Page 36 of Whispers of Helena
I open my eyes, struggling to focus in the darkness of Shadow’s stall. It’s the voice. The one I’ve heard whispering my name. I throw my hat to the side and stand.
“Silas.”
It’s a command now, calling me to her. Approaching the stable doors, I scan the yard for some sort of life or movement.
That’s when I see her.
Helena sits atop Merriweather, her nightgown ghostly white against the black of the treeline. Her chestnut hair dances wildly in the wind, yet she’s disturbingly still, her amber eyes burning through the shadows, locking onto mine.
“Ride with me, Silas,” she calls, her voice lilting, almost playful. Her lips curve into a smile, but there’s something haunting about it, something too perfect. Without waiting for an answer, she turnsMerriweather toward the pastures, the horse’s hooves silent on the earth.
My pulse surges. I turn for the stables, hastefully grab Shadow’s reins, slipping them over his head, and swing onto his bare back. With a sharp nudge to his flank, we plunge into the night; the wind slicing past my ears. My eyes strain against the dark as we break into the trees, branches clawing at my arms like desperate hands.
I make it to the clearing and there she waits, just beyond the shadows, her face serene, her smile knowing. “Follow me?”
She asks, as if she doesn’t already know the answer. I simply nod and she smiles, her face calm and so fucking familiar.
She urges Merriweather forward, and we race through the night together, the smell of damp earth clinging to the air. We ride through the west pastures until I see the silver shimmer of the stream beneath the moonlight. She dismounts, and her bare feet meet the earth, her nightgown shifting with each movement as she walks to the water’s edge.
“You said you’d never leave this place,” she murmurs. Pausing, she brushes her hand against a low-hanging branch of the lone ash tree along the bank. “I understand your reasons. But would you leave for Caroline?”
The name crashes through me like a physical blow. My breath catches, and I freeze, my hands gripping Shadow’s mane for balance. A piercing howl from a distant wolf cuts through the silence. I whip my head around, trying to find grounding, but when I look back, Helena is gone.
In her place stands Caroline.
The water rushes around her knees, her silhouette illuminated by the rushing current. She’s wearing Helena’s gown, her hair braided the way Helena wears it.
“Caroline?” My voice cracks, disbelief clawing up my throat.
“Yes, Silas. Come to me.” She stretches her hand out, trembling like a leaf caught in the wind.
My body moves without thought. I slide from Shadow’s back, my boots sinking into the mud as I stumble toward her. Kickingthem off, I wade into the cool stream, each step fighting the pull of the water.
“Please, bronco,” she whispers, her face tight with the same desperation I feel.
I reach for her, our hands meeting. Her skin is warm, soft, and the moment her fingers curl around mine, the world stills. The howl of the wolf vanishes. The water calms, no longer rushing past my legs. It’s only us now, suspended in this moment.
“Are you real?” My voice shakes as my thumb brushes over her knuckles.
“As real as you are,” she says, tears gleaming in her eyes.
I pull her into my arms, burying my face in her hair as she wraps herself around me. My heart threatens to splinter with the relief of it; the ache of years without her soothed in an instant.
“I’ve needed you for so long,” I choke out, cupping her face in my hands.
Her lips quiver into a smile as she leans into me. “I love you, Silas.”
“I love you more,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Silas?”
The voice shifts, like an off-key note in a melody. My body stiffens, my arms falling away as I pull back to look at her.
It’s no longer Caroline’s voice. It’s Helena’s.
I stagger back, water sloshing around me as her amber eyes meet mine, Caroline’s features shifting like smoke, reshaping into Helena’s once again.
“No,” I rasp, my mind reeling, my heart tearing itself apart. “Where’s Caroline? Where the fuck is Caroline?”
