Chapter 303: A lot to handle
She did not belong there? Did that mean what he thought it meant?
With all of his might, Silas fought to move near the women, but to no avail. No number of steps taken in their direction got him any closer. In fact, it was as if he was stuck in place, only running through the illusion that his feet were moving.
"Arabella!" he tried.
Nothing. No reaction. The three of them continued to chat as though Silas did not exist in the same space.
"Arabella!" he called a little louder.
Still no response from the raven-haired girl.
If only she’d turn around, he thought. The young woman had rotated her body to face her mother, leaving him with no way to behold her beautiful face.
Just for a bit, he wished to gaze into her eyes. For a second! No. Even less than that!
"Arabella!" he screamed, starling himself with the newfound range of his own voice.
Uncapped, untamed and certainly out of his control it was... For all he wished was a reaction from the woman he loved.
And a reaction he got!
Finally, the young woman’s head snapped around only for him to see her furrowed eyebrows.
Her gemstones seemed to search for something around or even behind him but never appeared to focus straight on him.
"What is it, darling?" her mother inquired.
"Nothing, I just thought I heard...," Arabella did not finish her sentence as her eyebrows remained furrowed.
"There is nothing there," said Katherine who seemed just as intrigued as Arabella.
Silas did not care for a second that she looked right through him instead of at him... He’d gotten what he wished for, which was to admire her facial expressions again.
"You are right, there is nothing at all," and with that, Arabella turned back towards her mother.
There was that itch that Silas could not scratch in the back of his throat where his vocal cords burned.
The power with which he’d screamed her name surprised even him, and it left its marks behind.
One of his hands rose to cover that area of his body while his diamonds begged to stay on Arabella for a bit longer.
Alas that wish could not be granted since a fourth voice interfered.
"Silas!"
One that came distorted and foreign at the beginning but grew familiar as time went on.
The visuals faded the more the voice turned louder.
"Silas!"
Silas cursed it for it took the only thing he wished to look at and when his eyes opened, they were greeted by none other than Persephone who towered over his body.
Her bloodshot eyes were as foreign as her voice sounded moments before. Wide open and unsteady they were as she examined the state of her son.
However, his first instinct was to check on Arabella’s body.
Still by his side... Utterly limp and so cold. Not a shred of life hid in it. On the contrary, death seemed to settle in, conquering her body inch by inch.
Her skin had even started switching shades from its usual fair, pinkish hue to a bluish one.
"Did you faint?" Persephone’s head tilted, her expression unchanged.
"I am not sure," he sat straight, "What is it you need, mother?" he finally turned to glare at her.
The Lady took a deep breath, "As cruel as this may sound, you are needed out there," she paused, "The sun will soon rise and I can’t stay,"
"I see," was all that he said.
"There’s a lot that needs to be handled and... Katherine...," she trailed off, eyes darting away.
His features hardened further, "I cannot be trusted to decide on Katherine’s fate. Not now, mother,"
Silas felt the need to clear and hold his throat, as if something hid among his vocal cords, scratching and wearing them down.
"I understand," Persephone straightened her stance, "Unfortunately, there is no one else I may trust with this,"
"What about her sisters? They were supposed to guard her, so where are they?" Silas stood to his feet.
"They were found unconscious and still are as we now speak,"
The more they found out, the less things made any sense.
Well, deep down, it all made sense; Katherine had attacked her sisters and rendered them unconscious before fleeing the room but...
"They are still being inspected to determine the cause of their unconsciousness, but the doctors will have to stop before sunrise in any case,"
Silas had the heart to ask no further questions on anything. His mind still bustling with questions about the recent vision he had.
The fact that he’d fallen unconscious perplexed him but did not consume him as much as it should have.
There were many things to tend to indeed, but all he could think about was that the only person who’d ever seen him smile in his adult years was taking that secret with to her soon to be dug grave.
"It is unfair, yes," Persephone’s voice rose to give an unprompted answer.
His gaze snapped from Arabella’s frozen figure to his mother. The Lady had her eyes on the young woman as well, a not-so-distant expression on and halfway furrowed eyebrows.
"I pride myself in my mostly accurate predictions and projections into the future, but I must say; this is something I did not ever foresee," she practically whispered, "She brought so much in such a short period of time,"
"And now, she is taking it all with her," he said.
"No, dear," her hand wrapped around his tense shoulder, "She’ll be leaving most of it behind,"
"I don’t know...," for a moment it seemed as though Silas was done speaking but, then more words came, "I don’t know where to go from here,"
"I know," was all that she said while slowly nodding.
"I will handle the rest if you take care of the arrangement for her," he moved towards the curtains and slipped through them, leaving his mother alone with the body of the woman he was supposed to marry.