They still didn’t speak. Charlie signaled to Nico, who signaled back and pulled her closer to his body. Then the former jumped to Daria’s tree and whispered something in her ear, perking her up. Awe entered Daria’s expression along with a longing, obviously wanting to see it, too.
What is this?she mouthed to Nico, who had no answer. Tearing her gaze away from the sight had been a struggle, so she returned her attention to it and counted the minutes. The pattern didn’t change, a steadiness that comforted and relaxed her bit by bit. In her head, she matched the rhythm with a song she knew from when she was young and smiled. She enjoyed it so much that she closed her eyes, excited to return to the main territory so she could teach the kids the song.
Harry will love it. Margaret will be delighted and will sing it over and over. Rainier will tease them and tell everyone about it, then will sing it the loudest.
The attachment to them brought a sudden pang to her heart, knowing she would leave them when she had things figured out. Rosalia’s giggle came to mind, but it was Nico’s face that stuck there, as understanding as always when she finally told him that she needed to move on. He would let her go. He would be as complacent as always, the ever-supportive man who often understood her needs more than she did. But he had always understood, too, that she was too broken to give him more, and nothing more could happen between them.
What if I don’t have to be broken anymore? What if there is something more?
Her eyes snapped open, stunned at her line of rumination. She shook her head, willing it off. Anne put a hold on her reflections as she looked down and discovered something.
The pattern had changed. The swirling of fog was no longer slow, building up to a frenzy as if they were bumping into each other. She glanced at the others to see if they noticed it, too, and froze when she saw all three still mesmerized at the sight. Nico and Charlie were understandable, but Daria…the Fae was looking down, too, as if she could see it all, and that was when the first wisp of worry coasted in.
Anne leaned forward. “Nico?” Her voice was so small, whisper-light. She tapped him repeatedly, but Nico didn’t respond. He didn’t even look her way. Scurrying sounds snapped her spine, and she peered through the fog until she found its source: two squirrels falling from branches just ahead of them. They landed below with a thud…squeaked in agony once or twice before silence echoed.
Now the warning bells came, but not as swiftly as she was used to—like it was struggling to even send signals to her. Horror sparked when more thudding sounds came, and she realized more creatures had been taking shelter up above but were now falling in their trance. The need to act overwhelmed until she was moving, securing Nico first, then the other two. Then she was moving from tree to tree to catch animals from falling. Those she missed gave out the same agonized squeals, battering her until it felt like her heart would explode. At the tallest tree, she spotted a deer motionless on the field, where the fog had thinned out.
“What’s going on?”
The sound of her voice didn’t change the frenzied dance and didn’t sink her into the same depths that the others were in. She climbed back down and went for the next rustling. Her mind shut down when she found Daria swaying, and Anne braced all muscles as she swung from her tree branch to the next, no longer able to calculate her path. It snapped into two as she jumped off, the resounding crash timed with her struggle to claw another branch and hitch herself up. Her hand snapped up to catch Daria’s waist as the Fae started to fall, and she gritted her teeth as she lifted them to a higher branch. Once again, she resecured Charlie and checked Nico before returning to the Fae. Daria still had her eyes closed, but a murmur trickled from the woman’s lips as she stirred.
“Daria?”
Daria sighed but didn’t respond. Anne pinched.
“Daria?”
Anne slapped her arm and jolted the Fae awake, who was close to falling off the branch again. Anne locked them in place, waiting for the dazed look to clear. When it did, Daria stiffened, body so hard that the tension suffocated. So did the fear, so tangible as it rang heavily on Daria’s face.
“Daria, what’s—”
A hand was slapped over her mouth, cutting off the rest of her question. Her eyes widened when the Fae trembled, but it also hit a note until her body was screaming to run. Instead, they stayed where they were, the Fae’s eyes wildly looking around and frustration festering at not seeing anything. Anne stayed quiet, watching over the men and willing all of this to end with them surviving.
“It’s gone, isn’t it?”
She craned her neck. To her astonishment, the frenzied motions had calmed down, and the fog was back to its graceful dance. She looked away, refusing to be entranced, but she felt the moment when Daria’s hardened body went lax bit by bit as the tension slowly faded. When she checked down again, the fog had become a thin sheet…and the animals were gone.
There was a gasp, then movement as Charlie woke up first. Belatedly, it registered that Daria had flung a small branch at him. Anne mirrored her movements and threw a couple at Nico until he jolted into motion and opened his eyes. Confusion whirred, then realization. He looked as shaken as she felt and still lost, needing answers.
“Daria, why were you scared?” she asked.
Daria bit her lip. The serenity returned but wasn’t as polished as usual, as if the Fae was still processing the experience earlier. It gave Anne a glimpse of the child underneath, a reminder that Daria and Charlie were still on the cusp of adulthood.
“I felt energy,” Daria finally said. “It was powerful and dark. I didn’t know if it could hear you or not.”
“You did the right thing.”
Movement hummed over the branch, but it was sturdy enough to hold them as Daria and Nico switched places. Charlie hovered over the Fae, stance protective as he waited expectantly.
“It felt as powerful as a Fae but was less tangible. Less focused. The whole place felt like it,” Daria continued. “I felt how it took those lives, too. But I don’t feel it now.”
“Lives?” Nico asked, alarmed.
Anne hopped off her branch, moving around until she spotted something that hadn’t been taken. She pointed.
“There.”
“Hot damn,” Nico exclaimed, already beside her. “Was there more?”