“Winny!” A low voice and pounding on Mr. Noarwin's apartment door rattled through Feri’s bones. She had ducked in a corner of the three-room home he left her and Asinis in. Asinis pressed among some satin drapes separating the hall and main room. Mr. Noarwin had left them promising to return with Tree Keeper, but then a soldier appeared.

A peek out the window showed Feri a brown-skinned man with manicured eyebrows and cocoa hair. A gold clasp kept half of it out of his face as the rest spilled over golden armor. Black lashes framed his handsome eyes, one silver and the other amber. He was clean-shaven and beautiful. She’d never seen anyone so exotic, and he had to be important if he was so ornamentally dressed. It would be prudent for her to stay away from a human that stunning. Otherwise, her current form would elicit scorn that might make her lash out like it did the last time a human mocked her looks. A sick bubble rose from her stomach and into her throat. Remembering her moiety appearance kept making her sick.

“Noarwin! You don’t belong sneaking around the jail. Get out here!”

Feri whimpered as she covered her gnomish hair with her hands.

“Sir Sefu, what brings me the honor?” A muffled, familiar voice made Feri peek up and Asinis stir in the middle of the purple curtains he hid among.

“I was told you were sneaking around the jail, Winny. You’ve already received numerous warnings to stay out. Your contacts are in there for a reason.”

“I wasn’t visiting a contact, only looking for an unjustly imprisoned young man whom Captain Fairwind has turned over into my care.” Mr. Noarwin gestured to a person beside him.

Feri gasped and exchange glances with Asinis, but she couldn’t tell if he looked relieved or upset.

“Is that all, sir?” Mr. Noarwin asked with a smile in his voice.

“Had you gone there under the captain’s order?” Sir Sefu asked.

“Dear me. I should have thought to bring a note. You are quite the dutiful nursemaid, Sir Sefu.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Winny. But you’ve ruffled too many feathers with your way of doing things.”

“So long as the captain doesn’t complain, I am inclined to continue relying on my methods. You are welcome to join me next time,” Mr. Noarwin offered, adding a flirtatious stroke over Sir Sefu's bracers.

Sir Sefu batted him off in an automatic gesture that suggested he'd done it a thousand thoughtless times. “I’m too busy for this,” he sighed. “Just stay home tonight. I don’t want to get fetched to replay this charade.”

“Ah, but you do love it, don’t you, Seffy. Why else would you come running to see me every day?”

Feri dared to readjust her squint through the window. She gasped. Tree Keeper stood near Mr. Noarwin leaning over the stair railing. Mr. Noarwin’s golden armored friend paused in descending.

“Winny. I run after you every day because some noble is scared you’re going to implicate him in whatever business you’re investigating.”

“Ah," Mr. Noarwin held his own chin, "these poor nobles. They have nothing to worry about. So long as he isn’t dealing in anything shady, he has no need to fear me. Ah, that reminds me. How fairs your sister?”

“Don’t bring Manjeet into this, Winny. She has enough on her plate placating the council members on your behalf.”

“Give her a kiss for me, Sefu, and tell her I’ll drop by for a chat later. We have some interesting topics to discuss.”

Sir Sefu, seeming to decide Mr. Noarwin would keep him there all day with his roundabout conversation, disappeared down the gray stairs. Mr. Noarwin chuckled, pleased with himself as he whirled around and held out an arm toward the door to his current lodging.

Feri hurried out of her corner as they came in. “Tree Keeper!” she cried. Tree Keeper looked at her, his head tilted. He squinted his eyes, looked confused. Feri remembered the ring disguising her and pulled it off.

Tree Keeper’s face relaxed, and then he smiled. “There you are.”

Feri’s heart quivered with relief. “I’m so glad you’re alright. I’m sorry you were taken in because of us!”

“I’m interested in hearing that story now," Mr. Noarwin chimed as he shut the door and walked past them into the apartment. "You say you’re wanted for destroying the Isenvel Tower and the death of some of its people?” He went into the kitchen at the back of the room and pulled out a pitcher.

“It was an accident. We didn’t mean for anyone to die let alone cause an explosion,” Asinis said. He peeled out from his hiding place in the curtain separating the main room and kitchen from the rest of the apartment.

Mr. Noarwin sipped the water he’d poured himself in a chipped glass. Feri worried he would scold Asinis for wandering too close to his private quarters, but he appeared dubious rather than angry. “No," he said. "It wasn’t an accident, nor did you cause the explosion that crippled that tower. You are victims of a plot I’ve been investigating.”

“What?” Feri asked. That implied Mr. Noarwin knew of similar incidents to Isenvel. How had she not heard of such tragedies?

The color drained from Asinis’s face. “You mean—someone did that on purpose?”

Mr. Noarwin walked with his water to the sofa. Its back created a makeshift entrance hall with the door. “And intended to implicate you in its destruction it seems. I had wondered how they meant to throw off the Summit's scent.”

“What makes you certain it wasn’t us?” Asinis asked.

“I’m not, but you don’t strike me as the type to associate with all-powerful destructors,” Mr. Noarwin said.

“What?” Asinis lowered his brow out of uncertainty rather than insult.

“Stag, why did you leave Waywin to follow these two?” Mr. Noarwin asked, further confusing Asinis and Feri.

“Because the White Stag said they could help me find out the cause of and stop Waywin’s depletion of magic,” he said standing behind the sofa and still in front of the door.

Mr. Noarwin cursed with a sigh under his breath. “Then we were right.”

“What do you mean?” Asinis asked.

“Isenvel is not the only magic facility that suffered a tragedy," he explained.

Feri swallowed. When? How? Why had no one told her? Did those at home not know? Did it happen at the same time as Isenvel?

Mr. Noarwin continued, "We have received reports from all over the empire of similar accidents and the depletion of magic. Whether it be in mage craft or magic-powered items." He glanced at Feri, seeming to sense her alarm. “You don’t seem the type capable of hitting numerous places without drawing attention. After all, you haven’t escaped Isenvel’s eye despite your best efforts.”

“What do you mean depletion of magic?” Feri asked. Could that be why she couldn't use her magic or change? Is that what kept her from reaching her contacts through their usual forms of communication?

“It means magic users can’t fully access their magic, and our arcane defenses keeping out hostile neighbors are near powerless,” Mr. Noarwin said.

Why did he confirm her theories true and worse? She felt as if drowning in the unknown. This wasn't what they said her assignment would be like. The circumstances had left her without them—their direction. It'd left her without her god, and she didn't know what to do!

“You mean an enemy of the empire is orchestrating a weakening of our defenses in order to infiltrate our borders?” Asinis asked.

Feri caught Tree Keeper staring at Mr. Noarwin. Both seemed stoic, but even in her internal panic, she sensed skepticism between them. What theories did they have?

“Perhaps,” Mr. Noarwin said after a long pause. “We are investigating, and you two fugitives desperate to clear your name are going to help me uncover the truth behind this realm-wide siphoning of magic.”

“Asinis, maybe that’s why the moon wells are destroyed,” Feri said, tugging on his sleeve in an attempt to disguise her trembling.

“The moon wells?” Mr. Noarwin asked.

“Mm. Yes,” Asinis began. “After the accident, Feri and I went into Waywin to outrun the Isenvel Guard. When we got there, we found the moon wells destroyed.”

“All of them?” he asked.

“We were attacked at the second one and thought it best to leave after Tree Keeper saved us,” Feri explained with a glance at him. Tree Keeper didn't make eye contact, and she lowered her own. Remembering all of that saddened and agitated her. She couldn't imagine what it did to him.

“Stag,” Mr. Noarwin said.

“Pardon?” Asinis leaned his ear in.

“This man is no longer the Tree Keeper. He is the Stag, or Waywin Guardian,” Mr. Noarwin said. "Among other titles he now bears."

“Waywin Guardian—does that mean there are more like him?” Asinis asked.

“Yes, but the Waywin is the only constant among them. Record shows no more than three guardian stags existing at a time. They have always been from different locations, save the Waywin. If there is one, he is of that wood,” Mr. Noarwin said.

“How do you know all this?” Asinis asked.

Feri found herself curious too. She'd only heard rumors of the tree keeper and guardian stag. It never coincided with her duties and missions, so she didn't think to learn of them despite some of her fellow's fascination.

“Reappearing lore is a concern of Captain Fairwind’s, whom you should stay clear of," Mr. Noarwin warned. "He will not care you are my allies. An enemy is an enemy, and he will treat you as such until we give proof otherwise.”

Feri covered her face.

“How are we supposed to prove anything?” Asinis groaned.

“We should leave the empire. No one will follow us into The Stride Lands,” Feri said. She had friends there—family. They would protect them and maybe find a way to help her.

“You could, but the captain will catch your first," Mr. Noarwin said. "You’re better off helping me." He rose and grabbed himself a different drink from the cupboard and returned to the sofa. “Have a seat, Stag.”

“We can’t keep calling him that,” Feri said as Tree Keeper sat next to Mr. Noarwin.

“Feri, don’t name the stray cat,” Asinis mumbled.

“He’s not a stray cat, he’s a person, and he deserves a name.” She went to Tree Keeper and looked into his face. He stared back, and she felt a blush. He was beautiful. Different from Mr. Noarwin or Sir Sefu. Asinis was also handsome, but not quite as well as the others. Tree Keeper differed from them all, though. He carried an innocence and purity she wanted to keep safe. Though elegant, she sensed no judgment. “Silas. Silas’neirin,” she said.

“Silas’neirin?” Mr. Noarwin asked, leaning his head onto his fist.

“Yes. Silas means forest or wood. He can keep a piece of his home that way,” she said.

“And Neirin?” Mr. Noarwin asked.

“It means modest and noble. Is it alright?” she asked Tree Keeper.

Tree Keeper’s curious gaze softened, and his dark eyes brightened. “Thank you. I am Silas’neirin. What is your name?”

Feri smiled. “Hello, Silas’neirin. My name is Feri. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand. Silas contemplated it a breath and then took it.

“Hello, Feri. It is nice to meet you too.”

“Well then. It looks like the Great Waywin Guardian has been given a name. But let’s stick with Silas for short.” Mr. Noarwin crossed into the kitchen and pulled down several colorful bottles and some glasses. “It’s time to celebrate.”