Sprout and I try to pull away, but it’s no use. My dress tears, throwing me forward in a way that’s so sudden, I collide with a firm—yet very unfamiliar—chest. In a millisecond, I manage to reach for Sprout, but am only able to reach the tatters of my hem still gripped in his mouth.
As the stranger and I step through the glowing golden light, a flash of red hair catches my attention.
“Heather,” says a man with pale skin and flowing red hair, “it’s been too long.” A small smile reveals a pair of fangs. With a smirk, he takes the piece of fabric from my hands. “It was good thinking to retrieve this from that hound. You will be harder to track now.”
“Who the hell are you?” I shout as the world around me grows spotty and dark.
The man in front of me freezes, before a deep frown creases on his uncannily pretty face. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the greeting he expected.
“Darling…” he purrs. I stiffen, as the world spins around me. “Is that any way to greet your fiancé?”
4.
Moth
Apparently, people simply do not walk through the woods for no reason at night. I do not understandwhy—enjoying nature and the stars above, is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. But I am thankful to Sprout for providing me with an adequate excuse to slip away.
Surely, I will arrive on the other side of the portal to find Heather safely surrounded by our friends while having a wonderful, calm evening. But the shake in my limbs does not go away as I allow myself to fully transform.
I do not know what dangers I will be facing, but I will not risk being bound in something as fragile as flesh when I face them.
She is fine.
I am sure she is fine.
Shemustbe fine. There are no other acceptable options.
I stomp through the castle grounds, the words as my silent mantra.
Glancing around the courtyard, it is just as I imagined it would be. Ruby sits back sipping tea from a golden mug next to Widow. While Clara chats next to her, Holly looks windswept; she combs the garden for something, her gaze finally landing on me.
“Brother—what are you doing here?” she says, her breath ragged. The mortals, who are not accustomed to seeing me in this form, gawk at first, but I do not transform back.
“Moth?” Rosie says, looking more curious than frightened at my appearance. It is not as if the humans haven’t stopped over unannounced and seen me at home in this form, but I imagine it is still strange.
“Sprout alerted me there was a problem,” I reply, following my sister’s gaze. Everyone is scattered through the garden looking winded, but calm. Sprout, however, continues to paw at my leg. “Where is Heather?”
“That is the question.” Holly scoffs, crossing her arms tight around her chest.
“You do not know?” My fists clench at her flippant response. I remind myself not to panic—what could have possibly happened within the course of a few hours?Anything,my mind reminds me as my vision blinks red.
“Sprout is probably calling in support to win the game.” Clara rises from her seat. “I gave up half an hour ago! Heather is way too good at this.”
“A game?” My voice grows sharper with every word. This world has just as many threats as ours, but with my memory foggy, the details evade me. I trust my flame, but I do not want her to be alone in a place where unknown shadows could threaten her light.
“We’ve been playing Marry the King in the hedge maze,” Ruby explains. “Something I don’t think I’ve done since we were young.”
Recollection tugs at the edge of my mind: a young Ruby with her eyes covered, counting to ten as I rushed to hide amongst the hedges, a dark green ribbon bound across my eyes. Warm nostalgia blooms through my chest. Sometimes, Oak would join us and we three would take turns in this strange mashup of hide and seek and tag. If memory serves, we had …fun.
That should be all that’s going on. Still, I cannot shake my worry. If it is a simple game, why would Sprout be in such distress?
“And no one has been able to find her?” I press, staring at our friends and hoping for a reasonable answer. When I am met with silence, I stretch my wings, ready to search from the air.
“Moth, that’s cheating!” Ruby teases. Then, she glances up at the moon. “But, come to think of it, it has been a while…” Ruby unfurls her own wings. She glances to Oak, who is filling in the gaps of a painting that must have been started earlier in the evening. “Perhaps we should call this off…”
“Not yet. Rosie and I are still—” Clara begins, cracking her knuckles. I have seen her at game night and fear that, if the call is left to her, she will search for Heather all night.
“How long is a while?” I cut off Clara. I am barely able to focus with the way Sprout is pawing at my leg, demanding my attention. Something is not right here.
