Page 211 of The Sins of Silas

A white bubble appeared just as I was staring at the strange device.

Dela: Did u make it home last night? I'm so sorry I dipped…I feel so bad. But OMG mister was packing. 10/10. Pleaseeee forgive me.

Dela: Hopefully you got some too(; You deserve it, Daisy.

Dela: Pick up the phone, bitch!! What on Earth are you doing that's more important than talking to your best friend?

“What the hell is this?” Silas breathed, viewing the device from over my shoulder.

I touched its glass top, and the wordsEnter Passcodeand a number of buttons replaced the messages.

Vicsin stepped closer, holding his hand out for the device. I hesitantly gave it back.

“Something fromEarth,I'd presume,” he answered, solid black eyes focused on the rectangle. His head tilted up. “But don't you see?Their language is the same as ours. They look like us…but don't.”

“Why do you care?” Silas bit out. “Isn't your goal world hegemony or some shit like that?”

“I'm a curious man. What can I say?” He tucked the device—the phone, I'm guessing it's called—back into his jacket pocket. “Can you imagine what power and knowledge these other worlds possess? What from our world has bled into theirs?”

My brows lowered. “I find it hard to believe you'd want that power for anything good,” I said simply.

The corner of Vicsin's lip turned upward. “Good is complacent. Right and wrong are limiting.”

This man was fucking insane. I could take him out right now and provide Vicsin's body peace, but the necromancer wasn't attacking. I didn't wish to provoke him.

“Where did you find that device?”

“Where is the Weapon?” he countered.

I sighed, knowing he didn't plan on giving me any answers. I decided to try a different route. “You mentioned Valor's sin. Do you know what he did to cause all of this?”

Vicsin tilted his head back. “He fell in love with a mortal woman. Bred with her, thus resulting in the God of Deceit.” His smile morphed, growing sinister. “Thus, resulting in me.”

I swallowed my nerves, not wanting to alert him of my fear. “The God of Deceit created you?”

He scoffed. “Don't you get it, darling?” He placed a palm on his chest. “Iamthe God of Deceit.”

Silas breathed in sharply as I whispered, “Valor is your father?”

“By blood, yes. Though he was not the one who raised me.” His head tilted to the ancient text etched into the walls, his hand trailingalong the engravings. “When Azrae had learned of my father's sin, he banished him from this realm, leaving my mother at the mercy of her husband.” He slid his tongue along his teeth. “When I was born with features that did not match my father nor my mother, he killed her.”

I felt a pang of pity for him. Just a pang. “My Gods…”

His solid eyes drifted to me. “He was a brutal man. I enjoyed ending his life.”

“How did you know you were this God of Deceit?” I breathed. “Who are you?”

I jerked back at the sound of multiple screams from below.

“Oh, you will know all in due time, Supreme.” He fixed his attention on Silas. “Unfaithful to your wife, huh?” He clicked his tongue, his grin wide. “I heard your words from earlier. You're just like your mother.”

I couldn't even process anything as the wails of our friends grew louder.

“You promised you wouldn't hurt us,” I bit out.

“And you promised me the Weapon.” He held out his palm toward the floor. “Chop, chop, Supreme. Get me what I need.Accipe corpus meum alibi.”

I only took a moment to process the fact that the necromancer teleported. With an incantation, yes, but without the use of a pentagram.

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