Silver Dew Read online

  “We were talking about Caoilinn, not me,” I reminded him gently.

  He shrugged, flashing me his most charming grin as his expression lightened and brightened. “Sometimes it’s the same thing.”

  “Perhaps,” I hedged.

  He laughed softly at my obvious denial, leaning down to sweetly kiss my lips. “I may have been drawn to you because of who you once were, but I love you now because of everything you are today. I love you – Gracelynn Stevenson,” he declared, smiling down at me affectionately. “Never doubt or forget that.”

  “I’ll try.” I smiled back at him playfully. “But it is nice to be reminded.”

  “I will tell you that I love you for every single day of eternity – I promise,” he responded without hesitation. His solemn words were lightened by his teasing grin. Then his lips came down to meet mine in a kiss so sweet and simple, it left me breathless.

  I reluctantly broke away from him, my heart thudding wildly in my chest, a rosy flush blossoming over my cheeks. “We should keep going,” I reminded him breathlessly.

  “I agree,” he responded, pulling me closer, a smile brightening his intense eyes.

  “You know what I mean,” I reproached, attempting to be stern. His smile broadened upon hearing my tone, his eyes laughing at me. “The Others are still close.”

  The smile abruptly disappeared from his face. He sighed and slowly moved back. “I know. The closer they get… I can almost sense them.”

  My eyes automatically began searching the shadowy forest around us. I knew that if any of the Others were close enough for us to see, we wouldn’t be standing there still. It was an instinctual reaction. The moment Sebastian spoke of the danger, I felt almost like I could sense it too - lurking nearby, waiting, watching, driving us further and further east.

  “They might have been close enough to see the storm disappear, and if they did, they will know it was you. We may have given them a glimpse of your true strength.”

  “Maybe they’ll be afraid,” I suggested - I knew I was. It was starting to really sink in just what I had done and how impossible it should have been.

  “Or maybe they’ll feel threatened enough to make their move before a fifth joins them,” Sebastian warned. “You’re right – we shouldn’t stay here. Let’s put as much distance between ourselves and this place as we can before nightfall.”

  With that being said, he grabbed my hand and led me forward through the thick forest brush. He was always like that, as soon as he’d chosen a path, he was already on it.

  We traveled at a light jog, using deer trails to make our travel easier where we could, skipping over twisted roots and scrambling up and down the rough, rocky terrain as we headed further east. We were traveling through Quetico Provincial Park, along the border between Ontario and the United States. It was a world-renowned destination, known for its back country camping and canoeing. Only, we didn’t have a canoe so we spent our days navigating the highlands and avoiding the low-lying bogs while following the riverbanks and lake shore as best we could. Miraculously, and mostly due to Sebastian, we continued to somehow travel eastward without getting too lost. Sebastian expected us to reach the eastern-most edge of the park within a few more days and then it would be onward to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Beyond that, I didn’t know what, if anything, Sebastian had in store for us.

  We had begun our journey from Victoria, British Columbia, traveling on Sebastian’s motorcycle. At first we had slept quite comfortably in cabins or motels and eating at restaurants as we made our way along Highway 1 through the provinces and eastward across Canada. I supposed the Others must have thought we had it too easy, and suddenly whenever we tried to go near a city, something would always happen to deter us. This was when we started camping on the side of the road and eating gas station foods or stopping at the occasional roadside hut or diner. Apparently we still weren’t suffering enough. Nearly a week ago, Sebastian’s motorcycle had suddenly stopped running. The gas tank had been full, the engine purring along smoothly one second then rapidly losing power the next. Sebastian had pulled over to the side of the road and the engine came to a stuttering stop, never to start again. That was the first time he had sensed the proximity of the Others as he suddenly knew with a deadly certainty that there were four of them and they were only a few kilometers behind us. We’d had no choice but to run into the wilderness of the nearby Quetico Park. At the time we had feared they were ready to make their final move but it now appeared that they had merely been watching us from as close as they dared, pushing us to see how far we’d go. This felt like it was a game to them, and Sebastian assured me it most likely was; a deadly game that must be played by their rules. We could only hope that I would be able to regain the full potential of my magic before this game came to an end.

  Our journey had gone from bad to worse once we were forced to flee on foot. It had been a tough trek through Quetico and our progress had been agonizingly slow. At least we were able to travel light with nothing but the clothes we wore and one small pack on each of our backs. Sebastian was quite a skilled outdoorsman; he built a fire each night with ease, hunted rabbits, birds, squirrels and even chipmunks. He found edible plants and berries, fresh water and always kept us traveling in the right direction.

  I might have enjoyed spending so much time outside, having never been allowed to go camping myself, if it weren’t for the circumstances. Though some things were unpleasant, the novelty of it all and the fact that I was with Sebastian stopped me from despairing completely, at least for the most part.

  Our journey since leaving the West Coast had been both amazing and horrifying. There were some beautiful moments and amazing sights we had seen as we traveled across the country. The towering, majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains, the low-lying valleys, and flat, never-ending plains of the prairies, the breath-taking, natural magic of aurora borealis, the storms, the sunsets and spending every night in one another’s arms. But there was also the constant fear and paranoia. The random and alarming reminders that the Others were close by, that they were following us, herding us towards… something. And there was also the pressure that had been placed upon me to learn to control my magic so that we might hunt down and destroy the Others before they could do the same to us.

  It had been over a month ago when it had started, since the day Sebastian had remembered. The day when I had spoken his true name, unheard for hundreds of years. The day when I had unknowingly renewed the Binding between our souls and reawakened the dormant magic within me. The day when all hell broke loose. The day when we had begun the never-ending run for our lives.

  As I jogged along beside Sebastian through the woods, my thoughts began to drift back in time to that wonderful and terrifying day when it had all began...

  Sebastian grabbed my hand in an urgent grip as we raced out of his bedroom and down the hall in the Jensons’ house. It vaguely surprised me when I felt no pain in my arm though the memory of the Binding was fresh enough to still make me wince in anticipation.

  He hauled me along behind him without glancing back. I nearly tripped as I scrambled down the stairs after him, trying my best to keep up with his frantic pace. I slammed into his back at the bottom of the stairs where he had come to an unexpected halt. He cocked his head to one side, listening, standing so still he barely breathed. My heart pounded in my ears as I strained to listen, my breathing raspy and unsteady from fear.

  That was when I noticed the house was quiet, a deadly silence hanging over everything like a heavy mist. The warmth and familiar sense of comfort that usually filled the Jensons’ home had vanished. The quiet creaks and groans of the original wood floors, the sounds of the old beams expanding under the morning sun’s warmth, the vibrant hum of life that filled the air – it was all gone. There was nothing but silence.

  “Don?” Sebastian called Mr. Jenson’s name quietly and apprehensively as he slowly stepped away from the staircase, towing me along protectively behind him. Together we quietly inched around
the base of the stairs, my heart in my throat, my hand clammy and limp within Sebastian’s warm, firm grip. “Don?”

  Sebastian paused again by the kitchen door, his hand squeezing mine more tightly as he reached for the door handle.

  Creak.

  The unexpected sound of the loose floorboard from the hallway above our heads made us both flinch. The tense silence lasted for a split-second longer and then suddenly heavy footsteps were pounding down the hall above us.

  “Run!” Sebastian yelled. His words were completely unnecessary; my heart was already racing, my whole body so tense that I was in motion the instant the first heavy footfall fell.

  Sebastian pushed me ahead of him as we raced through the kitchen and out the side door of the Jensons’ home. We sprinted around the house, my mind only registering the slightest sense of relief to see that no one was waiting for us in front. He leapt onto his motorcycle, kicking up the stand it rested on and thrusting his only helmet into my hands. Without hesitating once, I slid onto the bike behind him and stuffed the helmet onto my head. It seemed ridiculous to me that I had once been so afraid of riding on his bike when now I couldn’t wait for its engine to come roaring to life. Sebastian fired up the engine and accelerated almost simultaneously. I barely had time to wrap my arms tightly around his waist before we lurched forward, the back tire spitting out gravel as we swerved around my car that I’d parked so close to his bike.

  “NOOOOO!”

  I recognized Walter’s howl of rage behind us, much too close for comfort.

  I was nearly frozen with fear but somehow I managed to turn my head over my shoulder just enough to glance back towards the Jensons’ house as we peeled out onto the quiet, morning street.

  The sun was so bright, it made it difficult to discern many details in that one, fleeting glance. But I immediately recognized Walter’s dark silhouette as he angrily kicked in the door of my black Austin Mini. It was more than confirmation enough that he was working with the Others and had not just been looking out for my mother’s interests as her new confidante. Another figure, who I figured to be male though he was shorter and slighter in build, stood just behind Walter, motionlessly watching us race away. And I just caught a glimpse of a third tall, dark figure rounding the corner of the house before the hedge at end of the driveway blocked them all from my view. A cold shiver ran down my spine as paralyzing fear overwhelmed me.

  I hugged Sebastian even tighter and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing the nightmare away. I took several slow, deep breaths through my nose before I regained enough control to speak.

  “They’re not following,” I forced myself to call out between clenched teeth.

  I sensed, rather than saw Sebastian’s nod of response. He didn’t ease up on the throttle one bit, leaning into the next corner at nearly double the speed limit. I felt like I was going to throw up as the bike tipped down, leaning dangerously close to the asphalt before coming out of the curve.

  Over the sound of the rushing wind in my ears and the frantic pounding of my heart, I could just make out Sebastian’s steady chant that sounded more of a frantic plea: “I want for us to be safe. I want for there to be only four. I want for us to be safe. I want for there to be only four. I want…”

  He had told me moments before, five would be enough for the Others to combine their wants and overpower our desire to escape - and to live. I had only seen three but what if there were more still inside the house or in the back yard? What if there were five, or even more? Tears trickled down my cheeks and were whipped away by the wind as I wondered for how much longer we were going to live…

  I SHOOK AWAY the memory with a shudder.

  “Are you alright?” Sebastian had pulled us to a halt as soon as he felt my hand tremble. He turned to face me, his gray eyes softened with concern.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. He rolled his eyes at my generic response but thankfully let it go. I hated bringing up the past; nothing good ever seemed to come from it.

  Sebastian looked around at the lengthening shadows in the forest, glancing quickly up at the fading blue sky. “It must be getting close to six o’clock by now. Let’s find a spot to make camp for the night and then I’ll go hunting for dinner.”

  I nodded my agreement, forcing out a smile as I pushed the frightening memories away.

  “You take such good care of me,” I teased. Sebastian laughed in response.

  “Yes, kidnapping you two weeks before you graduated from high school so that you could run for your life across the country with me was extraordinarily responsible. I’m actually quite impressed with myself; I’ve turned you into a runaway and a dropout. You’re welcome, by the way,” he added with another laugh. I was glad to see he was smiling but nonetheless, I continued in a firm but gentle tone.

  “You didn’t kidnap me – I’m not a child and I chose to come with you.”

  “What choice did you have? If you had stayed…” His smile faded with his words.

  “I had already chosen you,” I reminded him softly. I held out my right arm, slowly turning it over to indicate the intricate, black design of my tattoo that twisted in and around itself as it wrapped up the full-length of my arm and disappeared beneath my stained t-shirt sleeve. “Before you remembered the Others, before we knew what kind of danger we were in, I had already chosen to be with you.” I twiddled with the ancient ring on the fourth finger of my left hand as I spoke, my fingers stroking the twisted metal and rubbing the small, warm amber heart at its center.

  Sebastian’s eyes followed my movements, a small smile curving his lips as he watched me play with the ring.

  “You were so angry when you took my ring back. I half-thought you were doing it to spite me, and half-hoped that you might be motivated by something more.”

  “It was mostly-spite,” I retorted but now with a smile of my own.

  Sebastian grinned back at me, pleased by my playfulness. “I’ll turn that spite-ring into an engagement-ring yet,” he promised with a cheeky sparkle in his eye. “Come on, let’s choose a campsite.”

  Sebastian took my hand, lacing my fingers through his as he slowly continued down the trail. I could already see an open area up ahead that would be as good a spot as any. It would appear that at least some of Sebastian’s wants were still being fulfilled.

  I followed Sebastian down the trail but once he had turned away, I let my smile fade. He hadn’t been able to hide the strain in his eyes and the forced quality to his laughter that had now left me ill at ease. I knew he must sense the change in the air that had begun not long after the storm had disappeared. There was a strange, expectant sense of gathering catastrophe of which even I was aware. It was a heavy, intangible quality to the air, a mood emphasized by the evening light and eerie silence, unexpected in the forest. I knew, with an undeniable certainty, that something was about to happen. Something had changed.

  Chapter Two – Fire

  I was surprised when Sebastian left me to set up camp while he hunted. Apparently, he was trying to pretend nothing was wrong – which made me even more certain that something was. The fact that he had left me alone despite whatever new danger we faced bothered me. It meant that whatever had changed, whatever new danger lay ahead for us, it was inevitable. It wouldn’t make a difference if he was with me or not, if we were going to die, there was nothing he could do about it. It could only mean one thing – the Others must have been joined by a fifth and they were already close on our tails. The realization was not as horrifying as it should have been. I had known this would eventually happen; in a way, it was almost a relief that it would be over soon… almost. I felt strangely numb with only a faint sense of fear quivering at the edges of my empty calmness.

  I tried to keep myself busy while I waited for Sebastian to return, forcing my mind to stay focused on the tasks at hand. I liked to have camp properly set-up and ready for his return, wanting to contribute some small effort to our survival in any way I could.

  There were still no clouds in the sky
and the air felt warm and calm, sticky even. I didn’t bother building a lean-to for the night, even though I had learnt how from Sebastian’s expert teachings. Tonight we would sleep under the stars. Because of the earlier, heavy rains the ground was still damp enough that we’d be able to have a fire but we’d need to use the tarpaulin to sleep on.

  I set myself to work, using a stick to dig a small fire pit and then gathering several armfuls of firewood, searching underneath the thick brush to find branches and twigs that would be dry enough to burn. The light was beginning to fade in the depths of the woods so I lit the fire without waiting for Sebastian. I was only slightly comforted by its quiet crackling and its gentle glow. The feel of unseen eyes on my back made me shift uneasily as I laid out our bed.

  “Just your imagination,” I muttered to myself. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down my spine.

  I knew Sebastian would be back soon. He was never gone for longer than half an hour – sometimes returning after what felt like just a few minutes with enough food to last us several days. I knew if I stood around, idly waiting for him, my thoughts would head in a dangerous direction so I forced myself not to think about the terrifying dangers that lay ahead of us and instead pushed myself into action. I grabbed our water bottles and began marching towards the sound of a nearby, rushing river. The fire was small and the river was close enough that I felt safe leaving the campsite unattended for a few minutes.

  I found a good spot where the river bank wasn’t too steep and I began to cautiously make my way down the slope. The river was running low this time of year, and I had to carefully make my way over the uneven surface of rocks and pebbles to reach the water’s edge, wary of the slippery stones with only the fading sunlight to guide my way.