Page 4 of The Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles #2)

Chapter Four

LENA

W hen we took the portal to the bottom of the mountain, El, Merrick, Viola, and I lifted our hands, turning them ever so slightly to hide the pointed cartilage of our ears.

“It’s so weird seeing you with rounded ears, Merrick!” Elowen giggled. It was, but honestly, it was bizarre seeing El and Vi with theirs, too. We never had to hide in Ames.

“I prefer your pointed ones,” Edmund murmured to El from his spot behind her on their horse. “But you are beautiful all the same.”

I smiled softly when she leaned her head on his shoulder, looking upward into his eyes with a giant smile.

I swear a vein was bulging in Merrick’s forehead from how hard he was frowning. Viola drew him out of his anger trance, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Ready to ride?” she joked .

He finally tore his eyes away from his sister. “You sure you’re up for it?”

She laughed through her nose, then backed away enough to shift into a stunning, ebony mare. Her violet eyes sparkled, and Merrick patted her back before hopping on.

I flipped my braid off my shoulder, holding the reins to Roland’s and my horse, and found Silas staring at me.

I realized this is what I looked like to him before…the ordinary Lena Daelyra of the Outer Ring. I used to hate the magic that ran in my veins and the ears that put a target on my back. But now? Now, I abhorred being forced to hide who I was.

What was going on in his head as his honey eyes studied me? I reminisced about the words he had told me when I discovered his true identity.

“I could tell you wore a mask, hiding your true self because you were scared to be her. It was something I related to. But that’s why I enjoyed teasing you…enjoyed pushing your buttons.”

I held his unrelenting gaze.

“Because I saw her peering through, begging to come out. And I loved every bit of her.”

His eyes flickered, and he was the first to look away. Pain knotted in my stomach as reality sunk in.

You would've never loved a witch, isn't that right, Quill?

…Or is your mask on tight?

We rode mostly in silence for the first few hours to Forsmont, a little small talk amongst the group, but that was it .

It was difficult saying goodbye to my mother for an amount of time I was unsure of. It was difficult watching Silas wrap his arms around his wife, smiling softly while she beamed up at him.

But nothing was more difficult than riding on this damned horse with Roland.

We switched this time, me sitting in front and him behind me, and Gods, did I regret it. It had been a few hours on the road, and we were currently letting our horses drink from a freshwater river. In the distance, the sun was still bright in the sky, warming the air to a comfortable temperature. The terrain before us was mostly bright, green grass—rolling meadows.

We had all hopped off our horses, taken bathroom breaks, and refilled our waterskins. Now, Roland and I were back on our ride, waiting for the mare to finish hydrating.

His strong thighs were pressing against mine, his hands resting comfortably on my hips. I, for one, was not comfortable with the placement. And the bastard could tell—relished in that fact.

“You’re awfully stiff, Ginger Snap,” he crooned, his hands sliding down my thighs. Chills spread across my entire body as he whispered, “I can help with that later.”

Despite what happened to me, I felt safe around Roland. My uncomfortableness didn’t stem from disgust or fear of his touch; it was from how much I found myself enjoying it.

Plus, I wasn’t in those cuffs. I was far more powerful than him.

“Roland,” I said sweetly, leaning back to whisper in his ear. “If you try any more shit, I am literally going to light you on fire.”

He snickered. “That wouldn’t be kind to ol’ Donut here,” he replied, patting the horse’s white mane. “Wouldn’t be fair for her to get caught in the crossfire. ”

I turned ever so slightly, giving him an artificial smile. “Then don’t test me. Or smoked Donut with a side of Roland will be what is served for dinner tonight.”

I would never hurt an innocent animal. But I aspired to clarify that I would not tolerate his shameless flirting. Even if I liked it—more than liked it. I refrained from slapping my forehead.

Ugh! What is wrong with me?

He let out a dramatic sigh. “I want to say, ‘I’d love for you to eat me for dinner’, but for Donut’s sake, I shall keep my lips sealed.”

I narrowed my eyes back at him. “You literally said it anyway.”

He gave me a lopsided grin, his hazel eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yeah, but it didn’t have the punch it could have had,” he retorted.

The sun shining down not only complemented his deep, tanned skin, but the rays also brought out the green hues in his irises. Most of the times I’d seen them, they had appeared on the browner side, but seeing them now as their true color, a combination of olive and ochre, I found them…captivating.

And his eyelashes…I never realized how long they were.

His smile grew, showcasing his bright, white teeth. “Your ogling is making me horny, Ginger Snap,” he purred.

My eyes blew wide when I realized I had been ogling at him, and I groaned, my grip tightening on the reins as we angled Donut back onto the road. “I can’t stand you,” I muttered.

He chuckled, and the sound had me clenching my thighs. “Whatever you wanna tell yourself,” he replied smoothly.

The others were slowly following us now. "What's your fascination with naming things after desserts?" I prodded, looking down at Donut as she marched .

I felt Roland shrug. “I dunno. Donut just looked like a powdered donut,” he explained, patting her mane again. “And you look like a Ginger Snap."

I raised a brow, even though he couldn't see. “I'm crisp and crackly?”

His chuckle so close to my ear sent more chills down my body. “No. I'd instead say you are sweet and spicy.” I could hear his smile. “Plus, of course, this hair of yours played a part in my nickname.”

“You think I'm sweet? ” I asked with a disbelieving scoff.

Another sexy laugh. “Okay, well, maybe not sweet to me …yet.” He squeezed my hip, his lips almost brushing my ear. I sucked in a breath. “But I have a feeling you'll grow fond of me eventually.”

How does one breathe again?

“Unlikely,” I lied, and Roland laughed through his nose.

“So…” Erabella drawled, pulling me from my fluster. We all halted at the top of a ridge, surveying the terrain before us. Her brown eyes scoped the many hills. “Is it just a straight shot to Forsmont now?”

“The area is mountainous,” Silas answered, eyes squinting further down to where the beginnings of a rocky region were evident. “But there is a path throughout we can follow.”

“Couldn't we have gone through Halsted?” Edmund asked, his arms tightening around Elowen’s waist as he shuddered theatrically. “Avoided the creepy mountains?”

Roland snorted from behind me. “Considering Halsted is Otacia’s bitch, that is probably the last place we should be.”

The corner of my lip turned up at Roland’s comment but quickly fell when Elowen asked, “Does Halsted also have the magic erasing cuffs?”

Silas shook his head. “No. Those belong to Otacia and Otacia alone.” His eyes flicked to Edmund's. “And Halsted would be less safe than the pass.”

“But what if we see vamps?” Edmund pouted, his golden waves blowing with the breeze. “I won’t be able to sleep.”

Merrick was currently sitting atop Viola, who was still shifted into stallion form. He angled his head toward Silas. “How long is this ‘pass’ exactly?” he asked, then his icy eyes went to Edmund. “And, what, Vampires are known to reside there?”

“Immeron mentioned the Vampire risk back on the mountain,” I said. “But he said they were sighted up north, mostly.”

“Half-Life Pass is just under one hundred fifty miles. While it is true most sightings have been in the north,” Silas continued grimly, “Halsted has complained of increased Vampire activity. They completely reinforced their borders within the past few months, and they have also been Otacia’s major supplier of nightshade longer than that. I wouldn’t say we are in the clear down here.”

“Nightshade?” Elowen questioned, her big blue eyes round.

“Toxic to Vampires, we’ve come to find.” Hendry tilted his head to look at the healer more fully. “They ingest enough, and it’ll kill them. Even touching it burns the shit out of their skin.”

Merrick pulled his lips to the side. “Lena, you ever read about that?”

I mulled over all the various texts I’d come across, thinking specifically of the books Igon had encouraged me to read over the years. “No…nothing. Everything I’ve read says the sun or fire is the only way. Or beheading.”

“Did you bring any with you?” Merrick pressed, his eyes darting between the Otacian men. Even Viola’s eyes in horse form widened .

“Of course. Nightshade bombs, in fact,” Edmund grinned, tapping the bottle secured at his hip. They must’ve packed some before our escape. His smile morphed into a frown. “But still…it’s not simple killing them with it. Their increased speed makes it hard to hit them.”

“Well, good thing we have Lena’s fire.” Elowen grinned, grasping the reins of her and Edmund’s horse. “I don’t believe they’d stand a chance,” she said confidently.

Silas’s scowl deepened on the road ahead at the mention of my powers. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes.

“Plus,” Merrick added, “it’s not like a bite from them will kill or turn you. They won’t have the time to drain anyone before Lena lit them on fire.”

In order for a Vampire to successfully turn you, you would need to have your blood drained to damn near empty. The point right before death. Then, a Vampire would feed you their blood, blood that contained an ancient virus. Once that occurred, you would start the change. There was no cure once you got to that point—only death could save you from that fate.

“I wouldn’t underestimate them,” Hendry interjected, his voice calm like always. The man was so composed…I couldn’t envision him hysterical or overcome with rage. “We’ve seen some rip the jugulars out of humans with ease in seconds. It didn’t matter how many nightshade bombs we had or how many soldiers went to retaliate. They killed multiple in no time at all.” His mismatched eyes slid to mine. “Your fire will help, certainly. But they could still have one of us dead before you get the chance to attack.”

That comment made my stomach drop. I gave a grave nod, then focused my attention forward as we all continued to move .

“How did you figure out nightshade was their weakness?” Elowen asked.

Silas’s jaw ticked, presumably at the innocent sound of El’s voice. “We captured one. Experimented on it for months.”

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.”