Page 36 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Thirty-Five

“ L avender, valerian root, and chamomile.”

Silas raised an eyebrow, and I sighed. “And then one of us can enchant it, which gives it power.”

“Ah,” he commented. “Silly to think those things on their own would do anything,” he muttered as I watched him connect the dots and realize Mother was selling enchanted elixirs in Otacia the whole time.

“One of us can look for them in the items you seized.” I offered.

“We didn’t take any plants,” Hendry replied.

“Well…where exactly on the map are we?” I asked.

“You’re not actually—” Rurik began before Silas lifted his hand, giving him a warning look and then returning to my gaze.

Gods, that man was fucking annoying.

“Map, Hendry. ”

Hendry strolled over to one of the carriages, rustling through a bag before retrieving a piece of parchment and unrolling it in his hands. After a moment he brought it over to me.

“We are here,” he pointed as I studied our location.

Fort Laith was near, but I nearly gasped when I realized how close to Mount Rozavar the fortress was. Though Igon’s penned in symbol was missing, I remembered its location, as this was the same map.

There was a reason Igon told me about that place, though he couldn’t tell me at the time. That had to be where we could seek refuge.

I smiled to myself.

Igon…you were brilliant.

We needed to go there; I knew it in my bones. But getting nearly a hundred Mages there unnoticed was … ambitious to say the least. And that would be after I somehow found a way to free us.

“What are you smiling about?” Roland questioned.

I quickly wiped the expression off my face and focused back to our current location.

I knew Mother and I had traveled in this general area, but finding those herbs would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Unless…

I sighed and slowly turned to Viola with a cringe on my face.

“Abso-fucking-lutley not,” she sneered.

“Viola—”

“No!”

I took in a deep breath, then lowered my voice. “I am your Supreme now, Viola. Which means you follow my orders. You will find the herbs I need, and you will not attack any soldiers or the Prince.”

Her resentful look sent chills across my body. Fuck, she was terrifying. But I wouldn’t let my fear show. I wouldn’t cower.

I kept my shoulders high, and my chin tilted up to meet her sneer, as she was a few inches taller than me. We had a stare-off for a few more moments before Viola conceded with a huff.

I nodded to Silas. “Viola can find the herbs I need.”

He raised another eyebrow, and my Gods, my attraction to him was still as strong as ever.

Tithara guide me.

After a silent prayer to the Goddess of Wisdom, I cocked my head to Viola. “She’s the lion that almost ripped your head off,” I explained, and Silas's eyes rounded. “She can shift into anything, so I imagine a wolf with excellent scent shall do the trick.”

I took a step towards him and noticed he stiffened slightly. “I know you just put these on, but it may be good to have me there, to be able to stop her if she’s foolish enough to defy my orders,” I whispered so she wouldn’t hear.

Silas sized me up, the gesture unlike the other times his eyes once roamed over me. “Two witches uncuffed is plenty,” he said coldly.

Well, that fucking hurt.

I scowled, and Silas stepped toward Viola. The looks they were exchanging were that of pure malice. Like they both wanted each other dead more than anything.

I watched her with a burning gaze.

Please don’t do anything reckless, Viola .

Silas released her, and she stared at me for a moment before shifting into a terrifying wolf with jet-black fur. Her amethyst eyes shone with fury.

“The herbs, Viola,” I barked.

She snarled at me before dipping her nose, sniffing the ground, and running off. Silas hurriedly named off a handful of soldiers and ordered them to join him in following Viola. I’m sure he didn’t want her finding more of our people and bringing back an army.

Not that it mattered. There were hardly any Mages left.

It had been hours since Viola and the men left to find the herbs. The soldiers that remained had buried their dead, which took up most of their time, while my people decided to sit on the ground and wait.

They could hardly look at me. And the ones that did, glanced at me in either disappointment or resentment. They were angry I was complying and not taking every opportunity to attack. But my feelings for Silas aside…it just didn’t feel right. Or smart.

I kept catching Roland’s stare. It wasn’t his normal sneer, but I supposed his expression could mean anything. Perhaps he was surprised I had saved him—helped save Edmund.

Elowen continued to hold on to Edmund, making sure he felt no pain. He asked her to stop at one point to see if he could manage it, but the second she pulled away, he nearly wailed in agony. I made sure to explain how wounds from where the Undead’s curse had touched weren’t like regular wounds, and the pain was far, far worse .

Elowen was so…loving towards him. She eventually pulled his head to rest on her chest, trying to help him fall asleep if he could, and after the first hour, he did doze off.

The view of the two of them had Merrick clenching his jaw and gripping his thighs tightly. I didn’t need to be an empath to know he wished Edmund was dead.

“Why did you order Viola not to attack the soldiers?” Merrick asked with a cold tone as he sat next to me. “She could’ve slaughtered the ones that went with her, came back and ambushed the rest. I just…” He shook his head. “I don’t understand, Lena.”

I dragged my bottom lip through my teeth.

Because I was once in love with their leader.

It was a pathetic excuse, I knew that. But, while it played a part, it wasn’t my only reason for holding off our retaliation.

“Viola is stronger in shape-shifted forms, but she isn’t invincible. She could kill a good portion of his men but not all. She wouldn’t survive.”

Merrick met my eyes.

“Perhaps…” I continued. “Perhaps they will see the good in us, see we aren’t monsters.” I exhaled. “I know my choices are confusing, Merrick. But I beg you to trust me. I’ll do whatever it takes to save us, but I have to do it the right way.”

The wind blew his silver-white hair, and his eyes met mine with doubt. “And what way is that?”

The sounds of cracking branches and the rustling of leaves caught our attention, and as the sound got closer, I pivoted towards the grove of trees beside us and saw the herbs in one of the Otacian soldier’s hands. Viola had shifted back to her regular form, cuffed, and looking as pissed as ever as they led her forward.

She trudged back to our group, shoving my shoulder as she passed. I would call her a bitch for that, but I knew she wasn’t one. She was furious, and I understood.

Silas retrieved the herbs from the soldier’s hands before he walked to me and released me from my cuffs again.

I rotated them before I met his amber eyes. “I’ll need a boiling pot of water.”

Sleeping elixirs utilized a form of stamina magic. While that had once been a difficult form for me to grasp, I now excelled at it.

Over a fire that Hendry had started for me, a pot of water boiled. Only a few ounces of liquid were needed. Otacian soldiers surrounded me as I knelt before it, glaring at me with hands ready to strike should I get any ideas.

I had no mortar and pestle to work with, and it was usually best to use dried herbs when possible. Thankfully, it didn’t affect its efficacy; Edmund would just have to swallow larger pieces of the herbs. I did my best to mash and tear up as much as I could before dropping them all in the water.

After a moment, I held my palm out.

Lungs. Stamina magic comes from the lungs.

My eyes slowly closed as I reached within to access the power. When I felt the buzzing in my lungs, my eyes flew open to witness the bright green mist emitting from my hands. It sparkled as it traveled down into the rolling boil, infusing the concoction with everything I could muster. It would be best if he slept for a couple of days. Not too long, as someone else advocating for Elowen would be beneficial.

When I was done infusing the mixture, I slowly closed my hand into a fist, the feeling in my lungs dissipating as the mist faded away. When I looked up at Silas, his expression of disgust shot a wave of hurt throughout my body.

I always feared that he would be repulsed by me if he discovered what I really was; I just had hoped it wouldn’t become true.

“You sure you trust them?” Hendry chewed out as I poured the mixture into one of the mugs a soldier nervously handed me. Without asking permission, I use my ice magic to chill the concoction, so Edmund could consume it sooner. No one complained.

Edmund looked into Elowen’s eyes as he said to Hendry, “I do.”

I stood up and brought the elixir over, bending down before handing it over to Edmund. “Usually, the herbs are ground up, so they aren’t as noticeable. This will be a little more…unenjoyable to consume, I'm afraid.”

He nodded gratefully as he eyed the mixture, then shot it down his throat. He grimaced, and then seconds later he passed out in Elowen’s arms.

She took a deep breath. It had to have been exhausting using her gift that long, and now she had to resume healing him.

Silas ordered Hendry and Roland to hoist Edmund into one of the carriages, Elowen climbing up with him where she began to repair his wounds. He then motioned at Roland, who stepped towards me with a pair of those evil cuffs. I didn’t fight it; I simply held out my wrists while Roland attached them. His expression was unreadable.

“We have one more day until we reach Fort Laith,” Silas called out to his men. “Keep your eyes peeled in case any more of those creatures decide to show up again.”