by Ali Winters
“Azira,” Nivian spoke, “I have a favor to ask.”
“Sure, anything,” the girl replied brightly.
“The first time we find a trace of energy, Yeva or otherwise, please let me know? I want to feel it out, and see if I can hone in on it. Maybe between my powers and that thing,” she said pointing to the compass in her hand, “we can triangulate where Silas has been, and if he’s still here.”
“You can do that?” Azira asked amazed.
“I don’t know, but I want to try. I think without being next to a Reaper it would have to be someone strong, like Silas or Caspian.”
“Yeah! Of course, we’ll let you know.” Azira smiled. “That is so cool.”
Nivian glanced over her shoulder to sneak a peek at Kain. He was studying her, no longer frowning. It might have been her imagination, but his eyes seemed to smile at her, even if his mouth didn’t.
EVANDER
The plane landed on the black tarmac, and he transported from the top of the machine into the edge of the forest. He felt ridiculous hiding behind a tree, but he was not in a position to argue with Caspian’s orders.
His orders were clear, keep an eye on Nivian, and if anything unplanned happened he was to report back immediately.
Caspian had caught him up to speed before leaving G.R.I.M. Headquarters and his mind still reeled with the knowledge of everything that had been going on beneath the surface. He’d never suspected, and he doubted any others had either. Not that any part of him blamed Caspian. He wouldn’t have the time or energy to handle the volley of Reapers panicking and demanding answers that he didn’t have. Telling them would solve nothing—they needed to continue their work.
The three Hunters and Nivian exited the plane. One of the males was supposed to be her friend. Kain? Which one was it? Neither man seemed overly friendly toward her, and the girl was busy looking at several devices in her hands and pointing. Nivian looked out of place in the midst of the group, her demeanor less confident than he’d grown to know. Evander couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened.
The small blonde girl was pointing again and all four started to walk due north. Evander transported to a tree in the general vicinity of where they were headed and settled himself on a branch, thick with leaves to hide him.
They approached slowly, winding their way through the thick brush.
“Spread out,” the younger male said. “Nivian, Azira—you two take the middle, Jack and I will flank you. If you see anything unusual, call out and someone with the compass will check.”
And that one must be Kain… Evander narrowed his eyes.
After two hours of walking at a snail’s pace, the one named Jack stopped. His face unpleasant and miserable. “I found something over here,” he called out.
Kain and Azira ran past Nivian who followed behind.
Smart, he thought. There was something about the one who called them over that made Evander feel uneasy. His reactions were off just enough to seem out of place.
Azira ran forward with her device. Standing next to him, she waved it around, scanning the area. After a moment, she dropped her hands to her sides. “There’s nothing there. You’re mistaken.”
“I was not mistaken, the needle pointed that way,” he said, pointing toward the south.
“Well, I’m not getting a reading over here. We should continue our path, north toward the caves.”
“Seriously? Why bring me along if you’re going to ignore me?”
“Jack,” Kain stepped between them. “If you get another reading that Azira can confirm, we will go in that direction. If she gets a reading, we’ll have you confirm. Until then, we head toward the caves. If there’s a trace of power left, maybe Nivian can identify it and we’ll have another way to look.”
Jack glowered. “Fine.”
Again, they spread out and resumed their path. Watching them was boring. Hours crawled by, leaving Evander to feel as if he’d been watching grass grow.
“Oh! Hey!” the small blonde jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “I got something!”
Kain and Nivian rushed to her side, and Jack joined them moments later.
“Nope, I got nothing.” His tone was flat and Evander could have sworn that the man hadn’t even looked down at his device.
Kain bent over both of their hands, studying them. “They aren’t giving the same readings. Are they both calibrated correctly?”
Immediately, the girl flipped hers over and opened it, tinkering with the insides. Evander strained his neck to see what she was doing but from his position, he was too far away. Now he regretted transporting so far ahead of them.
“Ah, ha!” Azira called out. “I reset mine, and it’s still getting the reading. Jack let me see yours.”
Handing it over, Jack watched her, arms crossed over his chest. The girl repeated the process then examined it.
“Now it should work,” she announced, handing it back. Turning to Nivian, she grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind.
Evander stood straight, ready to transport between them… but the blonde didn’t seem to have ill intentions.
“It’s stronger here,” Azira said when she stopped. “See if you can feel it.”
With her chin tilted up, Nivian closed her eyes. Standing still for a long moment, she almost looked like a statue. Slowly, she turned, facing each direction before crouching low and placing her hands upon the dirt. She let her head fall limp, and once again became still.
“This isn’t—” Jack started.
“Shush!” Azira warned then mouthed the words, “Let her concentrate.”
Evander smiled. She might be small, but she had a backbone. Now that was a Hunter worth respect.
Closing his eyes, Evander focused, trying to feel the hint of energy that Nivian seemed to have latched onto. He’d found Nivian’s instantly, and it startled him. He’d never felt another Reaper’s powers, and hers were so strong. Stronger than Caspian’s, stronger even than Silas’s powers. Reaching out further, he searched for the foreign Hunter’s powers.
Nothing.
If he lacked sight and relied solely on his ability to sense powers, the only being on earth he’d know, was Nivian and the two ancients.
“I got it,” Nivian said as she stood. “I think. I felt something powerful. It wasn’t exactly like a Reaper, but it seemed familiar somehow. I think it might be Yeva.”
“Why would Yeva be here?” Jack asked as if it were a ridiculous notion.
“She might not be here; it could just be traces of her power. But I sensed Silas, too. It was really faint, but it’s strongest in that direction.” Nivian pointed north, the way everyone in the group seemed drawn to… except Jack.
Evander narrowed his eyes. There was defiantly something off with that one.
“You felt Silas?” Kain asked, taking a step toward her.
Nivian’s eyes widened. “I think so. I mean, I did feel something else, but when I felt his power, I focused on that.”
“Okay, I don’t think these things can sense Reaper energy, so we are counting on you to lead the way toward him.”
She nodded then scanned the area ahead of her as if she could see the physical form of the power.
NIVIAN
Taking the lead, Nivian walked forward with confidence, stopping every few minutes to correct her direction. As they walked, they climbed toward the highest point of the island.
“Nivian,” Kain spoke. “We are heading away from the cave now.”
Nivian turned to face him, a frown pulling at her lips. Without speaking, she closed her eyes and searched for Silas’s power. When she opened her eyes again, she swallowed hard and nervous energy filled her. She wrung her hands. “I feel his energy that way. I don’t know what’s over there, but I sense him. It’s been getting stronger.”
“We agreed to go to the cave,” Jack interrupted.
Kain looked annoyed as he turned to the man. “We are looking for Silas. The caves were our starting point. I
f his energy is in a different direction, we need to follow that.”
“What? I say we go away from the caves and everyone fights it, she says it and suddenly it’s law?”
“You know that’s not how it is.” Kain rubbed his temples. “Besides, she’s the only one who can sense Silas. Our compasses can only locate Yeva’s energy.”
“Fine. We’ll follow her. Just don’t expect me to save your butts when she has you walking off the cliff.” They all followed the direction of Jack’s hand with their eyes as he pointed toward the cliffs growing closer. The tall peak sloped on the northwest side, covered in trees and a horseshoe shaped cliff on the west side.
With that comment, she had reached her breaking point. She’d been trying to keep quiet so as not to instigate anything but at every turn Jack was making some kind of disparaging remark. The longer they worked together, the more hostile Jack seemed to grow toward her. Nivian couldn’t understand what she’d done. She hadn’t threatened him or anything; she was only trying to find Silas.
“Stop it! I’m not trying to kill anyone here. I’m just trying to find Silas. None of you have to walk so close you’d fall off anything. Now either follow me and look for Silas, or find another way to look for him,” Nivian snapped.
Jack looked at her wide-eyed but said nothing. When she was satisfied with his understanding, she turned sharply and headed where Silas’s energy took her.
Sure enough, it led them to the top of the peak. Nivian looked over her shoulder at the others, Kain and Azira watched with blank expressions. They trusted her. Jack stood behind them, arms folded. She continued on to the edge.
“See? Leading us off a cliff,” Jack mumbled.
“That’s enough, Jack,” Kain snapped.
Ignoring the snide comments, Nivian held a hand up, halting the others, and continuing alone. The tips of her toes touched the edge of land. She let the wind glide over her face and play with the silvery strands of her hair. Her powers called out, reaching for Silas. Still, they beckoned from the other side of the cliff. Satisfied with the certainty that they would find him, Nivian faced the others.
“The power is leading me down there.” She pointed down, her voice barely carrying over the thunderous roar of the waterfall.
Kain waited for her to rejoin them before speaking, “Okay, so he’s near the beach somewhere. That’s a lot further than I expected to get in day one.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We will have to go around to get there, so we’ll head down the slope and walk the beach until we reach the other side of the drop off. Save your energy, Nivian. You can search for his power again when we’re on the beach.”
They hiked another hour. The three Hunters had slowed their pace in that time, but if they were tired, no one complained. A breeze had picked up as the sun started to fall, taking with it the warmth and light.
“All right everyone, I think we need to call it a night,” Jack announced. “The sun will set in an hour.”
Nivian shot a glance to the others, but Kain was already unpacking and Azira was clearing a large circular area, collecting branches.
After Jack and Kain built the fire, they all sat around the flickering flames. Azira made small conversation with each of them in turn, but Nivian, Kain, and Jack, weren’t very talkative and she eventually gave up. Nivian had turned down the offer of food not needing it, and the mush in the little bags hadn’t been appetizing. They sat in silence once they’d finished eating, soaking up the small amount of heat from the crackling fire in the night’s chill.
It didn’t bother Nivian, but it wasn’t her favorite environment.
She sat before the fire, entranced by the dancing flames. Seeking out Silas’s energy all day had exhausted her mentally in a way she hadn’t expected.
“Would you like a blanket?” Kain’s voice drew her out of her thoughts. She dragged her gaze away from the hypnotic flickering and looked up.
He was back to frowning as he held out the blanket out to her.
“Thank you,” she said taking it. Finally, he’d spoken to her about something other than finding Silas. It was only five little words, not important in the scheme of things, but they meant the world to her. Kain pulled back, unfolding the blanket and wrapping the dark, plaid material around her shoulders. She opened her mouth to thank him again, but he was already walking away.
Kain sat opposite her, with the fire between them. The face that had been set in hard lines for the past twenty-four hours had softened during their hike. Now he just looked disappointed and sad.
It bothered her how much hurt she’d caused him by not responding with an answer of any kind. Instead, she had only mentioned how she didn’t understand. He was looking for an answer, one he rightfully deserved, and she owed him something. Even just to request time to sort her thoughts. He had deserved that much.
Love had never crossed her radar before. Never having known it, or been told what it was, made it a foreign concept. She needed time to understand her feelings for him.
That night, he spoke about a pull. Could that be love? she mused. But the pull felt more like a need, like it was supposed to be there with or without her consent. Perhaps this was the key to why the human experience had fascinated her. Their ability to love so easily. Her heart told her that whatever it was between them, she wanted it to be want—wanting to spend time, wanting to touch, wanting to feel. But if it was only need, then it didn’t feel right. It felt shallow.
Could someone feel love if they didn’t have a choice—if it was a need forced upon them? Or could it only be true if it sprung from desire? A tree needed the sun to live. It was dependent on it and couldn’t survive without its light and warmth. But the tree wanted wind—wanted it to rustle through its leaves, caressing it, making its branches dance and sway with its movements. From her limited observations, the humans who’d claimed love when it was dependence were never happy. Only those who made the decision freely were able to devote their heart fully to the other.
Kain stoked the fire one last time before they all lay down. Nivian didn’t feel like sleeping but curled up under her blankets regardless and stared up at the stars sparkling in the night as her mind wandered in endless circles.
TWENTY-FIVE
EVANDER
THEY WOKE WITH the morning sun and packed up. From the looks of it, the Hunters had not slept well. Nivian had laid down at the same time but once their breathing had slowed and became even, she sat up and continued to stare into the fire.
Evander watched patiently. Part of him itched to approach Nivian, to talk with her about Silas, the mission, and to help in whatever way he could. But Caspian had given him direct orders not to get involved unless something went wrong, but first to inform him. From his vantage point on the high branch, he wondered why Nivian didn’t just teleport around the island to find Silas. It certainly would have been faster.
He wasn’t thrilled with following behind, not being part of the action. It felt like a gigantic step down from being a Timeless Reaper when he’d just earned his Silencer position. But he also knew that this mission was far more important than it seemed at the moment.
They quickly packed up their supplies and began their hike down to the beach. The mood between them was heavy, forcing a pregnant silence between them as they followed the shoreline for several miles, and only stopping when they reached a wall of rock that jutted out into the water.
“Nivian, transport to the other side and wait for us there,” Kain instructed. “The rest of us will climb around this.”
She did as instructed.
Now’s my chance to talk to her without the Hunters, Evander thought. He straightened, preparing to transport but stopped short when another figure appeared. He squinted into the distance. It was a Reaper. It didn’t seem likely that Caspian would send another without mentioning it beforehand.
The Reaper removed her hood and long, golden brown waves of hair tumbled free of the cloak. Camira. It was strange that she would be here now of all plac
es. Evander transported closer, staying hidden behind more rock.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Nivian! Caspian sent me to find you.”
Evander narrowed his eyes. Caspian had sent him to watch over Nivian, knowing exactly where to find her. Something prickled the back of his mind, warning him to stay hidden and not reveal himself yet. Much like the Hunter, Jack, who held something against Nivian, something about Camira didn’t seem right. Her story didn’t fit.
Thinking back to the last time he’d seen Camira at Headquarters, something had seemed off about her behavior and he didn’t trust her now any more than he had then. Evander had watched her leave through the main gates, and only minutes later, she’d been in the back halls putting a torch back on the wall. Of course he’d never spoken to her before that moment, but he’d had never witnessed a Reaper acting in such a way.
“Why are you here? I just spent hours looking for you!” Camira continued.
“I’m sorry, Cami. I left at the last minute. I’m a kind of in the middle of something important.” Nivian looked around her friend where the Hunters were climbing the side of the rocky cliff. “Did he say what he wanted?”
Camira hesitated. “No, but…” she turned at the sound of voices. “Are you freaking kidding me?” Her gaze snapped sharply back to Nivian.
Evander’s distrust grew even more. Caspian had told him about the Hunters, if Camira’s claims were true, they shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Nivian placed her hand on Camira’s arm. “Not now, Cami. Didn’t Caspian tell you why I was with them?”
“Of course he did, I just… didn’t believe it until now.”