Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
SILAS
P assing Time
I can still smell the fire. The scent is lodged deep in the back of my throat. I wonder if it is part of me—part of my physical body. The screaming, however—now that I can't feel or touch. The screaming is not organic, but the sound lingers in the back of my mind. After the first few months, the screams grew quieter, and now, after a year, they seem to only pop up at night when I am lying alone. I often think back on that night and wonder what I could have done differently. As I am sure many men from my coven do. The pain of what occurred that night was too great for us to bear, so after the flames fizzled and the dead were buried, we all went our separate ways. Hoping that if we no longer had contact with anyone from the coven, the memories of that night would hurt less. But the grief from the loss of my parents and sister did not lessen. It grew worse as I wandered from coven to coven in the last year, trying to find a new home, a place to fit in. Sadly, wherever I went, my identity was revealed, and I was swiftly ostracized. An outcast, the witch from the north. No one wanted my kind around, not anymore, not after we were all declared Satanists. Which I was not. I was a witch, but not the type that practiced dark magic. I used mine for good, for what nature intended. It was all a complicated and horrible misunderstanding, which led to my coven being burned and banished.
As usual, I sat and ate alone. It had been so long since I had a companion beyond that of the wenches who laid with men for sport and my wolf, Clove. She was my loyal friend, my only connection to my parents and sister now. Her surviving the fire was a miracle all on its own. One I did not take lightly. I tossed my bread down on the table, ran my hand over her salt and pepper coat, and fed her my last morsel of bread. I was full anyway.
I tucked my black curls behind my ears and left my home. My eyes searched the small village I had taken residence in a few months ago. The street was quiet, empty as always. I lived on the outside of town in a Smithey shop. My room was on the opposite side of the business entrance. I enjoyed the peace and solitude it provided.
I found some farm work in the local village and worked a few days a week for money and to stay fit. After a month, I found a room to rent with one window and a small fireplace. I could keep warm and cook on the flame that rested inside the tiny hole in the wall.
Clove was more than content with our new home. It kept us dry and warm, and the hot spring just forty paces away kept us both clean. It was the best we had lived in the last year, and I had yet to be discovered. I planned on lying low so I could continue to keep my good fortune.
"Let's go for a walk. " I said and whistled to my wolf as I walked down the dirt road, which led to a town in one direction and the other to the spring and a large empty field with a massive ash tree.
One of my coworkers on the farm told me about the ancient ash tree—an ash tree that had been standing since the creation of time, so he said. I was unsure how much of his story I believed, but then again, who was I to doubt such myths? After all, I could make things happen that most witches could not. People only believed me once I had to prove myself.
A trait my mother always told me would get me into trouble one day.
"Just because they don't believe you doesn't mean you have to prove yourself, Silas." she would always say to me, then smile and ruffle my dark hair.
I sighed as I walked down the road toward the spring with Clove at my heels. I missed my mom. I missed her laugh and the way she always wore a dress. I missed the way she smelled like honey and lemons all the time. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I thought of her and kicked at the dirt road with my mocassins, causing a clump of dust to fly forward.
Once I reached the spring, I looked around at the trees surrounding the water; the pond was small and no deeper than my waist, making it perfect for bathing. I stripped out of my tunic and cotton pants, setting them on the large boulder I used every other time I came here. I walked into the water, enjoying the heat as it penetrated my skin. I bathed more often than I needed now that I had found this hidden gem, but it was a way to pass the time. That was my life now, passing the time.
I slid my body down under the water and kept my head above, sitting on the flat, surfaced rock I placed in the spring to use as a seat. I closed my eyes and let the water soothe my aching muscles. I had worked overtime at the farm yesterday, and my body paid the price.
"Hey!" a voice shrieked.
Startled, my eyes popped open as water splashed my face.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" I shouted, wiping my eyes so I could see.
"Me? I can say the same for you?" the voice screeched, her eyes wide with panic.
I stared back at her; her long black hair was slicked back from being wet, and her large, round, jade eyes gazed over at me. I was speechless. Her eyes were the color of mine. It meant one thing. She was a witch, too. I had not known of a coven close to this town, and it caused a slight sliver of panic to settle over me.
"Oh. I...well." I stumbled on my words like a buffoon, and before long, a beautiful full smile crawled across her face, revealing perfect white teeth.
Who was this gorgeous creature? I thought to myself as I continued to watch her. She was magnificent, nothing like any woman I had ever seen. Especially like Raina. The woman I was supposed to marry, well, at least that is what the woman wanted. Desiring me barely scratched the surface of Raina's intense need to have me as her own. Since we were young, she had a bizarre and violent infatuation with me.
"You sure are articulate, aren't you?" she chuckled.
I shook my head, smiling as I looked down and discovered she was naked under the water. I immediately looked up and focused on her face. I felt my cheeks tint pink, and she tilted her head, looking at me.
"Well, are you going to turn around so I can get out, or what?" she asked.
"Oh, of course. I'm sorry," I said and turned my body away from her.
I heard her move through the water, and not long after, she called out.
"Okay, you can look."
I turned back to face her as she stood on the shore, wrapped in a green gown that reached just below her knees. She placed her hands on her hips and looked out at me.
"So what's your name?" she asked.
I hesitated, unsure what to tell her. I wanted to tell her the truth but couldn't risk losing my home. I decided on a whim to shorten my name.
"Si," I told her.
"Si?" she repeated, raising her brows.
I nodded.
"Silas, but my mother is usually the only one who calls..." I paused and cleared my throat.
"Called me Silas." I corrected myself.
"Okay, Si." she smiled and turned, walking toward the road.
"Hey, wait," I shouted, standing up. "Don't I get to know your name?"
She turned around and bit her bottom lip as she stared at me.
I scoffed, and my hands shot down to cover my dick. I closed my eyes, frustrated with my carelessness.
I heard her giggle, and she said.
"My name is Lidey."
I smiled and nodded. "Hello, Lidey."
She waved at me and said, "See you around, Silas."
She winked, turned, and skipped down the road toward the ash tree.
She stopped, turned to look at me, and waved again. I did the same, then gasped, covering my body again.
Lidey laughed and skipped off, disappearing into the large grove of trees beyond the ash tree.
I stood still, watching until I could no longer see her. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal, and my breathing joined. Meeting Lidey felt like being caught in a whirlwind, leaving me breathless and disoriented. I smiled when I thought about her and that contagious laugh.
I crawled over to the bank and dried off, quickly dressing. I wanted to see Lidey again; I needed to know where she lived. I felt an inexplicable pull to know her. The feeling deep in my gut felt good and exciting. Something about that girl thrilled me in our ten-minute interaction. Was I starving for interaction with another? No, it was something more. Something profound. I had to know what it was.
I was no longer just passing the time.