Page 71 of The Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles #2)

Chapter Seventy-One

LENA

I decided to head over to Valter after that awkward encounter. It was getting increasingly more challenging to act normal around Silas and not like I wanted to rip off his clothes.

Valter looked remarkable, but I was beginning to think that was a normal thing for him. His pale, lavender-colored suit complemented my dress—matching pearls and gems were incorporated into the design.

“Ah, Lena. I was wondering when you would come over,” he said warmly.

“Haha, well, having a good amount of punch has helped with the nerves.”

I was in Silas's arms almost immediately upon arrival, but I had a decent amount to drink while getting ready.

He laughed, holding out his elbow. He guided me to the center of the dance floor, and we began to sway.

“So, how have you been liking the gala?”

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.” I beamed up at him. “It feels surreal…being here. Feeling protected.” My face fell, my eyes trailing toward the other dancing figures. Did they know how others of their kind suffered? How we have been struggling to survive?

“You aren’t happy with my mother’s choices,” he noted as he twirled me to the beat of the music.

I gave him a pained wince when I got back in his arms, then exhaled. “You should see it out there, Valter. See how our people are barely enduring what the humans have subjected us to. Our numbers are dwindling day by day.”

His face offered sympathy, his bright green eyes falling. “I've never left this place. Not once in my twenty-seven years of life.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “There is much I do not know. But I want to learn. I'd like to help.”

My eyes drifted between his. “I wanted to ask you earlier, since you are so wise in history, if you knew of a tale involving a phoenix—one in reference to the Gods.”

Valter’s brows drew together. “Hmm…I’d have to check in the library.” He gave me a handsome grin. “Want to sneak away for a bit to look?”

I raised a brow at him, continuing to sway in his arms. “That doesn't seem very princely.”

He chuckled, twirling me around and capturing me back in his arms. “The truth is my mother wishes for me to find a wife. She's insistent it is you.”

My face dropped so fast that Valter chuckled again, pulling me close. “Don't fret,” he murmured in my ear. “I know you wish to be with the Otacian Prince.”

My eyes hesitantly lifted to his. “It's that obvious?”

His gaze flitted to the side. “It's not so much you as the Prince staring daggers at me since your arrival here.” His bright smile went to me. “Igon's note said you'd be with your Soul-Tie. My mother took that as your arrival uniting you with your Soul-Tie.” He flushed bashfully. “Me…so she thought.”

My arms were still around Valter's neck when I glanced over at Lucretia, who sat on her throne, her gaze on us. “Did you believe I was?”

He shrugged, twirling me to the beat again. “I thought you were beautiful. But I don't know what a Soul-Tie bond feels like.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be,” he insisted. “It was more of my mother's dream.” He fixed his attention on where Lucretia was sitting. “She'd grown far happier when she found her Soul-Tie. I suppose she just wants that for me.” He turned back, smiling as he leaned toward my ear. “Anyway, she'll be supportive of us sneaking off. So, let's go find some information.”

“The God of Rebirth,” Valter read from one of the many ancient books back in the library. “The heir of both light and dark. Good and evil. Life and death…the phoenix. A seer thousands of years ago prophesized that four gods would rise.”

“The same prophecy is found in the Warlock grimoire I…read.”

Valter seemed trustworthy, but I didn't want to let him know of it and risk it being taken from me.

“Strange to think,” he pondered.

“Not really, considering we Mages have the ability to perform incantations as they do.”

“What?”

I wiggled my brows, lifting my hand and drawing my fingers inward before flaring them out. “Lumen.”

A small orb of mage light flew from my hand, bouncing around like a bubble in the air.

Valter studied it, brow arching as he returned his stare to me. “Mage light can be conjured by Mages on our own.”

I sighed. “True. But it takes less energy for us to use a magical tether—the ones the Warlocks rely on.” I walked up to him, trailing my stare to the book in his hands. I took note of the artwork in the ancient passage—two silhouettes of men and two of women.

Valter placed his finger on the woman beside Rebirth. “That is the Goddess of Purification.”

“She is supposed to fuse with Rebirth…creating Travelers.”

“Wow, you really do know your history,” he said surprisingly. “Yes, that is what the prophecy states.”

I chewed on my lip. “Fuse how, though?” I pressed.

Valter's expression became grave. “Well, I'd assume in the same way Valor created the God of Deceit.”

I frowned, angling my head over. “You think Purification and Rebirth will birth a child? Can Gods even do such a thing with one another?”

Valter shrugged, then ran a hand down his closely cropped hair. “If they can mate with Mages, I don't see why they couldn't with their equals.”

“The necromancer—the God of Deceit—he didn't tell me how he'd learned of his identity. I still don't know who he is. He's only spoken to me through his victims.”

Valter nodded in contemplation. “Wrendier would've had a higher Mage count than that of other kingdoms, considering centuries ago, Mages ruled that land. My guess is Balifor has been overrun as well.”

I swore, eyes pleading as I faced him, grasping his arms. “We need Nereida's help, Valter. There's no way we can stop him on our own.”

He swallowed. “I will talk to my mother, but I am not Supreme. I have no real influence.”

Panic started to overwhelm me, and Valter placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let's not panic. Tomorrow, the Chamber of Time will be charged. Your seer did not send you here for nothing, I am sure of it.”

Valter had managed to calm me down, saying we would figure out more tomorrow after we had a look into Igon's memories.

The ball was nearing its end, so after seeing how much dessert still remained, I scurried over and began helping myself.

My Gods, these treats are divine.

I heard Torrin’s voice from behind. “No surprise you’re hogging the dessert table.”

I turned with my mouth full to see Torrin grinning at me.

I raised a brow, then swallowed. “You aren't doing your job protecting them from my gaping mouth .”

Torrin chuckled, the sound giving me goosebumps. “I really was smooth back then, wasn't I?”

I giggled, and Torrin held out his hand.

His eyes were gentle as he asked, “Dance with me?”

I smiled, immediately grasping his hand with mine. We strode to the dance floor, only a handful of couples left. Then, we began swaying to the calm music that played.

“Remember how petrified you were when I asked you to dance?” I laughed. “I still remember the bewilderment on your face.”

Torrin's cheeks flushed just like they did all those years ago. “I wasn't petrified,” he began, then chuckled. “Okay, fine. I was nervous.”

“Why? You were clearly the better dancer, just as you are now.” I smirked. “You sure loved rubbing it in my face.”

His smile slowly began to drop, and that's when I knew.

“Yes,” he admitted quietly, having read my mind. “I had feelings for you, even back then.”

My throat burned as I rested my head against his chest, feeling his heart pounding.

“You might recall that I developed feelings for you that evening as well,” I murmured.

He rested his head against mine as we continued to move slowly. “You thought I was attractive that evening. Your feelings didn't develop until later.”

When I tilted my head up at him, he was smiling, though I could see the pain that shone in his eyes.

“I will always love you, you know that, right?” I whispered.

He leaned down, kissing the top of my head. “And I will always love you,” he promised.

I spent the rest of the night dancing slowly in his arms, wishing I could offer him more…but accepting that it was the end of our romance.

I tried my best to get a good night's rest, but the anticipation of seeing inside of Igon's head kept me up longer than I'd like.

The walk to the temple was a half-day journey. We'd taken one break in between and eaten a small lunch, and as we began to see the building in the distance, I realized it looked identical to Temple Celluna.

I gazed at the bronze object, rotating it in my hand, staring at the pelican on its back while our group waited for Kismet to lead us inside Temple Tithara, along with Valter, who wished to see the memories as well.

Silas wandered up to my side. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous. Excited. Scared.” I ran my tongue along my teeth. “What if he saw our doom? What if I see one of us die, knowing there is nothing I can do?”

Torrin walked up to me, standing at my other side. “We have all lived thus far.”

“And suffered,” I whispered.

He smiled sadly just as Kismet approached. “The Chamber is beneath the temple—underwater. There is a passage beneath that will take us there,” Kismet informed us as we entered the building.

My heartbeat quickened, remembering the sight of so many deceased clerics. But I sighed in relief as we were met with many living ones this time.

We were led down to the altar room, and Merrick's hand anxiously went to the strap around his chest that held his crossbow .

Thankfully, the people here allowed us to bring our weapons, even though I assumed we wouldn't need them.

Once down in the altar room, we traveled through a hall located at the back of the room.

“Do all the temples have hidden passageways?” Elowen asked, her hand wrapped tightly around Edmund's enchanted one.

“All the temples look alike, but they all have their own unique features,” Valter explained from up ahead. “Passageways, perhaps not. But there is something special about them all.”

A little further down and the stone walls surrounding us turned to glass. I was in awe of the medley of colorful fish that swam by as we stood beneath the ocean.

“Oh, wow,” Dani whispered. “Amazing…”

My friends appreciated the view as we continued onward until we were brought to a large, circular room. Along the entirety of the floor was a pentagram glowing purple.

Dani frowned as she stared up at Kismet. “A pentagram?”

Kismet's brown eyes sharpened, but her smile remained light. “Is it such a surprise one would be here?”

I turned to Valter. “I'm confused. You seemed surprised by my ability to utilize Warlock magic yesterday.”

Kismet's brows furrowed, darting between the two of us. “You can utilize Warlock magic?”

I gestured to the pentagram. “Uh, yes? Pentagrams, incantations—all that jazz.”

“The pentagram belongs to the Mages,” Valter stated. “But the Titharan language…we've never known how to decipher it or speak it.”

“So, this Chamber,” Dani began, “doesn't utilize a spoken word spell?”

“No,” Kismet said, crossing her thin arms. “It requires a charge…and a memento.”

“The memento is the tether…” I fished out Igon's compass, my eyes flicking to the statues on either side of the rounded room. “As are the relics. An incantation isn't needed.”

Dani walked forward, examining the symbols above the statues. She was able to decipher the language without the grimoire. “Give us an object of value,” she read, then walked over to the other relic. “And the truth shall set you free.”

“What does the pentagram say, Dani?” Viola asked.

The Warlock knelt down, sliding her hands along the text engraved into the concrete. “ Show me another time. ”

“How does this work, exactly?” Merrick asked Kismet.

She was seemingly shocked by the Warlock being able to decipher the text. “You place a memento in the center of the pentagram, and the clerics will surge in their illusion magic. It will provide you with visions.”

Dani swallowed, her brows lowering as she stood. “I think…I think if we speak the incantation, it will be more than just visions.” Her pupilless, blue eyes searched the dome-like roof of this underwater room. “This room isn't made of glass, is it?”

“It is,” a cleric stated. “Glass infused with clear quartz.”

Dani swore, then apologized for using such language in front of a cleric. “Clear quartz is a master crystal, one that amplifies energy.” She focused her attention on me. “I believe the incantation won't just provide visions. I believe it will bounce off the quartz and show us the visions as if we were actually there.”

“That's ludicrous,” Kismet began, but when her gaze flitted down to the Titharan language etched into the pentagram, she sighed. “Very well. We can try it, so long as the clerics are okay with it.”

The clerics all stared at Dani with a look of respect. “You speak Tithara's language…words that have been lost to us Mages. If this works, we ask you to teach us.”

Dani agreed. “Of course.”

I was kneeling now, placing Igon's compass in the center of the pentagram, when a memory hit me—Kayin's words to me back on the mountaintop.

“That necklace will give you the answers you need…everything…everything will make sense.”

“Silas,” I breathed, glancing over my shoulder at him. My eyes went to the clerics. “Can more than one memento be used?”

One of the clerics nodded. “Certainly. If any of the memories coincide, they will play together. Otherwise, it will play in a timeline.”

I gazed at Torrin, silently relaying my message to the Prince.

Ryia's necklace could provide us with answers about her passing.

Torrin glanced at Silas, whose golden eyes widened as they dropped to my collarbones.

Kayin told me it would give me the answers I need. I didn't understand it at the time, but I believe I'm supposed to use it here.

Silas licked his lips, then nodded.

Torrin spoke in my head, “He said do it.”

“I have something,” I said, unclasping the necklace from my neck. “Queen Ryia's necklace.” I could sense my friends' confusion, but I ignored it.

“This was the Queen of Otacia's?” Valter asked.

“It was.”

“How long has it been in your possession?” another cleric asked.

“Over five years,” I answered, holding the jewelry in my palms.

“That likely means you also imprint this memento,” she said cautiously. “Which means that some of your memories may play as well, things you may not want the group to see.”

I nervously stared at Silas again. We could send others away, but they would still have questions. He nodded once more.

“If it will tell us what happened to the Queen, then it’ll be worth it,” I whispered, terrified of what may show.

Dani placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I knew she was aware of my secret, as was Merrick and Roland. Soon, the whole group would know.

“Very well.”

I placed the silver and sapphire necklace in the center of the glowing pentagram, then stood. This symbol was easily large enough for us all to stand in, so we did. The clerics surrounded the outside, one by one.

“We will supply the circle with our magic as you speak the incantations, Warlock.”

Dani took a deep breath, eyes lowering to the script.

“Ostende mihi aliud tempus. Ostende mihi aliud tempus. Ostende mihi aliud tempus.”

The glow around us heightened, morphing our surroundings, and memories began to play.

Giggling could be heard, and a little girl came running from a tower—a familiar tower. I recognized it as Igon's in Ames. Her black hair was pulled back into a braid, and she hurriedly rushed through town, a book clutched to her chest.

“Kayin!” a man’s voice called out. Out came a man with familiar topaz eyes, but his hair was darker—black, just like younger Kayin’s.

Igon.

What the hell? Igon supposedly moved to Ames much later in life. What is he doing here?

“You know I love you reading, darling,” he panted as he caught her. “But those books are valuable.”

She pouted, then hesitantly handed back the text.

Seeing Igon in his twenties was…wild. He was handsome—incredibly handsome. His raven hair was kept shorter, and his face was clean-shaven, showing off a sharp jawline. He was fit as an older man, but his body seemed even more toned in his twenties, his skin a sandy tan.

Like always, there was a familiarity to him.

“I was supposed to take it,” she explained.

He raised a brow, and his amber eyes glanced down at the book.

“You were supposed to take a book on Otacian history?” Then his eyes widened. “My goodness, Kayin.” He squatted down, his hands going to the little girl’s arms. “Are you having visions? ”

She tilted her head to the side, a puzzled look on her face. She had to be only five years old.

“Otacia will be my home one day,” she said.

Igon blinked rapidly before his gaze dropped to the book. “If you have any more, please tell me, okay?” His eyes trailed back to Kayin’s, and he offered her a warm smile.

“Yes, papa.”

My eyes shot to Torrin’s, whose own expression mirrored mine.

Igon…Igon had a child? He was Kayin’s father…which meant—

Our surroundings swirled around us, changing before I could finish my thoughts to Torrin. When I beheld the next image, I nearly fell to the ground.

The surprising part of this next vision wasn’t that Kayin was a teenager now. No, it was that finally, after all this time, I knew exactly who she was.

“Holy Gods,” Torrin breathed, and Silas went wholly still.

Kayin wasn’t just Igon’s daughter.

She wasn’t just your typical Mage with silky black hair and stunning sapphire eyes.

Kayin was Ryia La’Rune.

Kayin was Silas’s mother.