“I’m not.”
He freezes and stares into my eyes.
“What’s going on?” I remove the blankets and find myself covered in sweat.
Silas pauses from across the room, then storms toward the edge of the bed and grabs my face, trying to pull me entirely from sleep. I notice he’s completely dressed with weapons strapped to his back, and his familiar sword rests just above his shoulder. His face is hard, his eyes are dark, and his chest heaves.
“They are here. The ships are here,” his voice spits out.
“Ships?” I respond, unable to process his words.
“They are early, and it’s not just one ship. It’s two.”
Chapter 43
Ileap out of bed and start to dress. I pull on the armor that Fen had previously lent to me for the Archives, the jeweled snake eyes shining in the moonlight, and begin to strap on my axes. Silas works quickly, keeping to himself to prepare as best he can for what’s ahead.
“How far are they?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“They will be in the harbor within the hour,” he bites back.
“How…how did we find this out?”
Silas pauses. “Larkin and Warrick were out patrolling after his fight with Fen and saw the ships over the horizon.” He takes a long breath. “They came back here immediately after seeing it and alerted me.”
“Fuck,” I whisper.
“Then, I had to come after you. You can’t let yourself get so exhausted anymore, and you have to stop thinking about her.”
“I wasn’t thinking about her,” I snap back.
He glares at me. “All you do is think about her. I know it. I can feel it.”
“Silas,” I extend my hand, and he takes it, placing it against his heart.
“It’s okay,” he says, defeat lacing his tone.
I focus on his rapidly beating heart. “I’m serious.”
“We don’t have time for this, my love. We need to go. We need to fight.” He turns his gaze toward the chaotic sea. “Now.”
“Maines,” I exclaim. “Will she and Rose be safe?”
“Warrick is placing another ward around the house now. He is skilled, so I’m confident they will stay safe and hidden. He taught Rose the Rigil of invisibility should things go wrong.” He cups my jaw. “She’s prepared to hide with Maines if the time comes.”
I feel panic rising in my throat, and Silas steps toward me, cupping my face once more.
“You need to focus; you can’t let fear take over.” His lips crash against mine for a moment. “Don’t let your guard down. Stay calm and fight, Briar. We don’t have any more time; we need to leave.”
I nod, my head barely moving.
“Larkin. Where is Larkin?” I ask.
“He’s preparing the ship to go out toward them, just like we planned. Do you still want to go with him?”
My chest heaves.
“Do you still want to join him on the front lines?”
