I could tell Silas was trying very hard to not let anything seep into his expression as he asked tightly, “The voices?”
I closed my eyes again. This time, they were louder. Faded whispers, like leaves scratching against one another in a wintry breeze. The rasps of skeletal branches raking against a roof. Thick, hoarse mutterings.
“The voices,” I repeated. “The whispers. I can hear them, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.”
“What do the voices sound like?”
When I glanced at Silas’s stony face, I could see he was hiding something. Fear? Uncertainty? I was beginning to understand that Silas couldn’t hear these voices; this wasn’t a normal part of hunting. Silas had wanted me to become comfortable with the noises of The Forest.Notbodiless voices.
“I, uh… you don’t hear them,” I said. “I thought you wanted me to listen to the voices.”
“No,” Silas said softly. “But I believe that you hear them. Are they friendly?”
“I can’t tell.” I closed my eyes again and Silas went perfectly still. The voices faded some, ebbing and flowing like a river. “I can’t even tell if I’m supposed to be able to decipher what they’re saying. I don’t know if it’s English or a different language entirely. But they’re definitely voices, and they’re definitely trying to tell me something.”
Silas cursed under his breath. “We should get out of here.”
“They’re not a threat. Not yet. They’re not… here.”
Silas looked at me like he had no clue what I was saying, which was fair. I didn’t really know what I was saying either.
“Trust me,” I urged. “I don’t understand it myself. I’m confident they’re not harmful.”
“Yet.”
“Yet. If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know. If it becomes dangerous, I’ll also let you know.”
“Please do,” Silas drawled. “That would be lovely.”
“I understand it’s weird that I can hear voices. I’m sorry, but I can’t control it.”
Silas gave me a little grin. “I have a feeling life with you is never going to get stale.”
“I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“As long as life is with you, I don’t care one way or another.” Silas gave me the briefest of kisses on the cheek before settling back into his position. “Are you ready to continue?”
“Yes. What are we hunting?”
“We’ll be hunting a beast that’s been rumored to be in this part of The Forest,” Silas said, his voice notching into professional territory. “I spoke at length with Ranger X earlier today about it. They need it exterminated.”
“So the Rangers know we’re doing this?”
“Yes, of course. We’re doing them a favor. I told him I’d be with you, and that I’d take care of it if necessary.”
“Did you specifically look to hunt something nefarious so I wouldn’t feel guilty about killing an innocent creature?”
“Maybe. Is it helping?”
I gave the softest of snorts. “I feel like it should be helping, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep you posted on that too. What does it look like?”
“It’s most similar to a jaguar. Pitch black, golden eyes. Soft spot is over the heart. You must strike it pretty close to the target, or else you just anger it.”
“Got it. Nothing like jumping off the deep end. We couldn’t have started with rabbits or something?”
“Would you have shot an innocent rabbit?”
“No.”
