Sebastian frowns. “No one lives here?”

“Not as far as I can tell.” She shrugs. “There is an extra room with two little beds. I’m guessing you could use a place to spend the night. I’d be happy to share this shack with you.”

My heart speeds up. Maeve seems so nice. And it would be such a relief to let an adult take the lead again, even just for a little while. Staying focused through fear is exhausting. I feel Sebastian’s thoughts mirror my own.

“Yes, please,” I say.

“Thank you,” Sebastian adds. Drat. Sometimes I don’t quite remember my manners right.

“Of course,” Maeve says. She pats my shoulder with a wistful expression, her finger catching for a moment on one of my long, tangled white locks. While she maintains a calm exterior, there’s an undercurrent of sadness in every move she makes. It makes me want to reach out and hug her, though that would be too bold, even for me.

“Where are you headed?” Sebastian asks.

Maeve considers as she pulls out some food for herself. “I hardly even know. You see, my family is missing too.”

Sebastian gasps. “That’s terrible.”

Her forehead creases. “I had a husband and three children, a boy and two girls. But I don’t know where they are.”

I frown. “But when did you lose them?”

“Years ago. I’ve been searching for them ever since. Traveling through the three territories, hoping for some sign of them.”

I finish my chicken and wipe my mouth with my sleeve. “What happened?”

Sebastian gives me a short look. That’s a little rude to ask…

But Maeve doesn’t think worse of me for it. If anything, her thoughts of us grow fonder by the minute.

“I don’t really know. One day they were there, and the next, I was alone.”

“Do you know who stole them?” I’m exhausted, and my mouth is asking questions before my brain can think better of it. I’m lucky Maeve is patient.

She sets down the last bite of her bread. She stares at it for a long moment, then shakes herself out of the funk.

“Yes and no.” She sighs. “I tracked down the person who took them. But no one knows where they ended up after they left the culprit’s hands. They could be anywhere.”

Maeve finishes eating and stands. The moon rose outside the windows while we talked, and she lights a couple of candles, giving one to us.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted from the day’s journey. I’m going to bed. The room for you two is just down the hall.”

We wish her good night, then gather our meager belongings and head to the small chamber at the back of the shack. There are two cots set out, and the blankets are only a little dusty. A quick shake remedies that.

When I rest my head on the pillow, the full extent of my exhaustion begins to set in like a lead weight on my chest.