Chapter 23
Caroline burst into Silas’s room, startling me from my studies. “Up, now.”
“What’s going on?” I closed the book I had been studying, learning the equivalent of vowel sounds of the Ancient Tongue. “Is it him?”
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me through the doorway, Guardian’s Glade, and down path after path. The silence ate at my insides.
“Caroline.” I tried to pull my wrist loose, but she had an iron grip. “What is going on? Let go.”
Caroline adjusted her hand and pulled me down a dark pathway. “Silas has done something utterly idiotic.”
My stomach lurched. Images of Silas lying broken, bruised, and bloody filled my mind. Images of Nyx covered in blood.
Is he dead?
“What’s happened to him?” I tried to keep from stumbling, but between being dragged from the room and fears about Silas’s well-being, my legs hadn’t had the chance to loosen.
The forest grew even darker, the light disappearing, difficult to imagine that it wasn’t midnight.
Caroline sucked in a breath. “Eden, I don’t know what state he will be in. It’s best to prepare for anything at this point.”
“What do you mean? What happened? I thought you had meetings. What has he done?” I pulled and yanked on my arm, but her grip grew tighter.
We passed through a lantern-lit archway into an ethereal place. The blue lightning bugs from Sarva drifted like stars in an endless midnight sky. The lanterns cast elongated shadows over the pathway as we passed several terrifying people in violet robes.
It dawned on me that we must be where the Seers worked, though the dark seemed ironic since I could barely see a thing. I wondered about Ransom and Aubrey and if they were here somewhere.
The dark consumed everything until it didn’t. A bright, azure fire blazed in the center of a room with similar fire in all of the lanterns. The flames in the pit leapt, and a bright wolf with piercing eyes jogged through, followed by a swirling image of myself, wrapped in robes and honeysuckle.
“Caroline,” a woman’s voice called from across the fire. Aubrey stepped over to us. “Markus said–”
“Take us,” Caroline commanded with an authority I hadn’t yet seen her wear. It fit her like a glove. “Now.”
Aubrey bowed her head and turned on her heel. She led the way down a pitch-black pathway, Caroline still gripping my arm. Up ahead, a faint silver glow seeped through the dense trees.
“Thank you, Aubrey,” Caroline breathed and we stopped.
Sidling up next to her, I could see the faint reflection of silver in her eyes. Tears had pooled at the base of her eyelids.
Aubrey left us, and Caroline pushed forward into a room that smelled of licorice and bile.
“Oh, Lycaon,” Caroline muttered, releasing my arm to cover her mouth and nose.
Despite the awful stench, the sight scared me more. Silas sat like a statue at the edge of a narrow bed, if it could be called that. He choked, and something dark had dried to his chin.
“What did you do to him?” I breathed, finding my voice. I made myself turn away from Silas and at the other people in the room.
Nash stood in the dim light of a lantern, both hands clutching the back of his head, eyes wide and wild. He shook his head but said nothing. Ransom sat across the room, eyes focused on Silas. He must not have heard me.
“Caroline,” Markus spoke and stepped closer to Caroline.
She took a half step back. “What did you do?”
Markus shook his head, speechless, and he turned his eyes back to Silas.
I moved to Silas’s side and cupped his face in my hand. He barely turned at my touch, but it was a response.
“Silas?” I muttered.
The green of his eyes had flooded pitch black like the forest around us, and with the lighting it felt like we were in some horror film like Nosferatu or Hour of the Wolf.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked the room at large, hoping someone could explain if this was a weird wolf disease or a strange ritual. But based on everyone’s grave expressions, this couldn’t be normal.
“He wanted to See, so he asked us to facilitate.” Ransom stood. “He’s taken a small dose of nightshade.”
“Nightshade?” Caroline bellowed.
I turned, startled by her outburst. Her eyes burned with rage as she rounded on Markus.
“It was his choice,” Markus started. “He is our king. We did what he asked us to do.”
Caroline snarled, pushing him aside and she shoved Nash in the chest. “And this was your brilliant idea, huh? Make him take the poison. Make him do the stupid thing. It’ll be fun. Right? Just like old times.”
Nash shook his head. “I didn’t–”
“Am I wrong?” She snapped.
“He–”
“Am I wrong?” Caroline repeated, all hints of kindness gone.
Nash couldn’t look her in the eyes.
“Nash, we aren’t pups anymore. Silas is supposed to be leading the kingdom, not playing your stupid games.”
“Caroline, what do I do?” I asked, turning back to Silas who still couldn’t breathe.
“He needs water. And talk to him.” Caroline moved to the table next to me.
“Si?” I asked, watching his black eyes. They unnerved me. “Can you hear me?”
I heard someone, no doubt Caroline, pouring something. None of the men had offered to help, and Nash paced.
“Silas.” I inhaled. My hands trembled. “It’s Eden. I need you to talk to me.”
His breath shuddered in gasps, but he no longer choked.
What had he swallowed?
I moved my hand to his neck. His skin burned. I moved my hands to his forehead, his shoulder, his arms. Fever inflamed his entire body.
“Caroline, he’s feverish. Burning hot.”
“He will be fine if you give him water,” Ransom spoke in an indifferent tone. “This is normal.”
“Normal people don’t ingest poison,” I grumbled, pushing Silas’s hair out of his eyes.
“Here.” Caroline passed me a mug of water.
Gently, I tilted it to his lips, hoping he could at least swallow. At first, he sputtered, dripping some of it down his chin, but he drank the rest with ease. His breaths steadied after a few silent moments.
“Silas, can you speak?” I whispered.
“Eden.” His hoarse voice cut through the crackle of the lanterns.
“Oh, thank God.” I leaned my forehead against his shoulder, the heat still burning through his skin.
“I can’t see,” he mumbled. “Are the lanterns out?”
I whipped my head around to Ransom, where he stood behind Caroline.
“Your sight will come back, my king,” he reassured.
Turning back to Silas, I brushed my thumb over his cheek. He leaned into my touch, such a small movement, but filled with so many unspoken words. I wiped away what smelled like vomit from his chin.
“What were you thinking?” I whispered.
“I needed answers.”
“Were they worth it?”
He sat silent for a moment, his eyes unseeing. “Yes.”
I leaned once more into him, and this time, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“At least warn me next time. You scared me. I thought you were about to die.” I sat up again, brushing his sweaty hair out of his face again. He clenched his jaw tight, his skin pale.
He blinked once, then twice, and smiled. “Glad to know you’re worried about me. For a while there, I thought you didn’t care what happened to me.”
I bowed my head, my face burning with embarrassment. “Not really worried. Only a little worried. Normal amount of worry.”
“Mhmm, sure.” Silas smirked, closing his eyes when I brushed my thumb over his forehead.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Better, now that you’re here.” His smile caught my attention.
Despite the experience he’d had, he was smiling… About me.
“Silas.” Caroline slid her hand on my shoulder. “Can you see yet?”
His eyes fluttered open, finding my own. “Things are starting to come into focus.”
“My king.” Ransom stepped forward. “I recommend lots of water in the next few hours and plenty of rest tonight. Don’t be concerned if you have…” He pursed his lips, searching for the right word. “Unsettling dreams.”
Silas nodded. “Thank you.”
Ransom bowed, turning to Markus. “I’ll let you see our guests back.”
Markus bowed to Ransom, avoiding Caroline’s cold demeanor. “If you’ll follow me.”
He started down the dark path, pausing at the door to wait for us. Nash and Caroline walked at the front closest to Markus.
“Come on.” I slipped my arm under Silas’s and helped him off the narrow bed.
“I can handle it,” Silas muttered.
He swayed on his feet, his hands shaky at his sides.
“Si.” I reached for him, and he pulled me into a tight hug.
His breath ruffled my hair. “I need to appear strong in front of my people until we reach Guardian’s Glade. Help me?”
A question, not a command. I backed up, giving him a slight smile.
“After you, love,” he murmured.
I stepped in line behind Nash, and together we melted into darkness. My last glimpse of the ominous silver flames showed Ransom dousing one of the lanterns, casting his face into partial shadow.
Behind his polite smile, I could’ve sworn he bared his teeth.