With a crack, a twig snapped behind Lewis. 'Sorry, me again,' Thomas said quietly.

The four of them had been creeping around in the forest for almost an hour now, trying to track down the creatures that had been attacking Tristan. It had only been for the briefest of moments, but Lewis had finally laid eyes on one of them as they had left the city. He had been annoyed at the vague descriptions of the creatures for the past two weeks, but now that he had seen one, that was the only way he could think of describing it: big, black, and like a shadow. As it turned out, Duncan, the guard who had come to the castle, had been right; they were damn quick as well, tearing off into the woods at the sight of the four of them.

Now it was just the four of them, weapons at the ready, as they prowled the dark forest, a faint light conjured by Thomas lighting their path between the trees. Lewis was on the verge of suggesting that they turn back when there was a crack from behind him again. 'Thomas, was that you?' he whispered, pausing to listen.

'No,' Thomas replied quietly a moment later.

'There!' Duncan shouted suddenly. Drawing his bow up as he turned, Lewis searched for what had caused Duncan to shout.

Lewis hadn't even managed to draw back his arrow when a huge black shape bundled out of the trees, charging straight towards them. As the three in front of Lewis split apart, he released his arrow, watching as it flew straight at the creature.

In horror, Lewis watched as the arrow passed straight through the creature and disappeared into the darkness behind it. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a soft thud as it hit something, most likely a tree.

'Thomas!' he shouted, backing away as he drew another arrow. The creature turned to face him, its piercing green eyes fixing on his. 'What the hell is this thing?'

With a burst of light, a small fireball shot out of the darkness, passing through the creature just like the arrow had. This time, however, the creature gave an ear-splitting whine before turning and scampering off into the forest.

'I think it's hurt,' Lewis said, beckoning for the others to follow him as he chased after it.

Not waiting for any of them to respond, Lewis charged off, ducking under low branches at the last second without even seeing them. It was as if there was some sort of sixth sense guiding him through the pitch-black forest. Somewhere up ahead, he could hear the creature moving. Whatever it was, Thomas must have injured it with the fireball. In the darkness, he heard it whine again.

Ahead of him, he heard the creature slow down even more. Cautiously, Lewis slowed down as well, not wanting to startle it. 'Thomas?' Lewis whispered. Whatever he had done to the creature, he might be needed again if it decided to attack. When he got no reply, he turned around. 'Thomas?'

There was no one there. As far as he could see, there was nothing but darkness. Surely they had been just behind him, though? He hadn't run that far, had he?

From somewhere between the trees ahead of him, he heard the creature whine. Unlike the previous times, it wasn't ear-piercing; it sounded more like a moan than anything else now. If the creature was injured, it might not be able to attack him. This could be his chance to find out what the things that had been attacking Tristan really were.

As it turned out, Lewis had only been a couple of rows of trees from a small clearing, with the light from the waning moon filtering through the tops of the trees. On one side of the clearing, the creature had collapsed, barely moving as it moaned deeply. It looked like a bear, at least in size, he thought, moving forward tentatively. For a moment, it glanced up at him as he approached before dropping its gaze again.

Curious, Lewis edged closer, the creature allowing him to approach. He had got perhaps fifteen feet from it when it let out an ear-splitting screech, Lewis' eyes shutting instinctively as he clapped his hands to his ears, trying unsuccessfully to muffle the sound. The ten seconds that the creature continued to screech felt a hundred times longer.

When the creature finally quieted down, Lewis looked up, slowly removing his hands from his ears. It was gone. He hadn't heard it move, though. It had been injured; surely it couldn't have moved as fast as it had before. Puzzled, Lewis scanned the trees for any sign of it. Why had it let him follow it out here only to disappear?

'Look what we have here. Didn't you know the forest is a dangerous place at night?' A woman's voice whispered from behind him. Drawing his bow up as he turned, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a sudden, ice-cold feeling shooting through his veins. With a shout, he stumbled back.

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Eerily illuminated in the light of the moon was a woman, a loose red cloak adorning her body. Judging by her outstretched arm, the sleeves were too long for her. Stood slightly behind her was a man, an identical red cloak bestowed upon him as well. He stood patiently; his arms folded across his chest. As peculiar as they seemed, it was the third member of the group that caught Lewis' eye. Lingering in the shadows was the blonde-haired girl that he had seen walking in the forest before he returned to Tristan.

'What was that thing? Who are you? What did you do?' Lewis asked, all his questions bursting forward at once.

‘That thing was a spectre. They are creatures of darkness that feed on power, your power,' the woman said, retracting her outstretched arm.

'What power?'

'Your power. Have you ever felt something burning deep within you?' she asked.

For a moment, Lewis considered her. What on earth was she talking about, this power? Then he remembered. It had been faint, but it had been there. 'I have,' he replied vaguely.

'Then you must come with us before any harm can come to you,' the woman insisted.

'No, I don't think so,' Lewis said, raising his bow as he backed away.

'I wouldn't do it if I were you,' she said calmly, taking a step towards him.

'You can come to the castle with me, but I'm not going anywhere else. I'm sure my friends will be here any minute now,' Lewis said as he took aim at the woman carefully.

'No, you will come with us,' she insisted.

'And if I refuse?'

'Then Emily Bridwell will die.'

'What have you done?' Lewis demanded, pulling back the arrow tighter.

'I wouldn't let go of that arrow either if I were you. You see, our lives are now intertwined. If I die, so does she,' the woman said with a smirk. 'Now, you will come with us,' she repeated as she produced a small golden knife.

'I'm not going anywhere until you answer my questions,' Lewis said. Where was Thomas? Surely he would know what was going on. Was it possible for someone to intertwine their life with another's?

'Then ask away my child. I am your teacher, and you are my student after all,' she said with a smile.

'Who are you?'

'My name is Ellen, and I am a member of The Dawn. This is Wilson,' she added with a nod in the direction of the man behind her. 'I believe you have already met our trainee, Olivia.'

'I have,' Lewis said, his eyes lingering on the girl who continued to stick to the shadows. 'What is this dawn you're part of? A cult or something?'

'How dare you besmirch our name? Wilson roared as he made a move towards Lewis.

'Now, Wilson, he's only curious,' Ellen said, throwing an arm out to stop him in his tracks. 'The Dawn is an ancient group that stretches back into the murky depths of history. We are like you. It is our job to train you to unlock your power. If we do not, then the spectres will return. I have seen them before, and they will do anything, destroy anything, to get to power that has been untapped.

'So, these spectres, the ones that have been attacking the city, have been looking for me?' Lewis asked.

'More or less,' Ellen said with a shrug. 'At the tower, we have a way of tracking the spectres; it is how we found you.'

'If I come with you, then the spectres will leave the city alone?' Lewis spoke slowly.

'Most likely,' Ellen said. 'I assume you have changed your mind regarding our offer then?'

'I will come with you if you release Emily from this bond you have with her,' Lewis said.

'Ah, I'm afraid I can't do that,' Ellen said. 'The process is irreversible, you see. My life is tied to the life you hold most dear in your heart.'

'So, her life is tied to yours forever?'

'Goodness, no!' Ellen said. 'When you unlock your power, you will be able to break the bond yourself. That or someone else takes her place in your heart.'

'Right,' Lewis muttered.

'Oh, one more thing: if anyone tries to come after you, their life as well as hers will be forfeit,' Ellen said gently.

'Allow me to speak with my friends then, before we go,' Lewis insisted. 'I will tell them what you have told me and insist they don't come after me.'

'Very well,' Ellen sighed impatiently. 'They're right over there.'

His gaze following Ellen's outstretched hand, he saw Thomas, Arthur, and Duncan wandering around the edge of the clearing, oblivious to the four of them in the middle. Behind him, he heard Ellen snap her fingers. For a split second, the trees seemed to shimmer before returning to normal as the three men looked up.

'Lewis, there you are? Who are they?' Arthur asked, suddenly becoming wary when he saw that Lewis wasn't alone.

'They are The Dawn; they're here to help. The creatures that have been attacking Tristan are spectres hunting for my power,' Lewis explained. 'I have to go with them to protect Tristan.'

'Surely we can find another way to work this out? We've only just got you back,' Thomas said, eyeing the golden knife in Ellen's hand.

'I've tried,' Lewis assured him. 'For now, it seems like the best idea. I'll be back as soon as I can.'

'Where are you going?' Arthur asked.

'I don't know, but you can't follow me; your life and Emily's are on the line if you do,' Lewis said.

'What do you mean?' Arthur asked, bemused.

'Don't follow me,' Lewis insisted. 'I'll come to you as soon as I can. Thomas, Tristan is in your hands until I return.'

'What are we supposed to tell everyone?' Arthur asked. 'What about Emily?'

'Tell them that I have found the source of the creatures and that I have gone to deal with it,' Lewis said. 'I'll be back as soon as I can.'

'Alright, that's more than enough time we've wasted here,' Ellen snapped before Thomas or Arthur could ask anything else. With a second click of her fingers, the trees shimmered once more. On the edge of the clearing, Lewis saw the looks of confusion on the faces of Arthur, Thomas, and Duncan.

'What did you do?' he asked, turning to Ellen slowly.

'Just a little privacy barrier; they're fine,' she said as she beckoned for Wilson and Olivia to follow her. 'We had better get moving; we wouldn't want the spectres to find them out here in the darkness.'

With a glance over his shoulder at Arthur, Thomas, and Duncan, Lewis reluctantly followed Ellen and Wilson out of the clearing and back into the forest.

As they walked, Olivia appeared at his side. 'Hello again,' she muttered. Turning his head, Lewis ignored her.