Chapter 21
Iremain in his embrace and close my eyes.
The crashing waves fill the air outside, and I try my hardest to hold back the tears that are eager to leave my eyes.
Silas notices my tension and pulls away, turning me around to face him.
He places both hands on my shoulders and slowly traces his hands down, reaching my trembling hands.
His face turns to stone, and he can immediately sense the emotional distance between us.
“What is it?” he asks.
“It’s so much,” I reply.
“I have time.”
I open my eyes, and tears stream down my cheeks. Silas brushes my tears away with his thumb and cups my face. His piercing green eyes lock onto mine, and I fear my legs might give out. I want to speak, but I don’t know where to start.
I open my mouth, but no words come out.
“Come with me,” he says, as he furrows his brow. “I want to show you something.”
“I can’t. Larkin and I are leaving in a few hours.”
His hand squeezes mine tightly. “I don’t really care.”
“Silas.”
“Larkin can wait if needed.”
My gaze turns hard, and I stare at him for a moment. The corners of his mouth curl into a devious grin.
“You know you want to,” he says, tugging my wrist. “You are too curious to let this pass.”
“You’re right.”
His smirk grows larger this time. “Say that again.”
I let myself go with him, and we become mist together.
The world around us seems to pause, and the weight of the secrets I know vanishes along with our physical bodies.
The figures around us blur as we move through the shadows of the night.
I snap my eyes shut and let him lead the way.
Even though we are weightless, I can feel Silas’s strong hand wrapped around mine—a perfect fit.
We land with a thud, and I try to catch my breath quickly.
Silas continues to hold my hand, as if he’s afraid that if he lets go, the distance will grow between us once more.
The darkness around us becomes overwhelming, and I quickly realize we are deep in the forest on the outskirts of Andorwood.
Fear floods me, and I remember the third trial—lost in unfamiliar woods and darkness.
Silas notices my flinch.
“We’re safe,” Silas whispers. “This part of the forest is warded. There is absolutely nothing here that can touch you.”
I glance around the dense trees that sway gently in the night, grabbing his hand harder. The forest around us pulses as if welcoming us—or Silas—back.
“There are a few acres around the entire kingdom that are permanently warded.” He grins and walks me a few paces forward. “Even if something tried, it would be dead before it got close to you.”
“Larkin told us not to shift. We need to save our energy.”
“Since when do you follow rules?” he asks. “And don’t worry about my magic. I’ll be fine. So will you.”
I blink, my eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness. Tall trees crowd the sky above us, making it impossible for the moonlight to grace us with its silver glow.
“Come on,” Silas says, as he pulls me forward. “I want to show you something. You fine with a quick walk?”
I nod and let him pull me forward.
We walk silently through the dense forest, venturing deeper into the woods and closer to the towering mountains overhead.
Silas walks with such confidence in front of me, having clearly made this exact journey countless times.
He glances back and smiles when our eyes meet.
Even in the darkness, his eyes shine brightly enough to light our way, his thumb tracing small circles on my hand.
After passing what seems like hundreds of the same trees, we come to the opening of a clearing.
A memory immediately sparks, and I’m back in Daramveer in my favorite forest clearing, and my chest aches.
I look to my right, half expecting the carving of mine, Maines, and Barlowe’s name to be there.
A pinch of sadness crosses my expression when it isn’t there.
When the clearing opens, I realize we are at the base of the mountain. Bright white snow sits at their peaks, and finally, the moon’s glow provides us with some shimmering light.
“Almost there,” Silas says with a smile, and quickens his steps.
My eyes spot a small sitting area that appears worn from years of visits.
A lone tree shades the spot, and Silas guides me directly to it.
He halts and brushes off a fallen tree trunk that lies perfectly on the forest floor.
He sits without warning and stares at the sky behind us, exhaling a heavy breath.
I watch him for a moment, then turn to sit beside him.
My mouth parts slightly when I see the stars.
The vast sky takes my breath away. Thousands of diamonds shine in the night sky above our heads, some so bright that I squint my eyes when looking at them.
Others barely dance in the night sky, but together, they all work in perfect harmony, illuminating the sky if only for us.
The bite of the cold night only adds to the beauty around us, and the stars above remain timeless, shining forever in an endless realm.
“I’ve wanted to show you this since we got here.” Silas turns his gaze to mine.
“It’s so beautiful.” I keep my gaze fixated on the galaxies around us.
“You put every star to shame, Briar,” he breathes. “Easily.”
I tear my gaze from the sky and look at Silas. The subtle glow of the stars illuminates his handsome face. I realize that, unlike the stars, our time together in this realm is limited, and he deserves to know the truth.
“I need to talk to you.” I try to keep my racing heart steady, but fail spectacularly.
Silas nods, “I know. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what words will leave your perfect lips.”
He’s concerned, and my chest feels tight, realizing this news could truly change things. I turn to face him, reluctantly. There are a few things I need to tell him, but for now, I’ll decide which ones to disclose.
“After I met with your father, I went walking around the castle again.”
“Fuck, Briar.” Silas rolls his eyes. “How many times will it take before you listen to me?”
I shrug. “A few more times, I imagine.”
“Go on,” he groans.
“I ran into Yara.”
Silas freezes, averting his gaze from mine.
“After I wielded light,” I slip in. “She told me about you walking in on her and Malachi.” I flinch at the thought.
He nods until my words hit him like a blow. “Hold on. What the fuck did you just say?”
“She told me about her and Malachi,” I reply, simply. “And that you know about it.”
“You are impossible.” His gaze grows angry. “You wielded light? And you didn’t tell me?”
“I haven’t had time to talk to you. As soon as I got back, Hux whisked you away.”
“But you let him,” he replies.
Dread fills me because he is right. I’ve known this and let other moments get in the way instead of making him a priority.
“You’re right.”
“You’re saying that a lot these days,” Silas says.
I sigh.
He cups my face. “Stop fucking keeping things from me.”
“Okay.”
He tilts his head back to the stars and sighs heavily. “It’s impossible to stay mad at you.”
“That’s a good thing,” I say. “For my sake.”
He chuckles. “And miserable for mine.”
“Maines says this ability is rare.”
“Fuck yeah, that’s rare, Briar. Have you tried to do it again?”
I shake my head.
“I don’t know what to say.” He pauses to take a deep breath. “Briar Blackbyrne, a Dusk Wielder. With your power, I’m not surprised. Oak and Larkin can help you, if you’d like.” Silas takes a long breath. “I’ve officially heard it all now.”
“Nope.” I make a pained face. “Not everything.”
Silas rubs his temples and leans his head forward, crashing into my chest. He lets out a deep sigh and turns back to me.
“Why would Yara tell you that? That’s wildly inappropriate.”
“She’s in trouble, Silas. Yara told me about the woman before her, and when your father grew tired of that woman, she went missing. Yara thinks that she’s next.”
“We didn’t need this added to our plate,” he snaps. “Yara made this decision with my father. Actions have consequences, some worse than others.”
“We are going to help her. End of story.” I lift his head from my chest and burn my gaze into his. “But...there’s more.”
“Of course there is.”
He attempts to rest his head back on my chest, but I stop him, forcing his gaze to mine.
“Malachi has a book of Rigils that can protect us when we enter the Forgotten Archives. We need to speak with your mother about what truly resides there, and we don’t have much time.”
“Well, there’s no way that he would give us any of that information,” Silas admits.
“I agree. But that’s where Yara comes in. She’s going to take the book and meet us tomorrow night. The Archives will be easiest to locate during the crimson moon in two nights. This may be our only chance to get in and find out more about how to stop Carobon.”
“Alright.” He thinks to himself for a moment. “That’s risky, though. If she gets caught, it will likely expose us as well.”
He’s right. Malachi may be onto us, but we will have to take the risk.
“She also mentioned a stone. Its description made me think it was a resurrection stone or, at the very least, something similar and powerful. We need to get that stone and find out what it does.”
"Fuck. You have a lot of information tonight, don't you?"
“Oh, you have no idea,” I reply. “My head feels like it might explode.”
“Do you trust Yara?” he asks.
“I do.” I pause, letting my words sink in.
Silas nods, absorbing the information.
“Do you trust Hux?”
My question surprises him, and he sits up straighter, “I do.”
“Even though he’s close with Malachi?”
“Yes,” he says, and tilts his head, aware that I’m going somewhere.
“I don’t think we should trust him, Silas,” I blurt out, and crinkle my nose. “Yara saw him speaking with Malachi in private about all of this.”