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Anxiety was rising in Viv, shame churning in her gut, choking her as firmly as hands around her throat. She knew she had to calm down and breathe, she knew she had to get this back under control for both their sakes—if this continued as things were with Thys, they’d be furious with each other at the end, she knew they would be. 

It was just like how things had been with Reese.

She could imagine that disapproval growing, imagine the cold disgust with which Thys would treat her after this. That she, someone fundamentally useless, thought she had the right to set terms, make demands, ask for things like communication as if it was easy. She hardly had to imagine her own hysterical screaming in return, hardly had to make up how the fight would escalate. The memories of it were almost drowning her.

But—  

But she wasn’t ready to be married! She wasn’t ready! She didn’t know Thys, that was the whole point of having to ask them things at all, if she knew Thys already then this wouldn’t be a problem! 

“I, I want,” she tried to get out, but her voice was too high, her teeth were chattering, tears were welling in her eyes.

Thys… blinked. Some of their tall, stiff posture seemed to melt away, their brows creasing in visible confusion. “Viv? What…”

“I just, I just got out of a relationship, it was really bad, everyone hates me now.” She could hear herself babbling, tried desperately to get it back under control. “They couldn’t stand to have me around, not at all, I got sent here in exile b-because they couldn’t, and, I, I just, I don’t know how to be good to you, I don’t know if I’m ready, I didn’t mean—”

Oh no. She was worrying Thys now, she could tell. Thys had reached out to her, caught her by an elbow to stop her from hugging herself so hard that her nails were dragging at her sweater. 

Viv tried to breathe, tried to loosen her own grip on herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I think,” Thys said slowly, with audible alarm, “that I am beginning to see that.”

Thys’s lack of anger helped unspiral the anxiety. Guilt came in behind it; she hated getting like this, and she scrubbed at her own face with her hands, furiously. Thys pulled those away too, as if worried that Viv was clawing at her skin. “I’m okay, sorry. Sorry. I just. I really did just get out of a bad relationship. I just wanted to help you, and I like you, and I understand fae do things differently, I just didn’t realize. I didn’t mean to dis…to disrespect you—”

“I see that, too,” Thys said. “Hush. Hush.” 

They pulled Viv into an embrace, and Viv let herself cry despite the guilt, hot tears that scalded her face in the cold air outside. People were staring at them, she knew they were, but she couldn’t stop it from happening, so she just cried until that knot unwound further, and then put her arms around Thys in return. Thys felt delicate under her embrace, as though their skin was fragile, even though Viv knew how strong they were.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to be your betrothed,” Viv managed, finally, when she’d cried enough that only shame was left behind. “I just. I only just met you. And things can go so bad even when you do know someone. I don’t even know what I did that got us betrothed.”

“I don’t do things like humans do,” Thys said softly. “You saved me, then offered yourself to me, and the moment I accepted it from you, I was yours. I am yours. You could break this betrothal now, if you wished. But…”

Viv managed to pull back. Her nose was so stuffy that her cheeks hurt, sinuses backed up way too far. “But?” she asked weakly.

Thys smiled and tucked some of Viv’s hair behind an ear. “If you wish to try, we do not need to marry immediately. We can be betrothed for a time and see how that is.”

It was completely unbelievable. Yet— 

Viv had to admit it was happening. She let out a wet giggle, said, “Sorry,” again, and then just nodded. “Okay,” she said. “…Okay. I do want to try being with you. But if I’m… bad at it… I want an out.”

“I am,” Thys said delicately, and then hesitated, before finally pulling a scrunched-up, annoyed face. “I am one of the fae. We do not handle well our gifts being rejected, nor our hospitality ignored.”

“Who does?” Viv mumbled.

“Perhaps so,” Thys said, with a sigh. “I will try to understand. If we are different, then we must work harder. Yes?”

“Yes,” Viv said. She reached out and snagged their hand. “I’m so sorry I did this, I didn’t mean—”

Thys lifted their free hand and tapped Viv’s lips. “No more of that,” they said gently. “You have your reasons. I have mine. Let’s respect that.”

It was so hard to respect herself for this, but arguing would make things worse. Viv just nodded, and took a few moments to breathe. “So,” she said. “So. I… in the name of respecting. I still think I need to know about your past but, I… I really want to consider your feelings. I don’t want to hurt you again, or make you feel…rejected? Keep in mind I don’t mean to.”

“I’ll try. I will try,” Thys said. “Just know that I, too, can react sometimes.”

“That’s fair,” Viv said. Holding Thys’s hand tight, she tried to remember what she’d wanted to ask, the things that seemed relevant. “Are you reluctant to talk about these things because of… is it dangerous to you? I only want to know things you are willing or able to talk about…”

Thys shook their head, a rueful smile on their lips. “Oh, no! No. No danger. I simply don’t want to. The present is here holding my hand. I have no desire to think of things I have left behind me. And we do not like to be made to do things we do not desire.”

Viv let out another weak giggle. “Again, who does?”

“Perhaps so,” Thys repeated, but they were smiling still, more relaxed now. 

“Okay,” Viv said. She took another deep breath. “Keep in mind I’m just trying to figure out the… the victim profile? Why this lanternfish is chasing you. So not all my questions might seem to be related, and if you really think I don’t need to know, you can tell me.”

“That’s fair,” Thys said. And then, almost coaxingly, “That is kind. It’s a beautiful compromise.”

Viv sort of shrugged. Beautiful, huh. “Okay. So. You’re supposed to lead an army? Against what enemy?”

“No specific enemy,” Thys said. They were still looking at Viv tenderly, still holding her hand carefully, as if having realized Viv was fragile, but their voice grew cooler as they talked of it. “It is not that we are at war, though the fae have had wars in the past, and peace treaties, and so on. But I am of a rank that if it is decided by the Courts that we should go to war, I would be expected to draw from my lands to gather an army and to lead it in what we do.”

That was interesting. It built a picture of Thys as some sort of noble who was a vassal to a higher power. Viv was reminded of feudal power hierarchies, where the king would grant land to his nobles or knights, and they in turn would oversee the people who lived on and worked that land, but if the king said jump, they had to jump nevertheless. 

Then again, Thys hadn’t said that, and Viv knew she couldn’t assume. Still, she didn’t want to ask directly if it was exactly like that—if Thys had wanted to say it, they’d have given their rank or whatever—so she took a different tack. “Why would you be unable to escape?”

“It’s smothering. I am in an odd position where I am… powerful. I had access to an army, if I needed it. I had lands at my fingertips to rule over. And yet I was a spoiled pet to those more powerful than me. I was expected to always do what was expected, and do it for them. And so I ran away. I took advantage of them not thinking I would do so, but I would not be able to fool them twice.”

“You don’t have the right to say no?”

“Few people do, with the fae,” Thys said.

Given that Viv had become betrothed without meaning to, she could see that. “What did they want you for?”

“I am a good singer. I am lovely to look at. I can sense disaster, which is a powerful boon to the Court. And I was raised to rank and power, so it is just what was expected. If I returned, I would be chided for my rebellion, and praised for my return, and then reinstated with power to do whatever I wished except leave.”

“If you could raise an army, could they really stop you from leaving?”

Thys said, “I am not sure I would make it come to a civil war that others would fight and die for so that I could have my own autonomy.”

That was…fair enough. Viv swallowed. “I… I don’t think I have any other specific questions,” she said. “Dandelion gave me an idea of your powers, so I won’t ask further about that; if you have something that’s useful, I imagine you’d say. But… do you know what the lanternfish wants from you?”

“I don’t know,” Thys said softly. “Out here, I’m but an extremely minor celebrity with a small fan following. I like it that way. So I don’t know why I would be a target. If the lanternfish were fae, I would think they were envious of what I gave up, or angry if I made things more inconvenient for them. But it isn’t one, so I don’t see how those things could be relevant.”

“Okay,” Viv said. She squeezed Thys’s hand again. “That’s it. I don’t think I have any other questions…”

Thys’s brow creased. Hesitantly, they said, “I had been going to bind you to ask your questions here or not at all. But… I suppose… if you need to know me to love me, that would be an ill-fated thing I would do to us. If you think of something you must ask later, I will… try to remember, and be kind enough to answer.”

Tears prickled in Viv’s eyes again.

“Oh. Oh no,” Thys said. “You’re doing it again. It’s happening.”

Viv burst into a giggle and scrubbed at her eyes. She had a tear-headache and her mouth tasted terrible. “No, I was just happy. You’re being very kind even though I was so unreasonable.”

“Was it unreasonable…?”

“Anyway,” Viv said, voice shaking slightly, “we should figure out what we do with the rest of our day. It’ll be evening soon and I don’t know if the lanternfish will act once it’s dark. We were told it was stronger in the dark. If we want to not bring new people in, Varsha might be able to help with scent if needed? Snakes have a good sense of smell, and she’s your friend, and lives in the same building that this thing is hunting us in. So… that might be an option.”

“Oh!” Thys seemed to straighten. “That’s a clever idea. I think you’re right, she might be good if we need that.”

“And otherwise? I think we should try to track down Isaac. I can try to use him to get connected to the Council. Maybe we can get a spell that can get triggered which can fully light an area. If I can carry it in my pocket, we don’t need to involve someone else. Powerful witches can enchant items for other people to use, even if they can’t cast spells.” Like me, she thought with only a small amount of self-loathing.

Thys nodded. “…It might be good to see if the healing is proceeding as expected, too. However, what should we do first, my sweet? Isaac was on call last night, but I believe he usually works days, so he may be unavailable if we do not act soon. Yet Varsha may too be unavailable soon, since she’ll start work in the evening. So… we should decide fast which we should go to see, if we need to get it done before night falls.” 

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Try not to worry about this thing between yourself and Thys, Viv reminded herself desperately. This was nice right now, inasmuch as having someone with her who was being hunted down was able to be ‘nice’. She shouldn’t sweat the small stuff like…whatever the strange implications were of Thys perhaps being a ‘fairy lover’ to her.

She wasn’t able to convince herself. They needed to talk. 

Soon.

“I think,” Viv said slowly, “that step one is going to be figuring out what they want you for. Step two is finding someone with scent-based powers, and step three is finding a place that we can flood with light. Right? So we can either corner them to fight or negotiate.”

“I suppose so,” Thys agreed. For once, they seemed nervous, and it occurred to Viv that maybe Thys should be more nervous than they’d seemed so far—after all, Thys was the one being hunted down here. But ever since they’d recovered, they’d sort of been treating this as a fun adventure.

Then again, they were one of the fair folk. Maybe this just felt different to someone with such a long lifespan. And even Viv had to admit that there were things she, too, was enjoying in this. 

Viv drew a deep breath and exhaled heavily. “So. We can get into step one in a moment but unless you already know why it’s doing this, trying to prep for a confrontation is something we can do regardless of motive, so we can kind of skip it for now.”

“Does that truly make it step one?”

“Let’s focus here,” Viv said, bringing her hands together in a brief clap. “Scent. We know there are local lycanthrope hideouts. I think it’s pretty strongly implied that maybe the werecats gather in the skate park—Yasmin might even be one, come to think of it, though I don’t know if we can be sure without asking.”

“The skate park,” Thys said, amazed. “Do cats like skateboards?”

“Dubious, but it’s a known fact a lot of cats hang out there, and we were already told that werecats called our neighbourhood home. And Yasmin told me that the dog park has gathered what she considers a bad crowd, which is probably weredogs. I think we’re more likely to have an in with werecats rather than dogs anyway, unless you’ve got some contacts with them.”

Thys tilted their head. “…And why is that?”

“…I like cats,” Viv answered weakly. “And I understand cats. I don’t really get dogs, you know?”

Thys nodded blankly. “Okay.”

She tried not to feel embarrassed. “Anyway! That’s—that’s an option. I don’t know what we could offer them—but I mean, Yasmin seemed nice.” Hot, too. And cool. Maybe she shouldn’t be thinking that with Thys here, though. No, she reminded herself, focus. “That said, I don’t know if we can rely on the kindness of strangers. Do you know any lycanthropes?”

“I don’t… I keep to myself, mostly,” Thys said. “I don’t know many people outside of the pub scene. Some of them might be lycanthropes but… I wouldn’t know. I could also ask if any of my fans are? But then we, ah. We are relying, again, on the kindness of total strangers. As you said, that’s untrustworthy. Especially if I am being hunted.” They swayed back and forth on their feet, sticking their hands in their pockets.

“Okay, well,” Viv said, “we could still try the skate park, then.”

“Yes,” Thys said. “I think, if we plan on relying on scent, we can do that, but we might want to be cautious with that. We can’t rely on our own sense of scent. And bringing others in may put them at risk.”

Viv’s blood chilled. She hadn’t thought of that. Whatever was hunting Thys now could hunt a kindly stranger just as easily—or a friend. If someone were so actively involved that the lanternfish took notice, and that person got …taken over? Copied? Swapped out while they were still relying on them, they might end up not just losing a friend but feeding information to the enemy.

“So we can do that, but perhaps, we should make contacts cautiously, make sure they are not openly involved until we need them,” Thys finished. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go and explore our options. We may still need those contacts. Just, well, we need to be aware.”

“We do,” Viv said, trying to unknot the clenching anxiety in her chest. “…I do think were-cats might be a good angle, and I’m not against us going to the skate park and making initial contacts, seeing if we can get help when the time comes, but… you’re right we should consider other options too. My divination isn’t strong, but maybe I can… use dowsing or something to figure out if someone is who I think they are. Who they’re presenting as.”

“Perhaps this is strange, coming from me, who has become so reliant on you,” Thys said, “but sometimes we’re safest by ourselves.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Viv said. She had to be careful not to get too paranoid or isolated either—presumably this creature could only pretend to be one person at a time; there might be an angle in that which they could make use of. “I understand your fears, but let’s not worry just yet about that, since there’s no sign it’s happening, and we can be careful not to bring in people who would get caught unawares. Light, then. Do you know a place? Or, we could ask Dandelion…”

Thys pulled a hand out of their pocket and put it on Viv’s arm, squeezing gently. “I don’t think that there is any place that can be flooded completely, to remove all shadows, without a lot of preparation or without involving magic,” they said. “Dandelion might have some idea, like… a music video set or something, where you can get lighting at all angles and from below as well. But most places that can be flooded will have some shadows. Football stadiums or whatnot, they’ll be lit from above, and have plenty of places with shadow.”

“Music video set might be an option, come to think of it,” Viv said. “I don’t know how we’d lure an enemy into one when they can just wait forever until we come out, though. I think… that’d come back to negotiation. Anyway, it might be easier to just get hold of a witch who can actually just… abruptly lighten the area. Or a fae who can do likewise with glamour. Less suspicious.”

“You’re right,” Thys said. They glanced at the sidewalk behind the two of them, where the afternoon shadows were starting to lengthen. “I don’t even know if the lanternfish is following us or not. Either way, it will begin to get dark in a couple hours.”

Viv felt a faint chill at the thought, which she was very sure wasn’t actually a non-sequitur. “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t know. Anyway, we’re back to step one.”

“A circular route to the first step,” Thys said playfully.

Viv wanted to respond in kind, but didn’t let herself. “We need to talk.”

Thys blinked. Slowly, their smile faded. “Do we?”

“We need to know why you might be wanted. Why you specifically were targeted, after you started making public appearances. If we can figure out what they want, we can figure out whether we have any way to negotiate, or if there’s no chance but to attack.” Viv took a deep breath. “But right now, I know pretty much nothing about you.”

Thys seemed to grow smaller, somehow. They wrapped their wings around themselves, as if the drizzling cold was finally getting to them, and hunched into their form, both hands in their pockets again. “Ah. It’s come to this.”

“I mean… it’s great that you’re some kind of…” Manic pixie dream pixie, Viv managed to keep herself from saying. “You’re like a dream. Strange, mysterious, intriguing, beautiful… sweet.”

Thys’s cheeks colored. “Oh.”

“But you’ve implied you have some kind of situation back home, and despite that, you’re here in Branwin. You’ve referred to refusing to take command and lead an army. You’ve mentioned having no escape if you returned, despite that. This creature isn’t fae, or I think Lithway would have said, but if you’re specifically being targeted, it has to be something about you, what you can do, the people you know, something.” She drew a breath. “So, please. Tell me.”

“I don’t want to,” Thys muttered.

“I want you to,” Viv countered. Something in her, something so recently injured, was aching, feeling like it was going to split. “We have… something between us, right? Communication is important. I need to know what… what I’ve got myself into.”

“Something between us?” Thys repeated incredulously. They straightened, their dark eyes seeming to widen almost too far, taking up too much of their face. “Something? Am I not yours? Did you not give yourself to me so that I may give myself to you? Am I not your betrothed?”

The world swam for a minute. Focus, Viv thought, in a faint panic. Focus! She couldn’t. This was too much confirmation, and she was afraid. “Betrothed?”

“Am I not?!” Thys seemed somewhere between despair and anger now. “Fine. Ask what you wish. I cannot lie. But I do not want to talk about it, so what I answer will depend on the specific questions you ask me.”

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A strange picture was starting to form for Viv, one she almost didn’t dare look at too closely. Dandelion had mentioned ‘the spouse’, as if expecting that Viv had one. Lithway had just referred to Thys as her fairy lover. And Dandelion had previously explained that Thys’s kind of fae were often also known as leanan sidhe—something she recalled now were mythological ‘fairy sweethearts’, ones who would act as a muse to a human they decided to devote themselves to, nearly slave-like in their devotion, but who would lead to an early death for the human they chose to love.

It had to be a coincidence. A misunderstanding. It was on the tip of her tongue to argue, to explain, to… to have Thys deny it too, just so she could be sure.

But now wasn’t the time, she reminded herself, watching Lithway straighten and give them a beaming, friendly smile. Lithway wasn’t fae. Lithway also wasn’t a vampire, wasn’t a witch or a human or anything understood. Instead, Lithway was a mysterious monster of origin unknown, of a type feared by all others.

All anyone really knew about Lithway was that they enjoyed helping others, and that they didn’t like waiting.

So Viv wouldn’t let Lithway wait. Right now, she had to explain what was going on, quickly and with deference. Clearing up this misunderstanding could come later.

Even so, she couldn’t quite bring herself to look at Thys as she said, “It’s about the lanternfish.”

“Ahhh.” Lithway’s voice didn’t seem able to change from that soft, susurrating lilt, which was particularly strange given that they were an actor. Viv wondered if that changed onstage, or if Lithway simply put other things into the role that made you forget it. “What about it? You know what, come with me.”

Thys slipped their hand into Viv’s as the two of them followed Lithway into the backstage area. She tried not to get too nervous or sweaty; they’d held hands a dozen times already, it was fine.

The backstage space was tidy and quiet, and while it was clearly a frequently-used space, they were alone now. “Can I ask what about the lanternfish concerns you?” Lithway murmured, as their shadows rolled to a stop and they somehow ended up facing Viv and Thys without seeming to turn. “You don’t mean the play, do you? I don’t think someone like Dandelion would offer up favors to someone like me just so you could get tickets to a play.”

“We think the lanternfish might be hunting me,” Thys said bluntly. “Or something that matches its description. And, since you wrote a play about it, we wanted to know what you knew. Know what you thought. You do not usually write the plays you act in, do you?”

“Oh, sometimes,” Lithway said. They sank back into a seat that hadn’t previously been there, one which appeared to be made of the shadows which surrounded them, and steepled their fingers. “Tell me what you’ve been experiencing.”

Thys looked to Viv for this, and Viv, obligingly, launched into an explanation. She tried not to leave anything out—this wasn’t a case where playing their cards close to their chest would help. If it was a lanternfish, whatever that was, Lithway was the only one who seemed to know anything about it, and besides… Lithway didn’t seem the sort who it was safe to play games with.

So she explained the confusing attack that Thys had experienced with the lights luring them away. She explained the smell in the garbage room, the mysterious encounter with the janitor, Thys’s collapse at the Good Neighbours, and all the theories they’d formed that this thing might be hunting Thys specifically.

Lithway listened, their fingers still steepled, their face impassive. And, when Viv was done, they sighed. “I see. I do see.”

When it didn’t seem as if they were about to say more, Viv’s stomach knotted. “I was wondering about… about what inspired you to write the play. Was it folklore? Based on something you encountered? Do you think this thing sounds a lanternfish?” Be polite, she reminded herself nervously. “If it’s all right to ask,” she added.

“Well, the thing is, I’m not sure how all right it is,” Lithway said. They tapped those fingers to their lips, then seemed to decide, beaming abruptly at Viv and Thys. “Well, you two seem like a young, sweet pair, and I have to admit I’m taken by the drama of your story! Let me see what I can do, because, you see, if it came out that I was acting against this… lanternfish, sure, let’s call this a lanternfish for now. If it came out that I was acting out against the lanternfish, I could be in a great deal of trouble myself!”

What could exist that could get Lithway in trouble? Viv wondered.

Thys leaned forward, releasing Viv’s hand and clutching their hands to their chest, a physical plea. “So you do know something. You know enough to get yourself in trouble.”

“That I do, and I don’t plan to stick my neck out. Here’s the thing, if you let it get out that I’ve been telling you secrets, it won’t just be the lanternfish hunting you down, my darlings. I’ll join in, and I don’t think you’ll like that. And I can’t help you beyond information—or rather, I won’t. This is a case where I could be identified as the source if I put myself out there, and I’m too comfortable in my current life to do that for you.”

Viv sucked a breath—but Thys just nodded. “Yes,” they said. “If it’s enough to cause you trouble, I imagine you don’t want us going and throwing your name around lightly.”

“You understand completely!” Lithway said, putting a hand to their forehead and draping themselves backwards over their chair. “What a relief! I had been worried I could not adequately prepare you for the danger of what little I can justify saying. That said, if you learn anything yourself from your encounter with the lanternfish… well, I don’t care what you say about your own experiences, though others might.”

It was amazing someone could be so bombastic with such a soft voice. Somehow, it made Viv more nervous; she licked her lips, which felt dry. “So?”

“Here’s what I can tell you,” Lithway said. They sat up again, expression serious now, eyes a void of shadow in their already shadowy face. “I thought I sensed a stranger when it appeared in my territory, and I had prepared The Lanternfish’s Lure for a time like this. While I put myself at risk for it, I don’t want one of them hunting in my territory, and if I could prepare my audience adequately for the possibility that they might become prey… well, it is the least I could do.”

What was it that trivia night had said? “I heard,” Viv said slowly, “that it’s shadowfolk folklore.”

“That’s how I’ve described it, yes,” Lithway said. “The play itself is a certain amount of misdirection while still putting important information in, so here are the bits you should consider relevant.” They held up a finger. “One: the lanternfish will pick a prey for a reason. They are intelligent, as smart as you or me. Well, especially me, I can’t speak for you. So if they have picked you as a target, they have a reason for it. Two—” Another finger. “They are not bound to stick just to their prey. They can do what they want for whatever convenient reason. However, keep in mind that it’s being done with a goal. Three—” A third finger. “Their abilities primarily lie around light and shadow and, thus, illusion. Unfortunately, vision is a primary sense where it relates to both humans and most monsters; even if they have other senses, sight usually tricks them into disbelieving the rest of it. That said, if you have friends whose powers include other senses, such as scent, they may pick up more than sight alone would claim. But I would not suggest bringing in vampires. Light can be deadly to them, after all.”

It had been an option—but, yeah, in that case, maybe one worth benching. It was a shame, kind of; Viv had always been curious about the whole vampire society thing.

“Four—” Another finger. “They can shapeshift, to some extent. Not always, not into everything, but when they hunt, they can mimic prey they have successfully captured before. If you are worried about your janitor, it’s worth being worried, but he is likely long gone. Fifth, they can know things about people on whom they have fed, so trying the good old ‘tell me something only you know’ trick has limited success. Sixth—”

That was, Viv realized, too many fingers for one hand.

“—their power over light is significantly weaker than their power over darkness. It only exists because they have power over darkness! As such, they are weaker in the light, but not eliminated by it. They can build sections of apparent safety and rely on instinct to send you there, then take it away. Which matches what you’ve described… and I would suggest that Thysania is especially vulnerable to this lure. After all, moths are drawn to the flame.”

Thys leaned against Viv, running a hand over her hair. Viv almost choked on nothing at all. “Oh no,” Thys said. “You’re right.”

“And finally,” Lithway said, leaning forward in their seat, “they are very, very hard to kill. I cannot and will not give specifics, but you would need to lure them into a place with no shadows they can see to cut off their exit, first of all, and it would involve… a great deal of focused power, I’d think. However, as I noted, they surely have a reason for choosing you as a prey. If it’s something you can make useless to them, or otherwise deny to them their goals, they will probably leave you alone.”

“If left alive, won’t they… seek out other prey?” Viv asked tentatively. “So we’d just be making someone else suffer?”

“Well, that depends what they want from this,” Lithway said, and spread their hands with a bright smile. “Nobody needs to predate each other, but certainly plenty of us do, don’t we?”

“It’s a start,” Thys said. They considered, then bowed deeply, spreading their wings in a curtsy.

Viv hurried into her own bow—without wearing anything she could curtsy with, it felt weird to do so. “Thank you,” she said. “We really appreciate it, especially knowing that, er, that you’re in… some kind of awkward position here.”

“Oh, I’m frequently in awkward positions,” Lithway said airily. “But I’m happy to help, so long as it doesn’t cause trouble for me. Do you need someone to help you find the way out?”

“No, I think we’ve got it,” Viv said. “Again, thank you. It’s obviously super freaky.”

“Super freaky,” Thys echoed, and caught Viv’s hand once more.

“Super freaky!” Lithway said, with audible sympathy. They smiled at Viv beatifically. “Well, I’ll be happy to hear how this turns out. If I have helped thwart this terrible creature, I would love to know it.”

Viv managed a weak smile back. “Hopefully we’ll be able to let you know,” she said.

Lithway rose and bowed to them, then gestured them away; not wanting to overstay their welcome, the two of them left.

Thys’s hand was still tight in Viv’s, tight enough that Viv wasn’t sure they’d let go even if she tried. “Well,” Viv said, instead of commenting on that, “I think that was useful. It sounds like to have a chance we’re either going to have to ambush this thing in some kind of area we can flood with light or… well. Or find a way to convince it to leave you alone.”

“I suppose so,” Thys said. “I know the plan was to go to the skate park to try to find that Yasmin now, but I’m not sure if you think that will still be useful with everything we’ve learned so far? Or if we should be focusing on trying something else now.”

“I’m not sure either,” Viv admitted. “I was considering contacting the Twilight Council, see if we can get someone to help us to, I guess, corner the lanternfish for this posse we may or may not get. Or even get a consult on what that might take. That might be some more, like, direct assistance than just heading to the skate park, right?”

“I’d really be fine with either option,” Thys said, and gave Viv a small smile. “As long as we’re together.”

Viv’s heart jumped into her throat again and she tried to swallow around it. She shouldn’t be thinking about this. Things had gone so badly with Reese before, and the things he’d pointed out had been true. She was too needy. Too clingy. She needed to learn how to tolerate herself better before she could even try to love someone else.

She was jumping to conclusions, she assured herself. She shouldn’t address this. Shouldn’t call attention to this. Shouldn’t ask Thys what the situation was between them, why it was like that, if it was some fairy thing or if it was real or—anything. Doing so could ruin everything, and right now they needed to both just focus on this very real threat.

It would be a bad idea. 

But she was so afraid, and didn’t know which answer she was more afraid of.

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“It may not hurt to try to see the play and find out if it’s relevant?” Thys suggested. “Perhaps talk to Lithway directly, if we can. It may not benefit us, but I hardly see how it could hurt to try.”

Viv nodded. She’d been thinking the same thing. “Do you know them? Lithway, I mean?”

“Not personally. I think Dandelion might,” Thys said. “They’re both local entertainers.”

Surprised, Viv raised her brows. “Aren’t you also?”

“I am,” Thys said, “but I’m not the same…sort? I am not a celebrity. I perform locally, though I’ve only started recently to do so publicly instead of simply posting my music online, and I have a small following, but I keep to myself. Dandelion appears at events, does interviews, that sort of thing. He is not at Lithway’s level, of course, since Lithway is an international star, but for a folk rock singer he does, you know… well.”

“I get you,” Viv said, though any level of celebrity status had always seemed out of reach to her. “He’s rubbing shoulders with the big guns.”

Thys stared at her for long enough that Viv was 100% certain they had no idea what she meant by that. “Yes,” they said finally. “Sure.”

Viv ducked her head, blushing. “Anyway, the point is, we should be calling Dandelion anyway to let him know we’re okay and what we’ve been up to. And, I mean, Matthias talked about bringing in any of a huge variety of heavy hitters, but… maybe we should just stick with the fae? Between you and Dandelion we have an in.”

“I… don’t know about that,” Thys said, fidgeting. “Neither of us have court connections, not any more. Dandelion was exiled, so he can’t go back. And if I went back, even if just to take command and lead an army, I wouldn’t be allowed to return here. I’d be expected to assume my duties, and… I won’t do that.”

It felt like there was a huge depth of background there which Viv had barely touched on. She wondered if it would be rude to ask, and settled on an uncertain, “Oh yeah?”

“Yes. But,” they added, swirling their cup to get the sludgy detritus up from the bottom, “I suppose we have some fans. Dandelion more, as I said. And friends in the business. He’s got connections among solitary fae here, and I can probably call in a few favors myself. So. Perhaps, if we didn’t rely on court favors and official power, but in a …ragtag group of misfits? We may be able to arrange that.”

“It’s worth mentioning, anyway,” Viv said, and dialed.

Dandelion picked up on the second ring. “Hey. It’s me. You’re alive, huh?”

“Uh, to the best of my knowledge, yes,” Viv said. She caught Dandelion up quickly—it wasn’t as if they’d been up to all that much since they’d last seen each other—and gave him a rundown of their plan so far. “So right now we’re just going ahead with that. The play feels like it’s probably just an interesting coincidence, but at this point, anything relevant feels like it’s possibly significant. Do you think we should pursue it?”

“Which, going to the play or talking to Lithway?” Dandelion asked, audibly uncomfortable.

“Either, but the latter most. I mean, I assume if we talk to Lithway they could summarize the play?” Viv ventured. “Why do you sound so nervous? Is something about Lithway dangerous?”

A sigh. “I doubt Lithway would hurt a fly in any way that anyone would find out about,” Dandelion said, “but they’re kind of a bit much. Do you know anything about them?”

“Not really beyond what everyone knows. Big celebrity, activist, demi-male, shadow person actor?”

“Right, yes. Just… shadowfolk are pretty freaky. Nobody knows where they come from except the shadowfolk themselves, and they’re hardly ever seen. That Lithway is on stage as a major player seems like an absurdity because, before they stepped up and started their theatre, shadowfolk were basically just an urban legend even among monsters. We don’t know what they eat, what they want, where they are. All we know is they can travel through shadows, and shape their shadowy form into any shape they like.”

“So is this a no go on Lithway? Too dangerous?” Viv sort of pulled a face at Thys, who was doing their best to eavesdrop. “Thys thought you two were maybe friends.”

“I wouldn’t say friends, but we’re friendly. It’s not a no go, just… be careful what you get yourself tangled up in. Lithway is legit, but shadowfolk in general are pretty feared. Anyway, where are you?”

“Beanheadings. Why?”

“Theatre’s not far from there.” Dandelion was quiet for a couple of seconds. “I’ll make some calls. Head up that way and ask in the lobby. If Lithway doesn’t have the time I’ll get the folks there to let you know, but if they do take interest, you don’t want to leave them waiting.”

Viv couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable after all those warnings, but what could she do? She just nodded. “Okay. Will do. Thanks so much. Uh, one other thing?”

“Yes?”

“If we needed to get. Um. A Solitary Fae posse backing us up, do you think…?” She trailed off hopefully.

“I mean,” Dandelion said, “It’d either take time to round them up, or, if you wanted a group fast, they’d definitely want blood before the night was out.  None of them want to waste their time for nothing. So I can do it, and would gladly do it for Thys’s sake, but make sure you know what you’re doing before you have me make the call. That said, I can do it through the Good Neighbours pretty fast if needed.”

Something occurred to Viv. “Oh! Speaking of the Good Neighbours. We’d been thinking that this first attack was on Thys, right? But I was reading that there were known disappearances around the pub. Do you think it’s related?”

For a moment, the silence was so complete that she thought the call had disconnected. 

And then Dandelion laughed. It wasn’t altogether a pleasant sound. “Oh. No, Viv, no. That’s just our own doing. The fae like to play with humans, after all. I’ll make that call to the Theatre, now; say hi to the spouse for me.”

“What do you-” This time, Dandelion had hung up. “Weirdo,” she muttered at the phone.

Thys blinked at her mildly. “It sounds as if he wants us to head to the theatre now?”

“Yeah, he does.” Viv rose, offering Thys a hand up. “We may or may not meet Lithway, but sounds like there’s no time to waste in case we’re going to.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Thys said, and took her hand.

The two of them headed out, waving to Matthias on the way out, and began to walk up the hill. Viv let Thys lead the way; she’d only looked at maps previously, but Thys lived here, and had lived here for… well, a while, she assumed.

She tightened her hand on Thys’s, feeling it warm in her own. That steady trickle of energy was still draining from her, with no change or end in sight. “How are you doing?” she asked.

“Doing?”

“Your health,” Viv said. “I mean, your energy. It feels the same to me, but I’m not sure how it feels to you.”

“Oh,” Thys said. They squeezed their hand on Viv’s, then loosened it. “Do you want to stop?”

“I didn’t say that,” Viv said. “I want to know how you’re feeling now.”

“No change since yesterday,” Thys said. “Since I got hooked up and started to feel better. I was assuming that was normal, but…”

Viv hissed a breath in through her teeth. “I feel like you should at least be feeling at least a little better. Then again, you came awfully close to death. Maybe it’ll take a few days before you’re feeling better at all. I mean, most illnesses have a few days of recovery, right?”

“Do they?” Thys asked. “I suppose so. I can call Isaac later and ask, if we want.”

“Might be an idea if you’re not feeling better in, like, 24 hours or something,” Viv agreed. “Probably before that, it’s too soon to tell. But let me know if anything changes? Better or worse. I’m worried about you.”

Thys tilted their head, watching Viv with those dark eyes wide. “You’re worried?”

“Of course I am!” Viv squeezed their hand hard, heart aching at the surprise in Thys’s voice. “I care about you. A lot, okay? We’re friends already and. And I want you to know that.”

“Oh, I.” Thys ducked their head. “Same. The same. I like you too.”

Viv blushed, grinning over at them. “Well, thanks. I’d hate you to tie yourself to someone you didn’t like.”

“Oh, that. That didn’t happen, no,” Thys agreed, voice soft. “I’m very happy to be with you.”

The words left Viv in a guiltily pleasant haze that only cleared when she realized they were approaching the Theatre of Dreams. The name of the theatre was outlined in bright lights over the glass doors, and the theatre itself was set into the facade of what had once been an old apartment building. It didn’t look like there was a box office window on the outside, so Viv tested the door and found it unlocked.

Sure enough, the main lobby contained a ticket booth and bar, with a bored-looking spider-woman seated behind the ticket booth. A couple was noisily making out in the shadows of the stairway off the lobby, which Viv had to assume was contributing to the aggravated look on the ticket seller’s face.

Viv and Thys headed over to the ticket booth, Viv trying not to let her hand get too clammy in Thys’s. It wasn’t exactly the nicest thing, but she’d always been a bit afraid of spiders. “Excuse me,” Viv said. “I don’t know if this is out of line, but a friend, Dandelion, he said he was going to try to let us talk to Lithway?”

The ticket seller lifted a finger, pointing past them wordlessly.

Viv jumped and turned, almost dragging Thys with her in her effort not to be rude to this apparently super-famous celebrity—and blinked. All there was behind them was the noisy couple.

—who separated abruptly with a wet noise. “There you are!” one of them said, in a strange, soft, lulling voice.

The other, a young human man with brown hair and freckles, who read as a witch to Viv’s senses, went bright red when he saw that there were people there staring at him. “Sorry, I was, uh. I was just on my way out,” he yelped, and scurried toward the doorway.

The person left behind had originally seemed like they were in shadow; now, with their partner on his way out the door, it was very clear they were in fact made of shadow. It curled around them in smoke-like tendrils, but also very clearly made up their body: they had the appearance of a beautiful young man, almost classically Grecian in their perfectly muscled form, their tousle of curly hair, their beautiful soft cheeks, their brilliantly charming smile. Yet all of it was made of shadow made solid somehow, the angles and shapes defined by the density of of that darkness. 

“Welcome to my Theatre of Dreams,” Lithway said, still in that soft, yearning voice, and swept into a bow. A moment later, they were in front of Viv and Thys without having seemed to have moved, changing positions in a blink. “My old friend Dandelion asked if I could talk to the both of you as a favor, and I admit to being curious enough to take him up on it! That, and I suppose one can always use a favor from as delightful a young man as Dandelion is. Then, you must be Vivian, and her fairy lover, the singer Thysania.” 

“Uh,” Viv said.

Lithway took Thysania’s hand and kissed it. “How may I be of service to you?”

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Making deals with demons was inherently dangerous, Viv reminded herself. Despite their reputation, they weren’t all ‘evil’, no more than any other type of monster was evil. But, if the fae as a society were known for making tricky deals and catching humans in their webs of rules to get slaves or pets or toys or whatever… demons were far, far worse. Easy to make a deal you didn’t realize you were making that made you belong to a demon, or to get totally destroyed by one. And demons fed off humans, as many monsters did, but off not just their flesh—off their feelings, their energy, their soul.   

The Otherworld was a huge place, and even if, as a witch, Viv was technically able to go there and survive fairly well, there were places humans just didn’t go unless they were forced to, and the hellish sub-reality that the demons came from was one of those.

On the other hand, demons and witches went together like peanut butter and jelly— 

“Ma’am? Can I get you something?”

“Peanut butter and jelly,” she said aloud.

“Like, the sandwich?” the demonic barista looked back over his shoulder at the board. “Yeah, sure, I can do that. And to drink?”

“Just. A pumpkin spice latte please,” Viv said, her face red.

“Can do. Head to the end of the counter, I’ll drop them off there.”

She paid and went, Thys trailing after her.

Demons and witches went together like peanut butter and jelly. Because demons were so good at offering boons and gifts and powers in exchange for whatever they wanted from a human, plenty of witches made ongoing deals with them to help increase their power, or learn things they wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn. Even Reese had a demonic familiar— 

She reminded herself to not think about Reese.

“What is it?” Thys asked after a long moment, tilting their head.

“Oh, just.” She nodded vaguely toward Matthias, whose back was turned. “You know.”

“Ah. You are attracted?” Thys abruptly stood straighter, pulling themself up and seeming slightly alarmed.

Weird. “I mean. He’s an incubus, I’m not not attracted, just…” She sighed. “Like I said, I’m weak. I don’t see a demon from a normal perspective, I guess. Just a witch one. Don’t worry, though, I won’t get distracted from your situation. No point complicating things further.”

Thys looked back and forth between Viv and Matthias a few times before just humming softly in some sort of mild acknowledgement.

“Here you go! A PSL for the lady and a syrupy coffee for your Grace,” Matthias said, coming to the end of the counter with their drinks and putting them down. “I’ll get your sandwich ready, shall I?”

“Thanks,” Viv said. She drew a deep breath and forced away her shameful, power-hungry thoughts. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, fire away,” Matthias said. He tapped his name tag and grinned with a wink. “I’m working, so don’t worry that you’ll get yourself tangled up in a deal. Kearney would fire me if I did that on the job!”

She hadn’t asked, but she assumed that he got that question a lot from people who were worried about even ordering when he was working. She nodded a bit awkwardly. “Nothing like that, I promise! Uh, a friend of ours got attacked recently, and we’re trying to figure out if we can figure out who did it. That friend didn’t see their attacker, you know?”

Thys was looking at her with raised brows, as if they were on the verge of butting in to point out that they were the one who got attacked and leading the conversation themselves. But, perhaps understanding that there should be some caution in revealing the details, they just looked away after a moment, unfurling a long, proboscis-like tongue and inserting it into the drink hole of the cup lid.

Matthias seemed to have difficulty tearing his eyes away from that, but he managed, smiling again at Viv and nodding. “Okay? And you’re wondering if I heard anything? I mean, vampires hunt around here a lot, and we’ve got a pretty high fae presence and some of those can be pretty violent. So I might need more details.”

“Sure, yeah, if you’ve heard anything, or if you do hear anything, we’d super appreciate it,” Viv said. “Or, like, if it turns out this is someone who it would… it would benefit the community to stop, do you know anyone who might want to help out? Out of the goodness of their hearts.”

“Ooh, I get you,” Matthias said. He sliced the sandwich. “What are the specifics?”

“Let me think,” Viv said. Too much obscuring of information would make it harder for them to track this attacker down. But, on the other hand, being too open might alert their attacker to the fact they were actively exploring getting a posse together to attack them. “The friend is kind of reclusive but is powerful among their own kind, I think?”

“For sure,” Thys said, tongue still in the cup but only mildly garbled.

“And it has something to do with power outages. Not leyline surges but something else. I don’t know what this attacker can do exactly, but whatever they’re doing seems to have something to do with putting power through the lights to lure in victims, and causing power outages and… yeah, that’s about all I know. And energy draining from the people they attack,” she added.

A moment later, she remembered that energy draining was an incubus’s specialty, and his rueful smile seemed to attest to that. The perp wasn’t Matthias, that was obvious—she was pretty sure that getting energy drained from a sex demon would be a bit more memorable than the confusing and violent attack Thys had described—but it still might be kind of rude. “Sorry, I—”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. You’re just describing what happened,” he said lightly. “Let me think. I haven’t heard anyone else talk about that, or anyone say they were attacked in that way. So whatever it is, it hasn’t been hunting in this area for long or… well, had many survivors.”

“It could be either,” Thys said. “Our… friend? Almost didn’t survive. The attack was in darkness, too, so they didn’t see much.”

“Still, if one person got away, I’d expect more would too, and there at least be rumors.” He pushed the plate over to Viv, who took it, and then drummed shiny black talons on the counter as he thought. “So not hearing rumors is itself probably significant. But the only thing I can think of that even slightly relates is the lanternfish.”

Viv frowned. “The lanternfish?” Something about that word was vaguely familiar.

“Yeah. Lithway is doing a play about a monster that lures its prey in with a light and then devours them and grows stronger. It’s a pretty cool play,” Matthias added, “but I mean, I don’t see how that could be related, it would be a pretty stupid monster that saw Lithway put on a play and decided to copycat it.”

“I don’t really know much about Lithway except that they’re a celebrity,” Viv said. “Could they be doing it?”

“Lithway? I doubt it,” Matthias said with a laugh. “That one’s a philanthropist. A big fan of helping the less fortunate and making themself look even cooler doing so. And it would be even stupider to put on their own play if they were going to go around hunting people with light and shadow, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess so,” Viv said ruefully. “And people who might help?”

“You can get all sorts of help around here,” Matthias said. “Rarely for free, though. Lots of people would be interested in removing a new hunter who would upset the balance, either for the good of the community or for their own good. Any lycanthrope pack leader, or either of the vampire princes, or anyone you’d consider a local power. Since you’re a witch, you might want to bring the Twilight Council in; those old farts can move pretty slowly if it has to get put to a vote, but if it’s something urgent, they can sometimes put standard business aside for the sake of getting things done.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Viv said, thinking of how frustrating inter-coven politics could be back home.

Matthias nodded. “Yeah, you get me. Other than that, you could pull the fae in, since their Grace there knows whoever this is? Though that has its own complications, I’m sure.”

“I could command a number of people, if I went back through the gate,” Thys answered, pulling their tongue back out of the cup. Their tone was serious. “I am perhaps not the strongest in my own right, but I had a significant number of followers. But I was not interested in living that lifestyle. So I am here now.”

Viv glanced at Thys askance, surprised at this revelation. But no point in continuing that train of thought in front of Matthias.  “So basically, pick a group, make sure they aren’t fighting with anyone else we’re involved with or going to be too slow, and offer them something in exchange?”

“Pretty much. I’d go to the top of whatever organization you try to get at your back; ultimately, anyone who’s part of a group will be answering to their leaders anyway.” Matthias considered. “There are solitary folks who might help out, depending on what you offer or what sorts they are in general. Hell, I’d be willing, if I got something out of it. Anyone who gets attacked in this neighbourhood could be feeding me just as well, you know? And I let my dinners go home in the morning.”

“For sure,” Viv said, blushing. “Thanks, Matthias. You’ve been a great help.”

“Aw, shucks, ma’am.” He put a hand over his heart. “Just doin’ my civic duty. Enjoy your drinks!”

Viv and Thys withdrew to a table far enough away that they could talk without anyone else overhearing them. Thys sat, looked down at their cup, and held it out. “Can I have a sip of your PSL? I have not had one before. You can try mine.”

“Sure, let’s trade.” Viv slid hers over, took Thys’s, and sipped. A horrible melange of thirty or more syrup flavors blended in her mouth and somehow, as she managed to swallow it, turned out almost interesting in the aftertaste. Perhaps it was in self-defense. She put the drink down. “So. I have some thoughts.”

“Okay,” Thys said. They stuck their tongue into the PSL and brightened. “Oh. It’s good. A very simple flavor, but nice.”

Viv grinned helplessly for a moment. “Yeah. I mean, I think so. Anyway, so. We’ve established that you’re the only one affected by the light, and that the power outages started when you were booked at the Good Neighbours.”

“Yes,” Thys said. They frowned down at Viv’s drink, brow furrowing. “You don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“I don’t know if it is. Matthias mentioning this lanternfish thing makes it extra confusing, like, I don’t know if that is related or not, but it sounds similar,” Viv said. “Anyway, those two things makes me think that you’re being specifically targeted.”

“I feel that as well,” Thys said. “But what I don’t understand is why someone else was attacked. They didn’t go after me until I walked in on that.”

“I don’t know,” Viv admitted. “Maybe they were trying to work up to you, or maybe… ugh. Maybe they’re literally wearing that person’s corpse.”

“What…?”

“We didn’t find a corpse! And the divination said that the human face was a mask. I’d have thought that was a metaphor—that we can hide or lie to trick others, because we control what our face presents? But it might be literal.”

Thys nodded, then shook their head. Then sort of nodded again while shrugging. “I agree with the possibility, but then, why would the garbage smell? Why would the whole garbage room need to be cleaned out? I assume there was a corpse and they disposed of it.”

“Shit. Good point.” Viv rubbed her face, then sighed and offered Thys their drink back. Thys traded back, expression serious. “So we still need more information. More allies. More whatever. Our next planned step was to go to the skate park to see if we can find Yasmin, but I’m not sure if that’s still the best option…”

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