“Silas!” I was yelling it as I exited Cerin's room, my eyes finding the elf still in the middle of a conversation with Theron. They had quieted, and probably for good reason. They had most likely overheard my banter with Cerin.
My former lover looked up at me, and he prepared to defend himself, even as I shoved him into the corner of the end of the hallway.
“Tell him!” I screamed, directly in his face. He grimaced, holding his head back from mine. “Tell him the truth!” Silas stared back at me, silently, not allowing my anger to get to him. I heard Cerin exit his room, and start hurrying down the hall. I wasn't sure where Nyx was, and Theron had his hands on my shoulders, preparing to pull me off of the elf, though he was allowing me more leeway than he probably should have. Perhaps he knew of Silas's betrayal.
I jerked my head around, watching as Cerin hurried down the inn steps and out of sight. My heart ached as he left, and even more as I heard the inn door downstairs open and squeak to a close. I turned back to Silas, and despite my anger, burst into tears.
“I regret ever befriending you,” I sobbed, nearly falling forward into his chest before stopping myself, disgusted.
“Let him go, Kai,” Silas replied, despondent. “It is for the best.”
“You betrayed us,” I replied, unable to keep the seething pain from my voice.
“I saved you,” he retorted. “And I gave him a fighting chance. I did not bring the guards to him, like I promised your father. I may tell Sirius that I missed him, but I could still be held responsible. I did it for you.”
I breathed shallowly, letting those words sink into my head painfully. It made sense, save for one detail. “You lied to him, and told him I was the one who would rat him out. I will never forgive you for that.”
“You don't have to,” Silas replied, though his voice was pained. “I wanted him to run from you, Kai. Better him run from you than to have the entire world running after you. For as long as you are with him, you are a criminal.”
More tears rose to replace the last bout. “That is not your decision to make,” I protested. “You are trying to control my life by deciding what is best for me. I am a grown woman, Silas, and we are no longer together. Leave me free to make my own decisions and mistakes.”
Theron released his hold on me. I knew he was probably surprised to hear such personal conversation. He hadn't known until today that Silas and I had ever been romantically involved.
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Silas pulled away from what had been a mutual gaze. He looked heartbroken. I could tell, then, that despite everything, he still felt immensely for me. Perhaps jealousy had helped shape his intentions. Perhaps learning of my true parentage had caused him to want to have a relationship with me again, and he wanted to work toward that. But it was too late. I had changed too much, and we were headed down two very different paths.
“I am sorry for intervening, Kai, and I am sorry for my harsh words to you in the past,” he finally said, his apology genuine. “The trip to Whispermere changed you, and it frightens me. A year ago, I would have never imagined you would want the things that you want now. I knew of your obsession with necromancy, but I always thought it was only an interest. You are willingly crossing legal lines left and right, and I do not know what to make of it.”
“You are so worried about what is legal, Silas, that you are blind to what is moral. Necromancy can be used for good. You have seen that with Cerin.”
“Cerin is one exception in a long list of others who have used it for ill,” the elf replied. “And besides, your father and all the other kingdoms of Chairel and beyond—they do not care about what is moral. You will be treated as a criminal for as long as necromancy is illegal.”
“So I will work to make it legal,” I stated.
Silas blinked at me a moment. “You cannot do that, Kai. You have no political power.”
“Then I will take it.” I backed away from Silas, before looking to Theron. “Where is Nyx?”
“She went to secure different lodging,” Theron replied. “She told me you were not willing to leave without speaking to Bjorn.”
I nodded. I had told her that. Now that Cerin had went off on his own, I almost regretted saying it. I wanted to go after him, but that quest would have to be put on hold. Speaking to Bjorn came first. It was, after all, one of the reasons we had come here to begin with.
Nyx came back to the inn hours later, just as the sun had started to set. Silas, Theron, and I were waiting for her at the bar, since we needed to free up the rooms for other guests.
My friend hurried up to me, her eyes wide and flicking back and forth between us. I remembered then that Cerin had been at the inn when she left. Maybe she thought he'd been captured.
“How did they capture Cerin?” Nyx demanded, in a panic.
“They didn't. Silas lied to him and got him to leave on his own,” I explained, my tone bordering on depressed.
“No,” Nyx protested, before reaching into a pocket of her armor and pulling out a folded piece of paper. She slammed it onto the bar before me, rushing through pulling it apart so we could see it.
On the parchment was a spot-on sketch of Cerin's angled face. At the top was a hole, like the poster had been nailed to the side of a building before Nyx had torn it down. Across the bottom of the poster, in thick black ink, it stated:
CAPTURED! Cerin Heliot.
Charges: Necromancy, 76 counts of murder of Seran armed forces, 12 counts of abuse of a corpse, evading the law, practice of magic without proper license, refusal to follow official court summons.
Sentence: DEATH.
Execution: Guillotine, 13th of Dark Star, 417, at Seran University Court. Public welcome.
The paper began to shake. I wasn't sure why until I realized I was holding it, so I let it go. It drifted to the bar below me. “Nyx...” I murmured, my voice weak.
“What?”
“What is the date today?” I asked her, my eyes on the execution date.
“The tenth,” she replied, sounding just as forlorn as I felt.
I stared at the sketch of Cerin, imagining him sitting in a dark dungeon cell with nothing but a straw mat on which to sleep. I felt broken. I had warned him this could happen. Too many of the soldiers knew his face, and perhaps even knew of his presence with us here before we'd been summoned to the court. Even still, I felt responsible. I felt Silas was partially responsible.
I swallowed hard, feeling fear for the second time in what had been a long day. “We have work to do.”
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