyan fidgeted in the small space, mumbling in Czech, his face twisted in anger and fear. I couldn’t even find it in me to ask what was going on. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know anyway. His reaction had made one thing very clear, Ryland remembered me, and I had one month to save him.
“Ilyan,” I spoke quietly hoping he would hear me, but he kept speaking to himself.
“Ilyan!” He stopped in his tracks and looked toward me, his long hair swirling to lay against his face. He fixed me with a stare that scared me. Not because I was scared of him, but because he was scared.
“How is...” I stopped, I didn’t want to know. “How do I keep them out of my dreams?”
“I’m not sure you can. I am not even sure how they are doing it. The only thing I can think of is that they are using Ryland somehow, but how...” he faded off, and I looked down to my feet. Great, my connection with Ryland was causing more misery. Everything felt numb inside of me, frozen in place, as my mind processed what was being said. I loved Ryland. I loved the person Ryland used to be. The way he held me, sheltered me, protected me. But now when I thought of him, there was fear. I had yet to see the positive side to our bonding.
My pity party was cut short by Ilyan’s finger dragging along the chain around my neck. I looked up, unsurprised to see him kneeling right in front of me.
“I need you to go to Ryland. See if the boy will tell you anything. If something is happening, he should know something about it.”
“But what if he doesn’t tell me? What if he pushes me out like last time?”
Ilyan gathered my hands in his, his look sympathetic. I fought the urge to pull away.
“I need you to try, Siln?.” I hesitated before nodding in agreement.
“Will you call Wyn while I am gone? Make sure she is okay? Tell her I will call her in a few hours.” I pulled the chain out from under my shirt, letting the ruby settle on my palm.
“Of course. Tell Ryland his brother says hello.” Ilyan smiled but it was strained. I nodded my head once and settled back down into the bed before closing my eyes and walking into the T?uha.
I opened my eyes to the kitchen of the LaRues’ estate and gasped. It was the same kitchen my Mother worked in, the one I had first met Ryland in, except very little was recognizable about it. Yesterday’s deteriorating expanse had been replaced by the kitchen, but the same rot had taken over the once familiar space. The counters were dark and slimy looking. The sink was filled with dirty dishes and molding food, and chunks of marble flooring were missing. The once pristine cabinet fronts were burnt, or rotting, or worse – many were covered in molding food and hanging off of their hinges. I jumped at the large rat that I glimpsed running from one food container to another.