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For a moment, Tam had fantasies of chasing the witch down with Lithway at his back, perhaps in the form of a great shadowy beast.

And maybe it would come to that… but he had to be practical, too.

“I… I would really like some advice,” Tam admitted. “I’m not at all familiar with this. My parents kept me in the dark—I could have had years to figure something out, but instead it’s just happening now. I don’t know where she is; it’s only been a few hours since I even found out. I’m thinking maybe… something legal? If you run a theatre, you probably have Valley lawyers at hand, right? Ones who handle at least some kind of contract law…”

Lithway had moved when Tam blinked; they were now sitting almost knee to knee, the actor so close that Tam was nearly breathing in the smoke trailing off them. Lithway leaned forward and patted one of Tam’s legs, leaving their hand there and gazing up at Tam.

“My poor dear boy,” Lithway murmured. “What a shock this must have been! As dull as that is, I can certainly talk to some of my lawyers, get a recommendation of who would be best. They do exist; demons in particular employ very strict contract lawyers—so their own contracts don’t get violated. But my worry is that a legal battle will take a long time.”

This close, Tam could see every one of Lithway’s eyelashes, faint wisps of smoke around their eyes, winding softly away. “I mean, maybe, but would it be likely to get him back?”

“Unless her own contract is found to be binding. But even so, most witches only spend a few days in the Valley getting their conquests acclimatized to the gate, and after that, they whisk them away to our world. It’s not impossible to get a legal matter dealt with across those metaphorical state lines, but your brother may not be the same when he returns.”

Tam stared at them.

“Oh, you look ghastly, my dear,” Lithway said. They let go of Tam’s leg, but only to touch his face, a soft, sympathetic gesture. “You didn’t know. I’m so sorry. I suppose that’s the sort of thing only those who work closely with witches would know—I’ve worked with all sorts for special effects, and I’ve heard a bit of chatter around that. How long it takes will depend on how easily your brother acclimatizes, or if she has pressing business that keeps her here. It won’t be less than three days; I hope that helps in some way to know.”

It did—a little. At least he didn’t have to worry that the time he’d taken here had prevented him from finding his brother. He leaned into the touch, eating up the comfort Lithway was offering. “No, I… I didn’t know.”

“Get a copy made of the contract, and I’ll ask around with it,” Lithway said gently. “It can’t hurt to try that side of things along with whatever else you’re doing. We’ve got a scanner in the theatre office, if you need it. Make sure you hold onto the original—don’t give it to anyone who asks for it. It’s the only proof you’ll have.”

Tam nodded. “I’ll… I’ll do that.” He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing himself to focus. “You said you know some local witches. Do you know the one in question? Bella Istem?”

“Oh, not personally,” Lithway said at once. “But I’ve heard of her in my social circles, and I know she’s bad news. She specializes in maleficia—what you’d consider to be the dark arts. She makes plenty of these contracts. Turns those with the power into her apprentices, to try to pass off the workload, and those without it into her batteries. I haven’t heard her name in years, though!” They patted Tam’s cheek, then leaned back in their ‘chair’.  “She’s not what I’d call one of the local witches, is what I mean.”

He swallowed, trying not to dwell on the thought of his brother being turned into a battery. “Okay. And I’m meeting someone today who has my brother’s phone, and I was told he’s a witch. I don’t know his last name, but… Antoine. I’ve been wondering if he’s her son? Because there was a man who came to get my brother. He had a picture of her with the contract. I don’t know if it’s the same person, though.”

“That’s interesting,” Lithway said thoughtfully. They snaked a smoke-wisp tongue out to lick their lips; Tam stared in fascination. The smoke of their tongue did somehow look wetter than the rest. “No, as far as I’ve heard, she doesn’t have a son, but as I said, I haven’t heard her name in years. I don’t know an Antoine, and without more details I’d be hard pressed to say if I’ve heard of him around the place. I mean, that does imply he’s not a very remarkable witch, or one who gets involved in anything that’d draw attention. I’d guess he’s small fry, whatever he is.”

“Oh.”

“But don’t get depressed!” Lithway announced. They’d moved again, and now was right beside Tam instead of facing him, throwing an arm around him and squeezing his shoulder. “That someone else picked your brother up might be something the lawyer would like to hear about. If she used the standard phrasing, ‘to collect as my own’, sending someone else might be a loophole, or perhaps sloppy practice. I can’t guarantee that, though—I’m no lawyer myself. If he worked for her, it might be a false lead.”

“Thank you,” Tam mumbled, a little shy, heart pounding, anxious and uncertain over the entire situation. “I… I’ll see what this Antoine has to say tonight, and if you can follow up with the lawyer, that’d be great. And… I mean, if I do find where she is, I’ll need to confront her…”

“Interesting, interesting,” Lithway said. “I certainly wouldn’t mind helping you, especially if you keep me in the loop, as it were. And as long as it doesn’t happen at the same time of one of my performances, of course. I owe it to my fans—I feel for you, my dear, I really do, but I’ve only ever cancelled shows for unavoidable emergencies.”

He tried not to feel disappointed. “No, of course! I understand that.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I hate to see that look on your face! It’s only a few hours to avoid,” Lithway coaxed. “The play is only an hour long, and I’ll just need the time before and a short time after to keep aside.”

Tam nodded, a little more heartened despite himself. Lithway really did seem invested, despite the lack of personal involvement in it. “Thank you,” he said, earnest. “Your willingness to help is so, so appreciated. I’m… so new to all of this, and I didn’t know where to turn…”

“Well, I’m always happy to be someone’s first experience with getting up close and personal with the uncanny, darling,” Lithway said. They smiled, the expression merry. “When’s your meeting with this Antoine?”

“Ten.”

“Aha! Well, feel free to come by after, if you wish,” Lithway said. “Don’t feel obliged, darling, especially if you need to run away home to rest up for another busy night, but I’ll be here, waiting, if you wish to, hm, tell me more about what you’ve learned. Perhaps I can make your birthday a little better.”

Lithway winked, and Tam wiped away any remaining doubts that he was being hit on by one of the most attractive, renowned actors the city had to offer.

“Oh,” Tam said. “I mean, yes, I’ll have to see how things are! Do you, I mean, a phone, so I can let you know even if I don’t come by—”

“I’ve got a landline, darling; there’s no point in me having a cell, everything physical passes right through when I lower my density.” Lithway dissolved a hand with a gesture to demonstrate, then reformed it and tapped Tam’s nose. “I do have email, though, and I can keep my computer on for you.”

“Thanks,” Tam stammered, tempted but confused by what appeal he possibly held. He took down Lithway’s address, then got up. “I should go photocopy that contract. Should I bring it back to you—?”

“Ah, pass it off to any of the cast,” Lithway said. “I have to start getting ready for rehearsal, sweetheart, or they’ll all get impatient and walk out on me!”

Tam sincerely doubted that, but nodded anyway. He smiled; that, at least, came naturally. Lithway had already offered to help much more than he’d had reason to expect from any stranger. “Thank you again,” he said.

“Please don’t mention it. You’ve got me curious now, dear, and you know what they say.”

“Curiosity, uh, killed—”

“But satisfaction brought it back. Go on, now!”

Tam showed himself out, and spent a moment in the hallway outside trying to recover from the Experience that was Lithway. Then, he headed down to copy off his contract, and found Joanne specifically again to pass it off; he wanted to be sure it’d make its way back to Lithway.

After, he checked his phone; it was somehow already five. The library would close at six, but he wasn’t sure if he needed to get back over there or not; Sahil had promised to email him the information. He imagined it’d be coming soon, since the sun would be setting around eight, and he presumed Sahil would be unavailable a short time before that regardless. He also needed come up with how to spend his time until ten tonight.

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[Completed Parts: Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Epilogue | Author’s Notes]

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Just being face to face with Lithway was overwhelming; the actor’s presence was something else. Even with them condensed into that solid, classically perfect masculine form in front of him, it felt like they were filling the entire room.

Maybe they were.

Wow.

Tam gulped, trying frantically to remember what he knew about Lithway to use as some kind of guide to approaching them. He’d read interviews, of course; they always came across as grandiose, but not exactly egotistical. Self-confident, certainly, but invariably turning the conversation around to doing it for their fans rather than for themselves. They talked about the roles they liked to take, the tendency to do one-man shows, and even the types of interviews they did as trying to bring more attention to the art, to highlight the characters and bring the best experience possible to the audience.

And their tendency to do one-man shows didn’t take work away from other actors—rather, they sponsored local playwrights and other actors, and hosted regular independent performances on the small stage downstairs. That, along with the donations to charities, and their regular presence in the lgbt+ community, cemented their reputation as a pretty good person—for an actor who was absolutely in love with themselves.

The only other details he could recall felt pretty inconsequential—that they lived above the theatre. That they identified as primarily nonbinary but partially male. That they regularly showed up to events they weren’t invited to just to keep people on their toes. That they liked to gamble and were a regular at the casino even though it was quite far out of the valley. That they bowled.

“I think this poor boy’s tied his tongue into a knot,” Lithway told Joanne. “A little starstruck?”

“Go easy on him, boss,” Joanne said. “His twin brother’s missing.”

“His brother—?”

“You know, Ash?” Joanne prompted.

“Ah.” Lithway turned their gaze back onto Tam, a frown creasing those shadowy features. “You do look a lot like him.”

“You know my brother?” Tam managed to get out. He forced himself to focus on the here and now: honesty had served him so far, and he couldn’t imagine being genuine would work against him. “Yes. It turns out, um, that our parents had promised their firstborn son to a witch on his twenty-first birthday. I found out today, I woke up to find him gone—”

“On your birthday!” Lithway exclaimed.

Tam glanced at Joanne; she was nodding seriously. Apparently he was on the right track.

“I, I didn’t know if he knew you or not,” Tam said. “I think, if he did, he was trying to keep it a surprise. He got tickets for tomorrow’s show with the chance to meet you…” He began to dig in his bag.

A hand on his stopped him. To his surprise, it was warm and solid, although he knew that Lithway was more than capable of being entirely insubstantial. Tam looked up into Lithway’s handsome face, tense.

He had to prepare himself for rejection. Maybe even to be laughed at. This was a famous actor, busy with an upcoming play, and more than that, was one of the shadowfolk. They’d probably seen a million children stolen by a million witches. One more didn’t matter.

“I believe you,” Lithway said, in that same, soft tone. Then they slung an arm around Tam and spun him around. “Come with me! No point in you standing here in the prop room distracting my crew right before the big night!”

It was incredible how Lithway could emote without being able to raise their voice at all. “I, ah, okay,” Tam stammered, but it wasn’t like he could protest even if he wanted to. Lithway’s strength was immeasurable, a solid presence at his back compelling him forward.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, boss,” Joanne called, tone cranky. “Ash is a good egg.”

“A good egg indeed,” Lithway said.

“I didn’t know you knew each other,” Tam said, then kicked himself when he realized that he’d said that already. “I mean, my brother never…”

“We weren’t exactly close,” Lithway said airily. “But I need to check out a lot of things from the library. Creative resources, you know, it never ends.” They were leading, or herding, Tam through another set of doors, then up some stairs, setting a demanding pace. “So I know most of the librarians, at least to look at them, and Ash seemed like such an eager boy. I always respect when today’s youth think of employment in places like that. Where do you work?”

Tam felt his cheeks heat. “My… my parents encouraged us to take a year off school, and, ah, they kept telling us to take it off work too, to enjoy our youth.” He couldn’t help but look back on that a bit bitterly, understanding their reasons in a new light. “Ash was, um, really passionate about library work. Me, I’ve been… well, I read history books, kind of recreationally. I’d like to prepare for a degree in history if it works out. Maybe classics…”

“Oh, brilliant,” Lithway enthused. “I think history is the best story of all. It’s incredible the way viewing it through different perspectives changes it entirely, even though it all factually occurred…”

They were in the old apartment area now; it seemed largely abandoned, but Lithway pushed Tam on regardless, kicking a door open—though it only appeared to be a kick at first glance. Their leg dissolved against the knob and key hole, and it opened immediately, as though Lithway themself was the key.

Tam got chills, but it didn’t feel exactly like fear. His heart was pounding.

That didn’t exactly lessen as Lithway lead Tam into their apartment. The living room was taken up with a large desk covered in books and writing materials, and the rest of it was filled with bookcases, forming a winding, maze-like path throughout.

The wall between the living room and bedroom had been removed, and Tam could see a large, four-poster bed that had been made up to match the decor of the theatre downstairs, all red velvet and gold gilt. Tam knew he was flushing, and averted his eyes.

Lithway released Tam at last and gestured to their desk. “Please sit! I don’t make my place terribly hospitable, but it’s surely nicer than trying to talk non-theatre business in the theatre.”

Tam sat in the desk chair, and across from him, Lithway formed a seat out of their own shadow, a magnificent throne-like affair, sitting and steepling their fingers in front of their face. Smoke trailed off them.

“Now,” Lithway said, “tell me what you need. Fisticuffs with the witch? A social media post denouncing them? I have many followers on Facebook, and a very broad social circle, I assure you! I cannot promise you the world, my sweet boy, but I can promise you my desire to help, if that alone is enough.”

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[Completed Parts: Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Epilogue | Author’s Notes]

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There was no point in questioning himself now.

He’d already decided on a plan of action: meet with Joanne now if he could and Antoine later. And as interesting as the option with the vampires were, it wasn’t compelling enough to risk lowering his chances of getting something useful from two people tonight. Besides, Joanne, at least, would probably have a personal stake in this. Some vampire definitely wouldn’t.

And Antoine, too, was clearly invested in this in some way. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have kept answering Tam’s messages, or at least, wouldn’t have been so cagey about things. It was hard to say why this witch boy might have some investment in it, but even if he was Istem’s son, maybe he had some reason to act against her.

Besides, Antoine was his only real link to what might have happened to Ash recently. Tam would be a real fool to give up on that chance just to try to harness some power.

He replied at once to the email, not wanting to leave Jared waiting—especially if his contact was also waiting on it. No point in burning his bridges through carelessness. Jared, you’re incredible. Thank you. I can’t thank you enough! That said, I’m in the middle of chasing down a lead right now and I can’t risk letting it go. Tomorrow would be great if you can arrange it. Let me know what you need from me. Again, thanks just so, so much.

After he’d fired it back off, he headed up the steps, pushing his way in through one of the theatre doors. He was surprised to find them unlocked, but he supposed enough crew might be coming and going to make it worthwhile.

As the door swung shut behind him, he found himself briefly overcome by the presence of the place. The outside wasn’t much—the name of the theatre was outlined in bright lights over the glass doors, but it was set into the facade of what had once been an old apartment building and was otherwise unremarkable.

Inside, he found himself in front of the ticket booth and bar, with steps leading both up and down. The ones going up lead to the lounge rooms that people could head to during intermissions. Downstairs, he knew, was a small black-painted stage that people gave talks and amateur performances on.

But through the double doors straight ahead was the Theatre of Dreams itself, all gold gilt and red velvet. The doors were closed now, but Tam remembered it with a deep nostalgia. A huge painting in a neoclassical style filled the ceiling leading down to the proscenium stage, showing nymphs bestowing a smiling youth with gifts, his arms spread wide in beatific pleasure to receive them. When waiting here for shows to start, Tam would always gaze at it, wondering at the story behind it.

A dryad scurried past and he snapped out of his momentary sense of awe, grabbing at her arm. She turned to glare at him, scowl etched into her green face, her flute clutched in one hand. A member of the orchestra, it seemed.

“S-sorry,” he stammered. “I’m looking for Joanne Cooper? Something bad’s happened to a friend of hers, Ashton Lynes. Please, if she’s here, can you tell her his brother Tam needs to talk to her?”

“Whatever,” the dryad snapped, but she changed direction as she hurried on, so he could only hope that she was going to find Joanne.

He put a hand over his chest, waiting for his heart to slow. People had been so helpful recently that her reaction had made his anxiety flare up more in shock than anything else. Matthias had been friendly, Jared had been sympathetic, and Sahil had been incredible in pretty much every way. Tam had to admit that Sahil especially had taken a huge weight off by being willing to act as research man for him. He’s a real good guy. Tam hadn’t really talked to him too much before this, but he’d have to change that.

The dryad came back a moment later, gesturing. “This way. Follow me.”

She took off again before he could react, and he hurried after, trying not to fall behind as she lead him into a plain corridor, with several doors off it. She shoved a door open, gesturing him into a large props workshop.

Joanne Cooper was shoulder deep in a prop wood stove that had apparently fallen apart. “So you’re Tam, huh. What happened to Ash?” she asked, tone rough.

Tam swallowed, mouth gone dry; he’d barely had a chance to enter the room before she’d begun to question him, and he couldn’t bring himself to come closer, hovering by the door. He forced himself to recall Sahil’s warning: don’t take it personally.

As quickly as he could—she didn’t seem like someone who wanted her time wasted—he stammered out an explanation.

“I don’t know a thing about witches,” Joanne said when he was done. She sounded mollified by the explanation, and more than a bit unhappy. “Most of them keep our folk out.”

“No, I… I know,” he said. “I’m… looking for strong allies. I want to get Ash back, and… I mean, I thought, Lithway is such a mythic figure in this town, and maybe, since you and the other crew here know Ash, maybe you could introduce me.”

The door behind him slammed open, making a thunderous crack as it hit the wall. Tam jumped, whirling to face it, but a thick dark fog was filling it, rolling in ominously. He backed up, trying to escape it, but it encroached on him regardless, billowing up to engulf him—

And then, abruptly, it changed shape, reforming in front of him into a humanoid figure made of shadow, tall and beautiful, arms open like the youth in the painting over the stage.

“Who’s getting introduced to Lithway, then?” Lithway asked. Despite their bombastic entrance, their voice was the same as Tam remembered—a soft, yearning tone. “Well? Speak up, boy.”

Tam stared, mind going blank. He hadn’t had time to get briefed, to be given any guide to how best to speak to Branwin Valley’s most well-known celebrity.

Yet here they were, in the flesh—or, well, what they had instead of flesh.

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[Completed Parts: Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Epilogue | Author’s Notes]

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“Hm?” Matthias prompted. He smile widened, showing the edge of sharp teeth against his lower lip. “Sounds like you’re considering it.”

“No, I mean, I was just… wondering about the guy I’m meeting later,” Tam said. He tried to phrase it carefully to not ask for help but prompt for it anyway, afraid of ending up in some sort of implicit contract without his consent. “His name is Antoine… he said he was a regular?”

“Oh, yes, I know Antoine,” Matthias said immediately. “Lovely man, good tipper. Really addicted to our scones. Always trying to get the recipe, but Kearney says we’re not allowed to give that out, you know how it is.” He began to draw the coffees, long fingers elegant and talon-tipped on the taps. “On the other hand, he is a witch, so one can understand why you’d be nervous. He’s a good sort, though. Nature and herbs and the natural flow of life and death, that sort of thing.”

The reassurance didn’t do much to pull Tam’s stomach up from where it had dropped. “A witch,” he repeated. “What’s his full name?”

As soon as he’d asked, he winced, waiting for a what’ll you give me for it, but it didn’t come. “I shouldn’t really give out customers’ names,” Matthias said apologetically instead, giving him a dazzling smile. “One does try to have a little discretion, no drink-and-tell, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, of course,” Tam stammered hurriedly. “I didn’t think—I wasn’t thinking. It’s just that the situation was a little sketchy, so I was nervous, you know—”

Matthias handed the tray of drinks over, the steam from their lids weaving in four distinct trails in front of his face, almost hypnotizing. “I should still be working tonight, so I can keep an eye on your table,” he said. “Would you like that? I’m sure we could work something out—”

Of course it was tempting. Still—Tam didn’t know Matthias well enough to use him for backup, and certainly didn’t trust the idea of ‘working something out’ with him. “It’s fine,” he said. “Thanks though.”

“Any time, sweetheart,” Matthias said. He leaned on the counter, resting his chin on one of those long-fingered hands and grinning up, heavy-lidded. “Anything else?”

“No, uh, that’ll be everything,” Tam said, holding the tray a little tightly. “Thanks, have a good one.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Tam hurried back outside, keeping his head down as he headed back to the library.

So Antoine was a witch. And he’d somehow been in contact with Ash. Neither of these things sounded good, and he couldn’t help but be suspicious that this Antoine might have been the guy who picked up Ash. It might seem odd for one witch to do another’s dirty work, but if it ran in the bloodline, he might have been her son, as his father had theorized. Or maybe even unrelated entirely and some kind of rival; all he’d had for proof was a picture, and that could be staged.

Tam made it back to the library in record time, walking furiously uphill, the anger and fear fueling him. This time, when Sceana saw him enter, she didn’t wait for his approach, just darted off, presumably to get Sahil. He had to admit he was a little relieved; he didn’t like being afraid of snakes, but that didn’t make the fear go away.

Sahil hurried up a few moments later, giving him a tense smile and taking the tray from Tam. “How goes it?”

“A few possible leads,” Tam said. “When looking into witches, can you look up the name Antoine too?”

“Antoine?”

Right, he hadn’t got the name until he’d already parted from Sahil. “The texter gave his name as Antoine, and the barista down at Beanheadings mentioned he was a witch. Given the circumstances…”

“Suspicious,” Sahil agreed. “I’ll toss it into the search. The barista didn’t know any more?”

“I was afraid to ask,” Tam admitted. “He was a demon and I didn’t want to get into any kind of implicit contract…”

“You’re probably safe as long as you clarify terms,” Sahil said. “Demons have a pretty strong need to keep their deals legitimate. Just asking for information won’t harm you unless he tells you there’ll be a price, and you can always back out and refuse to agree to whatever he says. I mean, it’s understandable to be worried, though! And there are some less reputable demons, but I don’t think Kearney Dillon would hire one. He’s too savvy a businessman.”

“Got a good head on his shoulders?”

“Tam,” Sahil chided.

Tam felt himself blush, ducking his head. “Sorry,” he said. “Just trying to keep my spirits up.”

“That’s understandable,” Sahil said, more gently. “Sorry I don’t have more for you yet—we’re trying to get enough things together to be useful resources.”

“No, jeez—” Tam stammered. He reached out and squeezed Sahil’s shoulder lightly. “It’s barely been an hour since I left, you can only do so much. I seriously appreciate it.”

This time, Sahil was the one blushing. He turned away to put the tray of drinks down on the circulations counter, then muttered, “Still. Of course I’m worried too.”

“Of course,” Tam said softly. “Ah—I’m going to head over to the theatre unless you think I’d be any use here. I don’t want to wait until everyone’s busy with dress rehearsal. I saw on Ash’s Facebook that he knows a Joanne Cooper, are you familiar?”

“Oh, yes, Joanne comes here a lot,” Sahil said. “Most of the theatre folk do. Even Lithway comes in sometimes. She’s very loyal, so if they decided to add each other, she’ll probably help. Don’t take her too personally, she’s very brisk. Go on—I’ll email if there’s anything you need to see right away.”

“Okay,” Tam said. “Thanks, Sahil. You’re a hero.”

Sahil let out a squeak. “Not hardly!” he protested, then swept up the tray. “I’m going to get this to the others before it gets cold…!”

As Tam showed himself out, his phone gave a buzz. It was a new email reply from Jared, and he opened it quickly as he walked down the street.

What the hell, my dude? That is horrible! Jesus Christ, I gotta go hug my sister after this. I can’t even imagine what’d drive parents to do that. Listen, I can meet in about half an hour if you want to talk, and depending on what you want to do I can try to get you into the vamps as soon as tonight. But if you can’t meet me asap, we’ll have to aim for tomorrow instead, I checked with my go-between and she’s only free for a limited window tonight. LMK. – J

Tam hesitated, frozen on the theatre steps. If he went to meet Jared in a half hour, he’d have to leave now, and probably wouldn’t get back in time to talk to Joanne before rehearsal and final checks, and he strongly suspected that if he tried to interrupt the theatre crew when they were actually busy, she’d be less inclined to help him. Lithway would definitely be in this evening, so if he went now, maybe Joanne could introduce them. He could still get in tomorrow to meet Lithway with his tickets, but if so, he’d be going in without help.

On the other side of things, a vampire sounded like a more powerful ally than a famous actor, even if they were one of those strange shadowfolk. Except, of course, if he had to go after the witch during the day, when a vampire would be useless.

Still, even outside the Valley, everyone knew how much sway the vampire lords had; that’s why Jared had done the interview in the first place. They were probably some of the most powerful monsters outside of the gate itself.

But if he went, he’d be missing out on both Lithway and, quite possibly, depending on how late he had to go to meet the vampires, the chance to meet Antoine tonight.

He stared up the steps as he tried to come to a decision.

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[Completed Parts: Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Epilogue | Author’s Notes]

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“Number six!”

Tam jerked his head up from where he’d been studying the layout of Valley streets, trying to make sense of the store labels and the scribbled captions and sidebar notes that had been added around them. He felt like he’d done a pretty good job of getting at least a rough idea of the main downtown core—and he’d have the map available on his phone if he needed it.

Matthias was waiting at the coffee bar’s handoff counter, a mug of coffee and a plated sandwich sitting there. Tam hurried over as his stomach let out a plaintive growl. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for the tray.

“Don’t mention it,” Matthais said cheerfully. He tossed his hair back over his shoulder—wasn’t that a health hazard? Then again, maybe demons didn’t shed any hair the way humans did—and gestured around behind the counter. “It’s pretty quiet right now, so let me know if you need anything else.”

If he was going to push himself to keep going, he decided, he probably needed something to drink that wasn’t just anxiety in a mug. “Could I also have a glass of water?”

“You got it, sweetheart. Thirsty, huh?”

“Yeah, I—” That was a come-on. It was definitely a come-on. “Yeah,” Tam finished weakly.

Mathias poured him a cup of ice water, and deposited that on the tray Tam was holding. As he did so, one of his nipples peeked out from behind his apron. Tam found himself making direct eye contact with it, and forced himself to look up at Matthias’s face instead.

Not much better. He mumbled another thanks and quickly retreated. He had Matthias’s word that talking to a demon was safe in context with the demon doing his job, but that didn’t mean it’d be a good idea to get too chatty anyway.

He sat back down and fell on his meal with gusto, more ravenously hungry than he’d realized. The sandwich was, as Matthias had promised, absolutely delicious, and he didn’t think it was just his hunger. He’d been here before, but only got the drinks—he’d clearly been missing out.

Tam’s hands were too busy with the sandwich for him to spend more time on the computer, so he took the opportunity to memorize the Beanheadings layout. There was a door behind the coffee bar, presumably into the kitchen or food storage; around the corner, there was a corridor leading to the bathrooms and another door marked with an emergency exit sign. The main area was pretty much in view of the baristas and other customers at all times, so how safe it was would be dependent on how busy things were at ten pm. If it was really crowded, people might not notice something going on, and if it was too empty, something could happen without being seen if a barista had to go into the back for a moment.

Why was the meeting going to be so late? It wasn’t the first time he’d wondered it. Was the mysterious texter Antoine also a vampire, or otherwise something else who could only come out at night? But he’d been super busy texting in the morning. Maybe he just had a job working the afternoon shift.

With his sandwich finished, he picked up his coffee, turning back to his computer and checking listlessly to see if Jared had responded to his new email yet. No luck, but given that he’d only just sent it, he didn’t expect much. He found himself automatically opening Facebook again, then made a face at himself. It wasn’t going to change or get any better.

He went to close it, then paused, considering. He’d been wondering if Ash was friends with anyone from the theatre, but wasn’t there a quick way to find out?

Trying not to feel too emotional about the birthday wishes all over Ash’s page, Tam loaded up Ash’s friendslist. As he’d recalled, it wasn’t terribly big, and he was able to discount old highschool friends right away, along with library coworkers. For the names he didn’t recognize, he quickly opened them, skimming them for information and closing if it seemed unremarkable.

Tam lucked out on his second-last person: Joanne Cooper, stagehand at the Theatre of Dreams. She looked fae, probably a brownie of some sort, judging by her round features, ruddy cheeks, and pointed ears. So Ash did know someone from the theatre, at least well enough to follow her online…

It was maybe worth checking out, and pretty close to the library. On the one hand, since the show opened tomorrow, everyone would likely be there for rehearsal, making it easy to track her down. On the other hand, since it was the last night before opening, everyone there would be pretty busy and probably not in the mood to be interrupted. He wondered which would matter more. He should decide soon either way, so he wouldn’t interrupt dress rehearsal itself.

Sahil’s first email came in then, and Tam loaded it up to a short description of the city’s local weredogs. Sahil had clarified in it that they didn’t consider themselves to be packs—-or at least, Sahil’s group and those he’d interacted with didn’t—but a group of friends, with a leader who arranged meetups and helped raise funds for events. The leader, Lena Williams, also helped handle legal matters for the group when necessary and deal with territorial disputes.

Otherwise, it was the same as Tam was given to understand happened with werewolves—an involuntary change with the full moon and voluntary other times, the curse spread via a bite when in their transformed form. Sahil cautioned that there was no default type of weredog, but they appeared in all types of dog, from the smallest chihuahua to the biggest great dane. He didn’t specify what type he was, but did say that their main meeting area was the West Street Dog Park.

Tam let out a little involuntary sound and covered his mouth. It was just as well Sahil had avoided talking about this in person; the details were just too cute.

He wrote back, trying not to let his reaction show. Thanks so much for the info! Just wanted to confirm receipt & that I’m ready for more information whenever you guys have it together. Btw, just plain coffees?

And then, after a moment’s consideration, he added, Just while checking, would church stuff be any good? Both for dealing with the witch & for any possible allies. Just trying to figure out what my options are to stay safe.

He got a reply back almost immediately; Sahil probably hadn’t gotten back up to get back to work yet: Black pls, we can add cream & sugar here if anyone needs it. Church is good against more religious vampires & more generally against demons, probably not otherwise. With magic u want protective circles, sometimes salt, depends on the type of magic being used. Vampires & us, silver. Vampires, the running water thing is tru too but less relevant in a city.

He supposed every little bit helped. He sent back a quick Thanks! and put his laptop away, heading back up to the coffee bar with his empty cups and plate.

“Anything else I can get you?” Matthias asked with a wink.

“Ah, yeah,” Tam said awkwardly. “Four large house blend black coffees, please. Um, if you’ve got one of those foam drink trays, that’d be good.”

Matthias laughed, ringing it through. “You should come back more often instead of buying in bulk,” he said. “I’d love to see you around more.”

“They’re for friends,” Tam said awkwardly. “I’ll, uh, be back later tonight, though, I’m meeting someone.”

“Oh yeah?” Matthias grinned. “Not me? It could be me.”

“No, um…” Tam hesitated, unsure of if he should ask more or not. On the one hand, if Antoine really was a regular, Matthias could be a good source of information, but on the other, interacting too much with a demon might be dangerous…

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[Completed Parts: Instructions | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Epilogue | Author’s Notes]