My magic pulsed into her through the ?tít, as well as the connection of my skin against hers. It flooded her. The strong barrier that had prohibited me from so much as calming her before was now weak and breakable between us like spun candy. Now, I could save her.
I scanned her body for the thin connecting line of the T?uha, my body freezing when I found nothing. I pushed into her, letting my magic fill her to every corner, the full extent of my power enough to kill any other, but Joclyn just lay there. I searched for the bridge to her mind, for injuries, for warning signs, for spells and curses – but found nothing.
I dropped to my knees, keeping her body in my lap, keeping her close.
“She is being attacked in the T?uha,” I provided, knowing I had to give them some sort of explanation as to why their lives had been torn apart.
“Ryland?” Thom accused, his angry voice bitter.
“No.”
“Then who?” Thom’s voice faded off as he asked the question because he knew, we all knew. We had all heard her retelling of Ryland as a black-eyed man, of how Cail was controlling her dreams. But this wasn’t a dream, and I didn’t know how to wake her up. I didn’t know how to help her. Somehow, Cail’s control had moved into the T?uha.
“So, she attacked him in the T?uha and almost killed us?” Thom was angry, and I didn’t blame him. “Is she going to do it again? Can’t you just wake her up?”
“I can’t find the bridge to her mind, Thom. I’ve been looking.”
“How long ago did she go in?” Dramin asked, the confusion in his voice triggering my own.
“Ten minutes,” I provided, knowing the short amount of time would sound silly. It did to me.
It wasn’t just the time that she had been in there that had triggered my alarm. Her actions, what had happened to her body. I felt my lungs constrict in stress as I looked at the still wet specks of blood around her mouth.
My hands pressed one of hers against the blood on my bared chest, against the dozens of scars that lined my skin. The pain flared through my chest as the pressure against the scars increased, the same way it had always done. I looked at our hands briefly before dragging my eyes back to her face.
“How is he doing it?” Dramin asked, letting the unspoken name float between us.
“I don’t know. But I will find out.” I looked up to the two men, looking from the deep sea green of Dramin’s eyes, to the crystalline blue of Thom’s – the color our father had cursed us with, the color of royalty.
The necklace Ryland had given Joclyn still hung around her neck, the large ruby glistening. No, not a ruby, I reminded myself. A diamond. He had given it to her with the intent that it would protect her, just as I had placed the ?tít within her. Neither was doing her any good now.
After the protective shield of the necklace had faded, Joclyn was left with only a weak connection to my brother. I touched the stone lightly, knowing what it meant to her, but right then I hated it. I hated what it had come to represent and what it had done to her.
It had been the bridge to his mind.
My heart rate increased as I stared at the jewel, my breathing stuttering as I attempted to control myself. Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my fingers around the necklace, breaking the clasp as I ripped it away from her neck.
I waited, waited for her to wake, waited for the bridge to make itself known, but she stayed as still as ever, the necklace dead and cold in my hands. I pocketed it quickly, returning my hand to her face.
“Why didn’t that work?” Dramin asked, his voice making it obvious that he had already known it would not.
“He has been controlling her dreams through a blood connection, but a T?uha? I didn’t even know that was possible. I have never seen anything like this before, Dramin.” I gave them as much of an answer as I felt comfortable giving, keeping my voice an emotionless mask.
“I have.”
Chapter Eleven
“What?” I moved to face Dramin, his words still melting into my crude understanding of what was going on.
“I have seen something like this.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, and he took a quick step away in expectation of my anger.
“Where?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level, the anger and regality seeping out without me wanting it to. “Was it a sight, Dramin, or at some point in your living life?”
He hesitated, and I instantly knew why. Last night he had spoken in his usual guarded way about being needed; it was his reason for consenting to come to the Rioseco Abbey with Joclyn and me. I hadn’t thought twice at the time, how could I? For hundreds of years, guarded words and cryptic answers had been his way. I had no reason to think that would have changed. I felt Thom’s magic surge dangerously as his temper rose.
“You have vidět this, haven’t you, Dramin?” My voice was level, the regal tone I had tried to keep restrained for most of my life seeping through.