Page 288 of The Sins of Silas

I bit down my sob, my eyes squeezing tight, a rush of tears spilling down my cheeks.

I opened them.

One.

Two.

Three.

“It's time to sleep, Lena,”my mother's voice whispered, and I imagined her holding me close.“Count the stars.”

Four.

Five.

Six.

“Count the stars.”

My eyelids had already begun to flutter shut by the time I was in the double digits. As uncomfortable as this position was, at least I was lying on my back. I could only hope that my death would be swift.

A few more moments of counting passed, and my eyes fell shut. I felt myself drifting off, but the light I saw through my eyelids woke me. I slowly opened them, squinting at the source.

The silhouette of a man.

This time, only the magic surrounding him was glowing. Now, I could see his face fully, see his green eyes and handsome features.

Now, I could see my father's face.

“Waylon?” I breathed.

The corner of his lip pulled up. “Not quite, my dear.”

I frowned, studyinghis face more closely. Without a doubt, he had my father’s face, but instead of appearing to be in his forties, he seemed to be in his twenties. His skin showed no signs of aging, and he spoke with an elegant accent I hadn’t heard before.

“I…I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “You look just like my father.”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “There is a reason for that, which you shall understand soon.” He cocked his head to the side, his touch featherlight against my cheek. “Who am I, Lena? Have you figured it out yet?”

I studied his form, studied the white magic more closely now that I wasn’t actively being tortured. It wasn’t just white magic…but whiteflame.

And there was only one being said to have such a power.

“Azrae,” I breathed.

The God of Vengeance smiled at me. “The Weapon, Lena. Where is it?”

No. Not him, too.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said gently. “But you need to figure it out if you have any hope of surviving this. Only the Weapon can break you free from here. Only it can stop Ulric.”

Silas’s words played in my head.

“The Weapon is said to be that of a magic no one has ever seen. Magic to stop all magic…or stop all of humanity. Whoever finds it—hones it—will dictate the fate of the entire world.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?”

“The Gods cannot interfere. Not with this.”

---