#apprentice alec

As she approached the shop, she sighed. She hoped Julian had been telling the truth yesterday when he said he wouldn’t be returning to her shop, but she wasn’t completely convinced that she wouldn’t find him rummaging through her cupboards once she opened the front door. She could still feel the magical protection charms around the shop, which was good, at least.

But when she put her hand on the door to unlock it, it swung open.

Frozen, she stared hard at the door. Right next to where her hand had touched it, there was a horrible smear of blood, and gouges in the wood by the handle. It was like someone had broken in. But the protection charms were intact.

Fear trickled chillingly down her spine. Asra. He must have gotten hurt, and maybe that animal she saw him with before carried him here. Instantly, she ran inside, struggling to see in the dark shop, all of the curtains drawn.

“Asra?” She cried out for him, her voice choking as she took in the shop. Things were scattered about, chairs, clothes, cushions—there was even broken glass on the floor, but she was almost too preoccupied to notice that. The destruction led to the back room, but so did a trail of blood. She ran towards the room, heart pounding in her ears. “As!”

What greeted her in the middle of the room, eyes bright and yellow, pacing in front of the old couch, wasn’t Asra. It was a wolf. Alec stopped breathing. It was huge, and it was dripping blood onto the floor. She felt dizzy, wondering briefly how well she would fare if the wolf attacked.

Its body tensed, and so did hers. But when it opened its mouth, instead of a snarl came a mournful whine.

Alec blinked. The wolf whined again.

Finding herself able to breathe again, she slowly knelt down, holding her hands out towards the animal, palms up. “Hey,” she called out, voice soft. “Hey, sweetheart, are you hurt?” The wolf watched her, and she shook one of her wrists, bracelets chiming, and a small light appeared in her palm. It started to approach her, head down. When it got close enough, she ran her hand between its ears, petting it gently. “How’d you get here, hm?”

This close, she could see that the wolf itself wasn’t injured. Which added yet another question to the growing list in her mind. Whose blood was it? Why did it come here? The wolf was able to get inside the shop, however violently, without breaking the protection charms. Which meant… like Julian, this was someone Asra knew.

“Did you… are you looking for Asra?” The wolf perked up a little, tilting its head at her hopefully. She frowned, holding its chin. “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. He left a few days ago. He’s not here.”

Slumping down, the wolf whined, low and long. It looked dejected, confused. Lost. Alec stared down at it in her lap, her thoughts churning. It needed help. If not for the wolf exactly, it must be for someone it knew, someone Asra also knew. Again, her desire to help was stronger than her unease.

She shifted, lifting the wolf’s head up slightly. “It’s okay. I’ll help you. I’m a magician, too.” Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt, but it seemed to be enough for the wolf, who lit up, its tail thumping happily against the ground as it stood up again. It nudged her cheek and started walking to the front door. “Woah, hang on!”

Following it out of the shop, Alec grimaced as she thought about how much of a pain it would be to clean up the shop when she got back. For now, she just closed the door behind her, locking it as carefully as she could, and then took off down the street, where the wolf was already trotting along, checking every once in a while that she was still following.

Running felt exhilarating. She almost forgot why she was running, just enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair as she chased the wolf through the city. She wasn’t sure when the last time was that she got to run as hard as she was. It wasn’t until the wolf led her to the edge of the forest outside the city that she came to a hard stop.

Chest heaving, she looked at the dark trees apprehensively. She’d never come this far before, at least, as far as she could remember. And it was so dark… she wasn’t sure she’d be able to see once she stepped into the shadows. Anxiety washed over her, and she suddenly wondered if she was doing the right thing.

Then a low whine came from the trees, and the wolf poked its head back out, giving her the same mournful eyes from before. She sighed. “I’m coming, baby.”

Swallowing down her nerves, she took the last few steps into the forest, glancing back over her shoulder at the last moment before being engulfed in shadows.

With the pace the wolf led and the intensity of the terrain, Alec didn’t have any opportunity to light the way, focusing all of her efforts on just trying not to trip or twist her ankle in the thick undergrowth. At least that was what she told herself. There was a pricking feeling at the back of her mind that made her feel like someone was watching her, or looking for her. Drawing any more attention to herself than her already less-than-graceful steps through the forest did felt like a bad idea.

Just when she thought she lost sight of the wolf completely, she stepped into a small clearing, the wolf next to her, hackles raised. The sunlight filtered through the leaves just enough that she could actually see around her, and she felt her breath catch at the sight. Much like the destruction wrought on her shop, but even worse, the clearing was in tatters, dirt and grass strewn about, tree branches cracked, and trunks split—as if a fight had taken place. And the smell of blood was almost nauseating, coming from a large figure in the center of the clearing.

The wolf broke from her side, bounding over to the figure. Once it moved, Alec could see that it was two figures, a larger man hunched protectively over something smaller that she couldn’t make out yet.

“Inanna…? What are you doing here? Get away!”

Alec flinched at the gruffness of the man’s voice, but the wolf wasn’t deterred, and started nudging at him for a moment before huffing and looking back at her. She felt her body freeze as the hood fell from his face, and his angry, piercing green glare settled on her.

“You.”

She almost didn’t even hear him recognize her, too distracted by the blood covering him, his face, his clothes. There was a serious gash on his forehead, still weeping blood, and as she watched, Inanna—the wolf, she figured—started trying to lick it clean.

“Oh.” She exhaled, the sight of blood and the taste of it in the air overtaking her senses. It felt… familiar, but she didn’t know why, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Instead, she took a few hesitant steps towards the man. “You’re hurt.”

His gaze hardened even more. “Don’t touch me.”

She stopped, holding her hands out towards him, palms up, like she had with Inanna. “I won’t,” she whispered. “I… what happened to you?”

He relaxed a little when she stopped advancing, but tensed up again when she asked what happened. When he didn’t answer right away, she looked past him, at whatever he was crouched over, and realized he was draped over another unmoving creature. Noticing her gaze, he slowly drew back from it, allowing her to see that it was a deer. Or something like a deer. She wasn’t entirely sure, due to the feathers that trailed down its back, meeting two dull, ragged wings. Inching closer, she was able to see that where its heart should have been, there was instead a great gaping cavern, torn open by rough claws.

Her hands flew to her mouth, a cold shiver passing through her body. Whatever it was, it was something precious. She could feel the forest around her mourning, and her own eyes watered.

The man scowled, leaning back over the creature, his cloak covering it from her view again. “Leave. You’re not needed here.”

She wasn’t sure what took hold of her to answer: “but I am. She brought me here. I… I’m not Asra, I’m sorry. But I can help.” Slowly, she stepped towards him again. “Please.”

He eyed her warily, frowning as the wolf whined at his side. “I can manage on my own.” There was a flash of pain in his eyes, and she bit her lip. Around them, an eerie howl echoed through the air, and everything in Alec’s body told her to run, to get away from the clearing and the forest. But she stood her ground, kneeling down to look up at the man.

“You’ll get home faster if I help. Please, let me.” She was almost begging with him, but she couldn’t leave him alone, not knowing that he was someone Asra knew.

A number of emotions warred over his face, too quickly for her to name any of them. But after an agonizing pause, he relented, his shoulders slumping just enough for her to know he had given in. “Fine.”

He stood on swaying feet, and almost tumbled back down, but Alec rushed to his side, supporting him with her shoulder. He tensed, and she was almost afraid he’d pull away completely, but after a moment he relaxed again.

“…This way.”

As they stumbled through the trees, Alec felt like the forest was closing in on them, making it harder to see and even breathe. The mourning from before was replaced with something else, something foreboding that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. When a branch snapped in front of them, she gasped.

The man stopped; eyes wide. “He’s back.” Inanna growled from just in front of both of them, her fur bristled.

Alec almost didn’t even want to ask. “Who…?”

The man didn’t reply, just let out a low growl as he stepped in front of her, eyes scanning the path ahead. Around them, a wind picked up a flurry of leaves, swirling them up in the air like a tornado. In the middle, a figure appeared, snarling at them from the shadows. It lunged toward them, moving to strike, and Alec moved without thinking, putting herself between the man and the figure. She stomped her feet on the ground, and countered the wind with her own, whipping around them in a protective barrier. Her arms outstretched, she grunted as the figure pushed back, but with one more burst of magic from somewhere deep inside her, she sent it flying into the shadows again.

Shrieking, the creature readied another attack. “You can’t run from me forever!”

She wasn’t going to be able to push back against the next attack, she was sure. Before she could worry about what to do, the man grabbed her hand and started tugging her away.

“This way, hurry.”

She tried not to think about the blood staining her hand and just held onto his for dear life, Inanna running alongside her. Her eyes caught on a charm dangling in the branches of a tree; one of Asra’s charms. She had watched him make it. The charm signaled the beginning of a path, and as she looked over her shoulder, the figure chasing them lurched to a painful stop once it reached the path. Writhing in rage, the figure let out one more horrible scream that echoed through Alec’s bones as they continued to run, leaving it behind.

Alec felt a small bit of relief as they reached another small clearing, but the weight of the man now leaning on her made it so she couldn’t relax just yet. Inanna led her forward to a hut that she had no time to look over, only stumbling inside once the door was open, breathing heavy as the door swung shut behind them.

****

Struggling to catch her breath, she helped the man to the ground, where he let out a low groan of pain, leaning his head against the wall. Anxious, she looked him over, her hands still outstretched and trembling. Cracking his eyes open, he summoned a deep breath to speak.

“…Thank you. Now go away.”

She blinked. Go… back outside? When that thing was still out there? How would she make it back to the city without it catching her?

Inanna nudged her leg, shocking Alec out of her spiraling thoughts, and she watched as the wolf sat pointedly in front of the door, anchoring herself in place. She let out a small laugh, and heard the man grumble from next to her.

“Fine. Stay until you catch your breath. Then leave.”

Nodding, Alec slid down the wall next to Inanna, burying her hands and face in the wolf’s soft fur. There was something painfully familiar and comforting about the feeling of being enveloped in her fur, and Alec let out a shaking breath, feeling her body start to slowly calm down.

When she could speak again, she peeked out from Inanna’s fur to look at the man again. “Um… what was that thing chasing us?”

“No one.” His answer came quickly and in a gruff voice. Alec knew he wasn’t going to give her any more information, but just that information surprised her. He said no one. So that thing, that creature, it was someone, once.

Quietly, she pulled her head up a little more, and Inanna settled into her lap. She looked around the hut for the first time since coming inside. It was simple and warm, a fireplace crackling in the far corner. The hut seemed to have only the barest of necessities, very different from her crowded shop, but somehow it still felt comfortable. Like home. She sighed softly. It must be from the protection charms. Asra’s charms. The ones that saved them.

Glancing back at the man, she watched his chest rise and fall, breath stuttering in his lungs, clearly still in pain. Biting her lip, she spoke again. “What’s your name?”

“Why?” The way he looked at her made her feel like she should be afraid of him. But she wasn’t. Maybe because he had helped her, or because he was clearly Asra’s friend.

“So… I know what to call you.”

“Just don’t call me anything.”

Alec frowned; her eyebrows knit together. “I could just call you Asra’s big, weird friend in the woods, but I’d rather not.”

A surprised snort escaped the man, and just as quickly as she heard it, he groaned in pain again. She waited, and once the pain seemed to pass, he looked over at her again from under his dark shaggy hair. “…Muriel.”

She nodded. “Hello, Muriel. I’m Alec.”

He almost rolled his eyes. “I know who you are.”

Anxiety shot through Alec’s heart again, and she gripped Inanna’s fur tightly in her fingers. “Oh.” No wonder he didn’t seem to like her. She must have known him before her accident and now… even a man living alone in the woods would have heard about her memory loss, she assumed. “I’m… sorry. I don’t remember you.”

“Good. You shouldn’t.”

She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Before she could respond, he stood up, clearly done talking. Where he was sitting, there was a small pool of blood, and Alec gasped, shooting upright. Inanna whined as she was disrupted from Alec’s lap, and Muriel flinched, looking startled.

“W-we need to get you fixed up.”

“I can do it myself.” Muriel started to pull away, but Alec held her hands out in front of her.

“No! Let me help you, please.”

He stared at her, and Alec was afraid he’d refuse her again, afraid she’d have to try and make him let her help. But then, he sighed, shoulders slumping. “Fine. I’ll get the supplies.” He tried to push himself away from the wall, but stumbled. Alec caught him, her arms around his waist, shoulder propping him up.

Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look up at him. “I said I’d help. That means you need to take it easy.”

His body felt stiff under her touch, but he didn’t argue, and she led him to a small stool to sit on while she searched the hut for any supplies to use. After finding a bucket of water and a clean rag, she went back over to him, kneeling in front of him as she soaked the rag and held it up to his skin.

He pulled back. “What are you doing?”

“I have to clean the blood off of you to see what we’re dealing with.” When he tried to take the rag from her, she frowned, pulling it away from his reach. “What did I just say before? You need to take it easy.”

Mirroring her frown, he grumbled at her. “I can do it.”

She held his glare this time, and shook her head. “No, you can’t. Now, sit still. The sooner I can get this done, the better.”

His frown didn’t waver, but he relaxed slightly, and turned his head away. Gently, she slid the cloak from his shoulders. He shivered then forced himself still, staring at the wall and ignoring her, his blush reaching down to his shoulders. She decided to push forward, carefully wiping his skin clean.

She bit back a gasp as the blood was wiped away, his skin covered in scars. Many of them seemed to be years old, deep, not properly healed. Worrying her lip as she continued to pass the rag over his skin, she thought about her own scars, the dozen or so of which she had no idea where they came from. Where had his scars come from?

What happened to him?

As she placed her hand over a knotted mass of scar tissue, she could feel how tense he was under her touch. With most of his skin clean, she could see that he thankfully wasn’t seriously wounded; there was just a single deep wound on his side. She continued to clean, but spoke softly.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Startled, Muriel turned his head to look at her, and she could see in his eyes that he was calculating what to say to her. Eventually, he settled on a quiet, “I know.”

Questions pressed at the roof of her mouth, begging to be released. But she was afraid he wouldn’t answer, even more afraid that he’d push her away and she wouldn’t be able to help him. So, instead she just swallowed them down and continued to clean the blood away from the wound.

This time, he seemed less tense, and she could feel him watching her as she finished cleaning his skin. But when she sat back to study him and make sure she hadn’t missed anything, he was staring down at the wound on his side, upset.

“Is it bothering you?” That was a dumb question to ask, she thought, as soon as it left her mouth. Of course, the open wound was bothering him.

His eyes flickered to hers, clearly fighting with himself on whether to humor her or not. But she wasn’t expecting him to sigh and nod. “It’s… going to scar.”

“You don’t like your scars.” It was more of a statement than a question, a familiar ache tugging at her chest.

Shoulders tensed; Muriel went quiet. For a moment, Alec was ready to accept that she had overstepped, and he didn’t want to talk about it, or anything, with her anymore. But then he answered, his gaze hard at the ground. “They scare people.”

Alec set the rag down in the bucket, reaching out to place her hand on the knotted scar she paused on before. “They don’t scare me.” He looked up at her, frowning, and she pulled her hand back. “I just… I mean… Scars don’t make someone scary. But I get not liking them. I hate my own.”

Confusion showed on his face before he could hide it. “Your… own?”

She nodded, and put her hand over her side, just under her rib cage. “I have a lot of them, but this one… It looks like something I should have died from. But someone saved me. Or maybe I did it myself. I don’t know.” She sighed. “And that’s the problem. I don’t know. Scars… they tell a story on everyone. But I don’t know my own story. And I hate it.”

Muriel didn’t answer her, and when she looked back up at him, his gaze was dark and distant, like he was remembering something unpleasant. She waited, but when it seemed like he wasn’t going to add anything else to the conversation, she sighed, feeling a little embarrassed by her confession.

“I’m… um, I’m going to close the wound now.”

Only once he nodded did she move to put her hand over the wound. She closed her eyes, and tried to even out her breathing. Asra had taught her to patch small wounds and scrapes as soon as she got her magic back, in case he was gone one day and she was injured, but this was bigger than anything she had practiced on before. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she could do it, especially without him.

But then she thought about the scar on her side. If she had healed that herself, that meant that she was still capable of doing it. Asra was always telling her to trust her magic to come to the surface on its own instead of trying to pull it up, and she trusted him.

She focused all of her energy into healing the wound on Muriel’s side, and heard him let out a low groan as the skin stitched itself together. Her eyes fluttered open, and she hesitantly pulled her hand from his side, only to see the wound healed, just a pale scar in its place.

“I did it,” she breathed, relief flooding over her. No sooner had the words left her lips than she was falling forward, into Muriel’s chest. She felt his hands on her shoulders, steadying her, but she was already slipping from pure exhaustion. The last thing she saw was his face, green eyes wide with concern, and then she fell into a deep sleep.

****

Alec woke up slowly, feeling disoriented. The ceiling above her wasn’t from her room in the shop, or any room in the shop, for that matter, and it wasn’t the ceiling of the palace either. Groaning, she sat up, and jumped as a wolf padded over to her, tail wagging.

Hesitantly, she reached out to pat its head, and it huffed happily, plopping into her lap. That, at least, was familiar. She remembered going to her shop, finding the wolf covered in blood, following it into the forest, and then… what happened then?

As she continued to wake up, she noticed a giant figure on the other side of the hut, and her heart started to race. With the weight of the wolf on her lap, she couldn’t move. But the wolf wasn’t reacting in any way to the man as he turned towards her, holding a plate of what looked like eggs, with a guilty look on his face.

“You’re awake.”

She swallowed, panic rising. “Um… wh-who…?”

He frowned, setting the plate down on a small table. Rummaging around a small shelf, he pulled out a satchel of herbs, and walked over to her, arm outstretched. Slowly, she took it from him, holding it to her chest. The scent of myrrh started to clear her senses, and she took a deep breath, feeling as if a fog was lifted from her brain.

Immediately, she remembered everything. Her eyes flew open. “Muriel?”

He nodded, turning back to sit at the table.

“I forgot you. I-I’m sorry, it’s never happened like that before—”

“It wasn’t your fault.” He sighed, as if it pained him to explain. “It’s a spell. People look away from me, and they forget.”

A shiver went down Alec’s spine. She had never heard of that kind of spell. For a moment, she was elated. There was a spell that might solve all of her problems of being recognized. But her joy was quickly erased by the feeling of emptiness that she was all too familiar with. Clutching the satchel, she looked up at him, worried. “Will it happen again?”

“Not if you keep that pouch on you. The myrrh helps.”

“Oh, good.” She relaxed, and started to gently pry her legs from under Inanna, who grumbled in her sleep as she was moved. “I… I don’t like forgetting things, or people.” As she made her way to join him at the table, she gave him a small, teasing smile. “Even big, weird friends of Asra.”

He blushed, and Alec couldn’t bite back a giggle. “What—I—you know what, I changed my mind. You can’t have any eggs. Go away.”

With no real threat in his voice, Alec shifted closer to him, and finally looked at the plate of eggs in front of her. “You made these for me?” He only blushed deeper, glancing pointedly away from her. She smiled, pulling the plate across the table to start eating.

As she ate, she looked around the hut again, trying to make sure it was committed to memory. It was a curious place, and Muriel was a curious man. Out here alone, with just Inanna and the forest for company. Well, and Asra, she supposed. She wondered how many times Asra had visited him in the past few years. Maybe that was why he didn’t like her, maybe Asra hadn’t been coming around to visit Muriel because he was busy watching over Alec. That thought made her stomach twist uncomfortably, and she paused in her eating, looking at him.

He startled when he caught her staring, frowning at her. “What.”

She shrugged, setting her fork down. “I want to know more about you.”

“Why?”

“Because. You’re Asra’s friend. And because you’re the first person I’ve been able to talk to like this in…” She hesitated, thinking back to how anxious she was at the palace. She had appreciated the company of Portia, but there was an awful feeling of being out of place that hung over her head while she was there. Not here. She felt safe here. “…well, a while.”

He seemed to relax just a little, his eyes studying her. His voice was just as gruff as ever when he spoke. “What kind of things do you want to know?”

Alec hadn’t actually expected him to agree. “What… um, what’s your favorite color?”

He stared blankly at her. “What.”

“Your favorite color. What is it?” She leaned forward a little, tugging at her dupatta. “Mine is pink. Or gold. I have a hard time choosing.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh, come on. Everyone has one.” She sat back, narrowing her eyes at him. “It doesn’t even have to be your favorite, just a color that you gravitate towards.”

“I don’t have one,” he repeated, but Alec waited. He stared furiously at the wall for a few long moments, before finally admitting, “green. It’s… okay, I guess.”

She smiled, leaning back towards him. “Green is a lovely color. I think it suits you.”

“Whatever.” His cheeks flushed, and her smile only grew.

“Do you have… a favorite flower?”

Much to her surprise, a small smile graced Muriel’s lips at the question, before she could even offer her own answer. He nodded slowly and retrieved a tiny, delicate flower from a pouch on his waist. It was dried and pressed, and a pale periwinkle color. He held it carefully between his fingers and gazed at it with something close to fondness glimmering in his mossy eyes before holding it out to Alec, placing it in the palm of her hand.

Gently, she traced the edge of her nail over the petals, studying it closely. “Forget-me-nots?”

“They feel….” He shook his head as he searched for the word, before finally coming up short. “I don’t know, I just like them.”

He took the flower back before she could look at it any longer, but she just nodded. “I get it. I like the bird of paradise flowers, but there aren’t ever any here, in Vesuvia. I’ve only ever seen them in books… that I remember anyway. But they feel… familiar.” She glanced up at him, giving him an embarrassed smile. “It’s weird, I guess.”

He didn’t answer, watching her with the same distant and slightly sad look from before.

She toyed with her fork for a moment before deciding to ask her last question. “Are you… alone out here?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely?” She couldn’t imagine being alone like he was and enjoying it. Every time Asra left, she would feel unimaginably lonely, like she wasn’t meant to be on her own that way.

Unsurprisingly, he shook his head. “No. Besides.” She caught the glimpse of annoyance in his eyes. “You’re here right now. So, I’m not alone.”

“Oh.” She glanced down at the table, her cheeks burning. “I… I can leave if you want.”

He was quiet, and she thought he was going to agree. Then he sighed. “You don’t need to do that.” Surprised, she looked up at him, and he flustered, looking away from her. “Finish your eggs.”

A small smile tugged at her lips, and she turned back to her plate. That was when she realized that Muriel didn’t have any food for himself, just watching her eat. “Did you… give me your eggs?”

He flushed deeper, and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “I take it back. Don’t you have anything more important to do or something?”

She was about to laugh when she remembered that he was right. Her face went pale and she stood up, pushing away from the table. “Julian. I’m supposed to be looking for Ju—Dr. Devorak.”

“Him…?” Muriel frowned, standing up as well. “Why are you looking for him?”

The tone of his face made her pause, and she wrung her hands in front of her anxiously. “Well, the Countess… um, Nadia, she wanted me to question him. About the murder of Count Lucio.”

“What would he know about that?”

“Wh—he confessed. To killing the Count? We’re trying to find out if it’s true.”

Muriel let out a sound like a snort, and her eyes widened. “What an idiot. He confessed to something he didn’t do.”

Alec’s stomach swooped, first in relief and then in dread. “What do you mean?”

“He was locked up in the dungeons that entire night. He couldn’t have killed Lucio.”

“What?” She sat back down, legs feeling weak. “But if he didn’t… who did? He was our only lead, he confessed. Who could have killed the Count?”

He shrugged, looking down at her. “I don’t know. Go into the forest and ask him.”

Alec’s voice sounded far away when she spoke. “I… I don’t understand.”

“That… thing, in the woods. The creature that attacked us. That’s all that’s left of Lucio.”

That creature… was Lucio? Now that she wasn’t running for her life, Alec thought back to the creature, to its horrid appearance. A twisted, goatlike thing, that reminded her too much of the discomforting painting in Nadia’s dining hall. And red eyes that glowed like hot coals, no, like a roaring fire. Her head hurt, and she winced, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“Th-that’s Lucio? How?”

Muriel reached out towards her hesitantly, then stopped. “... I don’t know. I don’t know what happened to him. But if he’s dead, he’s doing a bad job.”

Another time, Alec might have laughed at that. But she couldn’t shake the awful sense of foreboding off of her shoulders, the prickling feeling on her spine. If that really was the Count, he had been existing in that form for the last three years. And he was angry. She believed in vengeful spirits, wholeheartedly, she just never expected to be on the other end of one’s vengeance.

Slowly, she rose to her feet again. “We need to tell Nadia everything. Everything about Julian, and about Lucio’s ghost.”

Muriel made no attempt to move, looking very much like he’d rather sink into the floor and cease to exist. “You’d better get going then.”

“No, Muriel, please.” Alec walked around the table, closer to him, but he backed up. “You’re a witness, I need you to come with me and talk to her.”

The frown on his dace only deepened. “I didn’t ask to be.”

I didn’t ask for any of this, she wanted to say, but all that came out of her mouth was a gasp before the door of the hut flung open, a figure panting heavily.

Alec’s heart soared when she realized who it was; Asra, looking very worried and disheveled. “Muriel, I need your help—our shop—”

Before he even finished speaking Alec was running over to him, wrapping him in a warm hug. “Asra!” She buried her face in his shoulder, fighting back tears as she held him.

“Allie! You’re alright.” He hugged her back quickly before pulling away to look between her and Muriel. “When I saw the blood in the shop I thought… but how did you get here?”

She glanced back at Muriel, and then frowned at Asra. “I think you have more explaining to do than I do right now.”

After Alec finished with the band, she met up with Kipling. They walked the grounds, arm in arm, trying to spend a little time together before the musician’s next set.

“Missing home yet, Kip?” Alec asked gently, just in case her girlfriend was actually homesick. Kip anchored her arm more against Alec’s side as she leaned against her shoulder.

“Only a little. If I had stayed behind, I would be missing you a lot more.” Kip said with a sigh.

“But…?” Alec prompted, letting the two of them slow to a stop under a swaying palm.

Kip bit her lip and shook her head sheepishly. “It’s a very small but.” Shrugging, she said, “It just feels like we’re missing out on the Lunar festival stuff. That’s all.”

Alec thought about chasing Kip through Vesuvia’s enchanted snowy streets and ice-skating with her in the Town Square. By the time the band made their way back in that direction, all of the cold weather would have passed. Taking the special festivities along with it.

That’s when Alec had an idea.

The musician glanced up at the underside of the broad, umbrella leaves of the palmetto and gasped.

“Oh, Kip. Look at that!”

The gardener tilted her head back and narrowed her eyes. “Look at what?”

“That!” Alec pointed, her gem blue eyes widening. “How did that get there?”

Kip shook her head. “I don’t see any–”

“Mistletoe.”

Alec stayed in character, gazing at the palm tree in wonder before lowering her chin and leaning forward. She placed her palms to either side of Kipling’s cheeks and applied a little pressure so the gardener’s lips would pucker.

“Alec,” Kip giggled, her words muffled against Alec’s lips. “What mistletoe?”

Alec kissed Kip again. “Don’t you see it? Just like the ones at the Lunar Solstice Festival.”

Kip’s hand slipped into the roots of the musician’s dark braid. She snorted one last time, closed her eyes and sighed dreamily, “If you say so.”