They separated at the docks to cover more ground. Morgan questioned nearby shop owners, and Raf sought out other vagrants in the area. They met up around dinnertime with Morgan empty-handed. Most of the shop owners knew Pika, but few knew anything about him.

  She was sitting at their rendezvous spot when she spotted them, Raf and three others, who appeared to be young vagrants.

  Raf introduced everyone first, "Morgan, this is Faerie, Alex, and Deon. They were friends of Pika's."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you all," Morgan said. "I wish it was under different circumstances." None of them said anything. They looked nervous.

  "They told me what happened to Pika," Raf said. "I offered them dinner to come and tell you what they told me. It's... it's a hell of a story."

  The smallest one of the bunch did most of the talking at first. Alex seemed to be the leader of their group of street urchins. He and Faerie were born on another island and ran away from their families to be themselves together.

  Deon came from Exile. His parents died in a fire, but he was big and strong, so he found work on a cargo vessel. When the ship docked at Crescent, Deon fell in love with the island, abandoned his post, and swore he'd never leave. That was two years ago.

  Over seared fish with coconut rice, the trio explained that Pika was more of an acquaintance than a friend. He was older and born in Garden. He never told them why he left, and he avoided public places. Mostly ate and prepared fish he'd caught and slept outside, far from anyone. They figured he was just paranoid. At least, that's what they thought before the Raven got him.

  "Wait, wait, what? A Raven?" Morgan interrupted. Raf gave her a meaningful look.

  "Not a raven. The Raven. It's a monster that eats vagrants on the island," Alex told her furiously. "It's been going on for years. No one cares because the Raven only takes people who aren't important. People like us. Every few months, another one goes missing. We told the Brother investigating Pika's death, but he didn't believe us."

  Morgan and Raf looked at each other, and a silent conversation passed between them. The trio watched anxiously, and it was the girl who spoke, Faerie, "but you do believe us, don't you?"

  Morgan considered her thoughtfully and said, "We have reason to believe your story, but it's not much to go on. What can you tell us about this Raven? How do you know it took your friend?"

  "Deon saw it," she said, and everyone turned to look at Deon. He had been the quietest of the trio. A giant young man, but when he spoke, it was in a gentle timbre, almost a whisper.

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  "I heard about the Raven back in Exile, but I didn't believe. They told me a giant bird lived in the Farthest Wood that ate wanderers. Before I left Exile, a rumor went round that they caught the Raven, but without a body to prove it, my parents figured it was a myth. That was four years ago. I didn't hear of it again until I came to live here. When they told me about a giant black bird that eats people, I thought it was a joke, a story from the mainland to scare kids. Until I saw it take Pika." Morgan and Raf leaned in with rapt attention. No one interrupted him.

  "It was at night. I was getting up to pee when I saw Pika from across the docks. He was tying his boat to a tree. That was normal. Pika liked to fish at night. I saw something dash across the beach. It was like a shadow, too dark to make out any details, and it moved so fast. It snuck up behind Pika, and that's when I saw it clear in the moonlight. It was bigger than Pika, with a giant beak and shiny black eyes. It had to be the Raven. I yelled at Pika to run, but it was too late. The second I screamed, the Raven burst into thick, black smoke. I couldn't see anything, but I heard Pika scream, and then nothing. Alex and Faerie came, and when the smoke cleared, we looked for him, but he was gone."

  "When did this happen?" Morgan asked.

  "More than a moon ago," Deon answered. Raf and Morgan both reacted. The body washed ashore only days ago. If what Deon said was true, the Raven kept Pika alive for over a moon, feeding off him. But why would a giant bird drink blood? And burst into smoke? Morgan had never heard of such a thing. Normally, they would bring information like this to Captain Reynard, but he'd been sent away.

  "Thank you for your help," Raf told the trio. "We're in your debt. My sister and I need to deliberate. We will find this thing, whatever it is, and stop it. I give you my word. Until next time, good night."

  The three were grateful for the meal. As the siblings mounted their horses, Faerie ran up to Morgan.

  "You do believe us, don't you? You'll find the thing and stop it?" Her eyes were shining with hope and fear. Morgan couldn't be sure of anything. Their story made no sense.

  "I believe you," she said. Morgan wasn't honestly sure what she believed but said it convincingly. The weight that lifted off Faerie's face made the lie worth it. Morgan reached up and pulled one of her hairpins out. It was a simple but pretty piece, silver, studded with jade. She gave it to Faerie and offered her a promise; "We will find this thing, whatever it is. We will kill it."

  Faerie burst into tears of relief and joy, falling to the ground. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she kept repeating. Alex and Deon stepped forward to pull Faerie up. They all thanked the royal siblings, and together, they parted.

  Morgan needed a moment to collect herself as they rode toward Castle Moondial. It had been a particularly strange and exhausting day. The enigmatic and probably dangerous Brother Timothy sent them on a fae witch hunt. If Shaman Kroeser's cthulian victim is legitimate, Adam might summon the specter of another genocide. And to top it off, an actual fae serial killer might indeed be living on the island, preying on their people, unnoticed for years. How many had died unspeakable deaths in anonymity? Morgan shook her head to clear the thought. Brother Timothy needed to be informed. Deon's account confirmed his suspicion, but the alleged cthulian victim might interest him more. If the oceanfolk move against mankind, Adam would respond with devastating force.

  With a lot on their minds, Morgan and Raf rode in silence up the road to their cliffside castle home.