I would sit her down in a future dream and start from the beginning. Tell her everything that had happened to me since I sent her away with Corrine… But now wasn’t the time. I couldn’t drop that kind of bombshell on her when she was still a captive of these hunters, with no idea what their true intentions were for her. Right now, the only thing I had to set my mind on was figuring out how to help her escape.

If I was to have any chance of saving her, I had to discover where they were taking her. At the moment, the only plan I had was to find out their destination, then return to The Shade and try to get through to someone via a dream. A witch would need to come to save River—it would be too dangerous a task for anyone else… except perhaps for the dragons, but they were too large and cumbersome for this kind of task. I wanted someone who could appear and swipe River discreetly, without causing a huge commotion and turning the mission into a fiery massacre.

I had already briefly explored the submarine, but I hadn’t been able to figure out from any of the hunters’ conversations exactly where we were headed. So right now, there was nothing I could do but sit and wait with River until we arrived at the hunters’ destination.

River let out a deep sigh and leaned her head back against the wall. She stared up at the ceiling, her throat stretched and exposed. I moved toward her and, hovering my hands over the mattress on either side of her, I leaned down and kissed her open neck. At least, I tried to kiss it.

I moved away from her and returned to my previous spot on the floor. I watched River for the next several hours like she was a movie. I took in every expression that crossed her face, her movements as she tossed and turned on the bed in an attempt to find a comfortable position. Eventually, she curled up beneath the blanket and closed her eyes. Taking her cue, I closed my own and I prepared myself to walk into another one of her dreams. It took a few hours, but eventually one came along…

The sounds of chattering and clinking cutlery filled my ears. A joyful scene unfolded before me—a cozy dining room, filled with people sitting around a long table. River—wearing a pretty blue dress, her long hair flowing down her back and shoulders—was sitting surrounded by her immediate family—Nadia, Lalia, Dafne, Jamil… and a man I was certain was her father. I could see similarities in his features to River’s, and Jamil wasn’t far from a spitting image of him. Her father’s face looked worse for wear—I didn’t know his exact age, but I was certain that he looked older than he was—while the rest of his appearance was smart and crisp. He wore a formal suit and his gray-speckled hair was neatly swept back.

Further up the table were humans I’d never met or seen before. Perhaps they were friends or more relatives. As I moved toward the table, River spotted me, her eyes growing wide with surprise. She smiled and leapt up from her chair. Grabbing my hand, she requested Lalia and everyone else to move up a seat to make room for me next to her.

Her face was radiant as I stood with her. She leaned closer to me and, reaching a hand to my face, pressed her lips against my cheek. I didn’t even have time to respond before she cleared her throat and looked around the table. Her right hand slipped into mine and squeezed it tight.

“This is Ben,” she announced. Her gaze fell on the tall wiry man sitting next to Jamil—her father. Remo was his name, if I remembered correctly.

River was breathless with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she looked from her family and friends to me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, my voice slightly hoarse as I eyed the strangers.

River’s father stood up and reached his hand across the table for me to shake. I gripped it. He flashed me a smile, nodding approvingly. Nadia looked fondly at me, and all the others greeted me with similar warmth.

Then River raised her left hand—which till now had been hidden, tucked in the folds of her dress. Gasps swept around the room. She was wearing a delicate silver ring, encrusted with an emerald-green gem.

“You got engaged?” Lalia blurted through a mouthful of pie, gazing in awe at River’s ring.

River beamed and nodded, her turquoise eyes meeting mine. My voice caught in my throat.

“When are you getting married?” Dafne asked from across the table.

River faltered. She ran a tongue over her lower lip and glanced at me tentatively. “We… We’re not sure yet.” Everyone’s gaze turned on me, as though they were expecting me to answer the question.

I was lost for words. An ache filled my chest and suddenly, I couldn’t even bear to look River in the eye.

I opened my eyes. The harsh lights of the cabin returned. I glanced at River. She was still asleep on the mattress, continuing her dream without me. Though a slight frown now marred her face.

I didn’t know why I felt so shaken by the dream, but I hadn’t been able to stand remaining in it a moment longer. I stood up and began pacing the room, my mind agitated, an ache still in my chest. What had disturbed me about it so much? River had been holding my hand. I had felt her lips against my cheek. I’d been touching her. I should’ve wanted to stay in that dream for as long as it lasted, and yet I hadn’t been able to leave soon enough.

After several minutes of prowling, my emotions began to unravel.

Since becoming a ghost, I had barely thought beyond a few days into my future. I’d just been trying to take things one step at a time. Leave Cruor, find a way back into the human realm, find The Shade… And then when I’d arrived on the island, my mind had been immediately consumed by the chaos that was going on—Jeramiah’s plan to finish off my parents and grandfather. Then River had been taken by the hunters. I’d followed her and until now, the time I’d spent on this submarine had been filled with nothing but anxiety over her predicament—a predicament that I was ultimately responsible for.