“It’s in a cave system beneath the lake.” Specks of dirt on her tennis shoes commanded her sudden interest. “Our patrols must have corralled it.”

“We drove it into the water,” he said under his breath as though that outcome unsettled him.

Why hadn’t it escaped when it had the chance? The absence of a scent trail meant the wargs had no way of tracking it. Why had it approached us in the first place? Why parade its prey in front of us? The thing was inciting us to action, and that kind of boldness made me nervous. “The girl couldn’t have survived this long in the water.”

“Unless that’s what he does,” Graeson said, shifting uneasily. “We don’t know how he picks his locations. I’m not sure about the other sites, but I know there is a cavern beneath the pond where—” his voice hitched, “—Marie was found. A water sprite lived there when I was a boy. She used to talk to me when I was hunting in wolf form.”

The way he said it made me curious. “Does she still live there?” Some fae hibernated for decades at a time.

“No. She was accused a drowning a young man she favored. Some said they were lovers. I think she was beautiful and he was tempted by her. If she harmed him, then she was protecting herself.” His expression soured. “The conclave swept in and removed her before Bessemer got it in his head to sanction a hunt without a trial. Now her name will never be cleared, and she won’t be allowed to return home for as long as Bessemer lives. That type of fae…” Old sadness rang out. “They bond to their homes. Relocating her was a death sentence.”

That might explain his distrust for the conclave. They had hurt a friend of his. His fondness for the sprite might also explain why he had greeted me with an open mind instead of the prejudice so many wargs held against fae.

“You think this might be part of his pattern.” I turned the idea over in my head. “We know he keeps his victims alive for a week or longer. If he’s choosing bodies of water with fae-created cave systems, then there may be dry caverns and oxygen too.”

“The kelpie could stash its victim there until the time was right,” Graeson agreed.

“How do we find out what’s underneath this lake without tapping into conclave resources?” Without Internet access, we couldn’t Google geography or touch base with my contacts. “Local fae would know. I’m going to need that ride into town now.”

“No.” Graeson rubbed his chin. “You won’t. I have someone in mind.”