Silver Dew

by Suzi Davis

  “About that spell though,” he continued on in a lighter tone, “how are you certain that Mags’ memory loss will be permanent? The magic has never worked that way before.”

  “You told me once yourself that Caoilinn’s magic is different than yours and the Others’– and you were right. My spells are permanent, there are no loopholes left to be undone unless I choose for there to be.”

  Sebastian cocked his head at me, his expression puzzled.

  “Like your ring,” I explained, my fingers twisting around in his to stroke the warm metal of the thick ring that encircled his finger. “Caoilinn created it so that there was a way out for you, should you ever want to leave her and be ‘normal’ again. Of course, there was no turning back after she cast the Binding spell,” I admitted guiltily. It still bothered me that she had knowingly bound him to her at the moment of her death, increasing his pain and his loneliness for centuries to come.

  “I wonder though… if there are loopholes in the magic of the Others, including yours, then shouldn’t there be a way to undo what you and Mags have done?” I continued my train of thoughts aloud.

  Sebastian frowned, not following me for once. “What do you mean?”

  “The magic of the Others was all a result of yours and Mags’ wants – so their ability can’t be permanent. You were the only one who was granted powers by Caoilinn herself but the rest… there should be a way to strip them of their abilities,” I concluded.

  Sebastian considered this, his expression thoughtful.

  “It’s possible,” he conceded.

  I was certain I was right. I could feel the truth behind my words as I spoke them. There had to be a way to undo the magic of the Others… but how?

  “I can try to summon Caoilinn’s memories in my dreams somehow. If there was a way, she must have known,” I suggested nervously. Sebastian immediately shook his head.

  “She didn’t know how to take back the magic. She said it was permanent and I know she was speaking the truth.”

  “The magic that she had granted you may have been,” I objected. “But not the magic that you and Mags gave to the Others.”

  “But Mags’ magic was from Caoilinn. It was the magic Caoilinn had given to the Sisters, passed on to Mags,” Sebastian argued.

  “Perhaps that changed it?”

  “Perhaps.” He sounded doubtful.

  My brows twitched downwards but I kept my expression light. I didn’t want to argue just then, especially when I knew I was right.

  “How’s Mags?” I asked, changing the subject.

  Sebastian smiled, a little ruefully perhaps, and turned to examine the girl.

  “She’s awakening.”

  I peered around him and saw that it was true. Her eyelids were just starting to flutter, her head slowly turning from side to side. I found myself holding my breath as she opened her eyes, relieved to see that they were clear and focused. She looked first at Sebastian, then at me, and then she frowned.

  “Sebastian? Grace?” she asked uncertainly. Neither of us spoke. I was both shocked and relieved that she knew our names. She struggled to sit up, looking around completely puzzled. “Why the hell am I sleeping in a church?” she demanded, looking at us for answers.

  “How much do you remember?” I asked, avoiding her question. She scowled down at the floor.

  “Well… we were traveling together on a train and we were on our way to Greece, weren’t we? Are we here now? Weren’t we supposed to meet up with someone? Friends of yours or… something?”

  “Sort of,” Sebastian hedged. He glanced to me incredulously.

  “How did we meet?” I demanded. I wanted her to answer immediately and she did.

  “We met in Berlin, right? I think… I think you guys needed a place to stay and came to my apartment. Yeah, that’s right. Then we decided to go to Greece together, didn’t we? It’s so hard to remember… My head is effin’ killing me!” She grimaced, reaching up to massage at her temple.

  “Where were you born?”

  “I… well, I’m from Ireland. Is that how we know each other?” she asked, looking at Sebastian questioningly.

  “How did you get to Berlin? Who are your parents? Who are you?” I drilled.

  “My name… is Magdalene Driscoll and I… Damn it! I don’t know how I… I just don’t know!” she snapped in frustration, squeezing both of her eyes tightly shut.

  “That’s enough,” Sebastian murmured, placing his hand lightly on my arm.

  “I just need to make sure–”

  “I know,” he assured me. “But she doesn’t remember.”

  “Why can’t I remember?” Mags demanded, a touch of anger to her voice as she glared up at us.

  “Because I made you forget,” I responded honestly.

  “Why?”

  “Because you wanted to forget,” Sebastian jumped in. I appreciated him telling the lie for me, my guilt was already difficult enough to bear. “There are people chasing us – chasing you and it was too dangerous to continue on with you knowing what you did, so we erased your memory.” Again, I felt a wash of gratitude at his use of the word ‘we’.

  “Oh.” Mags seemed to believe Sebastian but she obviously didn’t understand still. “But how did you erase my memory? Did I hit my head?” She began raking her fingers through her hair, searching her scalp for bumps or lacerations.

  “We’ll explain it all to you tonight – we need to find a place to stay and figure out a plan,” I told her.

  “Are we meeting your friends tonight?” she asked, her scowl suddenly brightening. “Wasn’t there some kind of party or celebration that we were coming here for?”

  Sebastian shook his head. “No, not tonight but soon.”

  “Oh, okay.” Mags stood up, obviously disappointed. “Can we go outside? I could really use a smoke – and a drink.”

  “Sure, oh – wait. There’s one more thing.” A thought had suddenly occurred to me and I needed to ask now, while the memory might still be fresh enough in her mind. “The people we came here to Greece to meet up with, the… party that we were supposed to attend, do you remember where it is?”

  “Nope,” Mags answered with a shrug. “Why should I? It’s your lame party, isn’t it?”

  My spirits were rapidly fading, my stomach sinking down to the ground as a pit of hopelessness opened up in my chest. I turned to Sebastian but I could already see the answer in his eyes.

  “Did Mags ever tell you where the head temple of The Order is hidden?”

  His eyes were wide, his expression grim as he slowly shook his head and whispered, “No.”

  We were doomed.

  Chapter Fifteen – The Hunt

  There was a hostel not far from the church and close to the train station. We decided to stay there overnight while we figured out our next move. It was early evening by the time we had eaten and settled into our room. Mags had been unusually silent since we left the church. She sat down now on the bunk across from me and Sebastian and stared us both down with accusing eyes.

  “Are you going to explain to me what’s going on now?” she demanded. “Who are the people that you said are ‘after us’? And why does no one ever seem to question or even notice the strange things that you two do? And why are all these strange things happening – that apple you gave me that had no seeds, or the birds that seemed to follow us down the street, swooping and dancing across the sky, or how every time I tried to ask one of you what was going on, something else weird would distract or interrupt me.”

  Sebastian sighed and sat down on the bed beside me. I decided to take the lead on this one and answered Mags before Sebastian could even open his mouth.

  “We’re not exactly like other people,” I began to explain.

  Mags rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”

  “The three of us, we all have this kind of special ability to make whatever we want happen. It’s more powerful when we all want the same thing and strange things often happen around us as a result of our…
abilities,” I tried to explain. “The people who are after us call themselves The Order and they want to stop us.”

  Mags stared at me doubtfully. “You’re saying I have some kind of magical powers too? And this Order, they want to stop us from doing what?”

  I hesitated, still not sure how much we could trust her.

  “They have the same abilities that we do,” Sebastian explained. “But The Order is dangerous – none of them can be trusted. We’re going to try to take their powers away, or at least, Gracelynn will, and they will do anything to stop us – even kill us.”

  I wanted to trust that Sebastian knew what he was doing but I wasn’t certain if it was such a good idea to tell Mags this much. Still, I forced myself to relax and trust that we both wanted the same thing and so everything would be okay.

  “Okay, fine. Say I believe you, why is my memory so patchy? I still don’t understand how or why or even what you made me forget?”

  “We made you forget because there were things that you knew that were too dangerous. We had to make you forget, there was no other choice. I’m sorry but I can’t explain anymore,” Sebastian apologized and he did sound genuinely sorry. I could see part of my own guilt clouding his eyes.

  “Ugh!” Mags complained pressing both of her hands against her head. “And this freakin’ headache is killing me! I’m just so confused!”

  “Sorry,” I murmured and I was surprised to have meant it too. I was definitely feeling guilty now but not regretful – there really had been no other choice.

  Mags lay down on her bunk, draping an arm dramatically over her eyes. “So what now?” she muttered.

  Sebastian didn’t answer, I could tell he didn’t know what to say. It was a good question after all. I took a deep breath and decided to tackle the answer, speaking my thoughts aloud.

  “The Order will be meeting in three nights’ time. They’ll come looking for us, guaranteed, and there will be enough of them that if they all want to find us, they easily will.” I turned to Sebastian, feeling a small jolt of energy pass through my body as my knee brushed against his. “I think we’re going to have to abandon our original plan – there’s no way it would work now that we don’t know where we’re going. We’re too close to escape them. I think our only option is to wait for them to come to us, and in the meantime, search for the loophole.”

  “If there is one,” Sebastian quietly pointed out.

  “There is.”

  “But where would we even start to look?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted, thinking hard.

  “Are you guys trying to talk in code?” Mags demanded without opening her eyes. She rolled away, turning her back to us and pulling a pillow over her head. “I’m going to sleep. Maybe this bizarre nightmare will be over when I wake up.”

  “I doubt it,” I answered softly.

  I didn’t know if she heard me or not but within minutes she was quietly snoring. It was barely eight o’clock but I felt exhausted too. The spell I had cast to erase Mags’ memory had really wiped me out, not to mention the heavy emotional toll the day had taken on me.

  “Tired?” Sebastian asked as I tried to stifle a yawn. I nodded.

  “Are you?”

  “I could sleep.”

  We both stood and then hesitated awkwardly. I suddenly felt shy and stupid and completely unsure of what to do. Our relationship definitely wasn’t the same as it had been before we met Mags… I just wasn’t sure where I stood with him now. I desperately wanted him to come and sleep in the lower bunk with me, to hold me in his arms and make me forget all my fears but I wasn’t sure if he was really ready to do that. I hoped he’d forgiven me enough but...

  “This is ridiculous,” Sebastian muttered as he took a quick step towards me and pulled me into his arms. He dropped backwards as he caught me, smoothly pulling me down and onto the bed on top of him. I managed to hold in my surprised giggle but found myself smiling anyway as I wrestled my way free, sliding off him and over to his side.

  Our faces were so close together that I could taste his breath and smell his skin. I stared into his eyes, momentarily hypnotized by their dark, bluish-gray swirls and the long, black lashes that framed them. He stared back at me solemnly, the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered after some time.

  “I know. I am too.”

  We continued to stare at each other silently, reading all the thoughts and emotions hidden within one another’s eyes.

  “It’s so strange to have missed you so much, when you were here all along,” he commented sadly.

  “I know exactly what you mean,” I agreed. I hesitated, and then forced myself to ask the question that had been hanging on my lips all day. “So where does that leave us now?”

  Sebastian half-smiled. “Engaged, sharing a room with my ex-wife who’s had her memory erased, and hunted by powerful, ancient beings who will probably kill us once they find us,” he listed.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know.” There was another long pause before he eventually pulled away, rolling onto his back to stare at the underside of the bunk above us. “I love you, Gracelynn, I don’t think I could ever, ever stop but… I don’t think you can understand how much your lack of faith has hurt me. I want to trust you, I want things to be like they were but…”

  Tears prickled at my eyes and my throat grew tight. But I still wanted to hear the truth.

  “But it can’t be the same – it’s not,” I finished for him.

  His silence was agreement enough. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the bunk above us too, listening to the sound of Mags’ soft snores as my heart teetered on the edge of breaking, yet again.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” he confessed. Without looking, he felt around with his hand for mine, linking our fingers together. “I want to be with you, I love you and I want to marry you still, it just may take some time to figure out what our new relationship is going to be like.”

  I felt a hot tear trickle down my face. I didn’t attempt to wipe it away.

  “I love you too. I’ll earn your forgiveness somehow,” I promised, squeezing his hand.

  He pushed himself up on one elbow and leaned over me, meeting my tear-filled eyes with his own steady, dark ones. He hesitated for only the briefest of seconds before he lightly and sweetly pressed his lips against mine.

  “You have my forgiveness – you had it instantly. It’s my trust that was questioned.”

  It was fair enough for him to say but I thought about how I had doubted him, how he had been with Mags, how many secrets he might still have in his past and how many ways I knew he could hurt me now, and I realized he was going to have to re-earn my trust also.

  “Let’s learn to trust in one another again then, and in ourselves.”

  He nodded his agreement, then bent his head to gently kiss my cheek where that single tear had fallen.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you,” he whispered against my cheek. “But it was your fault, you know,” he continued in a lighter, teasing tone.

  I threw a playful elbow into his ribs and he laughed. The silence slowly stretched out between us again though and a heavy sadness weighed down on my heart. Things weren’t the same, how could they be?

  “Good night, sweetheart,” Sebastian whispered, squeezing my hand and then rolling onto his side with his back to me.

  I bit my lip, trying to remind myself that at least we were together, at least we were talking and working things out – it could be so much worse. I forced myself to be strong, knowing that no matter how much Sebastian had been joking, I really had brought this all on myself. I swallowed my sadness and pushed aside my pride and rolled towards him, shuffling right up against his back and curling into it, my forehead pushed up between his shoulder blades and my heart praying he wouldn’t reject me.

  He immediately reacted to my touch, some of the tension melting from him as I felt his muscles relax and soften. I heard him sigh
again but this time it sounded peaceful and relieved. I allowed myself a small smile.

  “Good night,” I whispered and closed my eyes, finally feeling like I might be able to find sleep.

  IN THE MORNING, I awoke in Sebastian’s arms. At some time in the night, he had rolled over and pulled me up against him, holding me tightly and protectively against his chest. I’d barely awoken when he did so but remembered my sleepy relief to find myself enclosed in his solid embrace.

  He lay behind me, his arm tightly around my waist and a small smile on my face. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Mags, lying on the bunk across from us, staring right back at me. She wrinkled up her nose in distaste.

  “You two make me sick,” she accused as she sat up and fluffed at her wild, wavy hair. The sound of her loud voice and the squeak of her mattress as she sat up roused Sebastian. Aware of Mags still watching, I tried to hide my disappointment as Sebastian rolled away from me and sat up.

  “Disgusting lovebirds,” Mags grumbled as she stood up and stretched. “Were you this bad the whole way here? Is that why I wanted my memories erased, because you two made me so nauseous?” she joked sarcastically.

  I sat up and slipped out of bed, eyeing her warily. Even though it was my doing, it still seemed strange for her not to remember anything. I still couldn’t quite get past the feeling that she wasn’t to be trusted.

  “Ha-ha,” Sebastian mumbled sleepily as he stood up beside me. “What time is it?”

  “Six am,” Mags answered cheerily. She flashed me a wicked grin. “Grace’s snoring has kept me awake since five though.”

  I blinked at her in surprise – not because of the snoring jibe but because it was the first time I had ever heard her use my name and not call me Caoilinn.

  “What?” she demanded.

  Now Mags was staring at me strangely. I shrugged, trying to be casual.

  “Nothing. I don’t snore.”

  “Of course not. You’re obviously far too perfect.”

  “Mags,” Sebastian sighed.

  Mags shrugged, flashing him a smile. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a bitch before my morning smoke and coffee. Speaking of which, I’m going to need more cigarettes and coffee.”