“It is for Joclyn,” Cail said, and I reluctantly looked over to him. “We have found you, as I told you I would, and we have your little friend locked up where you will never find her.”
“No!” I called out without meaning to. It was just like in the dreams, I knew I shouldn’t show him my weakness, I needed to keep how scared I was inside, but this time I had failed. Cail smiled at my loss of control, his eyes dancing in pleasure.
“Oh yes, and you still have one month. Twenty-nine days to be exact, or your little friend is gone, along with the love of your life.” He stopped as he placed a hand on Ryland shoulder. My insides froze, terrified as to what he was going to do.
“Unless you don’t need him anymore,” Cail finished, his head turning to Ryland. “Look how cozy they are up there, Ry.” Ryland turned his head to face me. I almost expected blue eyes, but instead only saw the black. “It almost looks like she doesn’t need you anymore, don’t you think?”
“You’re right,” Ryland said. I tried to pull away from Ilyan when I heard Ryland, but Ilyan’s strong arms kept me there. “Have you told her then brother? Have you told her of her true purpose and what she is to you?”
Ilyan said nothing. I stayed frozen against him, not wanting to hear anymore. My heart still called down to Ryland, but I clung to Ilyan out of necessity and security.
“Well then,” Ryland said, “if you have, I suppose you won’t be needing me.”
In a flash of blue I saw a spark of light bounce off a golden sword that had appeared in Ryland’s hands. He spun it once before swinging it violently through the air to plunge it into himself. Ryland didn’t even flinch as it moved toward him, the air streaked with gold as it flew.
“No!” I screamed louder than before as I fought against Ilyan’s arms, he let me move, but still not enough to fly to Ryland’s aid. Despite my reaction, I was thankful for his impeding arms. If I had gone down there, Cail would have killed me easily. Part of me knew that was the whole point of this demonstration.
My body went limp as Ryland moved the sword, having stopped it millimeters from his body. Ilyan gathered me up and pulled me back into him.
“Hmmm, I don’t think he has,” Cail said, his voice sad.
“I take it Sain has told you then?” Ilyan asked.
“Oh! Bravo! You figured it out. You will make your Father so proud. He was beginning to think you had lost your touch. I sure hope it didn’t take you the full three months to realize that we were controlling her dreams?” Cail took a step forward, his hands moving as he spoke. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them, terrified he would attack at any moment.
“Not even close,” Ilyan laughed humorlessly through his lie. “See, I know the full story. And no matter what you have done to Sain, I doubt you have managed to get it all.”
“Sain may not have told us everything, but he has been a wealth of information – both now and before. We have been waiting for her to make an appearance as long as you have, and we are willing to wait just as long to find the secret of how to destroy her. Another month or so and we will crack the lock you put on his mind. Then we will know everything.”
“I wish you luck with that,” Ilyan laughed, his deep joy rolling through the main road.
“At least you continue to make this whole game more interesting,” Cail said.
“It’s not a game,” I yelled down to him, interrupting their banter.
“Oh really?” Cail sneered, “I think it’s a game. Ryland thinks it a game. Edmund knows it is a game. Your Protector up there, seeing as he hasn’t told you everything, he must be playing the game as well.”
Ilyan pulled me back against him, and my insides went numb. Cail’s loud voice boomed as he laughed and the yard to the house suddenly lit up with artificial light as a door was opened. Cail’s attention turned to a man in the doorway, his laughter stopping as his face went hard.
“What’s going on out here?” I heard the old man yell shakily through the yard, Cail having obviously scared him.
“Nothing that concerns you, old man.” I realized what was going to happen a moment before it did. Cail raised his hand and placed his palm toward the old man. As he had with me the first time, he let the power grow, his amusement at scaring his target stronger than his intent to kill. Ilyan left my side to intercept the ball of energy Cail sent toward the old man. Ilyan’s powerful energy redirected the fire toward a field of trees off to the side of the house with only a thought. Cail’s red light connected with the trunk of the tree, sending it into a roaring inferno that spread inhumanly fast to the other trees in the small grove, the magical fire gladly accepting the timber.
The man yelled out in fear and the door closed, the yellow glow leaving the yard with the click of the door as the flickering light from the fire began to take over.