“Do not say such things!” Ilyan roared. Again I cringed, my torso moving into his. He sensed his mistake and calmed, his tight muscles loosening and his breathing slowing.
“I must say such things. Ovailia would happily see us dead; you have hidden our existence from her for centuries because you yourself do not trust her. And now, you would bring her into the one place on earth we have to hide, the one place in the world that is a sanctuary. When she turns this information over to your Father then where do we hide? Where do we go?”
No one spoke. I looked between the three men, my nerves accelerated as my breathing increased into a panic. No, it wasn’t a panic. It was me. I felt my head grow light, my vision blur, and I knew I shouldn’t fight it. I clung to Ilyan’s shirt as the Black Water took over, the sight filling my mind and my eyes burning with the embers within me.
I gasped as I saw her, Ovailia carrying Ryland out of the LaRue estate. She did not fight. She simply walked past those who should attack her. She moved quickly as she dragged him, her head held high, her nose crinkled as if she was carrying out the trash.
My voice came in a wave, the monotone sounds rippling through the cave.
“A tryst has been set in motion, one you cannot ignore. The father of the four is using his seed, one against another, and in the end none will fall until two lives are lost. It cannot be stopped. Beware where your trust lies.”
I looked up to Ilyan, his mouth open in wonder. I reached up and placed my hand against his jaw, needing him now, more than ever, to trust me. Even though this sight may mean I never get to see Ryland again.
“You can’t trust her, Ilyan. Do this, for me.” Ilyan gazed into my eyes questioningly. His jaw worked soundlessly once before he nodded, his resolve weakened at my request.
“Okay, mi lasko. Anything for you.”
Twenty-Seven
I yawned and took another long drink from my mug of Black Water. It had been hours since my sight and still they had not come to a decision. The bickering had gone on and on. Part of me wished I could use my sight and then tell them what to do, but Dramin had informed me it didn’t work that way.
So I sat and drank deeply of what was now my only food source, letting their conversation roll around me as I avoided sleep, yet again.
“I’m telling you Dramin,” Thom snapped, “if she shows up in Isola Santa and no one is there, she is going to think both of them have died.”
“I don’t see the problem with that,” Dramin countered, his usual chuckle strained.
“There are two problems with that old man. First, Edmund has control of the wells of Imdalind. If he thinks the Siln? is dead, he will do whatever he wishes with the power without fear of repercussions. I don’t fancy trying to clean up that mess, do you? And second, if Ovailia is working with them she knows every secret Ilyan has trusted her with. We don’t want Edmund knowing where we are, he has been after our heads for centuries.” Thom said emphatically from his white couch, his dread locks swinging wildly.
“She knows about Sain at this point, that’s the problem,” Dramin countered. He gestured wildly and spilled some Black Water which Thom glared at evilly.
“Only if she is working with my Father,” Ilyan countered, his words seemingly going unnoticed.
“So, she knows about Sain,” Thom said, calming down a bit. “If she knows about Sain, then obviously she is going to go above and beyond the things she would normally do for Edmund, just to spite us.”
“And with Ovailia that is the issue,” Dramin said.
I knew exactly what he was talking about. Ovailia on a regular day was a pill. I would hate to see her unleashed. I took a sip of my Water and sat back, knowing that ignoring them was going to be impossible. Their voices kept getting louder and louder.
“You understand now. We are all in trouble!” Thom yelled, his dreads whipping around more.
“We? Us? Why are you including me in this? I am not even sure she is ‘crossed over’ as you two so eloquently put it.” Ilyan’s voice roared to life and I flinched automatically at the close proximity of the noise.
They were talking in circles; they had, yet again, gotten themselves off topic and were focusing more on mud-slinging then the actual problem. This fight was not helping anyone.
“Of course I am including you in this, Ilyan,” Thom snapped. “You’re the one who kept Sain from her for hundreds of years. If it wasn’t for you then this whole mess may not have happened!”
“Oh, placing blame, are we. Don’t even get me started on your little debacle at the university!”