Page 280 of The Sins of Silas

“El…t-they slit his throat—” Edmund choked on a sob, and Elowen’s eyes widened.

No. This cannot be.

I clutched my chest. “He's dead?!” I cried.

“No…no…” Elowen collapsed to the ground, a gut-wrenching cry escaping her.

“There was no time,” he insisted.

“NO!” she wailed.

“I’m so sorry, El…” Edmund went to touch her arm, and she flinched backward, glaring at him.

“I could have saved him!” she screamed, and I watched as ice began to creep up her arms. “You could have gotten me, and—”

“There is no time,” he barked, grasping her freezing arms. “Elowen, we have to go! They are coming!”

“Where is Hendry?” Silas demanded.

Tears coursed down Edmund's cheeks when he met eyes with the Prince. “They killed him.”

“No,” Roland whispered, tearing his gaze from the window. “No. H-he has to be alright—”

“An arrow went straight through his chest!” Edmund cried. “They are both dead! We have to go!”

I couldn't think. I couldn't process it.

And then there was Era.

Her expression was…blank. Her body was completely still. Utterly emotionless, yet her eyes were filled with tears, and they poured down her face.

“We have to go get him,” Elowen wept. “We haveto—”

An arrow shot through one of the windows, shattering the glass and grazing Silas’s arm as he shoved me out of the way.

“Lena, we need to teleport!” Torrin yelled, ducking down.

“We can't leave him!” Elowen howled, ice creeping up her chest. “I won't go!”

“Elowen—” Torrin began moving toward her with his flame, but multiple objects were tossed into the sanctuary from the pronaos, exploding as they hit the ground. Purple dust filled the room, and my stomach sank when I realized what just happened.

“GRAB YOUR WEAPONS!” I yelled, already feeling the effects of the siaxcide, my magic fading from me.

I rushed to grab my blade—my scabbard beside Era on the bench. She roughly grabbed my wrist as I reached for it.

My eyes shot to hers, burning with rage as I took in her emotionless form. “What are you doing?!” I hissed.

It was all I could get out until I felt something hit the back of my head. Hard.

Suddenly, the world went black.

When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was cuffs around my wrists. My eyes shot wide, and when I forced myself up, wincing from my head pain, a sword was quickly at my throat.

All of us had been knocked out, sitting on the floor of the temple with bound wrists and blades held at our necks.

All of us, except Erabella.

Slowly, we were all gaining consciousness again.

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