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30
SILAS
Before I could think betterof it, I was grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a hard shake. Her watery eyes looked up at me, her false sympathy replaced with obvious regret. That was all the confirmation I needed.
"How long have you known?" I growled, hot breath huffing from my nostrils as I tried to control my fury. "When were you going to tell me?"
She looked away, biting her lip. With a snarl of disgust I let her go, pushing her away from me and turning so I wouldn't have to look at her any longer.
"Silas, I- "
"Don't," I growled in warning.
She didn't say anything further, but I could sense her standing right behind me, waiting for something to happen. She could stand there until Re'Utu himself descended from the stars for all I cared. I had nothing left to say to her. Not after she had allowed me to believe that there was something out there for the two of us, if I turned my back on my legacy and my Guardianship.
Ignoring her, I stalked through the room, looking for anything else that might tell me what had happened. I scanned every journal and letter I could find for clues. And when I turned back around, Anya was still staring at me, lost and confused. I pushed past her and through the door without a word.
Turning right, I headed toward the exit. If Anya was so concerned with helping the people in the sanctuary, she could deal with them herself. I was no servant of hers to be pushed around. It was my job to stop the storms, and that was what I meant to do.
Still gripping the urgent message in my hand, I climbed the steps and trotted across the field toward the palace, my mind racing. Anya had found Kiango, but he couldn't fight. Imrys and Trydan were missing. As long as they were out there somewhere, they could be calling more storms or destroying more innocent people. I had to do something.
After crossing the courtyard, I came into the main hall of the palace and stopped. The smells from the kitchen were rich and enticing, but I forced myself to ignore them despite the grumble of protest from my stomach. If I had time, I would grab something on my way out. For now, I needed to get upstairs to Kiango's room and gather a few supplies.
The palace was still eerily quiet with everyone gathered elsewhere. When I pushed into Kiango's chambers, I found myself struck by mixed emotions. Gratefulness that Kiango had taken me under his wing and seen me through the final ritual, even when the odds were against us. Disappointment that we couldn't face this final storm together. And an underlying betrayal, knowing that there had been secrets among us all along.
I took a minute to sort through those thoughts, and then I pushed them aside. If I was going out there again, I needed blankets and warm robes. I went to my own bed and pulled at the sheets, bundling everything together. Then I stopped at Kiango's bedside table and grabbed his candles and matches, tossing them in.
I was just about to leave the room when my eye landed on the tapestry hanging beside his door. Re'Utu's holy form stood over His people, looking fearsome. I could see the stain of Kiango's fingers where he had brushed his hand over that image hundreds of times as he muttered prayers and went about his day. I tore it from the wall and rolled it up, tucking it under my arm with everything else. If anyone needed a reminder of Re'Utu's blessings, it would be me.
When I pulled Kiango's door closed behind me, I gave it one last look, setting my jaw. If Kiango was still down there, still breathing and fighting for his life, I wanted him to know that I was doing this for the both of us. For the children he would someday father. For the future of all Guardians.
For now, all I had to do was get down to the hangar and hope that I could figure out how to salvage one of the damaged ships. I didn't have a plan. I didn't even know where to start looking for my targets. But I did know that Ke'Thal would not sleep in peace until I found them.
