A Vial of Life(61)

She was wrapped up in a thick shawl which she held close to her chest as she gazed out into the distance. Her eyes were fixed intently on a spot above the waves. As I followed her gaze, I realized what she was staring at—the shiny roof of a submarine, partially visible in the water. It was moving quickly toward the shore—so fast it was almost as though the vessel possessed supernatural speed. It arrived at the Port and stopped by the jetty. River’s breathing quickened. She ran toward it. As the hatch opened, a head of dark hair emerged above the roof.

“Ben!” she shouted.

It was a man climbing out of the submarine and as he turned around to face her… the man was me. The other me’s face lit up as River closed the distance between the two of us and she threw herself at me. I stared as my lips locked with hers, my arms engulfing her small waist and pulling her flush against me. My hands moved up her body and into her thick, dark hair as we kissed with all the passion of a newly-wedded couple.

“River,” the other me said, detaching my lips from hers to catch a breath.

Tears burned in the corners of her eyes even as she smiled. She buried her head against my chest and whispered, “I was afraid, Ben. So afraid. I thought that you might never return. How are you, and what took you so long?”

“I’m okay,” the other me replied, cupping her face in my hands. “I was away a long time because the Elder was stubborn. But I’m finally rid of him. Everything is all right now.”

Those last words coming from my mouth grated on my nerves.

“No!” I shouted. “Everything is not all right!”

There was a stunned silence, and to my shock, River turned round around to face me. The real me. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected to happen—I’d shouted more out of frustration than anything else. But now she gazed at me, her eyes wide and her face twisted with confusion. She looked from me to the second me and then back again. Then the second me evaporated.

“Ben?” she breathed, gaping at me as though she had seen… a ghost.

She moved toward me across the sand, slowly and cautiously, as one might approach an alien. She reached a hand tentatively up to my face, and… I felt her. Her fingers against my jaw. Her soft touch. I reached up my hand and closed it around hers. I was able to hold her hand.

Taken by this revelation that a ghost could feel in dreams—even if it was just the illusion of feeling—I dipped my head down and pushed my lips against hers. Her breath hitched, and then her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me in closer as my tongue parted her lips.

I lost myself in the moment, relishing her touch. Touch I’d thought that I might never be able to experience again… But although I could’ve continued kissing River for hours, or however long her dream lasted, I had to tear our lips apart.

She gazed deep into my eyes. Her beautiful features were still marred with a frown.

“Which one is you?” she whispered, casting her eyes over her shoulder to where the second me had emerged from the submarine and stood with her near the jetty.

“This is me,” I assured her, gripping her head in my hands and planting a firm kiss against her forehead. “I promise.”

My hands slid down her shoulders and gripped her hard.

“You must listen to me,” I said, my eyes boring into hers. “My parents and grandfather are in danger. Jeramiah is on the island with the witch, Amaya. He’s planning to round up all three, take them to the cluster of rocks—near The Shade’s port, but outside the boundary— and hand all three over to the hunters. You need to warn them urgently. He could strike anytime between now and 3PM.”

Her eyes filled with fear as they shot back over her shoulder toward the dark island.

I forced her attention back to me. “You must tell them to stay near witches at all times, and they need to smoke Jeramiah and the witch out of The Shade. His base was in the old farmhouse near the potato fields. I don’t know if he’ll return to that house, but there is a chance that he might. The two have been roaming the island beneath the protection of an invisibility spell, but you’ve got to find them.”

River nodded fiercely, even as she looked panicked. “O-Okay,” she said. “I’ll go right now! You should come with me, too!”

“You need to wake up, River,” I said. I pushed my mouth against hers in a short, passionate kiss. “Wake up. Wake up now.”

“But your parents!” she exclaimed, glancing again at the island. She took a step back and, gripping my hand, began attempting to race toward the Port. “There’s no time to lose.”