Page 103 of Salem’s Rise

“He loves me,” she says, resting her perfectly manicured hands neatly on the tabletop. “He’s always loved me. Our families made promises long before you ever arrived here.”

The certainty in her voice is so absolute that, for one second, I almost admire it.

“Okay.” I lean back and study her. “Then why did he ask to partner with me? Why didn’t he pick you, if the two of you are so desperately in love?”

A small smile touches her mouth. “Because keeping you close is helpful.”

“Helpful for what?”

“For winning,” she says. “You’re an unknown variable, Jack. You’re the only one Silas can’t predict. It’s much easier to make sure someone doesn’t beat you when you keep them within reach.” She idly straightens the corner of one of my notebooks, as if we’re discussing something perfectly ordinary. “Once The Rites are over, Silas will take his rightful place as leader of the Veil, and the two of us will rule together. Whatever you think exists between you is temporary.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself.”

“Because I’m right.”

“Sure.” I fold my arms, refusing to let her see how deeply the word temporary lodges beneath my skin. “So explain something to me then, Georgina. If Silas is using me, why does he keep saving my life?”

Her expression changes, something softening around her eyes. It takes me a second to recognize it as pity. “Oh, Jack,” she murmurs. “He isn’t saving you. He’s playing the game.”

My fingers tighten around the edge of the table as irritation flares into anger.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means he’s a Blackhollow,” she says. “He was raised for this since birth. He knows the structure of The Rites, the old stories, the qualities each trial is designed to expose. You’re stumbling blindly from one test to another while he already knows what answer they want.”

“That doesn’t mean⁠—”

“The First Trial rewarded guardianship, so he protected you.” She cuts me off, her eyes narrowing. “The second rewarded clarity. You recognized the wind and bell patterns, and he trusted you enough to listen. The third rewarded wisdom. Silas understood that the trial wasn’t really about who could stay underwater the longest. It was about knowing when the life of your partner mattered more than winning.”

Memories of that awful night at the harbor return in a rush. The crushing black water. My lungs convulsing. The bell rope jerking uselessly in my hand, and Silas diving in after me.

“You’re wrong,” I say. “He gave up the Third Trial to save me. He would’ve won if he’d let me drown.”

She lets out a smug little laugh.

“Would he?” she asks. “You still came in second. And Silas walked away looking like the one man who understood the trial better than anyone. No future leader would stand on a dock and watch his partner drown.” Georgina leans closer, a hint of satisfaction entering her voice. “He knew exactly what he was doing. A Blackhollow always knows.”

A pulse beats hard beneath my jaw. She’s wrong. She didn’t see Silas’s face beneath the water, or afterward, when we finally made it onto land. He was terrified—for me. Whatever Georgina says, he couldn’t have faked that.

Could he?

And then there’s what happened underwater and whatever the hell Silas did to get me out of that chair and back to the surface. Maybe I hallucinated the impossible part. Maybe he didn’t actually control the water. But I didn’t hallucinate him saving my life.

“You don’t know what happened out there.”

“I know Silas better than you ever will,” she says. “Wake up, Jack. You think he chose you? He chose the correct answer.” She rises slowly from her chair. “Leave before the Fourth Trial. You won’t survive it.”

“You know the Veil won’t let me.”

“Then perhaps Silas will solve that problem for you.” She knots the scarf around her neck tighter and slides on her gloves with deliberate care. “Accidents happen all the time in this town,” she says, her smile thin and bloodless. “It is Salem’s Fall, after all.”

I remain perfectly still as she walks away, disappearing into the stacks without looking back. I know Georgina is jealous. That’s all this is. Silas chose me as his partner, so she’s trying to make me doubt him. Perhaps she even knows what happened between us that night at Blackthorn Manor at the gala. Her little performance is completely transparent. And pathetic.

By the time the library announces it will be closing soon, darkness has pressed itself against the windows, and the snow has thickened into a white curtain beyond the glass. I’m busy shoving my textbooks and notes into my bag when my phone vibrates against the table.

Silas.

My heart gives one eager leap before I immediately tamp it down, annoyed with myself for my reaction.