To a man, woman, and child, all had torn their eyes from Eli and were staring past me in shock. So then I had to look.

I twisted just as he came to a stop fifteen feet behind me. Grinning. Standing before us for the first time in ten years.

Sylous.

Chapter
Thirty

SYLOUS STOOD IN SILENCE, HIS WHITE SUIT PRISTINE, his dark hair slicked back, face sunken and pale, his green eyes carefully drinking in the scene. I couldn’t take my eyes off him—it was as though he was looking through us rather than at us. As though his eyes were reaching past our flesh and stirring the fear in our bones.

Rose was the first to move, stumbling forward. “Sylous, you’ve come.”

He raised his hand and silenced her. She pulled up near me, fingers trembling at her sides. Rose feared him as deeply as any of us.

“It appears you’ve all lost your faith to the deception of a little boy.” Sylous cut his eyes toward Eli, who watched calmly.

“No,” Rose said after a moment of silence. Her eyes were trained at Sylous’s feet. “We are still faithful to your holiness. Always.”

No one else dared to speak. But I could, I thought. I could say what I had seen from the hilltop.

“Yet you seem to marvel at this Fury, who comes like a thief to steal and destroy.”

“No,” Rose said, lifting pleading eyes.

Sylous scanned the crowd and raised his voice. “Are you all foolish enough to believe lies of sight beyond fear?”

“Eli is magic,” came a small voice. All eyes turned to see that little Stephen had stepped out from the children.

“Please, Sylous,” Rose cried, face white with fear. “He doesn’t understand what he is saying.”

Sylous ignored Rose’s plea and walked toward the child.

“Please,” Rose tried again.

Sylous again held up his hand, and Rose stilled. He towered over the small boy, then bent over, hands on his knees. “Will you be honest with me, son?”

Stephen nodded, and Sylous dropped to a squat so he was nearly eye level with him. “Do you believe this boy has power?”

Stephen nodded again.

“Do you believe he is dangerous?” Sylous asked.

Stephen shook his head.

“So he’s tricked you, then,” Sylous said.

“No. Eli is my friend.”

Sylous raised his pale hand and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Stephen’s ear. “You are mistaken, boy,” he said. “He isn’t your friend. He’s your enemy.”

“But he doesn’t feel like my enemy,” Stephen said.

“That’s because he’s the most dangerous kind.” Sylous patted Stephen’s shoulder and stood.

Rose took a step toward him. “Sylous, please—”