“So what does that mean for me?” I asked, my eyes narrowing at him. Dramin only laughed at me, his usual joyful timber coming back into his voice.
“You have had Black Water flowing through your veins for eight hundred years and now you worry? Nebojte se,” he said as he patted my hand in a grandfatherly way, an action that did not match his appearance. “You will be fine. All I said was that I did not know what would happen. If there was a threat of an additional head sprouting on your shoulders, we would have never consented to give you, or anyone else, access to the sight.”
He laughed and I felt everything relax inside of me. He was right. I had feared the possibility of a greater ability. I did not need more power. I already feared the strength of the magic that flowed through my veins.
“Well,” Dramin began before draining the last of his mug, “I’ll go get Joclyn ready, come to her after you finish with Thom.”
“Thom?” I questioned, not understanding.
Dramin nodded once before standing, the sound of Thom’s yells reaching my ears as he did so.
“Ilyan!” The excited yell of Thom’s voice echoed around the stone hallways before reaching the kitchen.
“I guess I’ll go see what he wants, shall I?” I laughed alongside Dramin as we both left the kitchen, Dramin leaving to go toward my suite, where Joclyn slept, and I moved toward Thom’s frantic yells.
Thom’s voice ricocheted around the stone hallways. To anyone else, the bounce of his voice would have made it impossible to know where he was, but I could sense his magic. His deep earth energy was strong with excitement as he moved closer to me, the excitement mixing with panic the closer he got.
I had almost reached him when his odd mix of emotions hit me hard, setting me on high alert, and I moved faster. Curiosity and panic mingled inside of me with each step.
Thom turned the corner at a dead heat, his feet sliding as he caught sight of me. His face was wide and alert in excitement, but I could hear the rapid rate of his breath in my ears, the pace too quick to be purely excited. My curiosity left as fear took its place, a million possibilities leapt to mind, but deep down I knew – they were attacking. My heart pulsed once in desperation, begging me to simply take Joclyn and fly away – to save her. The thought was only a breeze from a bird’s wing before it was gone, before inheritance and responsibility took its place.
We said nothing to each other; I just picked up my pace, and followed him as he turned back the way he had come. His short legs moved fast as he ran, his magic pulsing through him as he quickened his pace. It wasn’t until he turned toward the large garden on the west side of the chapel that the fear in me shifted. The camps were arranged on the north side. Had we missed something? Something new, bigger?
Everything thumped in time with my footsteps, my heart beating in my ears and my breath moving in time with my steps. Without thinking about it, I moved my magic to check on Joclyn, shielding her as much as I dared.
We turned one more corner before Thom stopped, my feet halting right behind him before I collided with him.
This was not what I had expected, it was worse.
Ovailia stood in the middle of the hall we ran through, her long blonde hair down to her waist and smug smile in place, as if she expected me to praise her for a job well done. But, it wasn’t a job well done. It was a nightmare.
Ryland stood right next to her. Stood. His eyes were bright blue. His hair was damp with sweat, making the dark curls he got from our father longer than usual. He looked at me with understanding, with knowledge, and with eager anticipation. He was awake, and he remembered me.
“Where is Joclyn?” Ryland’s voice was eager, panicked. I could feel his need and longing as it settled deeply into his voice.
I would have gladly taken him to her right then, except that his alertness was a signal to something much worse. Joclyn was still asleep, trapped in a T?uha that she supposedly shared with Ryland.
“You’re awake.” I couldn’t help the panic that edged into my voice. As much as I needed to be the royal leader right then, I just couldn’t. I saw Ovailia’s brow furrow, but she said nothing.
“Yeah.” He took a step toward me, ready to plead his case, ready to see her.
“But, the T?uha?”
“Dad broke our bond...last week... I...” Ryland’s voice trailed off as my soul turned to ice.