Rhian

After finding the empty cage at the schoolhouse-slash-tavern, we took a minute to examine the scene. No sign of a fight. The lock had been opened, not broken. Didn't take a pair of super sleuths to sort out they probably weren't taken violently. Ever said she'd found picks in Gus's bag, but we doubted Those Things would bother looking for picks when they could melt the lock or blew up the gate or some such nonsense.

Then there was the matter of why my clever and reasonable friends would leave with strangers. 'Course, Those Things could have played mind tricks on Strauss and Gus, but Adeline was immune. They'd have had to put her to sleep and carried her, but that whole scenario seemed awkward and unlikely. According to Everleigh, if it were our enemies to have found them, they'd be dead. Most likely, whoever opened the cage was someone they recognized, and our top contenders were: Alexander, Zacharias, and Vinny Sebastian himself.

Outside, it was getting dark and had started snowing.

"Let's say we find Sebastian," I said. "What sort of reunion are we talking about?"

The Creepy Lass sighed so big, I reckon the whole world felt it. "Would I be looking for him if I thought it'd be a bad one."

It wasn't a question, but it was a fair point. I deserved that.

"All right, let's for a tick suppose Sebastian freed them, then. Where would he take them?"

"I don't know. I can feel him here. In Amalia. But I don't know where. And I can't even guess because I don't know much about his life outside Delphia. He swore he'd never come back, so there must be a good reason."

"He said he came to help us out with Lidia Roska."

"That doesn't even make sense," Ever said. "Why would he care about Lidia Roska."

No big surprise. I never believed that was the real reason Vinny Sebastian followed us out there, only I couldn't pinpoint why else, and in the end, he did end up helping. I'd always sensed Vinny was hiding something. But everybody's got secrets, haven't they? Doesn't mean they're up to some shite.

"Look, Rhian: if Sebastian has your mates, they're safe," Ever said, as if she were reading my mind. Which she could, but she wasn't. I'd know if she were. Probably.

Bottom line: we were on the same page, and there was no sense talking anymore on the matter. For all we knew, everybody was back in Oskari or at The Estate with Alexander. So, before heading out to check those places, I had a quick look around the grounds outside the schoolhouse-slash tavern. And low and bloody behold, I spotted something I hadn't when we were in a hurry and didn't know everybody was missing. Tracks. Wagon wheels and horse hooves. I pulled out my watch-slash-compass and checked the direction. Northwest. That was easy.

I nudged my chin toward the tracks.

"These weren't here when I was last time," Ever said.

"Right. Thinking what I'm thinking?"

She nodded. "I'll race you to the end, Angry Lass."

"But of course, Creepy Lass."

And then we darted forward.

Everleigh Gloom in her black shiny shoes and frilly white socks, and now it was pissing snow. She was completely bonkers, and she was still growing on me. Could've sworn I even caught a smile on her creepy little face while we were running. I was used to seeing small smiles on otherwise expressionless faces. We ran for about ten leagues, neck in neck and uninterrupted before we heard the voices.

Stopped us dead.

Ever raised a finger to her lips.

We Strachan aren't only fast and springy, but we're also stealthy. We tiptoed forward until whatever was happening was well in sight, and then we hid behind a massive pine.

"—tracks stop?" one man asked.

I side-glanced Ever. She side-glanced me.

"It doesn't makes sense," the other said. "Why bring a horse and wagon here?"

The bad news was, sounded like those men—or Those Things—had been to the schoolhouse-slash-tavern recently. The good news was, they probably weren't the ones to have let the crew out. Might have been looking for them though, found it strange there were tracks moving in the direction of absolutely bloody nowhere, and decided to follow them.

Ever pointed to me, and then to the ground before she slipped out from behind the tree and walked about a hundred steps forward. Slowly.

The men watched her approach, saying nothing.

"Hey," she finally said, lofting a hand to the pair.

"Any trace of them?" one asked.

Ever shook her head.

"Us neither. Caught wind of some activity at the old base, but it was empty. Tracks around the area led us here, and the trail doubles back."

"Congratulations," Ever said. "We should throw you both a party."

"What for, Mistress Gloom?"

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Look, what happened next happened so bloody fast I could barely see it let alone understand it. Everleigh Gloom raised her arms inward as if she were conducting a goddess-be-damned symphony. A flurry of snow gathered from the ground, floating upward and twirling around the Creepy Lass. Then, in one sharp motion, she swept each arm outward.

"To celebrate your death day."

Silence…

More silence…

It was a few seconds afore both heads toppled to the ground.

"Fuck me," I remember whispering. An event like that—sticks proper, you know?

Ever gestured me over. I ran.

"What the hell was that? I asked, skidding.

"I made air blades and sliced their heads off."

"All right," I said. "So, I guess you've picked your side."

We watched as the two bodies crumbled to dust.

"Aye." Ever shrugged. "I guess."

"Any idea why someone might come out this way?"

Ultimately, we were standing in a massive clearing surrounded by trees and fog. The wind whistled around us.

"To bury bodies," Ever said.

"Ground's a bit frozen for that, isn't it?"

"Not when you can melt shit with your mind."

"Right, right," I said. Deserved that, too.

Ever took a few steps forward. "Anyhow, there aren't any bodies buried here."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know things—including when there are dead people around."

"You feel dead people?"

"No, I don't feel dead people. That's rude. I sense dead people. I've been around a lot of dead people." Ever shrugged again. "It's usually not a very useful ability."

The ground rumbled.

And then it stopped.

And then it rumbled again.

We ran forward to where it seemed the snow was wobbling.

The ground rumbled again and then it stopped.

"Stand back, Angry Lass," Ever said.

Lady Air Blades didn't have to tell me twice. I took a healthy leap backward.

Crouching, she laid her hands flat, hovering there above the snow for a minute.

More rumbles, loud and shaky. And wouldn't you know it, the ground opened up before our very eyes—a hidden hatch like no hatch I'd ever seen before. Ever stared down into the hole.

"Hey," she said. And then she looked in my direction. "I found your friends."

All this time, I'd been building up what I'd say or do when I saw Strauss again. But nothing I imagined involved him standing at the bottom of the stairs in an opulent underground mansion, in regular clothes, with a short beard, his hair tied half back, and a blindfold around his head. But pretty much everything I imagined involved me rushing to him, wrapping my arms around him, and telling him how badly I missed him.

The Squeaky Lass squeaked happily. The Creepy Lass stayed silent, looking bored as ever.

The walls trembled and the ground closed up around us.

"Sinclair," Strauss said. He held me tight, and he smelled so bloody good. He traced my face with his fingers, and I looked up at his.

"What's with the…?"

"We were in the middle of a game of hide and seek," he answered. "Adeline didn't trust me not to peek."

The Squeaky Lass neither agreed nor disagreed with that strange bloody statement.

"Aye, fair play," I answered. "You're known to be a bit of a peeker."

The corner of his lip twitched. Almost a smile.

"Lidia blinded me."

"Stracha's Steed…"

I reached up and ran my fingers across his beard while running the reality of what I was learning through my head.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Come on." Strauss gestured toward the corridor leading to wherever.

Seemed to me he was walking with a bit more confidence, his shoulders back a touch. He'd obviously adjusted to the blindness, seeing as he routed his way around without a hitch. I couldn't tell you what Adeline and Ever were doing at the time, seeing as I didn't really care. We turned through the first room on the right. And the room, by the by, was the most beautiful bedroom I'd ever been in. Even more beautiful than the ones in The Estate. All the furniture was made of dark wood had all been carved with musical instruments and tiny symbols. Symphonic. Light flickered from the sconces, and the bed was four-post and pretty, draped in old white silk.

Strauss closed the door and took my hand. I squeezed his.

We had a lot to talk about.

But first, we had a lot to do.

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