They left the waystation with first light and Reylo did his best not to slow the group. Syl held her breath every time he stumbled.

  Which misstep would finally break her resolve to keep going?

  Purple bruises blossomed across his skin. Syl could scarcely imagine his pain, but Reylo wouldn’t let anybody help him.

  He walked by himself, arm in a sling and his head held high.

  Emotions warred in her chest as she watched her friend. The guilt of putting Reylo through the pain of continuing versus her need to find her father. Her need was winning—just barely—but she knew it wouldn’t last if Reylo even hinted he couldn’t go on. He was pushing through the pain for her and that only made the guilt worse.

  “The lake should be a mile or so ahead of us,” Edar said. “I recognize the area.”

  “Do you need a break?” Dena asked Reylo. “We can stop for a minute.”

  “No, I’m okay,” he answered predictably. “I may want to sit for a few minutes when we get to the lake though.”

  “Of course,” Dena said. “I think we’ll all want a break by then.”

  Syl held her tongue. She didn’t trust herself to say the ‘right’ thing.

  “What’s on your mind?” Dena asked, sensing her friend’s internal struggle and joining her at the back of the group.

  “Nothing,” Syl said. “Shouldn’t you be watching the woods?”

  “I can walk, watch, and talk all at the same time,” Dena said, ignoring Syl’s snippiness.

  “Sorry,” Syl said. “Guess I’m grumpy.”

  “You going to tell me what happened last night?” Dena asked quietly so the others wouldn’t hear.

  “What’s to tell?”

  “Kule said you woke up in a fit and then stormed straight out, saying something about the Lake-Wolf being out there. And then you were right. I think there’s something to tell.”

  “Just a bad dream,” Syl said. Why was she keeping secrets from her best friend? Oh, right, because it was practically unbelievable. And the dream wasn’t even the really crazy part.

  “Okay. A bad dream.” Dena sounded skeptical. Rightfully. “Then how about the part where you knew the Lake-Wolf was behind us? Just like at the village,” Dena said, extra quiet.

  Syl took a breath but didn’t answer immediately. “I guess I heard it,” she finally answered.

  “You guess? Syl, what’s going on with you? You can tell me anything, you know that, right?”

  “I know, but I don’t know,” Syl said, stumbling over her words.

  “Huh?”

  Syl sighed and put her arm around Dena’s waist. “I just heard it. I don’t know how I did, but that’s all it was. Thanks for worrying about me.”

  Dena looked like she was going to say something else, but she held her tongue and simply nodded.

  “How big is this community around the lake?” Syl called ahead to Edar as Dena fell back into her position in the group.

  “Half a dozen buildings,” Edar answered. “Haven’t you ever come out to Teb’s farm?”

  “Not since I was a kid. I don’t remember it very well. And I prefer Lake Tulium to Cashin for swimming,” Syl went on, trying to keep the topic lighter. “Cashin gives me the creeps. Always felt like something was watching me from the bottom of the lake.”

  “Tulium’s warmer,” Dena agreed. “Cashin always seems so cold. I think because it’s deeper.”

  “But that’s what makes the fish delicious,” Leeze said. “Bet it was those fish plotting their revenge for eating their friends that creeped you out, Syl.” Leeze widened her eyes and made little claw gestures at Syl, then chuckled. “Do you think we’ll have time to stop and eat?”

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  Syl looked at Reylo. He was definitely moving slower. “Yeah,” she said. “I think stopping to get a meal is a good idea.”

  The nod from Dena told her she’d managed to say the ‘right’ thing after all, even if it did twist her gut in a knot.

  “If they don’t know about the Lake-Wolf,” Rogar wondered out loud, “should we tell them to head to the village?”

  “The road isn’t safe,” Edar pointed out, and gestured at Reylo.

  “Is staying at the lake any safer?” Rogar asked right back.

  “It didn’t attack us in the waystation. Maybe it doesn’t like fire,” Edar suggested.

  It was going to attack us, Syl thought. It’s not afraid of fire. Reylo was just an easier target.

  “What do you think Syl?” Rogar asked. “Should we tell them to hunker down until somebody kills the Lake-Wolf, or head to the village?”

  “Let’s figure that out when we get to the lake,” Syl answered. “We don’t know how many people already went to the village for the festival. All the houses might already be empty.”

  “Maybe they can take Reylo back with them?” Kule said what everybody was thinking.

  “I’m fine, guys. Really,” Reylo said, exhaustion thick in his voice.

  But he’s actually keeping up. We haven’t slowed because of him.

  Syl was impressed, and that caused all kinds of other confusing emotions to stir in her chest. Emotions she quickly stamped out. It wasn’t the time for that kind of thinking.

  “It’s your decision, Reylo,” Syl said, but turned away quickly when she felt her cheeks warming.

  “Hate to interrupt your moment,” Rogar said flatly. “But I think I can see a house down the road there.”

  True enough, the first house had come into view, and within a few minutes they were walking past its front porch.

  “Kind of quiet,” Kule said as nobody stirred within the building.

  “Maybe like Syl said?” Leeze suggested. “They’re already at the village for the Ka-Sho-Dan?”

  “Not everybody,” Edar said, and pointed. “There’s somebody out on the lake. Fishing I think.”

  Syl followed Edar’s gesture and found a man sitting in his boat, waving at them with both hands.

  Kule mimicked the wave. “Wow, he’s really happy to see us. Guess they don’t get a lot of visitors.”

  “What’s he saying? I can’t hear him,” Dena said.

  “He’s too far away,” Kule said, but kept waving at the man as the group headed towards the house closest to the water.

  “What do you want to do, Syl?” Dena asked.

  “Let me take a look at your arm,” Syl said to Reylo, and led him to an old stump in front of the house. “We’ll give it a few minutes for somebody to come to us,” Syl responded to Dena and began to gently undo the bandages around Reylo’s arm.

  “Doesn’t look like anybody noticed us,” Edar said as the group spread out and looked around.

  Most of the homes were nestled on the edge of the water and everybody was understandably leery about getting too close to the denser treeline.

  “Stay in sight,” Rogar instructed. “Don’t go anywhere we can’t see each other.”

  “Doesn’t look like it started bleeding again,” Syl told Reylo, mostly ignoring the others. “You’ve done a good job keeping it steady. How are you feeling?”

  “Really, not that bad,” Reylo answered. “Little hungry, and sore, but I could be so much worse if you didn’t come after me. “Syl,” Reylo said seriously, and met her eyes without blushing. “Thank you. I know you were the first one in the woods after me. You could have just as easily let it take me. But you didn’t. You risked your life to come in after me.

  “Then you stitched this up,” Reylo said and lifted his arm. “I’m alive because of you.”

  It was Syl’s turn to blush. Again. “You’d do the same thing for me,” she managed to say without her voice breaking. Why did her emotions pick now of all times to get complicated?

  “Of course, I would,” Reylo said, but hesitated before he went on. “But… we all know why. Everyone knows I’d do anything for you.

  “You don’t feel the same way about me,” he said bluntly.

  Syl opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Was he right?

  “You don’t have to say anything,” Reylo said, holding up his good hand. “And you don’t have to feel bad about it. It is what it is. But you still came when I needed you. And I appreciate that. So, I’m staying with you until you find your father. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Reylo, you…” Syl started, but the look in his eyes told her she wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise. “I could knock you out and make Rogar drag you back to the village,” she said instead.

  “But you won’t,” Reylo said with a soft smile, and Syl’s stomach fluttered. “Will you let me help? I may not be much good with a bow, but my eyes are still some of the best in the village.”

  Syl took a breath and finished rewrapping Reylo’s arm. “How can I argue with that?” she asked him rhetorically. “Of course, I’ll let you help. On one condition,” she held up a finger.

  “What’s that?”

  “You listen to me if I tell you to rest. And you let me take care of your injuries.”

  “That’s two conditions. Pick one,” he said, and smiled again.

  Syl scowled.

  “Kidding. Kidding!” he said with wide eyes. “Have you been practicing that look? It’s almost as scary as Enna. It’s a deal.”

  “Good. Then let’s see if the others found anything,” she said and stood up.

  When she turned, they were all in a group right behind her.

  “Oh, we found something alright,” Kule said with an exaggerated wink.

  “How long were you…?” Syl started to ask, but couldn’t finish as her face heated again.

  Dena and Leeze giggled. Rogar crossed his arms. Kule made a kissy-face. Edar just stared out at the lake.

  Syl’s expression darkened and everybody wisely turned more serious. Everybody except Edar, who was still looking at the lake.

  “We didn’t find anybody,” Rogar said. “One of the front doors is open, so they couldn’t have gone far.”

  “At least we still have the guy in the boat to tell us where everybody is,” Kule offered.

  “About that,” Edar said evenly.

  “What is it, Edar?” Syl asked as she walked over to where he stood.

  Edar pointed. “Where’s the fisherman?”

  The boat sat calmly out in the middle of the lake, barely rocking in the still water.

  The empty boat.

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