Page 24 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Twenty-Three

ELEVEN MONTHS LATER

I t was the sixth of September, the last day I had with Silas before he turned eighteen. Before he was introduced to the Kingdom of Otacia.

I had spent the last few weeks, well, months dreading this day—the final day with him.

Over the past year, he had attempted to convince me to stay with him past his eighteenth birthday. He had even resorted to groveling. I wanted to be with him more than anything, but it wasn’t reasonable. Not only because of my social status but because of who I was.

I still hadn’t told him. I couldn’t.

Even if he couldn’t see it yet, he would witness the influx of princesses coming to the ball thrown in his honor next Saturday, and it wouldn’t be hard for him to get over me. I would be stuck dealing with my nostalgic feelings for…well, forever, I imagined .

I began to feel pain in my throat from the tears I was keeping inside while I sat at my kitchen table, the first time I had ever dreaded his arrival.

Mother walked in from the bathroom, tying her matching copper hair into a low pony. Her chestnut eyes met mine, and my damn lip started to tremble. She gave me a look of commiseration and tugged me into a hug as I rose from the chair.

“This year has gone by too quickly,” I cried. “It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye.”

“I know it has,” she said gently while squeezing me tight. Mother herself knew what it was like, leaving the one you loved. Except the love of her life was across the continent, not in the same kingdom. I didn’t know which was worse.

She’d been trying to prepare me for this day for the past few weeks, but she knew nothing she could say would soften the blow.

A knocking sound brought me back to the present, and I knew it was him at our front door. Mother squeezed me once more before releasing me, and I wiped my eyes before unlocking the door for Silas, his expression matching mine. The sun started rising behind him, the light spilling from the horizon.

“Hi, Lena,” he greeted softly, kissing my cheek. He looked over to Mother. “Good morning, Minerva.”

She returned the hello with a warm smile and fetched the bag containing today’s deliveries. Mother had grown close to Silas over the last year as well. There had been times when we showed him how to cook, and I found him particularly cute as he assisted with excitement. The Crown Prince had never cooked for himself or fooled around in the kitchen. I treasured how he found delight in the little things .

There were even some mornings when we ate breakfast together, Mother deciding to open the stand later so we could all enjoy each other’s company.

She stepped over to him. “It was our pleasure having you in our home and our lives,” she spoke with a cheerless smile. I know Mother was biting back tears as well. She then glanced at me. “I have never seen Lena so happy before…not until she met you.”

“I didn't know joy until I met Lena,” he replied, the corners of his lips turning up as he looked at me. My face crumpled.

“Really,” she said as she turned her attention back to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, “I care for you like a son. I’m going to miss having you here.”

He blushed at her words. “I hope to find a way to stick around,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

She drew him in, hugged him tight, and said her goodbyes before leaving.

A feeling of dread overcame me, and when Silas met my gaze again, I tried and failed to keep my composure. My hand flew over my mouth, and I squeezed my eyes tightly, the tears rushing out without my control.

“Flower,” he whispered, rushing to me and pulling me into an embrace. “Please, please don’t cry.”

“I’m…” I choked out. “I am going to miss you so much, Silas.” My fists scrunched the fabric of his cream tunic. “Damn you for being so loveable,” I cried and laughed at the same time.

“Lena…” he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine. “I am not going anywhere.” He brushed away my tears with his thumb. “I told you I would devise a plan for us, and I have. ”

My brows knitted together, and I pulled away just enough to see his face entirely. “What are you talking about?” My voice shook. “You’ll be recognized. There is no way.”

“There would’ve always been a way. I’ve told you before that nothing can keep me from you.” He kissed my lips softly.

“How?” I breathed against his lips. “Do not torment me with false hope.”

He retreated slightly and brushed my hair behind my ear. “I already talked to my mother about it. If we still meet at the same time, it will be safe for you to sneak to see me—take the same path as I normally do. She already ensures the guards are elsewhere for me, so the only change would be you going down the path instead.”

I thought it over. Not only was the Queen’s blessing of the plan comforting, but I also had an invisibility elixir I could use. While it failed me the last time I used it, the past year has been spent improving my ability to enchant—I was confident in its power now.

I also had Torrin on my side too.

This…could work.

“I am not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner,” he continued. “Probably because I loved getting out of the castle so badly,” he said with a shy smile, then kissed my cheek. “I figured I would leave at 9:00 today and show you the path. I know you have seen part of it before, but you’ll need to know how to get to my room.”

“That gives us less than three hours together…”

His right hand slid into my hair. “It isn’t the last time,” he whispered. “I promise you.”

We spent the remaining time together making love, lying together, and discussing the future. The idea of sneaking into the castle frightened me, and while the Queen may be on our side, the King certainly would not be.

“What if your father discovers our little tryst?” I asked Silas as we made our way up to the Inner Ring.

“My mother would have our back,” he assured me, though the look on his face gave a little uncertainty. “So long as our path remains clear on Thursday mornings, I don’t see how he will find out. Besides, he has more important things on his mind.”

I was silent for a moment as we weaved through the Inner Ring citizens who walked the streets. “What important things are those?”

Silas gave me a side glance, then kept his voice low as we turned down the alleyway from before. “My father wishes to rule the southeast territories: Faltrun, Forsmont, and Wrendier.”

It was an effort to keep a neutral expression. The La’Rune’s had already gained control of Otacia’s bordering villages and kingdoms over the past few decades in the name of better defense and economy.

“Why?” The wince Silas gave me was enough to confirm my suspicions. “My Gods, he wishes to be High King of Tovagoth, doesn’t he?”

We were entering the alleyway that contained the hidden passage. “I know it sounds bad— ”

“Bad? It sounds like he’s wishing to go to war. Faltrun alone has a massive army, and I can guarantee their King will not just hand over their territory.” I knew enough about Faltrun, considering Renrell, the village my father was from, is one of its territories.

“Everything has a cost.” Silas’s words were clipped as he spoke.

I grabbed his arm right after we snuck through, making sure no eyes were on us before doing so. “Some things have greater costs than others. Who is to say you won’t be there on the front lines if we went to war?”

The thought of Silas fighting in a war, being put in so much danger, all for his father’s hunger for power, made me overcome with dread.

“If anything happened to you, I—”

Silas gently grasped my hands in his and sighed through his nose. “Certain things are beyond my control, my father’s decisions being one of them. My mother is aware of my disagreement on the matter…but my voice means nothing to the King.” I couldn’t help but notice the bitterness in his tone.

Silas released my hands, and as we continued walking down the path, my mind went to Torrin.

I had met with him once a month to check in, even though I knew he was always doing his usual spying and probably knew anything I would tell him anyway. I wondered if he was aware of the King’s desire to conquer all of those settlements.

I’d grown to like the guy. And it was comforting knowing there was another Mage here I could relate to. He said he’d be willing to teach me how to wield my magic, but the risk for us as individuals and the apparent fate of our people prevented it .

Sometimes, Torrin would speak to me in my mind—our conversations continuing even when we weren’t together.

I felt guilty keeping that from Silas, but I knew Torrin would keep our path safe, as he knew Thursdays were our day. He had insured it all this time.

“I told you he could be trusted,” Kayin said in my mind. I could hear the smile in her voice.

My lip tilted upward as Silas and I rustled through the second set of bushes, leading us to the second hidden pathway.

Well, Kayin, it seems you were right. However, he could still turn on me at any time.

She chuckled. You are such a worrywart. I don’t blame you, though.

Her voice always seemed familiar. Yet still, after a year of speaking to her, the only thing I had come to discover was her name.

Kayin and I had grown closer as the months passed, and now that our connection had strengthened over time, I was now able to speak to her while awake and moving, similarly to how I spoke with Torrin in my mind. I could vent to her about girl stuff, and she would tell me how her days had gone, insisting on how uneventful most were. Of course, she never went into crazy detail. She was actually quite funny, too.

She did tell me she was older than me, but her age didn’t matter. She was my friend, regardless. She had told me Torrin was her friend and assured me Silas’s safety was imperative for Magekind. That gave me some comfort.

When I had brought up the voice in my head to Torrin, he had asked if I was drunk. I punched him in the gut for that one.

I supposed I thought of him as a friend, too .

Once he was done being a smart-ass, he told me Kayin had been communicating with him for a few years. Their conversations had been sparse until recently. But, same as me, their communications had increased as of late.

“She somehow has the same gift,” Torrin had said one day as he told me more about his unique ability to read thoughts and communicate telepathically to others. “It isn’t often you meet another Mage with the same gift as you.”

We made it past the area I was caught in the last time I roamed this path a year ago. He guided me where to climb, and we ascended on a ledge in the guard’s apparent blind spot.

“My room is up there,” he whispered, pointing to a tower on the left side of the castle. “I have a balcony door up there. It isn’t too challenging getting up and back down from here…for those with our stamina, anyway.” He winked, and I knew he wasn’t referring to just exercise.

We still had training nearly every week. I had become well-versed in hand-to-hand combat using a variety of weapons. I had even learned how to use a bow. My skill with the dagger was most promising, but my sword was a close second.

Even Torrin was impressed by my progress. He did, however, try to take credit, saying that since he trained Silas, he essentially trained me. I rolled my eyes at that.

“I can meet you here, though, in the pathway." Silas smiled softly. “I would be more comfortable if I was there to help you up the wall.”

“Ye of little faith,” I teased as I turned to descend. “So,” I drawled, Silas dropping down first. “Are you going to dance with princesses at this birthday ball of yours?” I tried to keep my face neutral .

As if Silas would fall for that. He smirked. “Jealous, Lena?”

“Obviously,” I muttered as he wrapped his arm around my waist, helping me down the final ledge until we were both on the grass once more.

He chuckled. “Yes. But I will be wishing they were you the entire time.” He kissed my forehead.

“As will I,” I mumbled before I reached into my bag and lifted out a ring box. “Happy Birthday, Silas.”

He gaped, taking the box from me and opening it.

“It isn’t a wedding ring—yet,” I teased, repeating a line similar to the one he told me last year. The ring he gave me still was on my right hand. “It isn’t much, as you know.” It was a plain silver band, and even though it wasn’t flashy, it took me months to save up for it. “I just figured it matched mine, in a way…”

He slipped the ring on, a perfect fit, and he eyed me with amusement.

“Now, how on Earth did you get this to be a perfect fit?”

I grinned. “I have my ways.”

Luckily, he didn’t press. I had begged Torrin to sneak into his room to see if he had any rings that could be used to find me the size. He was annoyed, I could tell, but he didn’t complain.

Silas studied the band. “You are too sweet.” He pulled me close and kissed me, then held me in his arms for a few moments more. I savored the warmth our embrace gave and the lovely smell of him. “Oh, how I cherish you,” he whispered before pulling away. “Come to me in a couple of weeks, when we will celebrate your birthday, the far more important date.”

“Oh?” I asked with amusement. “What do you have in mind? ”

He smirked. “All sorts of depraved activity,” he teased as he squeezed my ass, and I laughed before kissing him lightly on the mouth.

“My favorite,” I purred.

He grinned and pulled my hand to his lips, pecking it softly.

“Until then.”