Page 284 of The Sins of Silas

His caramel eyes flared. “How do you know me?”

“You’re the painter from Faltrun. Why are you a Halstedian soldier?”

“I am not at liberty to share that information with you,” he answered as he turned to leave.

“Wait!” I called out, and Asael slowed his steps. “My name…is Lena Daelyra.”

He froze.

“You…you're supposed to save me.”

Chapter Eighty

LENA

Asael slowly turned toward me.

“You…” he whispered. “You're real.”

I frowned. “I'm not sure what that means, but you need to get me out of here!”

Asael swallowed. “The directions I was given…they—”

Asael quickly shut his mouth when the iron door creaked open, and a large, muscular form strode in.

Asael had to be around 5'9". This other man, however, was well over six feet. His face was rough, sadistic even. I could sense his wickedness by the way his grin curved when he looked at me.

“Ah, this is the ginger-bitch with the answers we need,” Cedric commented, giving me a once over.

I lifted my chin, glaring at him withdisdain.

His smile morphed into a nefarious frown. “Where is the Weapon?”

There was that question again. One I myself still did not know.

Ulric wanted the Weapon for himself—feared it.

“Even if I did know,” I spat, “what makes you think I'd tell you?”

Cedric crossed his tanned arms. “We have ways of getting answers out of you.”

I let out a low laugh. “Do you have any idea what kind of King you serve? Do you know what he really is?”

Cedric's jaw tensed. “Go if you can’t handle it, Asael.”

Asael just stared at me before saying quietly, “You’d lay a hand on a woman, Cedric?”

Cedric snorted, turning to glower at Asael. “She is a witch, not a woman.” To that, he turned, and his fist met my cheek in one hard blow. My face whipped to the side, stars clouding my vision. I clenched my fists, wishing I could break free from these chains.

Cedric was laughing, and as I slowly turned my head back, I met Asael’s eyes.

There was so much communication in our unspoken words—in our eye contact.

“I don’t believe in the ways of my people,”he seemingly said with his expression.

What a hero you are.

“I’d stop it if I could.”

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