By early afternoon I was several miles east of Snowmelt with Ward, Terrence, and a bear of a man named Josiah.

  Captain Davith had explained the situation- as he understood it, at least- to the few dozen townsfolk who had gathered at the Snowswept Inn. Many of them had listened with wide eyes and hands pressed to their mouths, shaking their heads and quietly murmuring things like ‘it can’t be’ and ‘how tragic.’

  I had forced spoonfuls of some kind of salted vegetable mash into my mouth, listening to it all and trying to keep my expression neutral. Trying not to appear like I was watching closely for hidden smiles or cruel chuckles.

  Of course there was nothing. Anyone who may have been involved with the Fae kept their guilt well-hidden, at least to my very untrained eyes.

  The captain had organized several groups, each with four or five people, to set out in different directions and scour the outskirts of town for any sign of Teela. A member of the Watch had been assigned to each group.

  By Davith’s reasoning, the Fae was probably in a cave somewhere towards the mountain base. He figured that the rocks and dense trees would provide the creature with cover and allow it to remain hidden.

  He sent everyone out with clear instructions to return to the safety of the town walls before dusk. A few townsfolk whispered and fretted about how the town walls might not be so safe, since a young woman had been taken from within them.

  The captain had sighed at that, and then pleaded for everyone to be careful. If anyone found any signs of a monster, they were to proceed with utmost caution and send one group member back to town to gather reinforcements.

  Davith and his group had gone north, following my trail towards the ravaged witchwood. He said he’d wanted to see it for his own eyes, and had hoped to pick up some kind of trail.

  I had chosen to head west, back towards the bizarre birdcage. I didn’t know what it meant, but the construction was so very ominous- and the spoiled earth around it so very damning- that I was sure it had to be connected to the Fae.

  Ward was Davith’s second-in-command, and the captain had volunteered him to come with me. Josiah had also offered his services. He was a burly carpenter with dark hair and tired eyes, and he claimed to know the area very well. The three of us had set out with Terrence bounding after, much like a large hound.

  Once we were some distance out of town, Ward had started trying to convince me to turn and follow the road north. He claimed that Renner couldn’t be that far, and if we hurried we could catch him and demand answers.

  I had gritted my teeth and stayed on the path. Josiah had remained mostly silent through it all, his large hands wrapped easily around the haft of a large woodcutting axe and his steps sure. Even when I led us off the portion of main road that Teela, Renner and I had stopped to eat lunch, and into the seemingly endless woods, his gait remained slow and steady. As if he’d walked through the dense underbrush and rock-strewn ground a thousand times before.

  I found the large man’s presence, and his seemingly unflappable demeanor, reassuring. But his stoic silence did nothing to quiet Ward, and so I became very glad that Terrence had come with us.

  “I’ve never been this far out,” the young man said, looking up at the green canopy. “My father runs the mill, you know, and we get most of the grain imported. So there’s no need to wander. Most folks don’t, you know. Wander. It’s safe, but there’s always stories, and the older folks remember back when things were different.”

  “Different how?” I asked, picking my way through the underbrush.

  He huffed a nervous little chuckle. “Oh, you know. Monsters prowling at night, waiting to snatch people from the shadows. They say things got better… uh, after some big fight down south. The gods and the hero and all that. Back before I was born.”

  “It happened in Fellbrook,” I murmured, casting a glance his way. His forehead was dappled with beads of sweat. “I was just a baby.”

  “Salt, really? They say there’s a mark on the ground. Is there? A big scar, where-”

  I paused. “Where the Nightmare was defeated. And then the world was safe again.” Until now. Because history is about to repeat itself.

  He stopped walking and rubbed the back of his neck. “Right. Guess… guess not everywhere, huh?”

  Ward grunted. “Listen to you two. Frightening yourselves with ghost stories.” He cast a glance towards Josiah, who made no response. “There’s no monsters roaming through these woods. You hear?” He snapped his glare towards Terrence. “Gonna get folks all riled up and living in fear, talking about this nonsense. When there’s a man making his escape as we speak!”

  I ground my teeth together and snapped, for probably the twentieth time, “This wasn’t Renner. There’s a Fae somewhere out here, and just because you don’t believe it doesn’t mean-”

  “Miss.” Josiah’s rumble made me jump.

  I looked towards the enormous man. He was standing very still, axe propped over one broad shoulder, and he was looking through the tree ahead. I followed his gaze and gave a triumphant cry.

  The odd wooden structure was visible just ahead. I hurried forwards, eyes darting this way and that, watching every patch of shadow for movement. Our trek thus far had been mostly quiet, save for our chatter, though not as eerily silent as the woods north of town. There had been birds chirping intermittently along the road, and I’d seen the odd squirrel bustling through the fir branches.

  It was quiet here, though. And, though I looked, I didn’t see any movement around us.

  Once we reached the clearing I raised a hand to cover my nose and mouth against the stench. It was even worse than yesterday, since I’d left the scene doused in rainwater. Charred bird corpses lay in damp, dark lumps and the fetid plants nearby glistened with oily black.

  I pointed almost victoriously towards the cage and rounded on Ward. “See?” I said, my voice slightly muffled. “See? You can’t tell me that’s a normal thing to find out here!”

  The red-haired man’s narrow face was pinched and drawn. He looked like he was going to gag. “This… it’s strange, I’ll grant you that, but surely there’s a reasonable explanation.”

  “Reasonable explanation?” I swept one arm out, indicating the little mound of fallen birds. “Such as?”

  He drew himself up to his full height with a huff. “We have youths in the town, maybe some of them got up to no good. Thought it would be funny, or something.”

  Terrence had gone still beside me. He was peering at the dead birds and slimy, rotting plants. His freckles stood out starkly on his pale skin. “This isn’t funny, sir.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Ward slashed a hand through the air. “I didn’t say it was, I only mean… we can’t assume this has something to do with a monster.”

  I crept along through the clearing, careful to watch my step. “That’s what I said yesterday, when we found this thing. I thought it was strange, but I dismissed it. But after last night, and all the dead plants in the woods… it’s got to be connected.”

  The thin man gave a frustrated little growl. He was standing, shoulders stiff, at the edge of the clearing. As if he was afraid to come too close. “Plants die. This all may be strange, sure. Unnatural, even. But we can’t assume there’s a Fae lurking about just because we found some odd plants.” Ward kicked one boot against a rotting log.

  I crossed my arms, scanning the ground for anything that could resemble a footprint or a trail. “Look, sir, I’m not the most knowledgeable of people, but I do know a few things about plants. And this? Odd doesn’t do it justice! I’ve never seen anything like this. They’re not just dead, they’re rotting. It’s like they’ve been this way for a while. But then there’s ferns and grass and trees that are perfectly fine just a few paces away. It’s far beyond unnatural.”

  “It’s magic, isn’t it?” Terrence’s eyes were round and practically sparkling. Then his face almost immediately flushed bright red. “Wicked magic, of course! But… I mean, still…”

  I felt my mouth curve up into the ghost of a smile, and some of the tension eased from my shoulders. Wicked, indeed, but magic of any kind at all was something extraordinary, and it sounded like Snowmelt hadn’t seen a runekeeper in years. Perhaps never. I couldn’t fault him for being excited. “It could be. Or maybe… I don’t know, maybe it’s something to do with the monster itself? Maybe this creature is so wretched that just its presence is enough to hurt things.”

  Some of the light in his eyes dwindled. “That’s… less of an exciting thought.”

  I grimaced. “I agree.”

  Ward cleared his throat. “You’re both making too much of this. Jumping to conclusions. I still think it’s more likely this Renner you spoke of.”

  “You’re wrong.” I scowled at him. I’d almost take Renner over this man, at the moment. At least Renner believed me.

  He spat onto the dirt. “Look, lady, you don’t think it’s suspicious that this man took off as soon as you figured out your friend was missing? And after this place has gone years without any trouble. You think it’s just a coincidence that some stranger came to town the same night that a girl was taken?”

  “Renner had nothing to do with-”

  “Snowmelt’s safe. You understand?” He fixed me with a fierce look. One hand was clenched around the hilt of his sword. “Safe. Years, we’ve gone without trouble. There’s no monsters here.”

  The viciousness of his expression made me take a step back, feeling suddenly nervous. I could certainly raise all kinds of arguments against his claim, but I wasn’t quite sure what the point was anymore. I’d been arguing with him for hours.

  “Easy,” Josiah muttered, nudging an elbow into the smaller man’s side.

  Ward scowled at him.

  Josiah returned the look, then nodded in my direction. “We’re here to help the lady. Right?”

  Ward’s flint-gray eyes fixed on me. His jaw tightened. “Right. Lead on, Miss. Let’s find your monster.” He dipped into a shallow mockery of a bow and gestured to the dense trees around us.

  I should have gone with the captain. Or I should have tried harder to convince him to come with me, instead of setting out to the north.

  But he’d wanted to see the witchwood tree with his own eyes, and once had been more than enough for me.

  I sighed. “Do any of you see any kind of trail? Footprints, dead plants leading away, or… earlier, outside the inn, there was a patch of rotten wood on a tree. Just above head head height, and shaped like a handprint. Anything like that?”

  Terrence was pacing around, wincing every few steps. “No, Brin, I don’t see… I mean, there’s dead plants, but not more in one place than another.”

  I dragged a hand through my hair and stifled a groan. Salt, he’s right. There’s paths, of a kind, and places I can see that awful oil trailing off into the trees, but it’s not just from one direction. It’s all over the place.

  As if the creature visits here often.

  I found my eyes settling once more on the central pile of birds. And, beneath and around them, the blackened seeds and acorns.

  “Why would a monster make… this?” I wondered aloud, gesturing to the cage. “It’s too big to trap birds. And why pile it with food? Is it just a cruel trick?”

  “Youths,” Ward muttered, kicking at another log. His boot made a hollow thump against the dull wood. “A sick joke. That’s all.”

  “The kids in town wouldn’t do this,” Terrence said. He had drawn closer to the cage and was peering into it, shivering. “No one in town would do this.”

  The thin man glared at him.

  I chewed my lower lip. “Maybe it eats the birds? Leaves all this here as… as a trap, to kill them, then comes back at night for food?” I looked at each of the three men in turn, hoping for an answer, but all I received were shrugs or scowls.

  It eats people. That’s what Gil said. So maybe it eats other meat, too.

  I thought of the mash that Master Lewen had made me for lunch. And this morning, he’d offered porridge. Last night’s supper had been a mix of vegetables and bread. I frowned.

  “In town this morning,” I said slowly, looking at Terrence, “I didn’t hear any animals. No chickens or cows or anything. Is that… normal?”

  Ward winced. The expression was brief, and he turned away quickly as if wanting to hide it from me.

  Terrence cleared his throat. “It’s hard to keep livestock this close to the mountain,” he explained. “That’s what my father says. There aren’t enough crops to keep them fed. Of course there were some; cows and goats and hens, but… er…”

  “Sickness,” Josiah said softly.

  I started. He had drawn closer, making almost no sound on the dead grass and dirt. “I’m sorry?”

  He looked down at me. His broad face was solemn and a bit sad. “Took the livestock last winter. Some before that, too.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. But I wasn’t sure I believed him.

  It must be eating the animals. That’s why the woods were so quiet this morning; there’s nothing alive up there. And in town…

  A shiver ran up my spine as I thought of Gil’s horses. He said a snake got them. I’d bet anything that’s not true. There’s no way all the animals in this entire town are dead just from natural causes.

  Not when something like this is sitting out in the middle of the forest. I stared at the tiny dead bodies, fighting back nausea.

  Josiah was still staring down at me, as if waiting for more of a response.

  I cleared my throat. “Right. Well… look, I don’t see any kind of clear trail. But we may as well follow some of the plants and see if we can find anything. Right?”

  Ward grumbled something under his breath.

  Josiah gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “Which way?”

  I cast a glance around and sighed again. “Anyone have a guess?” None of them answered. I moved towards the nearest patch of gray, wilted ferns. There was a black smear trailing away through the firs. “Alright. Well, let’s start here.”

  By evening we had made no progress. We’d wandered, sometimes almost aimlessly, leaving trails of snapped twigs and bent branches behind. We’d found hundreds of rotting plants, but never in any kind of clear path or trail to follow. And we found no caves.

  It was starting to grow dark when I stopped and pressed my palms against my eyes. My legs felt as though they were going to collapse.

  Terrence crept to my side. “Maybe one of the other groups had better luck,” he murmured.

  I sniffled and wiped at my eyes. “Maybe.”

  He looked up at the swaying, shadowed pine branches. “Look, I… if you want to stay and keep looking, I’m with you.”

  I blinked at him, wondering if that was true. The set of his jaw told me it was.

  “I am. Really, I am. But…” he rubbed the back of his head. “There’s an inn not far away from here. Old Miss Green’s place.”

  My heart stopped. I stared into his pale face, my eyes going wide.

  He gestured back in the direction we’d come from. “It’s maybe an hour away? She’s really lovely, and… it’s like the captain said. Er, about keeping our strength up. Maybe we should rest, and then when the sun rises we’ll already be out here. We can keep looking.”

  “Finally, a good idea,” Ward practically snarled. His dark eyes were darting from tree to tree. His fingers were twisting around his swordhilt again. “And just so we’re clear, lady; I’m not staying out past dark.”

  “But there’s no monsters,” I murmured, almost without thinking.

  He flicked his gaze towards me.

  “That’s what you keep saying. Right?” I huffed out a weary, bitter laugh. “So why be afraid? It’s not as though the dark can hurt you.”

  He swallowed and looked away.

  “Inn’s a good idea,” Josiah rumbled.

  Terrence nodded, peering intently at me. “I think so, too. And maybe someone in town did find something, you know?” His voice rose a bit, lifting with hope. I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or forced, perhaps for my benefit. “One of us can head back in the morning. Salt, maybe they’ve already found Teela and she’s safe and sound.”

  “Maybe.” I sniffled again, then forced a smile. “Well. We haven’t gotten anywhere wandering through the woods. I think the inn is a very good idea.”

  The young man sighed, clearly relieved that I wasn’t going to ask him to stay out past dusk, and gave me a shaky grin.

  Josiah turned and began plodding away. “I know the way. C’mon.”

  I fell into step behind the enormous man. My fingers twisted at Brother Pel’s cloak and my heart hammered madly.

  Trying to find a trail had yielded nothing. Returning to examine the grotesque cage had also been entirely unhelpful.

  But I was more than ready to have a conversation with Agnes Green.