“Why?” I demanded.
Corym rubbed at his forehead. “I am sorry, Princess, I must be tired. What I am trying to say is that I will… not help you.”
“Yeah, you made that part pretty clear. I’m asking why the hell not?”
His face scrunched up, and he shook his head. “I am not saying the correct thing.”
I gave him a wary look. “So you will do the transfer?”
“No. Wait… Yes. I mean no.” Corym’s face contorted in distress, and he started scratching at his temples.
“Hey, are you ok?” I pressed. “What’s going on?” I really hoped he wasn’t having an aneurysm or something.
He looked up at me, his eyes wide in panic. “I want to help you, Raynella. I need to help you. My life’s work is to share knowledge.”
“Ok… so then let’s do it.”
“I want to but… something will not allow it.” He wouldn’t stop scratching at his temples, and I was afraid he would start bleeding soon.
I chewed on my lip a second, evaluating his distressed expression. “Corym,” I began slowly. “Is there a kind of magic where someone could stop you from doing something?” The idea terrified me, and I hoped I was wrong. I thought Dey's emotion manipulation was bad, but at least I still made my own choices with his power.
“Compulsion,” Corym replied quietly, his hands dropping to his lap. “Compulsion could do it, but that possibility defies reason. It was decreed over a thousand years ago that Rivellans with such a dangerous ability could not be allowed to live.”
I should have been disgusted, but after hearing how they executed creation casters, I was starting to see a pattern forming.
His eyes glossed over, and he appeared lost in whatever thought process he was currently analyzing.
“Corym?” I nudged his arm. “Are you in there?”
It took a second, but his eyes focused on me. “Yes, Raynella, I am here. My deepest apologies. It seems that I have developedsomething of a nasty headache. Could we possibly do the transfer tomorrow?”
“Um, sure,” I replied. There was definitely something wrong with him, and it was probably a good idea to wait until he worked through whatever was happening. “Is there someone you can talk to? Maybe someone can help with whatever’s happening?”
“Yes, perhaps,” he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I will go see a healer in the morning. Come find me tomorrow afternoon, Raynella. I will make sure that I am able to do the transfer.”
I pushed off the sofa. “Ok, um, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
I made my way back to my room, my mind racing with everything that had just happened. The idea that someone could mess with my mind so thoroughly was terrifying, and as I got into bed and pulled the covers up to my chest, a dreadful thought occurred to me.
My father had never actually told me what kind of powershehad.
Chapter twenty-seven
My steps were heavy and slow as I entered the dining hall the following morning, and part of me wanted to bail on this whole confrontation.
I needed to know what my father’s abilities were, though. Needed to know that he didn’t have anything to do with Corym’s breakdown last night. Regardless of whatever secrets he was hiding, I had to make sure that he wouldn’t violate someone’s mind like that.
God, what if he had used compulsion on me? How would I even know? I thought back to everything that had happened since I arrived. Was anything I had done strange or out of character?
My heart started racing, and I delved into the pocket of my tunic for a Klonopin. If there was ever a time to use one, it was now.
Every second I waited for my father felt like an hour.
Just as my medication began to smooth out my breathing, heavy steps announced his arrival.
“Good morning, Raynella,” he said in his pleasantly booming voice. “I am glad you are here. I need to speak with you and have precious little time this morning.”
He looked the same as he did most every day. Loose pants, silver mantle around his shoulders, long raven hair flowing loosely down his back, and a crown of diamonds nestled atop his head.
