“He was doing what we are—following footprints.” I examined the traces more. “Patrick stopped here and scuffed around.”

“Waiting for Gabriel to find the trail. So those two were tracking the dryads, who must have taken off on them.”

“Which, being dryads, could mean they were fleeing…or just scampered ahead.”

We followed the tracks down the hall. When I realized Ricky wasn’t right behind me, I stopped to see him shining his light through a doorway.

“The windows are broken,” he said. “And yeah, given that it’s an abandoned building, that’s no big shock, but the windows have been shattered very recently, pieces on the floor, no dust settled on them.” He walked to the next door. “Same thing in every room we’ve passed.”

“Olivia!” Gabriel’s voice boomed from somewhere below. “Is that you?”

Ricky put his fingers on my arm. He knew I wouldn’t run toward Gabriel’s voice, but I would be tempted. I locked my knees and called back, “Where are you?”

“In the basement. We fell through the floor and seem to be trapped.”

“What broke the windows?” I called.

“What?” Patrick answered.

“The windows. They’re all broken. What happened?”

“We don’t know,” Patrick said. “A tremor? I thought it might be fae, but we didn’t find any evidence of that. The building shook, and we heard glass breaking, and then the floor gave way.”

I glanced at Ricky and then called, “Gabriel?”

“Hmm?”

“What did we have for lunch?”

“This isn’t the time for games, Liv,” Patrick said. “We’re trapped in this basement, and the building keeps creaking and groaning. Gabriel fell three stories. He needs a doctor.”

“We found a pen in the car, Patrick,” I said. “One of your homemade jobs. What kind of ink do you use?”

Silence. Then a woman’s voice said, “Oh, but you’re clever, aren’t you, Eden?”

It was the voice from Todd’s memory. The one that plucked at my own memory but wove through Todd’s until I wasn’t sure if I’d really heard it elsewhere or just remembered it from him.

“Not so much clever as capable of learning,” I said. “The fae like their tricks. Sluagh may not consider themselves fae, but they pull the same stunts. Where’s Gabriel?”

“So you consider us fae? That will make this conversation so much easier.”

“No, our conversation will be easier if Gabriel’s standing beside me. It’s the only way I’m talking to you.”

“You have a high opinion of your worth, don’t you, child? You think you’re a player, but you are just a pawn. One we own.”