Ilyan stood before Cail, his tall frame towering over him. I turned to see the family coming out of the other side of the house and running away from whatever altercation was about to take place. I calmed a bit hoping they would get away from this.
“Do you wish to fight me, Ilyan? I told you we were not here to hurt you. Not today.” Cail’s voice was strong, but I heard the fear that lay behind it.
“Then do not attack the innocent,” Ilyan said, his magic growing and spreading through me from the ?tít, as his shield encompassed me.
Ilyan took off into the sky, presumably back to my side, before his body was pulled back down to the ground and restrained against the damp grass by Cail’s magic.
“I will attack any that get in the way of my job for my master,” Cail said.
“You serve the wrong man, Cail.” Ilyan’s body seemed to glow with golden light before he burst into the sky, Cail’s magical restraints flying off of him. He moved enough to put himself between me and the two men on the ground. Ilyan flexed his fingers, electricity crackling between his knuckles.
“I guess that is a matter of opinion.” I froze as Cail raised his hand toward Ilyan. Ilyan did nothing. He stood there as his hair danced in the wind, his muscular body lit by the firelight. I felt his magic surge through me.
Light exploded out of Cail’s hand and a half-second later, Ilyan sliced his hand to the side, sending Cail’s magic uselessly into the already blazing trees. Ilyan flexed his hand as the ground exploded around Cail, showering the yard with dirt and rocks.
I shielded my face from the onslaught of dirt, only to come face to face with Ryland when I emerged. I didn’t wait; I raised my hand to attack. But before I could do anything, his hand wrapped around my neck and forced me against the house.
“Now, now,” he said, his wicked voice cutting into me. “You know your magic has no effect on me. And as fun as a scuffle with you would be, my job is not to attack you. My job is to keep you here.”
He snarled at me and increased his hold. My vision popped and swayed from the lack of oxygen. I grasped at his hands, my magic not responding to my mind’s weak calls.
“Oh sorry,” he said, although I heard no sympathy. “I guess it would be better not to kill you yet. It was nice of Ilyan to leave you here for me to play with. I guess his desire to kill Cail was greater than his need to protect you.”
He smiled as I squirmed underneath his hold. I wanted to yell at him that he was wrong, that Ilyan was helping everyone, but I couldn’t get Ryland’s words out of my head. I knew he was manipulating me, like his father did in my dreams, but I couldn’t get enough oxygen to even attempt to rebut him.
Ryland released his hold enough to give me breath, but not enough to move. I let my magic swell at my increased freedom, only to have Ryland amplify his hold again. I groaned as he slammed my head into the house, the impact ricocheting through my skull. He smirked at me and my heart thumped. The look was the same one he used to make when he was teasing me. But there wasn’t any love for me in him anymore, not in his eyes, nowhere.
“Stop trying to fight me,” he snarled, slamming my head against the house again. “After all, there is nothing you can do. You see there?” Ryland decreased his hold on me again, my head spinning from lack of oxygen and the aggressive impact, only to force me to look toward the side of the house. Four Trpaslíks had gathered in the shadows, out of Ilyan’s sight, their hands against the house.
“And there,” he moved me roughly, this time to the other side of the house, where even more Trpaslíks stood.
“They are going to blow you and this house clear into the sky, all while your dear Protector is in battle, too busy trying to kill Cail to save you.” Ryland said, his black eyes shining. I stared at him, my jaw working independently of my mind. It was as if it was trying to bite the oxygen out of the air around me.
I could feel the house vibrate under me, the joined magic of those below congregating beneath us. The vibrating house continued to shake as he held me against the side of it, my body barely getting enough oxygen into my lungs. I gasped for a desperate breath, in my attempts to yell, to scream, to fight him, but my voice was caught, my magic a limp spark. It wasn’t enough.
“Oh, and I have a riddle for you. Straight from Sain’s own mouth.” I froze. My Father?
“‘Two brothers stand beside you, both know of your true fate. They both have love in their hearts, but different needs to gain. One seeks power, the other light. The one with light in his heart may love you more, but he is the foolish one, the one who will die first.’ I will give you one guess as to who that one could be,” he said, releasing my throat as the vibrating reached its peak.
I gasped for breath again, trying to regain use of my magic, knowing there was only a matter of seconds before the house exploded.