Page 4 of Dark Night of the Soul

“He’s aligned himself with Sebastian,” Silas said. “One of his generals.” He glanced at the untouched coffee and bacon. “On second thought, lass, I'll take that coffee. Black.”

I poured it without comment and handed him the cup. Kincade hadn’t moved. The calm was a lie. Anger rolled off him in waves, sharp and contained. There was something else there, too. Something he wasn’t letting me see.

“Anna may have ended one reign,” Silas said, his gaze flicking briefly to me, “but a new one is forming.”

My stomach churned. I broke a strip of bacon in half to give my hands something to do.

“Meaning?” I asked.

“Meaning power never disappears,” Silas said. “It changes hands. Finds new voices.”

I understood that all too well.

“The Brotherhood is forming alliances with the kind of men who prefer shadows,” he continued. “They won’t call it that, of course. They’ll dress it up as order. Balance. Necessity.”

Kincade’s jaw tightened.

“And where does that leave Anna?” he asked.

Silas didn’t hesitate. “Visible.”

The word settled heavily in my chest.

“They know what she is,” Silas went on. “What she represents. And they know what she means to you.”

I met Kincade’s eyes then. Whatever he saw there must have mirrored my own understanding.

“There’s more,” Silas said. “The Brotherhood wants you back.”

Kincade let out a short, humorless laugh. “They can try.”

“They will,” Silas said. “And if you refuse, they’ll make an example of you.”

I folded my arms, grounding myself. “Or they’ll force the issue first.”

Silas inclined his head. “They want him alive. Obedient. Pointed in the right direction.”

“Which won’t happen,” Kincade said, rising. “We appreciate the warning.”

Silas stood as well. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t serious.”

He hesitated, then surprised me. “Let me stay. I can help.”

Kincade looked to me.

I didn’t hesitate this time. “Yes.”

“You can stay,” Kincade said.

Silas didn’t smile. He simply turned towards the door. “Then I’ll need supplies.”

He left without another word, as though the house already belonged to him.

“Do you trust him?” I asked once we were alone.

Since becoming Keeper of the Holy Relics, I’d learned better than to take anyone at face value. Everyone wanted something.

“Yes,” he said. “Silas has special skills.”