Chapter 14
When only a few hours separate me from facing Malachi, Silas and I join the others around the long, wodden table, ready to finalize our plan before my meeting. We have just a few days that remain until a ship arrives at Andorwood to wipe out the army I’ve yet to build.
They gawk at my appearance, Maines being the first to speak. “Damn, Briar.”
My cheeks turn a soft shade of pink at the attention, but I laugh.
They are all dressed in fine clothing, because Fen likely forced them all to look their best. Maines wears a long, flowing emerald green dress, and Fen wears a dark red, tight-fitting gown that makes me flinch for a moment.
It’s not blood.
The men are all dressed in what looks like fighting leathers, but elevated. Each suit perfectly hugs their defined muscles, and a jeweled gold serpent dances on each man's chest.
Maines catches my stare and raises her brows twice, then winks.
Silas steps forward, instantly garnering the attention of those in the room with ease.
He stands tall, and I realize he’s transformed from the Silas, the man I love, into Silas, Prince of Darkness.
He stands before us, looking more like the future King of Andorwood than I’ve ever seen him before, ready to take charge.
Everyone falls silent and waits for him to speak. We sit around the table while he stands before us, and a surge of pride fills my chest. He can do this. He’s going to face his fears, and one day he will reign as a noble king.
“In a few hours, Briar will meet with Malachi, and a decision will be made that is likely to change the course of our futures,” he states, his voice booming like thunder.
“The King of Andorwood will either work with us to stop Carobon, or he will not. Either way, we will not back down. We will do what we can to save our lands, with or without Malachi.”
We listen in rapt silence as his towering figure stands before us. Shadows ripple around him like the threat of a storm on the horizon, and the salty sea breeze traveling through the room pauses as Silas speaks again, as if giving him its full attention.
“Briar can’t walk into his territory unprepared. We must protect her against Malachi and his magic.”
Larkin, Warrick, and Fen tense up around us, shifting in their seats. Oak and Maines glance at each other, waiting to be clued in on what’s happening.
“Silas, no,” Fen pleads, placing both hands against the hard table. “You aren’t serious.”
“We aren’t prepared for this,” Warrick sounds. “I’m siding with Fen here. No.”
He ignores their words. “Malachi holds a power we do not understand.”
Silas looks at Maines and Oak, recounting what he said to me just moments earlier. When he finishes the story, their jaws drop in disbelief.
Maines whispers. “How is that possible?”
“We don’t know, but the people at this table have been searching for an answer for years.
He can linger in a shift.” Silas’s brow tightens as he explains Malachi’s power.
“He can appear as a spirit and haunt you. He has driven many people mad with this power, and I fear he will start using it on Briar. I fear this, because he already has.”
Maines and Oak snap their attention to me.
“What?” Oak says, standing with force. “Care to explain?
I notice the others squirm in their chairs, already knowing how this awful man works.
“When we first arrived, I saw him at the dinner before anyone else did. He taunted me, but I was too afraid to speak. I didn’t understand what I was seeing, and my body was being held captive so I could only focus on him.”
Silas nods. “But, there is a way to stop this. We only discovered this a few years ago. Had we known sooner, this would have saved us many years of torment.”
I glance at Fen, who refuses to make eye contact with anyone at the table. I know she’s blaming herself for the years of pain Silas went through, and she gazes hard at her hands.
“But, Silas, like I said, we don’t have time for this right now,” Warrick says, standing with both large hands pressed against the table. “We don’t need to rush this. We know where that may land us.”
“Do we have a choice?”
“We always have choices,” Warrick responds.
“Bullshit.” Fen scoots away from the table. “I can’t fucking believe this, Silas.”
She glares at him and walks to the balcony in silence. We all watch her place her hands against the railing, squeezing it tightly—as if contemplating shifting away from this conversation as fast as she can. Warrick watches her leave, but gives her space to breathe.
“We will have to make time, I’m afraid. I’m not sending her in there unprotected.” Silas’s eyes travel to mine. “We need to make a decision soon. We’re running out of time.”
Warrick opens his mouth to speak again, but Silas dismisses him with a wave of his hand.
I hold my breath.
“We discovered a Rigil in a book located in the Forgotten Archives. Actually, my mother found it. It’s a symbol that can shield you from precisely what my father is capable of. It can protect you from possession.”
My brows shoot up. “What?”
He nods. “We spent months trying to get it to work, and many of our tactics failed. We tried ink, blessed ink, and ink mixed with blood, but nothing was strong enough. Nothing stopped him from entering our minds.” He pauses, seeming to find the right words.
“So, we looked further, deeper, and darker.”
My heart races in my chest, and I can feel the panic rising. I grip the edge of the chair, fearing I may pass out.
Maines speaks, “And you realized that the poison that’s linked to Andorwood is the strongest thing we’ve seen in centuries.”
“Exactly,” Silas adds.
Fen reenters the room, sweat beading on her forehead.
Anger radiates from her as she glares at her brother, and the shadows darken behind her green eyes.
As if out of nervous habit, she grasps the necklace around her throat and squeezes, her knuckles turning white.
“Silas, we can’t do this to her in just a few hours. Are you insane?”
His eyes narrow. “We don’t have a choice, Fen.”
Warrick stands to join Fen, offering a comforting touch to her face.
“We do,” she snaps. “Stop saying that.”
The stare between Silas and Fen could set the world aflame, and that’s one fight I don’t think either would walk away from.
They stand, challenging each other, their eyes narrowed and filled with fury.
My chest tightens, and my palms begin to clam up with sweat.
Silas may win this argument, but I can’t help but feel a sense of relief that someone is on my side, even though it seems I don’t have a real choice.
“I’ll do it,” I declare, standing to join the others. “What… do I have to do?”
Silas offers me a gentle smile tinged with concern as he gazes at the others sitting wide-eyed around the table.
“The Rigil must reside on your body permanently. We need to tattoo the symbol on you with ink, blood, and the mixed poison to permanently mark the Rigil on your body, gracing you with the protective barrier.”
They all look at me, and I swallow hard.
Silas moves around the table to stand next to me. Larkin keeps his head down, refusing to meet my eyes. Silas wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close, kissing my temple.
“Briar, we all have one.” Silas points at Larkin, Fen, and Warrick. “This is painful. You will want us to stop—you will beg us to stop—but once we start, we can’t.” Silas cuts his eyes across the table. “Larkin will tattoo you; he knows this poison better than anyone.”
I snap my attention to him. It’s clear to me that Larkin knows more than he’s telling me about my brother.
How did the poison get all the way to Daramveer?
Silas continues, ignoring the building tension in the room. “I will be beside you, and Maines is here if something should go wrong.”
My eyes swiftly scan their bodies for any signs of a tattoo. Larkin stays silent, his face devoid of color as he softly touches his forearm, as if the tattoo he has throbs.
“You don’t have a tattoo, Silas.” I look up at his face.
“You wouldn’t think so,” he says with a gentle smile. “But I do. It takes a few hours to heal, but the Rigil heals to nearly invisible on your skin.”
Silas lifts his shirt, and barely perceptible to the naked eye, a tiny Rigil is embedded in his skin, just below his pec. Mixed with his scars, it’s unnoticeable.
Fen looks at all of us. “Are you all fucking insane? Briar is already possessed. We have no idea how she will react.”
“I’ll take the risk,” I say.
“Larkin, you are not doing this right now,” Fen snaps. “As your superior, I’m saying n…”
She pauses for a moment and turns her head toward the balcony, as if someone just called her name. She stares at the empty space, like she’s waiting for a presence to walk into the room with us.
“Fen?” I question. “Are you alright?”
Fen rapidly shakes her head and returns her gaze to us. Her expression is filled with confusion and anger, and she clenches her fists tightly.
“I thought I heard something,” she responds. “It’s nothing.”
I look around, and my heart pounds against my chest like an animal trapped in a cage. The darkness inside me vibrates, as if Kalix can hear us right now and is urging me to walk away.
My hands tremble as Silas pulls me in closer, noticing the shiver.
“She can do this,” he declares.
“Maybe we should think about this,” Maines chimes in. “I agree with Fen. I’m not sure how she will react to this and what…what if something goes wrong and I can’t heal her.”
“We’ve been through this four times now,” Warrick answers. “I can prep you the best I can, Maines, while Larkin gets set up.”
Maines pales.
“From what I’ve heard, you are extremely skilled in healing, so I imagine you will pick everything up quickly.”
Maines shakes her head, and Oak steps to her side, wrapping his arms around her. He knows exactly what she’s thinking as the fear courses through her body.