“-up! Wake up!”

  There were strong, warm hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes with a sharp intake of breath.

  Renner’s face came into focus. His copper eyes were wide, and a bit wild. Pale sunlight cast his face in hues of pink and yellow.

  Sunlight? I sat up, wincing against the early dawn light coming in through the window. The open window. A cold breeze whispered at my skin.

  Renner straightened, pulling back- and as he did so I caught sight of his hands and forearms, which, I realized dimly, I had never seen before. I’d always seen him wearing his long, dark gloves, but now… the bare skin covering his lower arms was weathered and leathery, raised and almost twisted in places, all of it a mottle of white and faded red. I felt my lips part in horror, wondering what kind of terrible injury could have left such a tapestry of scars- and how his hands and fingers still functioned.

  “Teela’s gone.” His voice was low and rough.

  I snapped my gaze back up to his. “Teela’s… what?” I lurched out of the bed, my mind spinning. My gown was damp with sweat, clinging to my skin, and I shivered.

  “The door’s still locked.” He looked towards the window, jaw clenched. I followed suit, my mind slowly rolling the words over and over with growing horror.

  Teela’s gone. The door’s locked. The window’s open. She… she was afraid last night, and she was supposed to take the last watch, she was supposed to wake us up and she wouldn’t have opened the window and how can she be gone?!

  I hurried forwards, trembling as more frosty air wafted in. I gripped the sill and peered out, wide-eyed, looking about frantically- as if I’d see her just standing outside, red eyes glinting in the dawn, waving up with a big grin…

  There was nothing. No movement, save for a few swaying limbs on the nearby tree. No sounds, no people, no animals… just quiet homes and dirt and a distant gray wall. And the faint, horrid scent of rot.

  I raised one hand to cover my mouth in horror- and froze. There was blood smeared along my palm, where I’d been clutching the bolt. His blood. I twisted my hand into my gown and turned before Renner could notice the damning crimson.

  “Where did she go?” I was immediately aware of what a foolish question that was, because the look on Renner’s face clearly said he was very confused and worried and wary and obviously had no idea where the young woman was.

  He slashed one hand through the air, gesturing first to a pile of clothes and boots beside one bed- Teela’s things, unmoved from where she had unceremoniously dropped them last night- and then towards the crossbow and bundle of witchwood bolts. They were lying behind the door. “I woke her up a few hours before daybreak. Gave her that, told her to start yelling if anyone tried to come in.” His voice dropped to a near-murmur and he rubbed his jaw. “So either our Fae-touched friend is playing us, or…” I followed his gaze back to the open window.

  “B-but… if someone t-took her… why wouldn’t she have screamed? Called out?”

  “Good question.” He cast a dark glance about, as if searching the room for answers. “Check your pack, ladyship. If she took off on her own, she might’ve taken some of your coins. Maybe even that relic you think is so important.”

  “Check my… what? Renner, no, you can’t think she would’ve-”

  He rounded on me, eyes flashing. “I think it’s a lot kinder of an idea than the alternative!” I flinched back, stung by his tone, and then he flinched, too. “I’m… just check, will you?”

  “She wouldn’t have done that,” I whispered. And then, with horrifying clarity, I recalled the noise from my dream; that little whimper, small and frightened and… gods, I was going to be sick. I pressed one hand to my mouth, fighting back bile, and shook my head. Renner spent a moment scowling at me, then stomped towards my pile of belongings.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  He began rummaging through things as I sank back down onto the bedspread. My mind raced, trying to come up with some idea of how this could all somehow be okay, and we were just overreacting and of course there was a plausible explanation for it all…

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Renner began swearing under his breath, digging through my pack with increasing fervor. Another cool breeze floated in, rustling my hair.

  Without a word I lurched to my feet, unbolted the door, and hurried down the hallway. Renner called after me to wait. I ignored him and practically ran down the stairs.

  It was early enough that there was no one else in the common room save for the innkeeper. He was sitting and drinking a cup of tea, one massive hand massaging his temples. He didn’t look up.

  “Master Lewen!” I rushed forwards, careful to keep my bloody hand hidden. He noticed me and jumped a bit. His eyes were glazed and bloodshot. “Sir, please- have you seen Teela this morning? Or… or did you hear anything strange last night?”

  He blinked. “Teela?”

  “The young woman with me.” He blinked again, brows scrunching together, and gave no answer. “The one with the hat.”

  He wiped one hand over his face. “Ah… I’m sorry Miss, I must’ve… terribly unprofessional of me, I know, but I think I… that is, my head’s not the clearest at the moment. Bit too much festivities last night.”

  I stared down. “Not the clearest? You… I didn’t see you drinking anything.”

  His red cheeks darkened. “Not a habit, you have my word. Ah… you came in last night? With a friend?” He rubbed his eyes, looking friendly and tired and confused all at once.

  “I… yes. How can you not…” I glanced around, the wave of cold dread rising, searching for any sign that Teela had been down here. An empty breakfast plate, a second mug of tea… but, no. The room was empty and clean. I met Lewen’s eyes. He smiled again and heaved himself out of the chair, one broad hand raised to rub the back of his neck.

  “Can I fix you some breakfast, Miss? You said there’s two of you?”

  What’s happening? It’s like some horrible dream. How can he not remember us coming in last night?

  “There’s three of us,” I whispered through numb lips, backing away. He blinked again and then nodded agreeably.

  “Ah, three plates, then?”

  “No… no. My friend, the woman who was here last night, is missing! You haven’t seen someone this morning? She has red hair and she smiles a lot and…”

  He just continued to look at me with that distant, pleasantly baffled expression. I stared for a frozen moment, panic swelling up and my pulse pounding in my ears. Then I turned and fled back upstairs.

  “He doesn’t remember her!” I cried as soon as the door was closed and locked. I whirled to face Renner, chest heaving and my breath coming in panicked gasps. He was standing near the open window, his face a storm. “He barely seemed to remember me! Renner, what’s going on?!”

  He raised one hand, gloved again, and ran it through his hair. “Nothing’s missing,” he muttered, casting a baleful glance towards my pack.

  I surged forward. “Of course nothing’s missing! She wouldn’t have robbed us and ran off- certainly not without her things! She didn’t even take her boots!” I swung one arm towards the pile of clothing. My eyes burned with sudden tears at the thought that, wherever Teela was right now, she was wearing only a patched shift and had nothing to keep her feet warm. Renner met my gaze for a moment and then turned quickly away, shoulders hunched and fists clenched.

  I swallowed the tears and tried again. “Renner, what’s going on?”

  He leaned against the window sill. I could see the muscles in his jaw and neck working. His answer came out so softly that I had to strain to hear it. “We’re on the second floor.”

  I sucked in a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “Okay. Okay, we’re on the second floor. What does that mean?”

  He gripped the sill. “It means that this is really bad. I thought maybe that lowlife from last night just… salt, ladyship, no human could have gotten the window open from outside. Not this high up. And definitely couldn’t have climbed in and dragged her back out; not without waking the two of us up.”

  I swayed, fighting down a sob. I can’t fall to pieces, not right now. Teela needs me. She was scared and her feet are cold and she needs me to stay calm and think and figure out how to help her.

  “So a… a Fae. There’s a Fae nearby, and it… what, climbed into our room last night?” The thought was so wild, so implausible, that I had to sit back down. And yet… what other explanation could there be? “W-why did it only take her?”

  He didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t know or because he just didn’t want to add to my distress, and I wasn’t brave enough to ask again.

  I tried a different question. “Why didn’t she scream? Or call out, or try to shoot it?” That little whimper echoed through the back of my mind again and a tear slipped out.

  He began to pace the length of the room, jaw tight. “Magic? Maybe? I don’t know, but if Lewen’s acting strangely then that’s probably the best explanation.”

  “He acted like he didn’t even remember her.”

  “Sounds like something messed with his head, then. Or,” he stopped midstride, his expression fierce, “He was lying.”

  Lying. As in, the cheerful, unassuming innkeeper might have had something to do with Teela’s abduction. The thought made me feel sick. But it also came with a fragment of clarity and I drew a deep breath.

  “I don’t know about Lewen, but the stablemaster. What I saw before, and the way he acted last night; it can’t be a coincidence.” Renner didn’t respond, but the grim look in his eyes spoke volumes. I leapt to my feet. “We need to find him! Talk to him, try to figure out what’s-”

  I had the door halfway unbolted when Renner’s hand closed over my wrist. I turned.

  “Brin.” I’d never heard his voice sound so gentle before. It scared me more than his anger or shouting or frantic rifling through my pack. Because if Renner of all people, callous and harsh and selfish Renner, was bothering to try and be tender… my blood ran cold.

  “She’s fine.” I met his eyes, daring him to say otherwise. Praying that he wouldn’t. I was shaking, and there were still tears threatening to spill out, but I managed to keep my voice steady. “We’re… we’re going to figure out what’s going on. And we’re going to find her. And she’s going to be just fine.” He opened his mouth but, before he could say anything to the contrary- and he was going to, I could see it written across his face- I whispered, “Renner, she doesn’t have her boots.”

  He went still. We stood in silence for a long moment and then he swallowed whatever words had been on his tongue.

  He didn’t say anything. But my heart grew just a little bit warmer when he turned, stalked towards the bed, and grabbed his belt.