The urgency is palpable. Aiden, Luca, Roger, and I are all feeling it, restless with it.

I think we’re all experiencing the same urge to flat-out run for the worksite, but it’s not a short distance. We have a long way to go, and we need to pace ourselves. We stick to walking, but at the fastest clip we can maintain.

The dark forest looms around us, perfectly, almost unnaturally still. The only kinetic elements are the four of us. Our shadows, the beams of our flashlights, our breaths fogging on the icy air.

The dark is relentlessly deep. We can see nothing beyond the glow of our flashlights. Massive trees soar up into the pitch-black sky on all sides, towering over us.

We’re following the path that the electrical crew took to reach the worksite. It’s unmarked, barely distinguishable from the rest of the forest floor, so Roger is using the compass on his tactical watch to lead the way. He checks his wrist every few minutes to make sure that we’re still headed in the right direction.

He and Luca stayed quiet, at first. I think they assumed that Aiden needed silence in order to listen. But I know that some background noise can actually help Aiden, so I started to talk. Now we’ve all lapsed into quiet conversation.

Roger and Aiden’s long strides have brought them further up ahead. They’re walking side by side, talking together. It turns out that Roger and Luca used their tickets to the exhibition, went to see it a few days ago. I can hear Roger asking Aiden about it, and the slow rumble of Aiden’s answers.

I can’t quite make out their words, but Roger must be saying nice things about the show. Aiden keeps reaching up to adjust his snapback in that abashed way he does when people give him compliments. Every now and then he throws a small smile Roger’s way, which Roger returns.

I’ve fallen into step with Luca. He’s unbelievably calm, given the situation. Being very serious, of course - this is not what you’d call a lighthearted situation, and I know that he understands the gravity of it. But his hand is steady on the strap of his EMT bag, his pale green eyes clear and focused.

He and Roger both have that expert-level calm of people who work in high-stress, high-stakes conditions all the time. I definitely don’t, though. I’m nervous as hell, just like I always am during a rescue.

I’m keeping it together, but not nearly as well as Roger or Luca. My stomach is in knots, my breaths more shallow than I want them to be. Someone’s life is in our hands. I can’t let go of that thought for more than a few seconds at a time.

I really wish that I could get just one good, deep breath. And Luca can sense that, I think.

He’s speaking calmly and quietly to me. It’s actually starting to help, especially because he’s telling me about interesting things. I asked him how long he’s been working as a paramedic, and he told me that he’s been doing it for a while, but he’s also trained and certified to work as a dive medic.

“Pretty much exactly like a paramedic, but underwater,” he explains. “You’re a DMT, instead of an EMT.”

Before he moved to Ketterbridge, he worked with teams of professional divers that were contracted to do deep-sea operations.

“Those guys work seriously dangerous jobs,” Luca tells me. “They use heavy machinery to conduct deep-sea salvage operations, sometimes at depths of a couple hundred feet. They need a medic on the team in case something goes wrong, so - that’s where I come in.”

“Wow.” I’ve been keeping my gaze on the forest, but now I turn to look at Luca, wide-eyed. “That, um. That sounds fucking terrifying, man. If I’m being honest.”

“Yeah, sometimes." Luca shrugs his shoulders. "It’s definitely tough to work in an unpredictable environment like the ocean, especially when it's dark. And they usually only send one DMT with a team, so. Everyone is counting on you, if there’s an emergency.”

“God,” I murmur, putting a hand to my chest.

“But I liked being a dive doc. There were some moments I’ll never forget.”

I look at Luca again, curious. “Like what?”

“Like…” Luca fades off for a moment, deciding which one to tell me about. “Once we had some really bad weather during a dive, and a diver got split up from his team. His suit disconnected from the hose we were using to send hot water down to him from the ship. Given the depth we were working at, that pretty much means hypothermia. And your hose is also what keeps you tethered to the ship, so he just - disappeared into the dark.”

Dear god. I'm stressed out just imagining this.

“Took me what felt like ages to find him.” Luca’s eyes gaze off into the distance, clouded with memories. “I was on my radio just going, like - hang in there, hang in there...”

Luca falls silent for a second, then shakes his head, comes back to the present.

“Anyways, when I finally found him, I thought that I was too late. He was laying on his side on the ocean floor, and he wasn’t moving at all. But I disconnected my own hot water hose, warmed him up with it, and - I swear, it was like he came back to life.”

I blink at Luca, astounded. “What?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t fucking believe it. But I was able to get him back up to the ship, and he recovered.” Luca breaks into a small smile. “I felt pretty damn good, that day.”

“Jesus, dude!” I stare at Luca, deeply impressed. “You and Roger, you’re both so fucking brave. Choosing to do what you do, putting yourself in such dangerous, scary situations to save people...”

Luca’s pale green eyes drop to my face. He tips his head to the side.

“You know,” he says, after a slight pause, “Like you said, Roger and I chose this kind of work. Did you and Aiden?”

“We, um…” I hesitate over my words, trying to think of how to explain. “I chose Aiden, and everything he comes with. Including this. He didn’t choose it, though.”

Luca nods slowly, absorbing that. “But you both do it anyways.”

“Mhm.”

“Well, that’s its own kind of bravery, and it’s nothing to scoff at.”

I smile at Luca, caught by surprise.

“I mean,” he continues, “You’re not trained for this, but here you are walking into a dark forest, knowing that there’s a storm about to come, so you can help save somebody.”

“Oh, god,” I sputter, looking around at the pitch-black wall of trees surrounding us. “I fucking forgot what we were doing!”

Luca smiles, and I realize that this was exactly what he was trying to make happen, telling me that story. I narrow my eyes at him.

“You tricked me,” I tell him, then let out an indignant laugh when he winks at me.

I can’t pretend that I’m not grateful, though. I got that deep breath that I was after. A few of them, actually. Luca must have a lot of practice keeping people steady in chaotic situations.

It feels good to have him and Roger with us on a rescue. Two professionals with years of experience. I like our chances better, with the two of them around.

Although - now that I think about it, there’s not a man on this team who hasn’t repeatedly walked into danger in the name of saving someone else. We all have some experience.

The thought makes me feel better. I take in another deep, long breath.

“So, what made you come back to land, quit doing the deep-sea stuff?” I give Luca a teasing poke on the arm. "Wimped out, didn't you? Should've known. A big coward like you."

Luca laughs, shaking his head.

“Nah, it wasn’t that. Being on a ship for months and months at a time, it was... it was lonely. I was friends with the guys on the crew, but. Yeah, I was real fucking lonely, after a while. Realized I had been for a long time. Thought coming back to land might help me with that.”

My gaze drifts to Roger, who just said something that drew a huff of laughter from Aiden.

“Guess you were right, huh?” I ask.

Luca smiles again, his green eyes shining with love and affection as he gazes at Roger.

I fall silent, thinking about Luca as he was when Aiden and I first met him. Tears spilling from his terrified eyes, his hands shaking uncontrollably, his panicked voice fractured and broken. He could barely keep himself on his feet, even after Roger folded him up into his arms.

Luca has repeatedly gone to the darkest depths of the ocean. Worked in unbelievably dangerous conditions when there were lives on the line, everyone depending on him. Disconnected himself from his own fucking hot water hose, his own tether to safety - and remained perfectly calm the whole time.

I imagine it takes a lot to make someone like that completely fall apart the way that Luca did on the day of the fire. It must take something huge, something earth-shattering.

Like knowing that the person you love more than anything is in danger.

Luca really must love Roger just as much as Roger loves him. And that’s no small amount. Roger told me that when he thought he wasn’t going to survive the fire, when he thought he was about to die - all he could think of was Luca.

Roger really did find himself a Companion Plant.

I turn away from Luca, mostly so that he doesn’t see the gigantic smile on my face. My wandering eyes go to Aiden and Roger, and I realize that they’ve stopped. They’re waiting for us, up ahead on the path.

It seemed like they were having a good conversation before, but now they’re both silent, very serious expressions on their faces.

Luca and I exchange a look, then set off running for our Companion Plants. We crash to a stop before them, and I put a hand on Aiden’s chest.

He looks down at me, blue eyes fretful and anxious.

“What happened?” Luca asks, threading his fingers through Roger’s.

Aiden stays silent. Roger is the one who answers.

“Aiden heard something.”

~~~~

At the same time, my heart sinks, and my pulse spikes.

I look up into Aiden's troubled blue eyes, take his fingers into mine. “Is it getting louder?”

Aiden bites his lip, then nods, once.

“What does that fucking mean?” Roger asks, alarmed.

Aiden is staring off into the distance, trying to concentrate, but I can read his face well enough to answer the question. There’s no magic swirling through his eyes, and he’s not cringing against the noise. Nor is he rushing off anywhere, which means the sound isn’t strong enough to give him a bearing.

It’s not screaming for him, not yet. The faltering soul will only start crying out for Aiden when we reach the point where nothing less than an act of fate can save it.

“We’ve still got some time,” I tell Roger and Luca. “But Hayes’s situation is definitely getting worse.”

Luca and Roger both let out a heavy, dismayed breath.

“Shit.” Roger pushes a hand through his black curls. “Storm’s probably getting closer, too, and we’re still pretty far from the worksite…”

We all fall silent for a second.

“You said you can hear it, Aiden?” Luca asks hopefully.

“Yeah,” Aiden says, puffs of mist punctuating every word in the cold air. “But hearing it and being able to follow it are two different things. I'm afraid to take us the wrong way. I mean - I can do my best, but until he’s in life-threatening danger, it’s not gonna be easy for me to…”

Aiden fades into silence, blinking, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

A faint sound has suddenly disrupted the perfect silence of the forest. A low roar, made quiet by distance. It sounds like harsh waves, a stormy ocean.

We all stare at each other in the glow of our flashlights, then look up, searching for the source of the sound.

It swells and swells, and then - a massive, forceful surge of wind blasts through the forest.

It’s so bitingly cold and fast that we all gasp and shudder, bowing our heads.

The forest had been completely still, before. With this tidal wave of wind, everything leaps into movement at once. Every leaf and pine needle in our eyeline is thrown into a chaotic hurricane of swirling green. The sound becomes a howling, gale-force roar. The entire forest trembles from it.

It’s over in just a few seconds, but everything doesn’t fall still again. The wind has picked up, and the forest stays in movement, branches swaying, leaves snapping.

I look up sharply as Luca suddenly gasps.

He and Roger are both frozen, staring at Aiden. Their eyes are enormous, mouths dropped open with shock and disbelief. I turn to look at Aiden, and my heart drops so fast that it almost hurts.

Sparkling, pale blue magic is swirling in his eyes, casting a soft glow over his cheeks.

“Okay,” Aiden says, suddenly breathing harder. “Now he’s in life-threatening danger.”

Luca speaks in a scraping, stunned voice, his eyes reflecting Aiden's magic. “What do we do?”

Aiden takes an unsteady breath. “Just - I need to listen. Gimme a minute to listen.”

We all fall silent.

I would normally talk, to help Aiden listen. But the wind is providing plenty enough background noise for him, so instead I rove my flashlight beam around, looking at the seething forest.

The beam lands on something that catches my attention. Something on a ridge of lichen-encrusted boulders up ahead. I narrow my eyes, then set off towards it.

After a moment, I hear footsteps. I glance over my shoulder and find Roger following me. I guess he probably doesn’t want any of us going off alone.

I scramble up the ridge, reach the splash of color I’d noticed from afar, and drop to one knee before it. Roger stops behind me, adds the glow of his flashlight to mine.

Even standing this close, he has to shout to be heard over the rising wind. “What is it?”

It’s a cluster of crushed, rust-red flowers. Their small, delicate bodies weren’t blown away, because they were ground deeply into the forest floor by something heavy.

“What elevation are we at, Roger?” I shout over my shoulder, my words blowing away on the increasingly violent wind.

He looks at his watch, gives me an answer, then bends down to hear what I’m saying in response.

“This kind of flower doesn’t typically grow at this elevation, and there’s been no wind tonight until now!” I shout. “These could have been carried here on someone’s shoe! You were at the worksite, right? And it’s higher up on the mountain? Was this kind of flower growing near it?”

Roger takes a closer look.

“Yeah, lots of them,” he yells back. “But they were white, not red!”

We stare at each other, simultaneously arriving at a chilling realization.

“Okay, so that means this is probably-?”

“Blood,” Roger finishes.

I can see it clearly, now. The color of the petals is very uneven. A few bare patches of white show through.

I look up from the bloodstained flowers, searching through the darkness for Aiden and Luca. They haven’t moved, and the glow of their flashlights is enough for me to spot them from here.

“Aiden!” I shout, cupping a hand around my mouth. “Luca!”

They don’t hear me over the roar of the wind.

“Luc!” Roger tries, but neither of them turn around. Aiden has his eyes closed, listening, and Luca is watching him with obvious fascination.

"Aiden!" I try again, to no avail.

We really don’t have time for this.

“EXCUSE ME, BISEXUALS!” I absolutely roar at the top of my lungs.

Aiden and Luca both whip around, startled. Despite the situation, Roger presses a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh.

“What?” Luca shouts back. “What happened?”

I straighten up, pointing to the bloody flowers on the forest floor.

“We’ve got a lead!”