Page 104 of At the Mercy of Midnight
His throat was dry when he spoke again. “Why are you here?”
Why would you hand me over like this?
Her gaze flicked over him, lips pressing into a thin line, as though she sensed the unspoken question filled with a deep hurt.
“Silas,” she said on a sigh.
A silence stretched between them, taut as a drawn bowstring. The leader folded his hands behind his back.
“I’ll be back shortly,” he said in his familiar voice, before nodding to Silas’ mother as he walked past her, exiting.
He turned his gaze to his mother, searching her face for some sign of regret, of hesitation. There was none. “You knew,” he whispered. “You knew these people would take me. That’s why you didn’t want me to leave Lunarian…you knew they were coming for me.”
Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “I ensured you would not be harmed.”
“Do I look unharmed to you?” His voice cracked with anger. “My own mother delivered me to these zealots.”
She took a step forwards, lowering her voice. “You are my son,” Veralind said, voice cold like ice but holding a hint of something else, something that could be a shred of regret, or perhaps doubt. “But you are also bonded, Silas. That is an unbreakable magical contract that is beyond rare…” Her voice turned reverent, eyes widening as her beliefs overtook her. “I knew it from the moment you told me you and Amelia had been bound.” Her tone descended into a hushed whisper. “I knew what it meant.”
Silas clenched his teeth. “You knew that it meant I would be kidnapped? Thanks for the heads up on that.”
Veralind shook her head at his sarcasm. “No, Silas. I knew it meant that you would bring balance.”
He scoffed, looking away, trying not to think about the fact that he had no parents, not anymore.
“The Rift grows by the day, and the Midnight Realm grows closer, ready to swallow us whole,” Veralind said, and Silas set his icy stare at her. “Your father knew it, that’s why he risked everything to find the answers.”
Silas exhaled with disbelief. “So, what then? What are they going to do to me?”
She smiled sadly and shook her head. “Don’t worry darling. I’ve been assured you won’t be harmed. She will be the sacrifice.”
He stiffened, hands curling into immediate fists. “What?”
Veralind flicked a piece of dust off the shoulder of her robes. “Amelia. She will be the sacrifice for the ritual.”
Silas blinked, before laughing hysterically. “Mother, what the fuck are you talking about?”
Veralind rolled her eyes at him. “Mind that tongue of yours, Silas, I was never a fan of that language.” She sighed again as the blood roared in his ears. “We came across the Sanctum during our research. The moment you mentioned your pair bond, I knew what would need to happen.”
Silas stared at her like he didn’t recognise her at all.
“Am I to understand…you told them about us?” he asked, voice turning deadly. “That you went to these people and told them how to find us?”
Veralind paused, sharp eyes dulling slightly. “It was my responsibility to do so,” she finally relented, and his heart sank. “But you, my son, will not be harmed. Only one must pay the price.”
Silas felt his anger like another entity in the room with them, something large and grandiose, taking up all breathable air.
“Mother,” he gritted from between his teeth, “you are the stupidest, most selfish woman I have ever known.”
Something flared in her eyes, and she parted her lips to speak, but he cut her off before she could.
“Besides from the fact that I’m furious you would try to offer Amelia up as some bizarre sacrifice like she means nothing, I’m going to remind you thatIam the one bound to a chair, withruned cuffs that are drainingme. Then I’m going to let you know that Amelia was with me when I was taken from Ivory City. They were quite clear in their intentions.”
Veralind’s posture turned rigid.
“They only wanted me,” Silas said, almost relishing the way her face paled, eyes widening. “If there’s a sacrifice to be made,mother, they intend it to be me, your son. They lied to you,manipulatedyou.” He smiled cruelly at her. “I can only assume that the taste of your own medicine is rather bitter. Hope you choke on it.”
“That—that is not…” Veralind stuttered, suddenly looking lost as she peered towards the doorway where the leader had exited. “I…I must—” She gasped in an unsteady breath before she spared him not a single glance before stalking out the door.
