Page 177 of The Sins of Silas

“Hey, Edmund?” I asked, tilting my head to him. “Can El and I have a moment alone?'”

He paused his blade sharpening, just as Elowen said, “I told you I didn't want to talk about it.”

I'd never heard such a stern tone from her. Edmund's gaze saddened, and he stood, walking over to her. Her hands were gripping the counters now.

“Ellie…you should talk to her,” he murmured, rubbing her back.

Her shoulders shook as she stayed stiffly in place, and she eventually conceded, nodding her head.

I stood from the bed as Edmund kissed the top of her head, then left, giving us some privacy. My head was killing me, but still, my worry for my friend took precedence over it all.

A few momentspassed in silence. Elowen finished making the remedies, infusing her magic into the concoctions.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, and my eyes trailed down as she lifted her hand, snuffing out the fire beneath the pot.

I gasped, my eyes shooting back up to hers. “El, you—”

She splayed her fingertips out, and I loosened a breath as fire crept down her hand, down her arm.

Elowen had acquired fire.

“When?” I breathed.

“Last night,” she responded quietly, allowing the flame to dissipate. She began filling two bottles of her concoction while I ambled toward her.

“You should have called for me.”

“Edmund helped me,” she insisted, handing me the remedies, then the contraceptive elixir, her lip trembling. “He is my light. My anchor.” She chewed on her bottom lip, brows lowering. “I am so angry, Lena. I have never felt so much bitterness. I've never allowed anything to dull my spirits. But this…” Her aqua eyes drifted toward the window, gazing outside at the kingdom. “There is so much ugliness in this world. I'm finding it difficult to feel hope anymore.”

I placed the vials in the cross-body I wore and pulled my friend into a hug.

“Believe me, Elowen, I struggle with that feeling every day.” I pulled back, holding her arms. “But you saw beauty in the face of ugliness. What you saw in Edmund changed the course of everything. He is proof that there is hope.”

Her light eyes shifted between mine. “As is Silas?”

I swallowed, my arms dropping.

“You saved him first. That is the action that changed the course of everything.” She shook her head. “I never saw goodness in him…in any of them. I only saw it in Edmund because he is my Soul-Tie.”

I stood still, finding it troublesome to come up with words.

“I've been paying attention to the two of you…two individuals who should hate one another more than anything, fighting vigorously to ensure the other stays alive. He is your Soul-Tie, isn't he?”

My rapid blinking, my mouth opening, then closing, told Elowen all she needed to know.

“You know what really proved it to me?” she asked, her frown disappearing. “When he was being taken away, and Saoirse was crying for him, he told her to go byyou, not Erabella.” She stepped forward, and my heart picked up, nerves running rampant at the idea of her figuring it all out. “It's why he has always shown care toward you.”

“Elowen…” I shook my head.

“When did you know?” she pressed.

I wanted to tell her everything, tell her all that her brother and cousin knew. But now was not the time.

“I've felt it for a while,” I responded. Not a lie. “But Elowen, a Soul-Tie connection is not enough. The person's character is what dictates how I feel about them.” I sighed, running my hand through my curls. I then fished out the vial from my bag and poured its contents down my throat. After swallowing the elixir and curing my hangover, I continued, “Before you recognized what Edmund was to you, you saw in hisactionshe was a good man.”

“What action did Silas do that showed you he was a good man, too? Was it his treatment of you after what happened in Forsmont?”

My eyes filled with tears, my voice dropping as Iuttered, “It was his treatment of me after I was raped in Fort Laith.”

---