Page 7 of The Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles #2)

Chapter Seven

SILAS

M y heart lurched into my throat at the sound of Lena’s warning. Instantly, I was on my feet, quickly opting for my bow for this battle. I pulled the bowstring, readying an arrow as I charged forward.

“How many?!” Hendry yelled, but his words were cut off quickly when Finnan walked forward with Lena, a dagger digging into her neck.

“Let. Her. Go,” I gritted out, staring at him through the sight. “NOW, Finnan!”

The fifteen-year-old stared at me with widened eyes. I’d known him since he was a little boy. His father, Emerson, was the best general we had.

“How could you?” he breathed. “How could you betray our kingdom?”

“Let her go!” Roland yelled, attempting to rush toward him. But Finnan dug his weapon deeper, causing Lena to cry out and Roland to freeze.

She could try to burn him, but I feared the second she attempted anything, he would take her life without delay.

“Stay still, Lena,” I said carefully, her green eyes welling with tears. I then turned my attention to Finnan. “Release her. We can talk.”

“Lower your weapon!” he shouted at me.

I curled my lip. “How dare you speak to your Prince this way.”

“Please,” Lena whispered. “You can kill me, but there’s no chance you’d make it out of here alive.”

“SHUT UP!” he yelled at her, his body trembling, his breathing uneven. His blade was digging into her skin now, and I could see the trickle of blood trailing down her neck.

Hendry and Merrick also had their bows readied, and the soldiers behind Finnan had theirs pointed as well.

The sun was almost entirely set, and Lena had not yet started our fire. “This is your final warning, Finnan. Let her go, and you can leave with your life!”

There was petty desperation in my voice, but I couldn’t help it. He was just a boy, and I didn’t wish to end his life. He was forced into this war and given no choice by his father except to follow the King’s command.

“I-I have orders to kill!” he yelled.

But it was becoming clear to me that I was going to have no choice.

“Please don’t make him do this,” Lena pleaded, and he pushed the dagger closer.

No more .

It happened so quickly, the release of my arrow. I always shot with precision. The arrow just missed Lena’s head, striking Finnan’s skull right between the eyes. Lena gasped as Finnan’s hold on her ceased, and the boy slumped to the ground, his blood pooling beneath him.

I didn’t have time to mourn, not as the other Otacian soldiers bellowed, shooting their arrows at once.

Lena, the powerful being I now knew she was, took only a millisecond to catch her breath before swirling, hands going up to create a forcefield so giant that all arrows that hit it ricocheted, falling to the ground.

Merrick lowered his bow, shooting his right hand out to freeze the soldiers’ feet to the rocky floor.

“Era!” he shouted, chucking her his bow.

She stumbled and just barely caught the weapon, her eyes blown wide as she looked at him.

“Time for some more practice.” He flicked his head toward the men, who were now attempting to free their feet from the ice entrapping them.

“I-I can’t!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never killed before…Gods, I…” She shook her head, her panicked eyes flitting between the Empath and the Otacian soldiers.

“You think they’d hesitate with your life?!” he exclaimed.

I was about to pummel him for raising his voice at her, but I realized he was right.

“Do it, Era,” I ordered, and her terrified eyes met mine.

Viola’s enchanted sword shifted into a mace, and she ran forward, roaring as she swung at a man’s head.

I knew these men. I fought with them…but I also knew how we were trained .

No mercy.

Roland and Edmund rushed in next, and every time one of my father's men released an arrow, Lena shot fire, melting it before it could impale anyone.

Hendry shot from his bow, easily piercing the neck of one of the soldiers. At that moment, I realized that Hendry, Edmund, and Roland knew and had fought with these men, too. Yet here they were, standing by my side without a doubt. I placed my bow down, reaching for the new blade that Immeron crafted for me. Grasping its hilt flecked with purple-red metal, I paced to where the men were trapped.

Hendry, Edmund, and even Roland shouldn’t have to live with the guilt of killing our men, haunted by the memory of their desperate faces. So, I started from the back. The soldiers shook in place as their frightened stares met mine.

They knew the type of man I was. They had seen how easily I could kill. They didn’t even bother to beg for their lives.

One by one, I began impaling their chests with my weapon. In the front, Era trembled as she held Merrick’s bow, the Empath standing beside her, guiding her shot.

She released the arrow just as I completed my second kill, her arrow off the mark. Merrick whispered something to her, and she readied the bow again.

An arrow was traveling toward me as I killed the third, but Lena quickly melted it. She then proceeded to fling her arm out, sending a bolt of electricity straight for the soldier. He shrieked as he convulsed, his eyes rolling back just before he slumped to the ground.

Fourth kill. Viola swung her mace.

Fifth kill. Roland slit the throat of another .

Sixth kill. Lena refroze the feet of those who had managed to break the mold.

Seventh kill. Era’s arrow finally struck true, killing the final man with a shot to the heart.

My wife’s eyes filled with tears, her knees wobbling as she lowered her weapon.

“You did good, Era,” Merrick said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her face scrunched, and she pushed him off, returning his bow as she did so. She crossed her arms and hurried away from the bloodshed.

My eyes trailed over the many bodies before landing on Finnan’s, at the young boy’s lifeless eyes.

“I…Gods…” Edmund breathed, staring at his corpse. He turned to me. “I am so sorry…”

My lip threatened to tremble, but I knew it wouldn’t. Instead, I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt, and as I moved toward the dead body of a boy I knew well, I met eyes with Lena.

Her neck still had blood trailing down it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. I moved in closer, and Lena stepped aside as I kneeled, roughly retrieving my arrow from Finnan’s head.

I wasn’t sure what to say, but she shouldn’t be sorry. Finnan sealed his fate when he pressed that dagger to her throat…there was nothing any of us could have done.

She stood beside me, watching as I wiped the arrow clean on the boy’s shirt. I placed Finnan's dagger back in his hands and crossed his arms over his chest, my eyes locked on his lifeless face.

I could still remember him as a child, running through the castle hallways, listening in on meetings he wasn’t old enough for. He was always so excited to be on the field, to grow up, to make his father proud.

What a fucking waste.

“I’m so sorry,” Lena repeated in a whisper as I rose.

My whole body stiffened when she touched me. Her hand was feather light on the back of my arm as if she was scared of me. I angled my head downward, looking into those bright green eyes and hating the pity that shone in them.

“I wish it didn’t go down like that,” she said quietly.

Everyone around us was staring now. I ground my teeth as I studied at her, then felt the eyes of the Empath. I spared a brief glance in his direction, taking note of his swirling dark eyes. Was it a look of…worry he wore? Of confusion?

I lifted my other arm and couldn’t help but notice Lena’s body tense, her eyes flaring.

Did she think I would hurt her?

Sighing, I placed my hand over hers, the one still resting on my arm, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Everyone was far enough away not to hear as I leaned down and whispered, “It isn’t the first life I’ve taken for you. I don’t expect it to be the last.”

A crease formed between her brows, and a lone tear slid down her cheek, her arm slacking to her side.

Elowen ran up to us. “Here,” she mumbled as she placed her palm over Lena’s neck.

“It wasn’t deep. Seriously, you don’t even need to heal it,” Lena averred.

“Nonsense," Elowen insisted. "If I can heal something, I will.”

As I walked away, I noticed Viola staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest .

“You could’ve let her die…easily,” Viola muttered as I was passing her. “But you didn’t.”

“Is that so surprising?” I questioned, my voice going low.

Merrick’s eyes had returned to their icy blue as he observed his sister healing Lena. She pulled her hand away, and the small gash was nowhere to be seen; the only thing left was the blood that dried on Lena’s neck.

Lena quickly rushed to our fire but glanced over at me before lighting it. “Should we relocate, Your Highness?”

I blinked, finding myself surprised that Lena had referred to me with that title with warmth in her voice. My eyes trailed back to Finnan, then surveyed all the dead bodies just steps from our campsite. The sun was nearly set, the sky a dark blue.

“Yes,” I agreed. “Just until we can’t see the bodies anymore.”

I sat before the fire, feeling numb. However, that was a normal emotion for me. Standard.

Still, I had learned to find enjoyment in killing. But this…this had brought me no pleasure.

My gaze was emotionless when it drifted up to Lena, who sat across from me. She and I were taking the first shift of the night together, and we had remained silent until now.

The flames danced in her eyes as she stood. “Nereida.”

My brows drew together.

She continued, “That is where we are heading. It is past the southern coast. Immeron believes more of my kind live there. Apparently, a ward has been placed on the island so humans cannot see it.”

As she began walking away from the fire and our sleeping friends, I stood, striding to her and gripping her elbow.

“Why tell me now?” I asked breathlessly.

She turned, and I held my breath at the sight of her doll-like eyes looking up at me. “Because I trust you.” She shrugged. “And you deserve to know.”

My eyes bounced between hers. “Thank you,” I murmured.

She gave me a small smile, and I gripped her arm tighter as she went to roam away again.

“Where are you going?” I demanded.

She heaved a sigh, then chewed on her lip. “I was just going to pace around,” she finally answered. “I…I’m struggling to calm my mind.”

I knew that feeling very well. Still, I asked. “Why?”

She blinked over and over, and the shine that began in her eyes let me know she was holding back tears.

“I had never killed anyone before,” she whispered. “Today was my first. Well, besides the Undead…” Her shoulders slumped, her eyes falling to the ground before finding mine again. “Was it hard for you? The first time?”

I swallowed, the sound of her sweet voice doing things to me that I’d rather ignore. I thought back to my first kills—the men at Amethyst Pond.

I felt shame…but it mainly stemmed from my fear of what Lena would think about me. I didn’t care about their lives, not after they threatened to rape her, a teenage girl at the time, right in front of me .

“Think of those you love, those you wish to protect…and feel no remorse when you kill those who threaten them,” I answered. “I never felt bad when that was my reasoning for ending a life.”

The way she was looking at me…it was like she could see through all the bullshit. “I know that’s not true,” she said quietly. “I can see it in your eyes.”

I clenched my jaw, and instead of entertaining this conversation, I said, “The Weapon is said to be that of a magic no one has ever seen. Magic to stop all magic…or stop all of humanity. Whoever finds it—hones it—will dictate the fate of the entire world. Ulric wishes to keep it out of the necromancer's hands.”

She let out a small gasp and stepped closer to me. My lips parted slightly, my grip on her arm loosening at her proximity.

“Who told you of such a thing?” she asked mutedly.

I did my best to keep my expression neutral, but the quickening of my breathing probably gave away that I didn’t want to say it. “We captured a seer years ago. Tortured the information out of him.”

Her frown deepened, and I made sure to keep my face void of emotion. “How do you know it wasn’t a lie?” she asked.

I licked my lips, then sighed. “We had also captured the seer's daughter. Only upon watching us torture her, us only agreeing to stop once we had answers, did he finally give up everything. He told us the Weapon was in Ames, but if your seer had seen it coming, perhaps he moved it.”

There was a moment of silence. “What were their names?”

I gave her a pained expression, slightly ashamed as I admitted, “I don’t remember. ”

She sucked in her lips, shaking her head. “Did you set his daughter free afterward?” she asked, but I could tell she already knew the answer.

I released her arm. “My father had the man’s daughter killed in front of him,” I responded grimly, then turned to walk away from her. I didn’t wish to see the disgust on her face.

But it was she who gripped my arm now, walking around to face me again.

“You are not your father, Silas,” she hissed, her voice soft enough that no one could hear if they happened to be awake.

I studied her, my face falling. Only for a minute would I let her see through. “I am hardly better,” I replied quietly.

I wanted to hold her…not that I deserved it. I wanted to loosen the tie securing her braid and run my fingers through her hair. I wanted to feel hers running through mine.

Instead, she slid her hand along my arm, currently bare of vambraces. Her expression softened. “You have done all of this to save my people…whether you have your own purpose for doing so or not. I would argue that you are significantly better.”

My lips formed a tight line at the sight of her shy smile. Anger rose in me at this interaction, at this entire situation.

“Let us keep our interactions to a minimum,” I muttered, then turned to sit back by the fire. “But sit back down. Do not wander,” I added over my shoulder gently.

She stood frozen for a moment, then conceded, sitting back across from me.

It was silent in the mountain pass until Lena asked, “Why did you tell me? About the Weapon?”

My eyes slowly lifted from the flames. “Because I trust you, too.”