Page 45 of The Sins of Silas

“Over half a year,” Hendry spoke instead. “At least, that’s how long we have dealt with their kind.”

“Why haven’t we been notified of this?” Leroy pushed. Even the two men at his side had paled.

“We were ordered to keep it under wraps,” Silas said calmly but not weakly. “It was contained to the north for a while. Though we have had our fair share of run-ins as we have moved south. It seems our efforts to eliminate them have been futile.”

Leroy looked at the blue-haired man and then nodded to himself before crossing his arms again.

“Why the change of heart, Prince? You have never shown an ounce of compassion toward the witches. Why now?”

I sucked in my bottom lip and glanced up at Silas to my right. His golden gaze shifted to mine momentarily, and he took a deep breath before facing Leroy.

“I could say it is because they are a powerful ally…but the truth is I was wrong about them.”

Leroy blinked, his eyes bouncing between the two of us.

“I was wrong to think they were monsters.” Silas glanced at Edmund and nodded toward Leroy. With a gulp, Edmund stepped forward, Elowen still close to his side, as he removed his glove.

The men of Forsmont gasped as they beheld Edmund’s artificial limb—as he made a show of rotating his wired carbonado fingers.

“An Undead struck me in the arm. My leg, too.” He shot me a grateful glance, and then his green eyes peeked down at Elowen, a devoted smile spreading across his face. “Lena and Elowen saved me. Fought to save me.”

The whites of Leroy's eyes became visible as he gaped at the enchanted creation.

"They brought me to an enchanter who made this for me.” He began slipping the glove back on. “They didn’t have to save me. But they saw me in pain, saw as I was fading, andbeggedto.” He lowered his hand to clasp Elowen’s, and she smiled brightly at him. “That’s the type of people they are.”

Leroy only shifted his stare to Silas once the Prince quietly added, “I was saved by them, too.”

Silas focused his gaze on me now, and I nearly melted at the sight of his smile. It was small; the corners just barely turned up, but it wasreal.

“I understand your fear," Silas continued, shifting his eyes back to the Forsmontian King. "We’ve all grown up with tales that have painted Magekind as nothing but aberrations…but I have seen more humanity in them than I have in some of my men.”

Leroy’s eyes darted between us for a moment before he laughed softly. “You surprise me, Prince.” Leroy then raised his hand.“Revelare.”

We all watched as Leroy’s glamour faded, as the ear his blonde hair was tucked behind turned pointed, and his pupils completely vanished.

As we realized Leroy was a Warlock.

Chapter Thirteen

LENA

“Holy Gods,” Viola breathed.

“Dani, come forward.” Leroy motioned to the blue-haired man, and he did just that.

He gave Viola another smirk before lifting his hand as Leroy did.“Revelare.”

My mouth hung open as Dani’s glamour dropped, though it wasn’t the pointed ears or pupilless eyes that shocked me. No, it was Dani shifting into their true form, that of a beautiful female.

Viola’s jaw was on the floor. Actually, scratch that, all our jaws were on the ground.

Dani’s eyes went to me. “We Warlock’s can only glamour ourselves through incantations.” She brushed her long, cobalt hair off her shoulder. "Aside from shifting, of course." Her armor wassimilar to the male version of herself, but now it hugged her feminine curves.

“My sister is a bit more intimidating in male form, well, when we are pretending to be humans, at least,” Leroy noted.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed.

My eyes slid to the Otacians, who all stared as if aliens had invaded Tovagoth, Erabella especially.

---