Page 18 of Vengeance Becomes Her

“There’s no need to apologize. To be honest, it made me more inclined to help you. I wasn’t sure what your true motivations were before, but now I see.” She sighed, reflecting on the loved ones she would have left behind if she hadn’t been able to pull through. “I don’t meanto pry, but...”

Tristain huffed in disbelief. “You do, but go ahead, this is a conversation we need to have.” He shifted toward her, his knees now inches from her own. Subconsciously he began mirroring the motion of her own fingers gliding through the water’s surface.

“How did it happen? I mean I fell for him so it was easy for him to find my vulnerabilities, but I’m assuming that wasn’t the case with your fiancé?”

His hand stopped in the water, she could see the intensity that entered his eyes as she stared down at his reflection. Somehow the act felt like a violation, but it was easier than looking at him directly, she knew the ending of this story and it would be painfulfor them both.

“Apparently, she fell for him too. You know how Silas can be. People are drawn to him; they can’t seem to resist. However, when people see the real him, they never stick around. That’s why he’s become such a good manipulator, it’s the only way he can get people to stay. But Silas only makes an effort when he has something to gain.” Tristain sighed. “When he saw how happy Leylah and I were together, apparently he couldn’t stand it, so he took her from me.”

“Why wouldn’t he want his brother to be happy? Was he really always so spiteful?” Rhiannon asked.

“Toward me? Yes.” Tristain rubbed the back of his neck. “Silas has always had a grudge against me. It’s as if he blames me for his misery. It’s complicated.”

“I have nowhere to be.” She encouraged. She wanted to know everything about Silas she could.

“It doesn’t matter why he chose Leylah. It only matters that she’s gone now and he’s the one who took her from me. Before all this, I’d never had said he was a bad person, just angry. Now, things have changed. I don’t even know him anymore. But it’s not completely his fault.”

Rhiannon scoffed. “What does that mean?”

“It means that he’s a victim too. I know it’s hard to believe but he became what he is because someone used magic against him too.”

Rhiannon looked up, surprised by the revelation. “You mean there are others withthese powers?”

Tristain nodded. “It would seem so. All I know was what Silas muttered and ranted about to himself. We never talked aboutit in detail.”

“What happened then? I’m interested to hear how Silas of all people is a victim.” Skepticism blanketed the statement. She had her doubts that Tristain had the full story if his source was Silas.

“It all started with a trip to Norhavalta three years ago. I was there for a tournament and Silas came with me. I had convinced him to come in a last-ditch effort to have a relationship with him.”

“Why?” She didn’t think he deserved it after what Tristain had told her. He was too empathetic for his own good.

“He had no one in his life and I felt sorry for him. We were still young, I thought maybe things could change. Weren’t we all optimistic in our early twenties?” He shrugged. “Anyways, one night we decided to get drinks, touring the local taverns. We were actually having an okay time, but at the last tavern we went to, there was a woman there who Silas was enamored by from the moment she walked in. She was no doubt one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. She had the brightest green eyes. But there was something else about her.”

Rhiannon felt an unwarranted pang of jealousy at his words, but she banished it from her mind.

“Silas was so easily affected by her, which wasn’t like my brother. He was used to the attention of women, men, and well everyone really, even arrogant about it. He never did the chasing. And even then, those who caught his attention only had it for one night.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, smooth waves parting between his fingers before immediately recoiling back into place.

She found herself wanting to do the same. But of course, she wouldn’t. She fisted her hands in her lap to fight the urge to reach outand touch him.

“But not her. She had his undivided attention. It was almost obsessive. He spent the rest of the evening flattering her and buying her affection, and when the end of the night came, she invited him home. He was happy to accept her invitation. I left him, assuming that he’d be fine. It’s not like going home with a woman was anything that usually posed an imminent danger.” He shrugged the thought away. “So, we parted ways. The next morning when I woke, Silas wasn’t back. And he didn’t return the next day either. He all but disappeared. I went back to the tavern, but no one was any help. After a few more days, I assembled a search party and we covered every inch of the village and the surrounding area. He was nowhere to be found. After a month, we were forced to assume that he was possibly dead. Winters are harsh there. He could’ve easily been buried in the snow.”

“But clearly he wasn’t.” Her tone was dry. She wanted to feel sympathy, but she wasn’t able to access the emotion. Not for Silas.

“Still, I stayed, hoping he’d show up. And he did. I’ll never forget how haunted he looked. He was nearly unhinged—frantic that he’d killed someone, raving about sacrificing her and immortality. I pleaded with him to return to Saldova with me and he begrudgingly agreed. He didn’t tell me anything else about what happened and he grew even more distant. He buried himself in books. He was relentless in his research. Sometimes I’d hear him throw books against the wall in the middle of the night. He was consumed. But it seems he eventually found what he was looking for because he’d fled and Leylah was dead.”

“How do you know it was him?”

“He left a note.” Tristain’s voice went cold. “He told me exactly how he’d seduced my fiancé and lured her to her death. Detailed how he did it.”

Rhiannon squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“I took time to grieve, but as time passed, I knew he would do it again. Especially if it meant otherwise giving up power. So, I followed him back to Larindia and traveled through towns where sudden deaths and mysterious illnesses had been reported. Eventually, it led me to Oakhaven. And here I am.”

She could see the internal battle unfolding behind his eyes, guilt and anger at war.

She paced as she unraveled the story Tristain had woven for her, looking forhints of lies.

“How do I know this is the truth?” She turned abruptly to face him, her eyes prying into his, trying to uncover any hint of deception.

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