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cradled my face, and with his touch I felt warmth, the peace that my soul was craving. As his hands moved down my shoulders along the sides of my body, I felt myself getting stronger, but I couldn’t gain control over my thoughts, over my body. I couldn’t convince my soul to stay, to understand that I wasn’t done with this life. All at once, I heard screams and saw ash falling all around me. It felt like knives were in my lungs, in my throat. I was suffocating, and I didn’t know why. I was dying, just like I did every night in my dreams.
    Flashes of light came to my eyes, and memories that I knew didn’t belong to this life came to me. I saw the battles that Silas had just fought come to life over and over, different places and different men. I saw myself pulling ash from men twice my size. I felt the victory in my soul. I watched as my body was pierced with every weapon imaginable; in my memories I felt no pain, I saw no damage - - but now, right here in the center of this ancient graveyard, I felt the pain, I saw the blood. It was as if I were dying a thousand deaths at once.
    Seeing the terror in my eyes, Silas began to whisper what sounded like a prayer in another language . He then lifted me up and let his lips rest on mine; he wasn’t kissing me, he was pushing light, warmth - - life through me. I felt every part of him seep into my soul. The pain left, but the memories remained.
    I heard a name; it was whispered, it was yelled, it was spoken over and over by Silas: Julia.
    “Julia,” I said against his lips as I took ownership of my life, of his peace once again.
    He pulled away from me and looked over every part of me slowly as if to ensure that I was healed from whatever that man had done to me.
    “You’re glowing,” Madison said in an uneasy tone.
    I looked down at my skin to see the glow that she was talking about fade into my body.
    “Go home,” Silas said firmly as he pulled me to my feet.
    My eyes grew wide. “Are you insane? You don’t show yourself for weeks, then you appear, kill people, save my life - - and all you have to say is ‘Go home’?!”
    “What do you want me to say?” he said as he gripped my arm and began to lead me out of the graveyard.
    Madison walked swiftly at our side, unsure of whose side to take.
    I didn’t try to stop him. I knew he’d make sure I got home, and that would give me plenty of time to get the answers I wanted out of him.
    “Um...I don’t know...‘Hey, it’s good to see you. How have you been? By the way, I just killed six men to save your life. Go home, have some tea, read a book.’  That would make more sense than just ‘Go home.’ ”
    “ Fine. It’s good to see you, Charlie. People are trying to kill you. Go home.”
    “Why today? What happened? Who flipped the switch? You know Monroe had a nightmare about her dad last night? She showed me the crows.”
    “She showed you the crows - - and you ran right to them?” he asked, shaking his head, refusing to look down at me.
    I glanced at my side at Madison to see a guilty expression washing over her face.
    “Crows aren’t bad,” I mumbled.
    “If Monroe shows you something, you might want to listen,” Silas said shortly.
    “Yeah, well, she can be confusing at times. She does n’t like to take sides,” I argued pulling my arm from him. I kept his quick pace, though; he was talking, and I knew if I kept walking I’d have his attention.
    “She isn’t confusing. She sees life through symbols, and she has no way to explain anything to you; all she can do is show you.”
    “Who is her dad? He told her to come to him. I have to stop that.”
    “Is that your new battle cry now? What happened? Did you get bored hunting?”
    “No. That hunt will last until it’s over,” I countered.
    “Yeah. Why don’t you teach us to do that black smoke-pulling thing? That would help,” Madison said in a tone that reflected pure awe for Silas.
    He looked down at her and tried to hold in the grin that