I slid out of the truck into calf-deep water. I waded through it, my feet squelching in the mud. When I reached the tartan ward, two of the Stewart men parted it for me to pass. I kept my eyes on Lura the whole time, afraid she’d dart away or shoot me, but she remained perfectly still. When I got to the porch steps – the bottom two of which were under water – I held out my hands to show her I didn’t have a weapon.

“Can I come up?”

“Come aboard,” she said, “I ain’t gonna bite.” She grinned, her white teeth ghoulishly shining in the watery light. They weren’t as sharp looking as her mother’s, but they weren’t exactly human looking either. I walked slowly up the steps, their wooden slats groaning under my weight. When I stepped onto the porch the whole house swayed as though coming unmoored from its foundation. I glanced toward the stream and saw that even in the few minutes since I’d arrived it had risen higher. Strange shapes bobbed on its swollen surface – branches, glass bottles, dead animals. There were live things, too. A whiskered nose poked out of the water and tried to climb onto the bank but the current snatched it back into the water.

“Strange things have been moving through the woods all night,” said Lura. “Creatures heading to the door.” She scowled at me. “I guess you didn’t have much luck convincing the Grove not to close it.”

“No,” I admitted. “But I’ve found a way to keep it open. Lorelei still needs to go back, though. She’s a danger to folks here.”

Lura’s gaze moved toward the woods. “You know I’ve sat here for close on eighty years watching these woods, hoping Quincy would walk out of them again. Then a few days ago my mother walks out instead. And now you want to take her away, too. This town won’t be happy until they take everything away from me.”

“Lorelei’s killed men.”

“She tells me she hasn’t.” Lura looked up at me and raised the shotgun slightly. “And I believe her.”

I sighed. I remembered the brief time I’d spent with my mother in the labyrinth. For a moment, I’d been willing to stay with her there. Would I have listened to anyone who told me she was bad? Would I have let anyone take her away?

“Can I talk to Lorelei?” I asked.

Lura looked up at me, surprised. “You’re either braver or stupider than I thought. She’s not too fond of you. She might eat you.”

“I know, but is she inside?” I looked worriedly at the water, which had risen to the top of the porch and was now lapping against the front door.