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Viv froze, torn.

On the one hand, she felt that Dandelion deserved honesty. That he had the right to know and make his own decisions. Dandelion had been nothing but honest with her—to be fair, as far as she knew, that was a trait of the fae. But he had cancelled his gig, he had walked them home, he had warded their homes, and had worried about them. He’d even given up some kind of favor so they could get information from Lithway—without which they’d probably still be floundering in the dark. 

But Thys also had the right to control this information, to decide who knew and who didn’t. And she didn’t want Dandelion to know this.

“Vivian? Viv, are you in trouble? Hang on, I’ll come back to your place—”

Either way, she couldn’t hang out on the phone saying nothing. “No! No, it’s fine, sorry. We’re fine. I just needed to tell you, uh…”

Thys was no longer arguing, just looking at her. They looked calm, but that was just an illusion from their solid black eyes; Viv could tell that Thys was willing Viv not to say something, could feel it. She only wished she could tell if Thys was just genuinely worried that Dandelion would do something self-sacrificing, or they were using it as an excuse so they didn’t have to think about going back to something they hated in order to protect their people from whatever the lanternfish was planning.

“Viv?” Dandelion prompted.

Fine. She’d split the difference. She’d tell everything she could except what they’d theorized about what the lanternfish wanted. Dandelion didn’t know the things Lithway had told them, after all. It would be harder for him to jump to conclusions. And then, if Thys changed their mind, they could still let him in on this. “We really are fine,” she said. “We did run into the, uh, the perp though.”

He sucked in a breath. “What happened?”

“It did the thing with the power while I was showering and we got separated,” Vivian said. She reached out and took Thys’s hand. Thys hesitated on taking it back, clearly not sure whether or not Viv was going to tell Dandelion, but ended up twining their fingers with Viv’s. “It lured Thys out into the elevator and attacked, but this time we’re pretty sure thinks Thys is dead so we think, for now, they’re safe.”

Dandelion paused consideringly. “How did Thys fake their death?”

“By almost dying for real,” Viv said. “It was not deliberate. It was like last time but way worse because they didn’t actually escape, just… a tiny part of them wasn’t dead yet when the perp attacked. I managed to heal them.”

“I thought you couldn’t…?”

“Yeah I thought I couldn’t either!” Viv said, a little loudly. “Believe me, I’m trying to get that figured out right now too. Even if someone’s got witchy powers, you can’t just use them without spells, but somehow I did and then I did a spell from memory of having watched Isaac do it and healed them, I am freaking out here! But that’s not the point of this call.”

Dandelion let out a rough breath. “Okay. So you wanted to let me know to help fake Thys’s death so the perp doesn’t catch on?”

“Sort of. Maybe. It’s… the attacker is a kind of shapeshifter,” Viv said. “I ran into it in the lobby as it left. It looked like Thys and was pretending to be them. I fooled it, I think, so it doesn’t know I know that it isn’t the real Thys. I believe it’s—” Don’t say trying to take over their life, she reminded herself. “I think you just need to be careful if you run into Thys and they’re not with me right now.”

Dandelion said, in a voice like he was prepared to commit a murder or two, “I see.”

“It might come to eliminate loose ends so it can do whatever it’s planning to do with Thys’s form, but I don’t know that it knows you were working with us. It might, if it had been following us, but I feel like at least one of you two might have noticed, right?” She was babbling a little, trying to keep talking while figuring out what to say. It was important to get accurate information to Dandelion, but Thys had said not to theorize about the lanternfish taking advantage of their rank.

Abruptly, she recalled that Dandelion didn’t know that Thys was noble. He’d outright told her that. It sounded like he suspected they might be, but he’d said the two of them didn’t talk about that sort of thing. Which also meant, even if he thought they were a noble, he wouldn’t know if they’d left willingly or were exiled like he was. 

So, giving him the basic information would still be fine as long as she kept her theorizing to herself. “The thing is, while pretending to be Thys, it said it was going home. I assume that’s true—it probably wanted me to tell people so nobody would wonder why Thys was suddenly gone. So although there’s some possibility it might be planning to take out witnesses first, I think it’s probably heading straight for the gate.”

Dandelion was silent for a moment, the faint, unnaturally slow rhythm of his breath all Viv heard. “That’s odd,” he said finally. “I suppose it decided it needed to be a fae of some sort, and not one of the fae host.” Not those common fae that people saw around everywhere, he meant. “Why do you think it would do that…?”

“I don’t know,” she said, which was true—she only had theories. “We’re gonna discuss it and figure out what to do. In the meantime, you absolutely should not go to the gate to try to intercept it or anything! Thys is safe while it thinks they’re dead, so the absolute best action to take right now is to not clue it in to the fact that it failed a second time. And not put any loose ends like you in its way!”

Another brief silence, and then a reluctant chuckle. “That’s fair enough. All right. Thank you for letting me know, Viv, I appreciate it.”

Viv drew a deep breath. This seemed to be working. “Now. While Thys might be safe for now, I’m not sure letting it do whatever it’s planning is a good thing, you know? We talked before about maybe getting a posse together, and if you’re willing to try to think up anyone who might be interested in getting in on whatever we do… It’s no longer a question of Thys being hunted so much as us maybe doing the hunting. Unless we decide to just let it go, of course.”

“Of course,” Dandelion said. “I’ve already talked to my band, and they want to help. If you’re able to cast spells now—and I have no idea why that might have changed—you might want to look up some attack magic.”

“I don’t really like maleficia—” Viv began.

“Sure. Most people don’t like guns, either. But, you know, that’s what hunters use.”

Viv made a face. “True. Okay, I don’t want to wake you up if I call later, but we have a lot of talking to do still over here ’cause I called you as soon as Thys was safe. What times should I avoid calling?”

“It’s fine. I don’t sleep much.”

“Dandelion—”

“I mean it,” he said. “Call me whenever. Give Thys my love, Viv. Tell them to rest.”

Viv supposed he thought Thys was still low energy, as they had been after the first attack. She didn’t bother to correct him. “Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

“Well?” Thys asked, when Viv hung up.

“I don’t think he figured anything out,” Viv said. She lifted Thys’s hand and kissed the knuckles. “Is that okay? Did I do fine?”

Thys seemed to consider, then also kissed Viv‘s knuckles. “Yes. You did what I asked. You want to gather a posse? Although I’m safe now?”

“I understand how you feel,” she said. “I think we should explore the possibility. We can talk to Varsha—”

“Who is working now.”

“Well, last night she was off fairly early. We can do it in an hour or two. It’d be ideal if we stopped the lanternfish from getting to the gate, but…”

Thys’s eyelids lowered partially; it looked as if their gaze was downcast. “We would have to leave now, if so, not wait an hour or two to gather companions. If you wish to do that, we can explore that option, but I don’t know if we are prepared to take it on.  Otherwise, although distance between realms of the Otherworld is more abstracted than it is in physical reality, moving from the entry point of Branwin Valley to the entry point for the fae realms is not immediate. And moving from the entry point from the fae realms to my fae realm is not immediate. And, if necessary to let it get that far, it getting instated as ‘me’ and having the time to do anything with that power would certainly not be immediate. So. We have time and can arrange an attack at any of those points, if we do not wish to just… let it go, as you said. Which… I admit I’m drawn to. But you are right that, if its goal was to do something with my face and identity, then it is… risky, in its own way.”

“So I have time to learn an attack spell or two,” Viv said. “Find a book and study it.” She smiled weakly. “Dandelion suggested I do that. I don’t… understand how I can do these things. I’ve never been able to do these things. Did you… do something?”

Thys considered, then leaned on Viv abruptly, pillowing their head on Viv’s shoulder. “Not deliberately,” they said. “However, there was a connection between us. I thought it was one-way, sending your energy to me alone, but if it was not… perhaps some of my glamour has been mingling in your magical channels, and that might have altered how it… behaves in your body. Do you have any indications that might have been the case?”

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For a second, staring down at that tiny, dying moth, all Viv could think was: Sugar water?

She almost cursed herself out for the thought. She didn’t have time to go make sugar water, let alone make Thys drink without drowning them at this size! While probably unconscious!!

And then she paused in her self-recrimination.

Sugar water was a metaphor. Had already been a metaphor. Last time, Thys wanted Viv’s energy in lieu of sugar water, explicitly took it because Viv had already promised sugar water to them. So perhaps this was the same. 

She needed to reestablish the connection despite the fact that Isaac wasn’t here.

But—she’d seen Isaac cast it twice, in two different situations. And while she’d never been able to cast anything before, never had a spell that didn’t fail, perhaps now she’d be able to.

She was afraid. She was terrified. If she was still as broken, as much of a fuck-up as she always thought she was, then Thys would die.

But she had to try. With shaking hands, she began doing the same gestures, outlining the same circle that she had seen Isaac do in the past, making shapes with her hands and arms over that tiny form. She put aside her self-doubt because there was no room for it any more, and focused on the energy inside her, that raging storm of power and loss and grief and fear that felt like it was boiling out of every pore she had. She imagined drawing light into the gestures she was making, a pattern that would make a circuit that would build a connection between them.

And then she pushed it into Thys.

Power poured through her. She felt electric, electrified, electrocuted, as if there was no difference between being the source and being the conduit and being the receiver. The moth twitched on the counter, and Viv felt a confused, alien touch on her heart again.

She latched onto it, grabbed it with her energy, and poured back along it. 

That touch became a thin string between them, and she widened that too. She felt like she could widen it indefinitely if she wanted: make it a ribbon, make it a path, make it a road, a river, a lake to drown in. But after a moment’s consideration, she left it a ribbon tied to them both.

The moth’s wings fluttered, and abruptly it expanded, no longer small, no longer a moth: Thys’s long lanky form draped over the kitchen island, shoving a mug off onto the floor where it shattered. Viv’s cats scattered.

Thys sat up, rubbing their face, and said, with a tone of awe, “I nearly died.”

When Viv grabbed Thys, she honestly didn’t know what she meant to do. Hug them. Shake them. Cry on them.

She settled for a mix of all three and kissed them on top of it, her lips trembling as she mushed her mouth to Thys’s, her cheeks abruptly wet, heart pounding in her chest as she squeezed Thys tight.

Thys made a soft sound into the kiss and then kissed back, mouth moving, strange insect-like tongue flickering against Viv’s lips. The contact tingled, and for a moment Viv was worried it was some kind of magical backlash, or maybe some sort of strange faerie venom, but then her knees just went weak and she thought,

Oh.

She pressed Thys back against the counter hard, kissing and kissing like she couldn’t bear to stop, and thought she felt Thys’s own relief and pleasure radiate through that connection. Thys’s hands came up, tugging at Viv’s sweater, and Viv broke the kiss with a gasp.

“Are you okay?” Viv demanded, her voice high and tight. “Are you all right? It’s not draining you again secretly, right?”

“I don’t… think so,” Thys said, breathless, black eyes wide. “I’ve had a connection with you both when it was and when it wasn’t, and it feels like when it wasn’t. I think it hasn’t kept a connection to me.”

“Thank fuck. Maybe the lanternfish thought it had killed you this time since it didn’t see you get away, so it didn’t leave a hook in.” Fuck, she hoped so. Everything was hitting at once; the room was almost spinning, and she limped over to Thys’s couch and sank down on it, putting her head on her knees. “Oh my God.”

Thys slid off the kitchen island. “Viv…?”

“Holy shit, I did magic. You almost died. We’re connected again and—” It was the third time; that occurred to her it was significant somehow, a magic number with the faerie, and if Thys had gotten engaged with her over the first time, what would this mean? Viv didn’t let herself think about that, not yet. “Are you sure you’re okay? Last time you were shaky for a while after.” 

“I shouldn’t want to do anything too strenuous,” Thys said, “but I am…” They tilted their head, drawing a deep breath as if assessing. “I am good. I am reshaped by you, remade by you…” Their expression grew a little heated. “I feel you fill all the spots of me that were eaten up by the lanternfish’s needle sharp teeth…”

Viv went red and rubbed her face. She wanted to take Thys up on that, but… “Shit. We have to call Dandelion. Have to let him know—” She pulled herself over to the table next to the couch where she’d left her phone when she went to go shower, such a short time ago.

“Oh! Oh, you’re right,” Thys said, startled out of the mood. “After all, it is wandering the city in my form, is it not? I don’t know much of what happened after it took me out…”

“I… I don’t think it is,” Viv said. “It might be but it was saying it was going home. It told me that I think to cover for your ‘disappearance’.” She tapped Dandelion’s contact. “I think it’s… I think it might want to take over your old life.”

Thys seemed startled. “My… old life? So it tried to kill me so there would be no risk of them thinking it was not me, when it went to the court in my stead?”

The phone was ringing. “Yeah. You’re an isolated fae noble, right? You have lands. Followers, and vassals and all that; you already said you’d be welcomed back with few questions asked. If it wanted power of that kind, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity? You seem like a perfect pick for a predator who can take over another person’s life…!”

“But that’s a good thing,” Thys said blankly. “If they think I’m there, there will be no pressure for me to return, nobody sent here to try to fetch me. I will be free, if it takes over my life there! I can just live with no worries! Can we not celebrate instead?”

Viv shook her head furiously. “You don’t know what it wants to do with your face, Thys! What it would do with that power! Even if you don’t care about the courts, do your people deserve that?”

“Hang up! Or don’t tell Dandelion that part,” Thys said.

The thought of hiding this important detail from Dandelion made Viv angry, but she swallowed it. She could tell Thys, at least, was concerned. Even so, she protested it, sure that telling him would be the right thing. “He deserves to know! He’s your friend! And he’s a potential loose end that the lanternfish might want to eliminate before it—” 

The ringer clicked off as Dandelion picked up and Viv stopped talking immediately. “Hello?” he asked. “Vivian? Did something happen?”

“But if you tell him, he will want to go back and help despite his exile,” Thys said softly. “He will think he must.”

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There was no way someone this cruel was Thys. The kettle weighed heavily in Viv’s hand, and for a moment she thought she should swing it—try to take this monster by surprise, stun it, hurt it, kill it if she had to. Not just let it win.

But no. The candle flame she felt trembling nearby, that delicate, faltering life, that had to be Thys. It might be pretty bad to let the creature escape, since it presumably had exactly what it wanted now, and besides, last time… it had taken part of Thys with it. 

But if there was still even the slightest of chances she could save the real Thys, she had to take that chance

She lowered her head, as if accepting that Thys was leaving her, and told the lanternfish, “If you leave now, Thys, don’t come back! I never want to see you again!”

“I don’t intend to return,” the lanternfish retorted, voice cool but somewhat pleased, and it pushed open those doors and strode through.

Viv watched it vanish into the darkness outside, her breath coming hard, almost strangling her.

And then she whirled, searching for that strange, new power inside her, trying to find where it led to. 

This wasn’t her power, it wasn’t something she could even do—or, at least, it hadn’t been until now. It felt familiar, felt alien, all at once. It was like, she thought, with a dying wish. Thys had sent whatever power they had left as a bequest—

No, Viv thought furiously. She couldn’t think that way. Whatever cause was behind her power now, she needed to use it, not mourn it.

She didn’t have her pendant with her, having left it up in the apartment, but technically any form of divination could work to track wherever this dying life was. She grabbed a pencil off the table next to the mail slots and held it loosely by the tip between two fingers, so it could rotate freely in any direction.

This was not a reliable method, usually. Usually, it was easy to get false results by accidentally putting pressure on it and forcing it to lean this or that way, or to simply have it rotate due to her own movement.

Usually.

This time, as she focused her energy on it, it almost leapt out of her fingers, tugging tangibly, as if something had grabbed the eraser and was pulling it.

Viv tightened her grip on it out of necessity—it felt like it was going to be pulled away from her if she didn’t—and followed the tug. It led her back to the elevator where, afraid of what she’d see inside but desperate to look, she pushed the button to open the door.

The power was still out. 

The lanternfish had, apparently, not bothered to turn it on again when they left—or simply hadn’t been gone long enough. Perhaps they were taking no chances that they could get trapped or followed. 

The elevator doors didn’t open.

“Fuck!”  Viv swore. She jammed the pencil into her bra to keep it available, and felt it tug against her sternum even though she wasn’t holding it in a proper divination form any longer. “I don’t have time for this!” she screamed at the elevator, and dug her fingers in between the two doors, hauling at them.

Slowly, they were pried open. Inside, it was dark, but she had no chance to worry that perhaps this was a trap that had been laid for her; if Thys was inside there, she needed to go. The pencil was pulling forward, the tip digging into her stomach, and she stepped through the doors. 

They stayed open for now, the lack of power to them keeping them from closing as much as it had kept them from opening. Fumbling, she dug the flashlight out of the pocket in her leggings—they were meant to be for yoga, and usually a phone or wallet would go there. She’d left both wallet and phone at the apartment, which wasn’t great if she found Thys and needed to get help fast, but at least she still had her flashlight.

Except that had been the side she’d fallen on. As she pushed the switch on its side, the light flickered slightly, but didn’t come on.

There was nobody else in the elevator, nobody she could see, but that didn’t mean anything, not with Thys. “Come on!” Viv begged, shaking the flashlight.

It went out entirely, and she almost shrieked. Tears were gathering in her eyes now, and her entire world came down to this light, how she needed it to work, how she needed to see, because if Thys was some moth dying somewhere, losing them because Viv couldn’t work a fucking flashlight would be the worst thing in the universe. She frantically thumbed the switch, shook it, pleaded, felt that broken floodgate in her swell like she was going to start screaming, sobbing, something, and then she pushed that feeling out of her body, and the light turned on.

All the lights turned on.

The one in her hand came on first: the flashlight not flickering into life but abruptly flaring brightly, too bright, more than the lightbulb inside it should have been able to manage. And then the elevator came on too, the lights popping on with an audible sound, even the buttons glowing almost unnaturally brightly. Then the lobby, too, flooded with light, and the light outside the doors lit up the entryway.

And she saw, briefly, before the elevator’s doors closed behind her, that all the lights in the apartment tower across the way had also come on all at once.

There was no time to think about that, though. The elevator was perfectly lit now, but she cast the beam of the flashlight around, letting the pencil’s pushing and tugging lead her to one wall.

She was looking for a fairly large moth. When previously, part of Thys had escaped and survived the lanternfish’s carnage, the moth’s spread wingspan had been larger than both her hands put together; when it had closed its wings, she’d been able to cup it in her hands, but only just.

There was no moth that size here, and she thought, well, the others she had seen torn up, those had been a more normal size. So she looked for that instead, and then smaller still, until she was angling her beam and looking for the tiniest bump, hoping to make Thys cast a shadow that would make them easier to see.

And finally, she saw it.

The moth was barely the length of her pinky nail. It wasn’t clinging to the wall, as Viv had hoped, but collapsed on the floor.

Even scooping it up might hurt Thys at that size. Viv could kill them accidentally with total ease. Terrified of that, she reached up to slam the second floor button, then pulled the pencil out of her bra and used the tip to gently lift the moth up.

It tumbled off almost immediately—please, please just be unconscious, Viv begged silently—but she got a hand underneath, catching it in her palm.

The lights were on in the second floor hall too, and several confused residents had stuck their heads out their doors, looking around as if they were trying to figure out what was going on. Viv ignored them, heading into Thys’s apartment and shutting the door. It was warded here; if that thing had any connection to Thys still, hopefully trying to save Thys here would keep the lanternfish unaware.

“Guard the door,” she told the cats. They didn’t even pretend not to understand her, heading over and taking up positions around it.

Viv gently tipped her hand, letting Thys fall onto the kitchen island, and stared down at the tiny moth. Power was throbbing in her chest still—how had turning on all the lights, and without even using a spell, not left her exhausted?—but she didn’t know what to do with it. 

She could phone for help, maybe. Isaac would know what to do, and she could follow his instructions.

But she wasn’t sure if she had the time. That candle flame of Thys’s life was guttering, and that sense of death was approaching. 

Viv felt like whatever she did, she had to do it quickly, or it would be the end.

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The warm water continued to stream over Vivian’s body, but despite it, she’d gone cold. With the bathroom door closed and the power out, she was unable to see a thing.

Panic rose and she swallowed it back purposefully. They’d expected this to happen at some point. But the apartment was warded; as long as they stayed inside, they’d be safe. They’d literally bought flashlights just for this purpose. 

It was going to be fine, she told herself as, with a trembling hand, she turned off the shower and fished outside it for a towel. Finding one with her fingertips, she dried herself off quickly and held the towel to her.

“Thys?” she called. “Can you bring a flashlight?”

No answer. Maybe, she told herself, Thys just didn’t hear her. After a moment of indecisive hesitation, she decided to put on the clothes she’d just discarded rather than her pajamas; she knew where she’d dropped them and, besides, if something was about to go down, she’d rather not be in PJs.

She dressed in record time, and while she was pretty sure her leggings were on backwards, there was no time to change it. It didn’t matter; if they rode a little low in the back, her sweater would cover it. Hair still wet and sticking to her, she flung open the bathroom door. “Thys?”

Still no answer. The living room outside was dimly lit from the windows—but dimly only, the blinds drawn, no candles yet lit. Viv found where she’d left one of the flashlights and turned it on, shining it around.

A sudden noise almost made her drop it, but it was just Notch, hissing and squinting in the sudden light. Except, she realized, Notch was in an aggressive stance; always the fighter of the three, he’d stepped in front of the other two cats, puffed up and arching, growling low. The other two were totally silent behind him, also puffed, in a lower, defensive crouch.

Shit. She scanned the room with her flashlight hurriedly. The couch was empty.

Her beam fell across the open front door and her hands went cold again.

No no no.  Why would Thys leave?! It didn’t make any sense! They had a plan! They’d stay in the apartment, where they’d be safe. If they had to leave it, they’d stay together and keep their flashlights on them. If they couldn’t stay together, Thys would dissolve into moths and leave by the window—not the door, not out into the hallways—while Viv, unable to do the same, would grab something heavy in case she had to fight, then run for the fire exit. The alarm going off would cause chaos in the building, and help their escape.

She couldn’t do that now, though, not when she didn’t know where Thys was. That was only a plan for if Thys had already gotten out and Viv wasn’t with them. If she did it now, the lanternfish might make off with Thys in the middle of the confusion.

So why would Thys abandon the plan like this— 

“The power thing, it sings to me. When the lights are on normally, it’s fine. But sometimes, they flicker, and it calls me. It calls, and it’s so hard not to answer. And when the light goes out, when it’s dark, I’m lost.”

Viv drew a sharp breath, then grabbed Thys’s kettle, freeing it from its base. It was surprisingly heavy, and had a handle, and was relatively safer to run with than grabbing a knife. In a pinch, she could hit something with it. There was no time to think about it further. She grabbed another flashlight off the kitchen counter and shoved it into her pocket, then ran out the door.

Whatever was hunting Thys had been toying with the power for a few weeks for a reason, she thought, furious at herself for not wondering about that sooner. Wearing down Thys’s resistance, maybe. Making the lure stronger and stronger. Or learning to control individual lights, individual wires, learning where to place the call, learning—something.  

A faint amount of light showed at the end of the hall—the elevator was still lit, and was open. The doors were, however, closing, and she could faintly see the silhouette of a person inside. Viv took off at a sprint, arms and legs pumping, but didn’t make it before the doors closed. 

Just before it did, she thought she saw the shadow of the person inside split, as if someone had stepped out from behind them.

Viv swore, slamming her finger bruisingly hard into the elevator button, hoping the elevator hadn’t yet left and the doors would open—before she realized that the buttons weren’t even lit. Whatever had allowed it to keep power had turned off; she could hear the elevator moving, but it was no longer summonable to this floor.  

“Fuck!”

Running down the stairs wasn’t the safest thing at the best of times, let alone barefoot, let alone in the darkness, let alone without using the rail since she had a flashlight in one hand and a kettle in the other, but Viv tore down them regardless, heedless of her own safety. She knew she was too slow; she’d lost precious time trying to get the elevator doors to open. 

She didn’t know for sure if that person in the elevator was Thys—not with how much time she’d wasted in the bathroom, in the apartment, but perhaps Thys was going slow, was fighting even while entranced— 

The connection to Thys vanished. That feeling of sharing space with someone was just abruptly, gone and Viv found she was alone as she fled down the stairs.

Her foot slipped. She managed to get her legs out in front of her as she fell, so she slid the last flight instead of tumbling. Even so, when she hit the ground floor, she pushed herself to her feet at once. Her ankle hurt, her knee hurt, her hip hurt, but they held her weight as she flung herself upright and through the doorway into the lobby.

Thys turned back from where she was opening the outside door, and sighed. “Oh, it’s you,” they said.

Viv was brought up short. They seemed—fine, every inch their actual self, and in her pain and fear and confusion all she could do was stare for a moment. “Thys…?”

“Listen. I thank you for your help,” Thys said, and curtsied, exactly as Viv had seem them do before, holding their wings out. “But your debt is repaid.”

“What are you even—”

“You can have my apartment if you want. It’s paid for. I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided to return to my people. I have duties. Responsibilities. They’re waiting for me. And I’ll be safe there. It can’t hunt me there.”

“B-but we—” It wasn’t real, Viv told herself. This had to be that lanternfish, that shapeshifter, trying to hurt her, distract her, something. But it looked so much like Thys, sounded like Thys. Talked like Thys. And she didn’t know Thys, she still didn’t really know them. The same person who spontaneously decided to marry a stranger just for rescuing a moth and offering it sugar water could surely withdraw it the moment another spontaneous decision occurred.

And it wasn’t as if this Thys—the lanternfish? The real Thys?—was wrong. If it was the real Thys, they’d be safe if they went through the gate, safe with their own people. 

And if it wasn’t the real Thys, should she let on that she knew? If the real Thys were already dead, could Viv even take this creature in a fight? She wasn’t sure, both because she knew she was outmatched, and because she didn’t know that she could hurt something wearing Thys’s face. 

If it was the lanternfish, could she afford to let it go? But if it was the real Thys, could she do anything but?

Her heart ached. It ached, and it pined, and she found herself straining inside herself, desperate for that sense of connection again, like something inside her was beating at its cage, wings in her chest slamming against its bounds like something inside her had grown too huge to contain.

“Well. Again, I thank you,” Thys said, and turned, pushing on the doors out. “Goodbye, Viv.”

And suddenly, the cage burst. She couldn’t breathe, panic and fear and swelling power inside her. And through it all, she realized she could feel someone dying nearby, in the other direction from Thys. They were right at the edge. It was as if she had been born simply to sense encroaching death, that was how certain she was. It was a trembling candle flame, guttering in its own wax.

And she knew if she didn’t find it in time, it might go out.

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That knot of anxiety unwound even further, finally taking the shame with it. Viv knew it would be back later, when she had space and time to think about it—but for now, she was simply grateful to be able to breathe again.

She felt… a little more confident, she decided. If not with herself, not exactly, with their ability to try to support each other. 

And supporting each other right now meant…

“We should talk to Isaac right now,” Viv said firmly. “We want to talk to some other witches anyway, and it’s honestly most important to make sure that your health isn’t failing. If you bleed out from this energy thing, the lanternfish doesn’t even have to hunt you down, right?”

“Hmm. That’s a way to put it,” Thys agreed dubiously.

Viv squeezed their hand, then wound their fingers together, interlocking them. “This is all about taking care of you. If it’s not normal that you’re still draining like this, he may be able to do something about it. And if it is normal, then we know that. AND he can maybe help get us the spell we need. Involving Varsha can wait until tomorrow.”

“You have convinced me,” Thys said with a solemnity that was belied by the sparkle in their eyes. They pulled out their phone. “I don’t want you to let go. But I should call, then.”

It was convenient that Thys had Isaac’s number, Viv realized, or at least knew where to look it up. Otherwise they’d be sent on another runaround to get back in contact with the Good Neighbours. 

But that wasn’t necessary—Thys called, stepping away to explain to Isaac quickly that they were still not feeling well, and that the drain was still happening, and also, they could use some magical consultation. Thys listened briefly to his response, then said, “We can do that. We’ll be there,” and hung up.

“Well?” Viv asked.

“He sounded concerned. He agreed to see us tonight—one of his patients cancelled, so he said if we could get there within the hour, he’d see us. His clinic’s nearer to the gate but isn’t so far, so if we go now, we can make it.” Thys made a shooing gesture, and started walking.

Viv nodded, falling into step beside them. “I’d figured as much with how fast he arrived at the pub. Should we bus?”

“Oh, no thank you. I hate buses. They make me ill,” Thys said. “It’s only a twenty minute walk. It should be fine.”

“Sounds good.” At least Viv had always liked walking, since she was doing a whole lot of it. “So, can I ask what kind of music you do? I heard you practicing last night…”

“Oh.” Thys sounded pleased to be asked. “Well, you know I sing and play guitar. I’d say it’s… folksy but, hm. I try to capture the wild feeling inside me with it. Longing, and loss, sensuality and struggle…”

“I got a sort of a Florence or Hozier feel from what I overheard?”

Thys stuck that narrow tongue out at Viv. “Rude, to compare me to others of my kind, but yes. I suppose we’re all struggling to reach the same thing.”

Viv laughed a little. “Any crazy fans? It’d be sort of funny if this lanternfish was one. I mean, sort of like Misery, but, you know, ironic funny?”

“I haven’t received any disturbing fan mail, if that’s what you mean,” Thys said. “I suppose I’d better make myself more popular so I get a normal stalker next time.”

“I guess,” Viv said wryly. “I’d like to hear some of your music! Maybe the stalker could be me.”

“Well, with luck, you may attend any of my concerts as my guest, which would make me very easy to stalk.” Thys teased.

Feeling her cheeks flush, Viv ducked her head. She knew what Thys was getting at: as the wife, she’d hardly have to ask for tickets.

It was still too strange to think about. Sort of nice, though. If this could work, wouldn’t it be lovely to have something… something reliable?

As she looked up again, whatever maudlin, awkward thing she was going to say died on her lips. “Oh, hey, a corner store.”

“…Yes?”

“We should buy flashlights. It won’t take long. I don’t have any battery-operated lights or anything that we could use. But with flashlights, if the power goes out, we’ll always have some kind of light source.”

“Oh, a good plan!” Thys exclaimed. “I have candles, but otherwise, everything I have is plugged in.”

They took a quick detour to do that, and, feeling a little better armed, headed the rest of the way to Isaac’s. It was a simple clinic as part of a strip mall that also included a vacuum cleaner store and some kind of bakery, something called Loaf Portions.

Isaac met them in the waiting room, nodding to his receptionist; presumably he’d explained the situation, because the receptionist, a black woman with what looked like stars in her hair, just gave them a smile and waved them to go along with him.

The office looked like any medical office that Viv had been in, albeit with additional unguents and strange jarred items on the desk. Isaac asked Thys, “Are you okay with her being in here with you?”

“I’d prefer it, thank you,” Thys said lightly.

“Very well.”

Viv sat in the spare chair as Isaac gave Thys a basic examination—eyes, ears, throat, and listened to their heart with a device that didn’t look like a standard stethoscope. He pulled out a pair of glasses with magic circles etched into their lenses—the same that he had built around their body, Viv thought, or at least similar—and looked Thys over with them.

“You’re right,” he said finally. “You’re continuing to drain away and not be restored, and the reason you’re stable is that Miss Dormer is replenishing you as fast as her own energy refills. So you are both somewhat under the weather but have established something of an equilibrium.”

“That’s not as you expected,” Thys said.

“No. I’d suspect that some part of you was being… kept by your attacker, perhaps, so that it may feed off you instead of just letting that part die.” Isaac frowned. “I can’t imagine a situation where that’s necessary, rather than cruel. Now, I can’t ward you against it, but what I can do is…cut your connection to any part of you that is separate. You’re in one body right now, yes? No additional moths?”

“I don’t believe so,” Thys said, brows furrowed. 

“Then, with your permission, I’ll do so. I’ll have to cut your connection with Miss Dormer momentarily, but I can reconnect it after.”

Thys turned to look at Viv, and Viv realized with a start that they were asking permission. “Oh. Yeah, sure! I mean, of course. It was going to disconnect when Thys was healthy again anyway, right? So.”

“Ah.” Thys’s tone was hard to read, but they turned mild, guileless eyes back on Isaac. “Then you have my consent as well.”

And a moment later, Viv was alone. 

It… hurt. Not physically, and there was no actual sensation to it, but her heart ached. That sense of someone else’s feelings nearby had been like living in a home and hearing someone you loved going about their life in another room. And now it was gone. It was just her, alone, unwanted.

She drew a sharp breath, and then the sensation was back, that steady, alien comfort of Thys’s presence.

“There,” Isaac said. “You should replenish from here on out, but if you’re not improving by tomorrow night, call me again and I’ll make room for you because that will be very concerning.”

“Of course,” Thys said. They sounded pleased—weirdly smug, even. “Thank you. There was one more thing.”

“Yes?” Isaac lifted a brow.

Thys turned to Viv again. “Right,” Viv said. “So, this thing that attacked Thys, we think it might come back. We’re hoping to get a spell that we can trigger which will flood the immediate area with total light—we want to eliminate all shadows. We’ve, uh, heard it can help. Can you do that? Or do you know someone who can?”

“It’s not my specialty,” Isaac admitted. “But I’m joining the Twilight Counsel for a meeting tonight, and I can put in a request. It should be simple enough for someone who focuses more on light manipulation, so I can’t imagine it will cost too much. I can get someone to bring it to you tomorrow, I’m sure. Sooner, if you call and it’s an emergency.”

“We’ll pay whatever we have to,” Viv said, though if it did cost too much, she could only hope her aunt wouldn’t find out. “I promise.”

“Well, your word’s good enough for me,” Isaac said gently. He made a few notes on a file, then held it out. “Can you take this to Natalie out front for me?”

Thys took it. “Thank you, Isaac,” they said. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Please take care.”

They headed back out to reception, where Thys handed over their file and their health card for the receptionist to note, then headed outside..

“How’re you feeling?” Viv ventured.

“I’d say that I feel better already,” Thys said, “but I’m not sure if it’s my imagination. Now what?”

Viv hesitated, then took Thys’s hand again. It felt better, holding hands. “Let’s go back home. With all the warding, we’ll be safe if we stay in the apartment, and if this thing is more active at night, better to stay inside with all the lights on. Will you be able to sleep?”

“It’s not my nature, but as long as we wrap it up within a few nights, it won’t leave me too tired,” Thys said, tightening their grip on Viv’s hand. “That’s fine.”

They headed back to the apartment just as it began to get dark, and Viv couldn’t help but feel as if they’d dodged a bullet somehow. She stopped in her own apartment to get fresh pajamas and a pair of clothes for tomorrow, and then they headed to Thys’s apartment, where they were almost mugged by all three cats. Even gentle kitten Pebbles was getting in on the climb and scream train.

“Oh, they do miss you,” Thys said, laughing.

“Sorry, I should have warned you,” Viv said. “They always do this. I’ll feed them and—do you mind if I shower?”

Thys waved a hand. They seemed more confident somehow, maybe due to their energy returning. Viv hoped so. “Oh, do go ahead. Then we can figure out sleep arrangements, perhaps?”

Their voice had dropped at the end, teasing, and Viv felt her face heat up. “Right! Yeah, okay,” she squeaked, and shut herself in the bathroom.

It was hard not to get excited by that, though, and her hands were trembling a little as she undressed, looking at herself in the mirror. She flushed more at the sight of her nude body, imagining Thys looking at her too, touching her, and ducked in the shower.

As she washed her hair, feeling the suds trickle over her like fingers, she couldn’t help but fantasize that Thys would decide to join her in the shower. What would she do if Thys did? Viv wondered, heart beating fast. She closed her eyes, biting her lower lip, and tilted her face up into the spray, imagining that moment. She wouldn’t turn Thys away now. She wanted this far too much.

If the power flickered, she missed it.

But when she opened her eyes again, it was pitch black in the bathroom.

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