I went outside and sat on the front steps. The air was strangely still but with a slight chill, and the moon was nearly full, bathing the secluded yard in cool light. The house was at the edge of Förening on a gravel road that wound down the hillside. It was still a hundred feet above the river that cut through the tall bluffs, but most of the town was built up higher, closer to the peak and surrounding the royal palace.

The town in general was quiet, but out here, with everyone sleeping, it was only the far-off sound of the river and a nearby owl hooting in the trees. I took my phone out and pulled up the voicemail Pan had left me earlier that evening. I’d been in the shower after a diaper blowout incident with Luna, and I had missed his call, again.

Twice already, I’d listened to his message, but I hit Play again.

“Hey, Ulla,” Pan said, his deep voice sounding disappointed. “I was hoping to talk to you, but our epic game of phone tag continues. At least I got to hear your voice on the outgoing message.”

After a brief pause, he said, “I probably shouldn’t have said that.” His audible embarrassment made me smile and tears formed in my eyes. “I didn’t mean it in a creepy way. I just . . . I miss you.”

For a moment, it was only the sound of him breathing. I stared up at the moon. Clouds moved rapidly across it, despite a total lack of wind. They were thin—altostratus clouds if I remembered correctly from Liam’s Big Book of Weather—so I could easily see the moon through them, but they gave the night sky an eerie chartreuse glow.

“It’s all so frustrating.” Pan’s recorded voice cut through the night. “I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. Me and Brueger are working tonight, herding the woollies around. But first I’m going to stop by and bring Dagny something to eat.

“I don’t know how much you know,” he went on. “Dagny said that Elof warned you about the aura dangers. She’s okay, but she’s super grumpy because Elof made her take the rest of the day off. But I thought I’d check on her anyway. Plus, Brueger’s been pretty fond of her since she dog-sat him back in June.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’ll be in and out most of the night, so I don’t know when you’ll be able to reach me,” he said with a sigh. “But just give me a call when you can.”

He went silent for a second, then, “I hope everything is going well for you. Stay safe. Bye, Ulla.”