“I’m like you,” she replies, lifting her head.
“Yes.”
“I am a tether.”
He offers her a soft smile. “You are.”
Fen looks at me, and a tear rolls down her cheek. She glances back at Silas, silently trying to process what she’s learned, and accepting something I believe she already knew. I extend myhand and grasp hers. I hold on tight, feeling her tremors take hold.
“That’s who has been calling to me.”
Silas shifts in his seat. “It’s odd at first, like a whisper of a breath, but you get used to it.”
I attempt to understand how this may feel for them, but I’ll never know.
“Do you know…” I try to speak, but she cuts me off.
“Rohhit,” she whispers.
I can’t help the shock that crosses my face, and I see Silas stiffen from the corner of my eye.
“I’m Rohhit Harte’s tether,” she says aloud, and I can feel the fear and relief she experiences as those words come into the open.
“Yes, you are,” I respond, giving Silas time to also process this.
He grabs my hand.
“It’s going to be okay, though. Silas and I can help you through this.”
“I hear him sometimes, screaming. It’s horrible, Briar. He sounds so far away, so desperate for help. I didn’t realize that was happening, but it started about three weeks before you came home.”
When Rohhit was possessed.
I think to myself.
That’s when the tethers snap into place.
“What?” Silas snaps.
“I didn’t want to worry you, and I was confused. I knew about your dreams and Briar’s, but I never thought the same thing would happen to me. They started blurry—as if watching the events unfold through a haze—yet they began to build, and the devastation of the dreams started to take over.” Fen chokes up. “They are using him, Silas. They are making him do horriblethings that he doesn’t want to do. He’s fighting, I can feel it, but he’s losing.”
“Is that why you’ve been having headaches?” I question.
“I believe so, yes.” She wipes her eyes. “I want to go to him. I need to go to him; it’s difficult to ignore.”
Silas straightens. “You need to ignore it.”
I snap my attention to him. "What? Are you out of your mind?”
“It’s too risky, Briar. I can’t let her wander off searching for Rohhit.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “And what would you have said if she told you to ignore the pull you felt toward me?”
He doesn’t respond.
“Fen, resisting this is going to be impossible. Do you think you can help? Do you think you could pull him back?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t even know me, although I feel like I know him deeply.” She furrows her brow. “Why would he listen to me?”
