Page 82 of Salem’s Rise

“You mean… like a magical wish?” I scoff. “There’s no such thing.”

“It could be anything, I suppose,” he says. “Love. Revenge. Money. Health.”

The bells ring then, and we sway together in the wind as the ropes strain and the planks buck beneath us. I should be thinking about my balance, but I can’t stop thinking about what he just said.

“So you just ask for whatever you want and the Veil makes it happen?”

“Not exactly,” he says. “They say the boon is bound to whoever earns it. You don’t ask. The Veil knows and grants you whatever you want most in the world.”

“I’m not saying I buy all this, but I’ll play along,” I say. “If you win, what do you think you’ll get?”

Silas’s gaze catches on mine for a long beat before he finally looks away. “I have no idea.”

“Oh, right. You don’t want for anything, is that it?” I laugh, certain he’s mocking me. “Then why are you here risking your life again?”

“Because my uncle doesn’t consider participation in The Rites optional.”

There is no self-pity in his voice, but that only makes it worse. I have spent the past months thinking of Silas as someone who holds all the keys. It never occurred to me that he might be trapped by the very world he seems to control.

“You don’t have a choice?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.

“I suppose there’s always a choice.” He shrugs. “But my family has been leading the Veil for generations. It feels like my… obligation to continue.”

“I know what that’s like.”

One dark eyebrow rises skeptically.

“Not that I’m the heir to an ancient bloodthirsty cult like you are, obviously,” I clarify.

“Obviously.”

“But I get family responsibilities,” I continue. “Sometimes I feel like my life belongs to my mother more than to myself. Like I can’t ever really relax or be a normal twenty-something because I have her to take care of.”

Something in his expression softens. “And who takes care of you?”

“Josh did,” I say. “Now I take care of myself.”

The bridge settles again and we continue onward. For several steps, neither of us says anything as we follow the planks.

“What about you?” He turns to me, genuine curiosity in his eyes. “What do you want if you win the boon?”

“That’s easy. I want my brother back.”

The bridge shakes as we pass Rowan and Georgina and catch up to Van and his partner. Van edges past Silas, careful not to get too close, while his tattooed partner crowds me against the outer rope, the bridge rolling beneath our combined weight.

The third bell rings and then everything happens at once. Van’s partner loses his footing and stumbles into me. My heart lurches as my foot slips between two planks and the bridge snaps sideways, throwing me over the outer rope. Rowan shouts my name while Silas risks his own safety, lunging across the pitching bridge to stop me from going over the side.

He isn’t fast enough.

The gust hits before he can close the distance, tearing across the ravine with enough force to blow a body over the edge. Something surges through me on instinct, a strange rush of energy, some kind of burst of adrenaline, and somehow, I remain perfectly still. My coat flies backward, but I go nowhere as the wind divides around me. For one impossible second, I stand inside a pocket of perfect stillness while the storm breaks on either side.

Then it’s gone, and I’m still safely on my feet.

Silas stares at me, neither of us saying a word. I have no idea what just happened. It must’ve been… luck? The cliff probably redirected the gust, or the rock broke the momentum.

“Holy shit. Are you okay, Jack?” Rowan calls, his face tight with concern. Then he turns on Van’s partner. “What the hell was that? You nearly knocked her off the bridge, you asshole.”

The man shrugs. “It was an accident. She should be more careful.”