Ilyan said nothing, he only stood, jaw tight, his weight balanced on the narrow stick in his hands. I stopped my movement, letting my hair fall down my back as I looked at him. So far, I liked this deal, but we still had my requirements to discuss.
“I will do this for you, as long as you give me everything I ask.” Ilyan’s eyes widened briefly at my words, his shock melting as he settled in to listen to my requests, a small head nod prompting me to continue.
“I will give you the information you need for as long as I can. I only ask one thing, after I am caught, you get me out alive. You give me the asylum you promised and wipe my memory.”
His shoulders tensed at my last request, the muscles moving further toward his ears before relaxing down again. He didn’t like that last part, not that I blamed him.
“You ask me to put a lock on your mind?”
“Yes, I don’t want to remember anything. I don’t want to remember Thom, my child, or the thousands of drops of blood that litter my hands.”
I held my palm out to him as if proving my sins, but his eyes didn’t leave mine.
“I don’t erase memories, Wynifred. That is a form of torture only my father uses.”
“You can and you will if you want me to do this for you.” I smiled, knowing I had caught him. “It is not a matter of power, Ilyan. I know you can do it.”
“I can also bury you alive ten feet underground with one thought, but I don’t.” He smiled. “Or maybe I will.”
I smiled back, but I wasn’t going to relent on this. It was the one piece that I really wanted. I would gladly do all he asked for nothing, but then I would walk away with only my haunted memories for company. It was not a life I wish to lead. I would rather meet my death at my father’s hands. But then I would gain nothing from this arrangement. I did nothing for free.
Even Edmund offered me his own form of payment.
“My memory for your information.”
He exhaled, his muscular chest heaving as he contemplated my request.
“What would you do, Wynifred, once your memory is gone?”
“I’m not sure. Walk the world, discover a new land, perhaps I will join a nunnery.”
The laugh that filtered out of his lips startled me, the humor heavy in the air. I didn’t see the joke.
“You are not the type to join a nunnery.”
“Oh, how would you know, Ilyan?” I snapped. “Once my memory is gone, I can be any kind of person I want to be.”
That was the key, right there. I could be anyone I wanted to be. Not what Edmund or my father wanted. Me. I could make my own decisions.
“Make your choice,” I prompted, pulling a slip of paper out of my pocket. The white slip contained the name of the man I was on my way out to kill when Ilyan found me.
I twisted the paper as Ilyan eyed it, my actions forcing his decision, giving a good show of faith.
“We have a deal,” he said, his hand extended toward me.
I closed the gap between us, his hand closing around mine.
“I will honor my deal with you as long as you honor mine, Wynifred. You have my word.”
I froze, the sincerity of his voice shocking to me. No one had ever spoken so simply to me. Well, no one since Thom. I could hear his honesty, the commitment, and the promise in his voice. Normally, I would have shied away from such emotion, but Thom had affected me in that way as well.
“You have nothing to fear, Ilyan.”
“What is his name?” Ilyan asked, pointing to the paper that was still in my hand.
“Dramin, son of Sain,” I said, ignoring the shock that lined his eyes and handing over the piece of paper to prove it.
“Good.” He smiled, thrusting his walking stick into my hands. I clutched it automatically, the heavy wood igniting the magic in my blood.
“This will connect you to me. Use it whenever you have news for me.”
I nodded once in understanding; Ilyan’s smile the acceptance of my promise to him.
He said no more. He simply vanished into the air before me, leaving me alone with his shadow.
No wonder no one could ever find him.
Chapter Sixteen
Thomas Král
The name on the paper was moving, but I knew it wasn’t the ink. It was because of the blood that was rushing to my head in my panic. My eyes couldn’t seem to focus.
Thom had been sighted, and Edmund would have me kill him.
The sound of hammers and horses washed over me as I stared at the name. The construction of Edmund’s new estate was progressing quickly after I had assisted Ilyan in burning down the last one. Why Edmund had chosen the American West as his new base, I still wasn’t clear on. I now spent more time traveling over oceans than anything else.
“Is there a problem, Wynifred?” I looked up to see Edmund jump down from the carriage we had just been sitting in, the dust from the ground kicking up around us as he landed.
“Nothing is wrong, sir,” I said, keeping my voice bored and defiant.
“Good,” Edmund sighed as he wrapped his arm around my waist to help me down, bringing his lips to rest against the hollow skin under my ear at the same time, “because I want his head.”