Chapter 30. I killed them.
The resort pool was buzzing with people and the sound of water splashing. The sun was high in the sky and the palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. The atmosphere returned to normal after all. Nothing happened. Who would say they saw the Silas Vane cleaning up bodies or accuse his daughter of murder. No. This was a happy place for vacationing families and couples.
Among them, on a lounge chair under a shade, sat Evelyn. She looked different today, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her blonde hair was down and she sipped on a cocktail, watching Kathy and Hailey play a game of tag with Aurora. She’d gotten to know the name of the Vane family. Aurora looked at Evelyn like she was a celebrity.
Silas appeared out of thin air next to her with Victoria.
He sat on the lounge chair. A sigh left him, looking more exhausted than normal. Naturally Evelyn had noticed what happened earlier, the teleportation of his daughter, the blood, everything.
“Everything taken care of?” she asked as she handed him an empty glass. Then she snapped her fingers, the glass filled up with water.
Victoria nodded to her. The girl had been looking at her with a certain wariness, like she was ready to attack at any moment. But seeing her walk away towards her twin, she seemed more relaxed.
Silas drank the water in one go and put the glass back in her hand before he laid back and closed his eyes for a second.
“Lucifer is on her way,” he casually replied. Like that name didn’t make Evelyn’s body stiffen for a second.
A shiver ran down her spine. It was too soon. Evelyn knew Haden’s death would trigger a response from the Hunter Association but not this fast.
He thought the same. Silas turned his head to look at her.
“If the Judge is here that means the Hand is also close,” he continued, a frown on his face.
Her thoughts were racing. The Hand, his right hand man, Isaac. Death magic. Two S-ranks were coming here and she was the reason for it.
Silas took a deep breath in and smiled at her.
“Two against two,” he said. “Like old times,” his smile turned into a grin.
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of chlorine and the sounds of laughter, the laughter of Elizabeth who joined the pool game with a bright smile.
She nodded, “Maybe a new dance would be fun, Silas.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled. They watched Elizabeth get dunked in the pool by Victoria.
Evelyn smiled and took a sip from her drink.
“Caiden and Elnouk wanted to talk to you about their wives,” Evelyn said after a minute.
Silas made a face, looking slightly uncomfortable with the idea of meeting the widowers of his daughter's victims.
“Yeah sure, I’ll talk to them in a minute.”
He stood up, his hands in his pockets, and looked at Elizabeth in the pool who had already started another game, but she quickly flashed him a smile and a wink before going back to it.
Then he walked and Evelyn followed. They were going to the private lounge area for hunters, where Caiden and Elnouk were. It was quiet and had a depressing vibe. The lounge chairs were occupied by the two men and on a table between them, ten bottles of different liquors were laid out, mostly empty.
The two looked like shit. Seeing Silas and Evelyn come in, they greeted them halfheartedly before pouring themselves another glass. The lounge felt suffocating, the light dim. No music.
Elnouk was the first to speak. He reached for his collar and swallowed.
“It’s nice to meet you in person Mr.Vane.” He had a rough voice. “I’d prefer different circumstances but…” his voice died down as he drank the glass of rum.
Silas leaned against the wall next to Evelyn, his arms crossed and a stoic look in his eyes.
“Nice to meet you too. Now what is this about?”
Caiden took another shot, his eyes glassy from the alcohol and his brown hair sticking to his sweaty face.
“This morning in the buffet area,” he cleared his throat. “We lost track of our wives...they were in the restroom, and they never came out.”
Evelyn sighed. She didn’t think they were actually going to bring this up, it seemed almost surreal.
Silas had his shoulder loose, his gaze wandering to the ceiling before he locked eyes with them again.
“If you want to know what happened to them, just ask.” His voice was low and it sent shivers down the A-rankers’ spines.
Neither of them moved or spoke. They wanted to know but were also scared of the answer, knowing the possibility of their wives being dead.
But Caiden was more desperate than Elnouk so he asked the question they both had in mind.
“Did you...?” his words hung in the air.
Silas nodded, “I killed them and I disposed of their bodies. You won’t find them,” he confirmed, not a trace of remorse or regret on his face.
Evelyn watched the scene unfold with pity for the men in front of her. Their jaws clenched but no tears were shed as they downed their glasses.
Caiden swallowed.
“Why?” Elnouk choked on the word. “They didn’t do anything. They were just going to the fucking toilet!”
His eyes widened, “Sorry... I lost control for a second,” his breathing slowed and he wiped his eyes, no tears but a pained expression. “I just want to know why.”
The air in the lounge was heavy as it absorbed all of the emotions.
Silas ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back.
“They insulted my daughter and I don’t tolerate disrespect against my family.”
Honest and cold.
The two men sat in silence.
“But your magic came after they were already...I saw the blood before you teleported,” Caiden whispered. Almost afraid that the words were too loud.
Silence.
“Are you accusing my daughter of murder?” Silas stepped away from the wall and walked to the two of them. His mana slowly leaked out and the atmosphere changed. The temperature dropped.
“My princess is perfect in every way.” He stopped in front of the men.
Evelyn remained by the wall, a look of nostalgia in her eyes. How many times has she seen this side of Silas before?
Caiden nodded quickly and Elnouk averted his eyes. They didn’t dare look him in the eyes.
“I killed your wives, understood? That is what the judge will hear right?” His tone left no room for argument.
A double nod. The men looked down at the floor.
Looking down on the two, Silas pushed his mana further and the bottles on the table vibrated.
“What will the judge hear?” He demanded, his voice getting lower. Like he was talking to toddlers who didn’t understand.
“That you killed our wives, Mr. Vane,” they said in unison, their voices quivering slightly.
A small smile appeared on Silas’s lips.
“Good,” he nodded and the mana stopped leaking. The tension in the room eased up a bit.
Evelyn and Silas left the lounge, the men didn’t follow.
The hallway was quiet compared to the pool area, the carpet muffling their steps. Evelyn looked at the man next to her.
“You’re sparing them?” she asked. Her curiosity piqued. This wasn’t like him.
Silas glanced outside the window, in the distance where a plane was landing on an airstrip and six fighter jets flew above it.
“Not when the Judge is here. Remember what Matilda tried to do back when I retired? I don’t need Lucifer breathing down on my neck too,” he replied.
Right. Matilda, the first judge and a monster of a different kind. Her protege, Lucifer was probably cut from the same cloth.
“What were those three contract again,” Silas paused.
Evelyn quickly answered. “Valuing life, judging fairly and ruling with logic.”
Silence.
He snorted. “Contract magic and Sealing magic... are the ones that are broken not Space magic. Fucking concepts themselves as the power,” he scoffed as they walked back to the pool.
Evelyn smiled and followed next to him with her hands behind her back. It felt right. She didn’t say this but she thought he was being a hypocrite. Berlin was still second to him after all.