Deva, Temple of Treachery

Chapter 13

"How much water do we have left?" asked Vihaan, grunting as he sat down, rubbing his aching feet.

Glancing over at their supplies, Amara grimaced, "Not enough."

"I'm not too worried. Whoever built this place did put in a lot of pools. We should find water soon enough, maybe we can also find some fruit trees along the way," Silas said, leaning back against the wall in front of the giant gate at the end of the long hallway they had found.

All of them were tired, and they decided to rest after spending a couple of hours trying to figure out the puzzle on the golden gate. There was no keyhole and the pattern on the gate seem to suggest that it can be open if you solve the puzzle, but none of them has succeeded.

"Let's sleep on it, try again tomorrow. If that doesn't work we will need to head back," Vihaan said. "Our old base has fruit, fish, and water so we can restock our supplies if needed."

"I can also go back alone and get the supplies while you try and solve the puzzle. I won't be any help here," Silas suggested, closing his eyes while his face was littered with fatigue.

"What about the shadows?" asked Amara, looking back into the dark hallway.

"They seem to be tied to the eclipse and eclipses only lasts a few minutes at most," Vihaan replied, absolutely sure on this.

Silas just patted his gun, "And if they are still around, this seems to keep them at bay."

"Maybe but I would have preferred if you saved your bullets," Vihaan muttered.

"So do I. Another reason to go back and see if I can find some bullets littered on the ground. They might come in handy if that fire demon shows up again."

"Yes, I did wonder what she had gone. Didn't she hunt your men?"

"True, but maybe that man, Andhaka wasted her. He seemed rather furious at her making a ruckus."

"Maybe," Vihaan said, staring at the flickering oil lamp he had set up. It would likely run out soon. "But we still need to be careful."

"If she shows up, leave her to me. I handle it," Silas mumbled, not opening his eyes.

Vihaan frowned at him, fidgeting a while before he cleared his throat. "Yes, I... thought I should ask. Have you... Eh, killed someone before? If that thing shows up you would most likely need to shoot to kill so-"

That made Silas open his eyes, smirking he glanced at Vihaan who looked more and more uncomfortable. "Do I look like someone who has killed before?"

"Yes," Amara replied without hesitation.

His eyes met Amaras, seconds went by, before he broke eye contact and looked into the darkness. "Well, I have so you don't have to worry about it."

"Dare I ask if they deserved it?" muttered Vihaan. Amara had expected Silas to smirk and tell them that they had but he just looked grim, almost guilty.

"No one deserves to die that way."

"Why did they die?" Amara asked carefully, not sure if she wanted to know.

"He stole my bread," Silas said quietly.

"Your bread?" Vihaan asked incredulously before his eyes went wide. "How old were you?"

"I'm not sure. I was abandoned at birth so I grew up in an orphanage before I was thrown out. I think I was around seven, maybe eight. I, along with many other kids, were beggars. Sometimes we stole some bread, and most often that bread was stolen by other kids. I was often given bread by foreigners, maybe they saw my eyes and knew what I was, but the other children saw me as a target and often stole from me."