My brain skated around possibilities, traversing my mental landscape, touching on every man who’d made an impact in my life, from my earliest memories of Todd to my adopted dad to James to Gabriel to Ricky. No, this wasn’t any of them, so who…

A fiery flare. Hooves pounding. A hound baying. A hooded figure. A laugh. A smile. A voice.

Ioan. Huntsman. Cŵn Annwn.

Cŵn. Hound. Brenin.

Ghost. Corpse. Melltithiwyd.

It all came back in a rush. I scrambled up and grabbed Ioan’s shoulder. He wouldn’t wake. His vitals were strong, and his eyes moved beneath the lids, as if he was dreaming. Did that mean Brenin had survived? I hoped so. I remembered the raven and the flock of melltithiwyd, and my stomach lurched.

When the raven died, I’d returned to my body. Ioan was still gone. Therefore, Brenin was alive. That was the logic I would use until proven wrong.

I rose and looked around. Still night. Still quiet.

I’d seen Ricky and Gabriel through the raven’s eyes. They’d been with Lloergan and the dryads. Everyone had been fine.

And then the melltithiwyd attacked.

Don’t think about that part. Just don’t.

They’d fought the demonic birds before. Fought and won. They would be fine. My job was to get to them, and thanks to that poor raven, I knew exactly where to go.

—

The sluagh was here. It knew we were, too. So subterfuge was a must. I slipped past the nearest buildings, and was just about to dart across the road when fingers tapped my shoulder. I jumped a mile high and spun to see…

Imogen.

“Looking for your lost lovers, Eden?” she said, smiling.

I didn’t get a chance to even open my mouth. She leaned in, her fingers wrapping around my arm as she said, “Here, let me help,” and blackness enveloped me.

—

I came to in the belfry tower. I was lying on the floor, the sluagh beside me, nudging me with her toe.

“Come, come, Eden. No time for sleeping. Your lovers await rather anxiously.”

I rose, rubbing my eyes, feeling like I’d taken a double dose of sleeping pills. I swore I heard Gabriel’s voice in my ear.

You’ve been drugged. It’s likely magical in nature. Be aware of that, and proceed with caution.

Yes, sir.

“Where are—?” I began.

“Over here,” the sluagh said.

She stood across the room, pointing down. As I walked, I saw broken, rotted boards, from when Ricky and Gabriel had been up here months ago.