Page 48 of The Lies of Lena (The Otacian Chronicles #1)

Chapter Forty-Seven

SILAS

L ena was curled up in her bedroll, one of the few we were able to smuggle, resting soundly. I kept trying to keep my eyes off of her as Merrick continually glared at me from across the fire.

I don’t blame him for being skeptical of me, but he was pissing me off.

“Are you going to be glaring at me all night?”

“I’d be a fool to let you out of my sight.” His eyes swirled dark, and I shifted in my seat. He wasn’t the only one. Various Mages across the campsite were staring at me warily.

I laughed through my nose and twirled the dagger I held, admiring the sapphire in its hilt.

“Why’d you do it?” he asked in a low voice.

I raised my eyes, then continued to look down at my dagger .

That was tricky. I certainly didn’t want him to think I was lying. This “gift” of his was going to be a pain in my ass.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Why did you do all of this? What is the real reason?”

I raised my head, frowning. “As I told Lena, I wish to take the throne.”

Not a lie.

Merrick narrowed his nearly black eyes, the various piercings in his pointed ears glinting off the firelight as he tied back is white hair. “What if our people don’t accept you? What if we fight back? Certainly, you would do everything in your power to end us.”

Of course, the idea of Lena’s people not supporting my cause crossed my mind.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “What I do know is your people are an enemy of my father. Considering he’s also my enemy, I would hope we would at least put differences aside to take him down.”

Merrick crossed his arms, and I resumed twirling my blade.

My traitorous eyes then went back to Lena. Her copper hair was still in a braid, loose pieces framing her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips slightly parted as she slept peacefully. It was still strange seeing her with pointed ears…but I found myself not minding them. In fact…

“You’re fond of her.”

My eyes shot up, and I peered at him through my lashes. “Excuse me?” I nearly growled.

Merrick gave me a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “It seems you know what I’m referring to. I can tell those things too, you know.”

Fuck .

I clenched my jaw and resumed my mindless twirling with my eyes on my dagger. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar.”

I tensed and met those charcoal eyes. I would be worried if anyone could hear, but with how exhausted everyone was, I was certain everyone else in our group was asleep.

“I haven’t said anything to her, but I can feel that she feels it, too.” He uncrossed his arms, placing them on his knees, and leaned forward. “And there can only be one explanation, one reason why she didn’t let you die in Ames…because any one of us wouldn’t have batted an eye,” he said just above a whisper.

My heartbeat began to pick up. I was positive Lena didn’t tell any of her friends she had been with me, Silas La’Rune, but perhaps she had mentioned Quill Callon. Had Merrick figured it all out?

“The same reason Elowen is fond of Edmund.”

I furrowed my brows. “I don’t understand—”

“Soul-Ties.”

I blinked. “What the hell are you going on about?”

Before Merrick could respond, our attention went to a crackling in the woods. I drew my sword while Merrick stood, our eyes darting around the forest.

I kept still, trying my hardest to hear over the small chit-chatter occurring around the various camps. Merrick’s eyes had returned to their normal light blue, and for once, I hoped those pointed ears had the ability to hear better.

“What creatures did you encounter on your way to us?” Merrick asked with deathly calm .

“Only a few—”

A roar caused us to snap our heads to the forest to witness three—no, seven large bears. Not regular bears. No…these had somehow been touched by a curse. Everyone was instantly alert.

Merrick shot forward an ice shard, piercing one of the bears through the throat. Black cursed blood began to ooze out of its neck as it collapsed just in front of Era, causing her to shriek. I grasped her arms and flung her behind me.

“Stay back!” I barked.

Blue sparks enveloped Lena's arms as she rushed forward, another cursed bear going to attack—and electrocuted it, its body contorting and smoking before falling limp.

“Keep your forcefields up!” she called out to her people, some of them trembling but nodding. Throughout the camp, Mages held their arms in X’s, creating a shield around themselves. Though the cursed bears paid them no mind. They seemed only intent on attacking us.

Hendry readied his bow, shooting for one at a distance, his aim striking true. Elowen shielded Edmund.

“Can’t you do a wall of fire, Ginger Snap?” Roland yelled to Lena as he ran near her. I was going to snap his neck over that damn nickname.

She and Merrick shot ice at another one of the bears, but the remaining four circled us in.

“Not if I want to alert the Otacians where we are,” she breathed, all of us holding our ground as the bears growled. Their eyes were solid black, just like the Undead, and their hides were beginning to rot.

A handful of Lena’s people inched forward, and one of the bears turned and snarled in their direction. They jumped back, and at that moment, Lena shot ice through its head. As she finished her move, she wasn’t aware of the one whose teeth were about to snap at her. I grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back as hard as I could, our bodies hitting the ground as she landed on top of me, those snapping teeth just missing her.

“Fuck, Lena!” I grunted. She shot out an ice shard at the same time as Merrick, and the beast went down with a thud just in front of us. At this point, several more of her people had joined in the fight, various forms of magic attacking the creatures.

“You need to be more careful,” I panted as she pushed herself up, her hands still on my chest. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks stained with color, as she turned her head back to where the last of the bears were slayed by her people.

She went to stand, tucking a piece of hair out of her face. “I guess we both need to be on the lookout for beasts wishing to behead us,” she smirked, holding a hand out to help me up.

I blinked and knew I was blushing. I hadn’t seen that expression on her in so many years, and with her messy braid and those bright green eyes, she was as beautiful as ever.

I ignored the thoughts and laughed through my nose as I grasped her hand. She winced as she tried to help lift me. Standing next to her, I was nearly a foot taller. She looked up at me for a moment before gently releasing my hand, the feel of her hand in mine instantly being missed.

Lena went to check on her people, and when I turned, Era was looking at me with furrowed brows, Merrick was glaring at me with darkened eyes and a raised brow, silently saying, “See? I know how you feel about her. ”

I ignored him. “Are you okay?” I asked Era, my hands now on the sides of her arms.

“Yes…” she drawled. Her eyes went to Lena, then back to mine.

Surely, we were not that obvious?

“You saved her,” Era commented, then smiled softly. “That’s twice now.”

I resisted the urge to cringe. Merrick looked away. Era had never had the stomach for all the killing I did, but if she knew why I’d had a change of heart, perhaps she would not be smiling. I looked to the others: Merrick, Elowen, and Viola. Would I have taken a risk saving one of them? I’m not sure. But I would for Lena. Always for Lena.

My eyes found Lena's again. She smiled gently, and then the smile faltered when she saw my hands on Era’s arms. She bit her lip and looked away.

My shoulders sagged. “I did owe her, after all.”

Era smiled at me, and I returned the gesture, knowing it didn’t meet my eyes. It never did anymore.

Our group moved our camp over, not wanting to sleep by rotting carcasses and oozing blood. It had worked in our favor that those creatures seemed only intent on attacking us, not everyone, so we were the only ones that had to relocate.

“I had no idea animals could be affected by a necromancer,” Lena breathed .

Everyone else was already asleep, and I was lying next to Era, our bedrolls being large enough to accommodate two people. I held her against my chest, and sleep evaded me as my thoughts kept wandering. I continued to listen to Lena and Roland’s conversation with closed eyes.

Of course, those two took the next shift together.

“We’ve seen it before—in wolves. But in a bear? Well, that was especially frightful,” Roland said.

“How long have you been seeing these creatures? Any of the Undead?”

Roland didn’t respond for a moment. “The last six months or so, I’d say.”

“Gods…” she whispered. “In Ames, we all tried to stay within the town. It felt safest that way. Must be how we never encountered any ourselves.” I heard her shift. “I wish Igon would have warned me of the Undead, though perhaps he didn’t see them in any of his visions.”

“Were you close?”

Another pause by Lena. “Yes,” she murmured. “I never knew my father, never had a father figure in my life. Igon became that over the last five years.” She sniffed. “He took such interest in me, in teaching me of our kind, teaching me all sorts of things.”

Guilt washed over me. I had no idea he meant so much to her. I remember Lena telling me she never had her father in her life, and the fact I had taken from her the closest thing to it made me sick to my stomach.

“I’m sorry,” Roland said quietly.

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “Based on his reaction…he knew it was going to happen. ”

I hated that Roland was taking an interest in Lena, hated that she was confiding in him. It was silent for a few moments, nothing but the crackle of our fire. I was nearly asleep when Roland spoke again.

“Do you hate him for it?”

I felt my stomach drop. I wished I was asleep so I didn’t have to hear this, yet I couldn’t help but wait for her response.

I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I hated me, too.

“Silas?”

I imagine Roland nodded.

“No. No, I don’t hate him.”

Even though my eyes were shut, I could swear I felt her eyes on me.