Chapter 29 - The Questions She Asks
Athena didn't step back into her room.
She couldn't.
The air inside felt too small now.
Too quiet compared to the charged silence in the hallway between them.
Silas seemed to understand without her saying anything.
"Come," he said softly.
She followed him.
They walked in silence through dimly lit corridors until he pushed open a narrow stone door that led to a high overlook carved into the mountain wall.
Cold night air greeted them.
The sky stretched wide and dark, scattered with stars. The forest below was nothing but shadow and quiet movement.
Athena stepped out slowly.
Her breathing steadied immediately.
Silas leaned against the stone railing, watching her more than the view.
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked out into the darkness.
"Do you ever feel like you were meant for something you don't understand?" she asked quietly.
Silas didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
She glanced at him.
"I feel like I've been asleep my whole life," she continued. "Like I'm only just starting to wake up."
His eyes softened slightly.
"That is because you are."
She studied his face in the faint moonlight.
"You talk like you know me better than I know myself."
"I know what you are capable of," he said carefully.
Her brows pulled together.
"Why won't you just tell me what that is?"
Silas looked out over the forest.
Because if he told her now, it would break her.
And he wasn't ready to watch that happen.
"Because some truths must be remembered, not told," he said quietly.
Athena exhaled slowly.
She didn't understand his words.
But they didn't feel wrong.
They stood in silence for a while.
The wind moved gently through her hair.
Her body, which had been tense for hours, began to relax.
She slid down slowly to sit against the stone wall, pulling her knees to her chest.
Silas didn't move away.
He lowered himself beside her.
Close.
Not touching.
Just present.
Her head felt heavy.
Her thoughts slow.
"You don't feel dangerous," she murmured sleepily.
Silas glanced at her.
"I am."
She smiled faintly.
"Not to me."
And before she realized it...
Athena fell asleep sitting beside him.