I drove. Lily navigated, using the map the witches had given us to lead us to the missing women. The map pointed us back in the direction of the dryads’ forests, although not to the same one. I wasn’t excited to be playing detective. Guilt crept in. We had our role as guardians, yet I worried we weren’t up to the task of investigating. It was one thing to hold a hearing with the aid of the guardhouse in front of the witches. It was something else to go out alone in the dark woods to investigate.

“Should we call Jen or the dryads to let them know we have a location?” I asked Lily, breaking the silence in the car.

“It doesn’t seem fair to give them a little bit of information that we haven’t even substantiated yet. I mean, what would the point of telling them be?” Lily asked.

“Maybe this is selfish, but I wouldn’t mind it if more people knew where we were. We’re walking into this blind—at night, with nothing other than a bad feeling from the head witch. Having the wolves know where we were wouldn’t be a bad thing. Maybe the dryads could even send someone to come and help us.” My voice was a lot steadier than my nerves. On the steering wheel, my knuckles turned white. I took one hand off the wheel at a time to wipe the sweat off. The heavy mac and cheese sat uneasily in my stomach. The adrenaline from the trial of the black witch had worn off, leaving me feeling weak and shaky.

“We’re not totally helpless. Pretty much any magical creature facing me can’t defend themselves. We have the fairy’s blessing. We’ve been in physical fights before. It’s not like this is our first time out of the diner.” Lily sounded more confident than I thought she probably felt.

“Lily, we’ve been in one fight. One. And that was with a drunken leprechaun. I’m not even sure that was a fight. We just bounced him from the Safe, and the Safe helped us. That’s not the same as going into the woods at night to look for something that has already taken out three women. We live with fairy tales, and this sounds like the setup of a very dark tale,” I told her. The road grew darker as we left the strip malls and big-box stores. The trees took their place, enclosing the road. Their mostly bare limbs clawed at the sky on either side of the road.

“We went up against that afreet last year. We did pretty well there,” Lily reminded me.

“Yeah, but an afrit’s only powers are magical, of course, you beat it once it didn’t have magic. What if we come up against something like a troll? Even if you block its magic, a troll is still going to be huge and scary,” I said.

“Yes, but trolls are dumb. A troll didn’t do this,” Lily responded.

“I know a troll didn’t do this. I just mean something like a troll. There are lots of things that are still dangerous, even without their magic,” I said.

“Do you think we should wait until morning?” Lily asked. “Should we ask someone to go with us? Chris would. He wouldn’t mind.”

“Um, well, that is one option.” I didn’t want her boyfriend, Chris, with us. It still made more sense than going into the woods alone, which was an idea that got dumber and dumber the closer I got to put it into action.

“If you’re going to be such a chicken, I’ll just call him and tell him where we are. That way, if I don’t check in with him, he’ll know to send out a search party,” Lily said.

“This is a terrible idea. But I don’t have a better one. If there is even a tiny chance that these women are still alive and being held captive, I don’t want them to have to wait another night. It doesn’t matter if I’m scared or if it’s a good idea; what matters is that no one is coming. Maybe Alice’s family would come for her, but no one is coming for the vamp or the dryad. We’re it. We’re the entire rescue party. So, I think we should go, and we should go quickly,” I told her. I oscillated between feeling brave like Nancy Drew and feeling panicky. I wasn’t lying. If, by some miracle, these women were still alive, we needed to get there as fast as possible.

“What if they’re already dead?” asked Lily, voicing my fears.

“I’m not equipped to handle the dead. The living—the living I can do. But I can’t handle the dead. I don’t know how to go around, playing CSI.” I pictured having to tell Jen that her sister was dead. My stomach cramped again.

“I can’t decide if it’s worse if they’re dead or if they’re alive,” Lily said.

“Of course, it’s worse if they’re dead,” I told her.

“Really? I can think of a lot of things that can happen to a woman or a magical being that would make death look like a much better option,” Lily said sadly. As soon as she said it, I thought of every horrible news story I had ever read about rape and torture: every myth of a woman held by a dark witch, tortured so that the witch could feed off the pain and suffering and urban legends about human scientists who had grabbed our kind for closer study of autopsies. I was pretty sure that a scientist had never gotten that close before. But there was always a first time. Lily was right. There were many things worse than death. I drove a little faster, even if it was stupid and dangerous. Following the trail tonight was the right thing to do. We couldn’t leave these women out there, not if there was anything we could do to help them.

“We’ll find them,” I said more to myself than to Lily. “We’ll find them.”

Lily asked, “Sure we will. But once we have, will we be sorry?”

I didn’t know the answer. I drove along the two-lane highway a little further. It was dark and unlit. Yeah, this was a really dumb idea.

“Turn up there by the sign,” Lily said.

I could barely make out the little sign. It looked black in the dark. The white lettering glowed luminescent in the glare of the headlights. It read, “Fidnemed.” I pulled the car into the empty, unlit parking lot.

“Now what?” I asked. Big trees surrounded the parking lot. But the stars peeked out through their bare branches. No wind ruffled the trees. In the silence, the car cooled, and the engine popped.

We sat in the dark. Lily reached up and turned on the dome light to check the map. I found myself wondering if whatever had taken the women was out there, watching us. Now that we had just put a spotlight on ourselves, it would be able to see us even more clearly. Was it out there, watching us? Did it know we were hunting it, or did it think we had just wandered to this part of the forest accidentally? My heart beat faster. I almost turned the car back on, ready to drive out there at any moment. Lily, who was studying the map the witches had given us, wasn’t nearly as panicked.

“We’re going to follow the map and deal with whatever we find,” Lily said. “Alice could be out there, scared and alone right now.”

“I’m scared right now,” I whispered, watching the woods. “Lily, do you have a flashlight?”

“Why do you need a flashlight? We’ve got phones,” Lily said.

I checked my phone. The battery was pretty full, but still . . . “What if they run out, and we can’t call for help?”

“Harper, you’ve got to stop. We can do this. We just had a trial for a dark witch. Why are you being like this?” Lily said, pulling out her phone and checking her backup battery pack.

“I don’t know. I know I need to be brave, but this is hard. What if something happens out there?” I gestured to the dark, waiting woods.

“Lots of people know where we are. All the witches know. I texted Chris already, and we have the fairy’s dust. Come on. We have to at least get out and look. I’ll text Jen, and she can tell the others if she doesn’t hear from us soon.” Lily handed me the map and changed out of her heels into sneakers. I looked at the map but couldn’t make any sense of it.

“Do you understand this map?” I asked her, holding it up to the light on the roof of the car, staring at it more closely.

“Yeah, it’s just a topographic map like you use for hiking. It shouldn’t be too hard to follow. The spot the witches found isn’t on the trail, but once we’re out there, we should be able to get to them. The terrain doesn’t look too bad.” Lily reached out her hand, and I gave her back the map after taking one last look at its strange swirls and lines, like a charted fingerprint.

We got out of the car, and Lily switched on her phone flashlight. Dead leaves and cold air stung my nose. The wind rustled the great trees around us, and a single bird called. Then the woods fell silent again.

“Well, that wasn’t creepy or anything,” I whispered to Lily as we made our way toward the trailhead.

“Why are you whispering?” she whispered back.

“Why are you?” I replied, still whispering,

“You started it,” she whispered, and we passed from the parking lot into the trees. The ground under our feet was soft when the asphalt ended. The dark became very real. I was suddenly aware of my own small mortality and how unprepared I was to take on the night.

“What if he’s watching us?” I started to whisper when I heard a crashing sound in the underbrush and grabbed Lily’s arm in terror. She shrieked a little and grabbed me back.

“How did you come by the fairy’s dust?” asked a deep voice from somewhere in front of us in the dark.

Lily swung the beam of her cell phone around, looking for the source.

“Down here,” it rumbled again.

Lily made another pass with her light, lower this time, and found the source of the voice. It was a disjointed thing like a cross between a pig, a dragon, and a pug dog. It should have been disturbing or even gross, but it had cheerful air. It appeared to be smiling, exposing four sharp canines on its upper and lower jaw. It was round, had scales and paws, and a squared-off head with a tuft of hair. It was the size of a small, portly dog.

“Greetings, forest dweller. Do you wish us good or ill?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound as respectful as possible. Stature and appearance were no indicators of power. The scariest things in the world could be small and helpless-looking if they wished. I was dying to know what it was, but it was never polite to ask.

“Depends. How did you come by the fairy dust?” it asked again. It started to come closer, but it must have hit Lily’s dampening range because it stopped and backed up. It frowned at us and turned its head to the side, like a quizzical dog. It was trying to work out what we were, too.

“The fairy dust?” I asked, touching my forehead. The creature stuck out its tongue. I didn’t recognize it and had no way of knowing if it was friendly or vicious. But it didn’t seem threatening. “I’m a guardian. We both are. I’m a healer, and she neutralizes. I healed the fairy, and he gave it to us as a gift.”

The thing’s tongue lapped the air a few times as if tasting my words. “Extraordinary, just extraordinary. The fairy dust works even on her?” he stuck his tongue back out.

“Yes, but it wasn’t easy. Harper helped. Are you a luduan, sir?” Lily asked, sounding very polite.

“Indeed, I am, little one. Very clever of you to have figured that one out. I’m not so known in these parts. I can’t tell if you’re lying or not. How very delightfully odd.”

It started to walk near her, wagging its stubby little tail and panting. It looked just like a dog designed by a mad man. He stopped when he got close to Lily, then backed up a ways.

“I think I’m too much magic to enjoy standing quite so close to you. Tell me, why have you come to my woods?” He looked at me expectantly.

“Some women are missing. The witches gave us a map that they say will lead to them. The map led us here.” I tried to sum it up as quickly as I could.

He panted and licked his chops. It made a wet sound that was squishy and gross. “Bad business, that. But it makes sense that I’ve found you then. I’ll help you find the truth. It’s what I do. May I see this map?” he asked.

“I have it. Can you stand to get close to me, or should I have Harper show it to you?” Lily asked him. She managed to sound like she wasn’t bothered by the question. I knew she was.

“Who knows more about the map?” he asked.

“I do,” Lily replied.

“Then you show it to me. I’ll manage.”

He came forward again. I noticed that this time, he kept his mouth carefully closed and his tongue inside it.

Lily squatted down and managed to look graceful while doing it, despite the fact she was wearing a dress with a large, voluminous skirt. She was wearing a jean jacket to guard against the chill—a jean jacket with white polka dots. On her, it looked cute and retro. Even here in the dark woods talking to a magic creature by the light of her cell phone, she looked perfectly coiffed. My jeans, high tops, and coat were far more serviceable, although much less glamorous.

“Here, this is the parking lot, we’re right in this area, and over here is where the witches told us we would find the girls,” she told him.

He gave the map a tentative lick. “Damn, I can’t tell anything about this map with you standing so close. Would you mind if I examine it outside of your range?” he asked her.

“No, not at all, Sir. I’ll back up a bit and dampen down my range,” Lily said respectfully.

“You can control your range? Extraordinary, just extraordinary.” The little creature studied Lily with such a serious air. It should have been comical but wasn’t. Lily placed the map on the ground by the luduan and backed up. She trusted the beast, but I wasn’t sure. The map was our only way to find the women. Who knew if the witches could do it again? Besides, I didn’t want to waste the time going back to them to get another one.

The luduan licked the map again as Lily slowed her breathing. The beast shuddered and smacked his lips. “It’s a true map. And your intentions are true. I’m Wang, the luduan, as your friend has guessed. I seek the truth. Sometimes I act as a guide to the truth for those who seek it. Since I was called here to help you, I suppose the two of you must need me.” He looked at us with his head cocked to the side.

“I’m very grateful to you for your assistance,” Lily said.

“Me too. Thank you,” I told him. If nothing else, the forest was a lot less creepy with him around.

“Now turn off your light. I’ve something better than that,” he said. We turned off our phones. The luduan gave a great doggy burp, and a small globe of fire came out of his mouth. The ball stayed above his head, cracking and glowing like a small cheerful bonfire in the gloom of the woods.

“Nice light,” I told him. It was wonderful. He picked up the map in his strange oversized jaws, and I had a moment of panic that it was going to catch on fire, but he knew what he was doing. The map was safe. He led the way, padding along on his great, clawed paws. His little rotund body rolled side to side. The tame ball of fire hovered in front of his face. In the warm yellow light of it, the dark forest seemed less scary. I looked over at Lily. She shrugged, and we fell into place, walking behind him. The forest whispered with wind, and our feet crunched on the dead leaves and pinecones. The night smelled cold. Out there, the women waited for us to find them. I could only hope we would make it in time to help them.