Page 9 of The Sins of Silas

How would that help us work toward a better future, considering the animosity he had felt for my people his entire life?

I still felt bitterness, considering all he had done.

Silas, The Witch Slayer.

I had heard stories passed around fires over the years…stories that, once they got gruesome, sent me evacuating to someplace silent.

I never wished to hear those tales. I still didn’t. I couldn’t picture the man I had loved, the man I knew better than anyone, committing such atrocities. Even after seeing him all these years later, seeing how cold he had become, I still couldn’t envision even a fraction of the details I’d heard.

As I made it back, I took in the multiple campsites set up along the top of Mount Rozavar, the mountain weather-controlled by magic.

The fire around our small group was still crackling, and Edmund peered up from examining his new leg, now made of enchanted carbonado, to give me a small smile. Elowen was sitting beside him on a log, marveling at his new arm.

The metal, veiny-like material was…outlandish. Extraordinary.

“Thank you again, Lena. Just…thank you,” he said with a peaceful grin as I passed by. The flames made his blond waves appear even more golden as they lay against his forehead.

I simply returned his smile, giving him a slight nod, and went to sit beside Merrick on the opposing log across the fire. He was glowering at the two of them, and they were either choosing to ignore him or were so lost in each other that they hadn’t noticed him staring.

Roland was sharpening a dagger while talking to Hendry, Viola was off who knows where scouting the skies in bird form to see if any Otacians were near, and I didn’t wish to know where the Prince and his wife were.

Those lounging around the flames were spaced far enough away that they couldn’t hear Merrick and me speaking. “You could tone down that grimace, you know. You’re going to scare off the poor children,” I teased lightly.

The handful of Mage children that had traveled on this journey were giggling and dashing around the warm mountaintop, chasing fireflies and capturing them with their magic in little bubbles. If they caught Merrick’s twisted face, I had a feeling their stomachs would plunge. He could be unsettling when he wished to be.

Merrick snorted, his expression softening. I set my hand on his shoulder and leaned in close.

“You will never guess who just spoke to me,” I whispered in his ear.

I felt him tense, and he turned to look at me, his icy blue eyes turning nearly black—the color they always turned when he read someone’s emotions. Sometimes, he used it to detect if someonewas lying or to see if someone’s emotions matched up with their words. But usually, he just used it to understand others better.

“Torrin?” he breathed.

I shook my head. “Kayin.”

His eyes enlarged as he loosened a breath. “Well?” he pressed. “What did she say?”

I let out a humorless laugh through my nose. “Nothing much. She asked if the Prince was here, told me—”

Shit. I can’t tell him about the Queen’s necklace.

I cleared my throat as my hand slipped from his shoulder and back to my side. “She told me she was in Otacia, and while it wasn't confirmed that she was a prisoner, she told me she was not okay.” My eyes fell, and I nervously picked at my nails as I sat down beside him. “She also told me we would meet again in time…Torrin and I.”

“That’s partly good news, I suppose.” Merrick shifted next to me, dragging his teeth along the hooped piercing that wrapped around his bottom lip. “None of this is mere coincidence…does she want us to find her?”

I shook my head again, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “No. She told me to head to Nereida. I didn’t even mention the place to her.” I gave Merrick a weak smile. “At least that’s a sign we’re doing one thing right.”

Merrick’s eyes faded back to icy blue as he studied me. “I trust you, Lena.” The corner of his lip crept upward. “It is good she is alive, yes? It’s been so long.”

“It has…” I angled my head and marveled at the night sky. It really was beautiful up here. I could understand why Immeron chose this place over Ames. The lack of light pollution made the stars all the more visible.

It reminded me of when I was little. I'd struggled with nightmares before we had found our home in Otacia, the fear of my power a constant source of paranoia, even more so in unfamiliar territories. I remember one of our blankets had been eaten up by a pack of moths, causing little holes to form in the fabric. Mother, being the creative woman she was, added more—hundreds of tiny little holes. She scooped me up in her arms, tossing the blanket above us and enclosing us underneath.

The warm light in the room we were staying in at the time had filtered through those tiny tears.“See, it's like the night sky!”she had said, and it really was. I felt safe with her beneath the stars.

“Count them, Lena. Count the stars.”

I'd fallen asleep in her arms as I counted, finally resting soundly through the night.

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