Jenny and Ben gave each other a look—the kind that’s really a whole conversation. They were still Eleanor’s legal guardians, partly because Jack wasn’t legally real at all, and partly because Eleanor had only known him for a few months. Before she and Pip had rescued him this spring, he’d spent her entire life submerged in mud in a magical coma.

Their relationship was somewhat complicated.

“All right,” Jenny said at last. “We’ll catch up on cocoa later. Don’t stay up too late, Elle.”

“I won’t,” Eleanor promised.

She left her cocoa on the counter before following Jack into the hall and then the Great Room, where he paused. “I apologize for interrupting your time with your family,” he said. Your family, as if he didn’t fit that definition. Eleanor knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be family. They hadn’t had time yet to figure out who they were to each other.

Eleanor shrugged. “I was kind of glad to escape,” she admitted. “So Wander is awake?”

“Indeed. She’s outside, though I managed to convince her to avoid standing directly outside the window. She wishes to speak to you and the others. She declined to tell me why; she says she will wait for ‘the real Jack.’ ”

That meant Pip. The magical Story that had possessed Jack for decades—that had made him forget his real name and his real life—was in Pip now. She hadn’t lost her memories yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Once they were gone, the memories—and Pip—would be gone for good. Even months after the Story left him, Jack didn’t remember anything about his life before. Eleanor pushed that thought away. Thinking about what was happening to Pip made her feel sick to her stomach.

“It’s past curfew, but maybe Pip can come over tomorrow,” Eleanor suggested, forcing herself to focus on the present.

Jack looked uneasy. “I wish I knew exactly what it is that Wander wants,” he said.

“You don’t trust her?” Eleanor asked, surprised. In all the tales she’d heard, they’d been fast friends.

He sighed. “Wander has always been a kind and loyal ally, but the world-walker is . . .” He waved a hand. “She sees things no one else can, and sometimes that leaves her disconnected from what is right in front of her. And she has very little sense of danger or common sense.”

“Didn’t you intentionally get eaten by a dragon once so you could fight it from the inside out?” Eleanor asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It was a dread wyrm. But I see your point,” Jack said.

They made their way to the front door so they could slip outside unnoticed, and Jack led her around the house toward the overgrown orchard out back. The apple trees were gnarled. They seemed to clutch at the young, pale fruits jealously.