Chapter 106 - Then We Go There
Athena didn't sit back down after telling Silas what she remembered.
She paced.
Slow. Focused. Thinking in a way that felt unfamiliar and completely natural at the same time.
Silas watched her quietly.
Waiting.
Not interrupting.
She stopped near the window and looked out into the valley, but her eyes weren't seeing Silverwood.
They were seeing somewhere else.
"He's not coming back for me," she said.
Silas nodded once. "No."
"He's coming for what my family protected."
"Yes."
She turned to face him.
Her expression wasn't afraid.
It was certain.
"We can't wait for him to find it."
Silas's jaw tightened slightly.
"You want to go there."
Athena didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The word came easily.
Like she had already decided before she spoke.
"If it's still there, if it's real, if it's what I think it is..." she swallowed, "then the safest place for it is with me. Not hidden where he can search for it."
Silas stepped closer.
"That land has been abandoned for years."
Athena nodded.
"So has the truth about me."
He studied her for a long moment.
This wasn't impulse.
This was strategy.
This was instinct.
This was leadership.
"When do you want to leave?" he asked.
Athena didn't even blink.
"As soon as we can."
Silas nodded once.
"Then we go there first."