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“Shh.”
There was sadness here, and hunger. At the next home, joy; at the next, a deep rage. Nothing that felt like Julian, though I hadn’t been around him long. I kept walking, my eyes closed, letting my wings guide me. I felt emotions from every direction, until—
“This way,” I said, opening my eyes.
I didn’t look behind me to ensure that Abigor followed; the ring on my finger warmed every time he drew near. I could sense his fascination, his curiosity about what I was doing. But it took every ounce of my strength to focus on the task at hand, and I could feel my energy rapidly draining as I walked. Once I found Julian’s home—once I was sure—I would be able to explain.
“This is…are we leaving?” He followed me down the path, past the villagers in their frozen sleep, and out of the gate.
“Lilin?” He sounded worried now. “I don’t think there are any houses this way—where are we going?”
I glanced back at him over my shoulder, the effort making my head spin. “If you doubt me—”
Abigor held up his hands. “Nope!” he said quickly. “Not at all. Keep on going. I’m right behind you.”
I nodded. “Good.”
“Don’t totally understand what I’m doing right behind you, but…” he muttered, but his tone lacked rancor.
We arrived at a crossroads, the intersecting path rocky and sloping down a steep bank. “This way,” I said, folding in my wings with relief. I ached with exhaustion, but I had found what we were looking for.
At the bottom of the winding, pebbled path, a vast lake glittered and sparkled in the moonlight. And beside the lake, half-hidden in the shadows of the treeline, was a small cottage with darkened windows.
“Come,” I said. “It is time to explore the home of Julian Zugravescu.”
The emotions I read from the simple wooden house were conflicting. They were mostly positive—it was clear to see that Julian and his family had been happy here. Joy and laughter seemed to seep from the very floorboards. But it was all overlaid with the kind of bone-deep sadness and grief that could only speak of tragedy. It was so strong I was surprised Abigor couldn’t feel it.
The cottage was small and simple, with a timber frame and a thatched roof. Inside, it was clean and well-kept, with patterned curtains hanging at the windows. The three rooms were dark and empty, with no fire in the cold hearth—if Julian had in fact come here, he was already gone.
I stopped in front of the bed, a pair of small matching wooden cots set up by the foot. The blankets were neatly folded back, as if waiting for their occupants to be tucked in after a long day. My heart twisted at the sight.
Abigor came to join me, his gaze landing on the cots for a long moment before he cleared his throat and looked away. “Can you tell if he came here?”
I shook my head, then contradicted myself. “I think so. I’m not sure. The emotions are strong here; it is hard to separate new from old.” I paused. “How…did he say how they died? His family?”
“Drowning,” Abigor responded quietly. I followed his gaze out the window to where the still waters of the lake glimmered in the moonlight. “Should we take a look outside?”
I nodded and heaved myself to my feet. Behind the house was a small fourth room with a separate entrance: a carpenter’s workshop, with tools hanging neatly and half-finished projects stacked against the walls. It had its own small hearth in one corner, and a tallow candle sat in a puddle of wax on the workbench.
I touched the softened wax, the wick. “Still warm.”
“So he did come here.” Abigor picked up a worn hammer and turned it over in his hands. “Doesn’t really seem the kind of guy to dabble in dark magic.”
“And you do not seem as though you’d be interested in aiding mortals, but here we are.”
Something like embarrassment flashed across Abigor’s face. He ducked his head and stepped through the door. “Here, maybe you can feel something by the lake.”
I turned to follow, but when I reached with my Senses, a wave of nausea overcame me. I swayed on my feet, black spots dancing at the edges of my vision.
“Whoa—hey!” Abigor’s hands locked onto my upper arms, catching my weight as I stumbled forward. “Are you okay?”
I gave a mumble of assent, but let him slide an arm around my shoulders to guide me out into the cool night air. There was a dock overlooking the lake, and he led me down to it. I sat on the smooth boards and let my feet dangle over the edge. After a moment he let go and settled by my side.
“Thank you” I said, the heat in my cheeks matching the rising warmth of the ring on my finger. “That was very un-demonly behavior.”
He scoffed. “Only according to your preconceived notions about demons. I’ll have you know I can be quite the gentleman. So what the hell happened there?”
I sighed. “Maintaining a physical form on Earth is draining enough, but trying to use my Senses to track a human…well, it just takes a lot out of me, that’s all. I’ll be fine, I just need to rest.”
He glanced at me sidelong, and I again felt that stir of curiosity from him. “How does that work, exactly?”
“What, Sensing?”
“Yeah. I mean…it looked like you were using your wings.” He raised an eyebrow. “Can I see?”
I hadn’t realized I’d pulled my shroud over them once again. It was second nature, keeping them hidden from humans. But Abigor hadn’t passed out in terror the first time he’d seen them, and what did I care if he did; he was just a demon, and an irritating one at that.
With a little shrug, I dropped the shroud and stretched my wings out behind me.
