Page 16 of The Sins of Silas

I watched as Erabella lightly caressed his thigh, and he took in a deep breath. I felt my chest ignite, and I quickly averted my vision back to the road ahead.

Calm the flames.

Merrick shot me a perplexed glance. I gave a cheerless smile in response. I really needed to get my emotions in check, for fuck’s sake. It was almost as if he was feeling mine without even reading me.

“We’ve seen animals affected by the Undead’s curse,” Roland began. “Vampires are already undead in a way, but can they be overtaken by this necromancer, too?”

The group was quiet.

“Let’s hope not,” I whispered.

It took us a few more hours of riding before we reached the entrance to the enormous mountainscape known as Half-Life Pass. The colossal behemoth of rock and stone loomed above us, a combination of jagged peaks and rust-colored edges. It was remarkable…and completely intimidating as I peered into the slim entrance we’d be trekking through come morning.

Trees encased us, and the sound of crickets threatened to lull me asleep already. The sun was nearly set, and the air was beginning to cool. We’d made it in good time, that was for sure.

“Immeron and his family would travel through here?” Elowen paled as she took in the environment, Edmund lifting her off their ride. The path separating the two towering mountains was slender—just barely wide enough to fit three horses side by side.

“No…I mean, they have. But they normally take the Halsted route,” I answered, hesitantly taking Roland's hand as I dismounted our ride.

“It’s more of a straight shot this way,” Silas commented as he helped Era off their horse. “Less of a risk to your kind, too, all things considered.”

When Merrick got off Viola, she instantly shifted back into her regular form, groaning as she stretched.

“Have you taken this path before?” she asked Silas with a wince. Merrick cringed as she rubbed her back, but she gave him a playful wink.

“Not since I was twenty.” Silas crossed his arms, his golden eyes squinting as he gazed upward. “Blessedly, there were no dangers when I had gone. Didn’t mean it was any less unenjoyable, though.”

“Do you feel anything, Lena?” Elowen asked, watching as I took in the environment.

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.

To that, Silas asked, “What is she talking about?”

I didn’t feel anything amiss. I supposed I had that bit of comfort.

“Sometimes I get a feeling,” I answered as my eyes opened. “I can’t really explain it. Just sometimes feel when there is a…strange energy.”

Roland gave me a playful smile. “That a magical gift, Ginger Snap?”

I laughed through my nose. “No, I don’t think so. I got a feeling of it before the Undead attacked us during the march, and I had those cuffs on.” I stared into his eyes, watching his smile fall as he recalled his treatment of me. As he recalled me saving him. “Those cuffs took my magic, so if it was related to that, I wouldn’t have felt a thing. I don’t really know how to explain the sensation I get occasionally.”

Even when I was in the Western Forest that first day I met Silas, I felt a strange sensation. Silas had, too. Perhaps it was just heightened intuition.

I shrugged, and then, as I went to remove my bedroll from our horse, Roland stepped up, taking over.

“Such a gentleman,” I crooned.

He winked. “I have some redeeming qualities.”

Silas cleared his throat. “We should begin down the pathway as soon as the sun starts to rise,” he said as he laid out his own bedroll. Edmund and Hendry nodded in agreement, then went off to fetch some firewood.

“How come it’s called Half-Life Pass, anyway?” Erabella questioned with her head tilted to the side, her blonde bob hovering above her shoulder.

Silas's eyes softened when he looked at his wife. “Legend says Half-Lives used to reside in this pass…that depending on the quality of your soul, they had the ability to snatch you and bring you down to the Underworld.” He rolled his eyes. “All fairytales. That would be the last danger we’d run into.”

She chewed on her lip, nodding slowly. “How many days will we be in there?”

He kissed her forehead, and my eyes fell to the ground as he replied, “Four.”

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