A rush of warmth shot through Orion as the cottage came into view. Home. After leaving the Valley of Men two years ago, he had stumbled across the abandoned house after a long period of wandering. The grasslanders living in the garden—who still loyally tended the flowers and herbs—had told him that the owner had passed away of old age a few years prior. They’d invited him to stay in the cozy little place, on the condition that he'd tell his cats not to hunt them. Only Spekkie had struggled with that—his brain had been so altered by magic that he could barely control himself when anything edible was nearby. He had once caught a grasslander in his jaws, only to decide that it was a terribly unappetizing snack. Since then, the grassy creatures hadn’t had anything to fear from the cats.

A smile tugged at Orion’s lips as he returned home. To his surprise, smoke was curling from the chimney. Though Merlin knew how to start the hearth—with and without spells—Orion was usually the only one who felt cold by evening. Nezumi and Basil were mostly covered in scales, Spekkie had—unfortunately—a thick layer of fat, and Merlin wore custom clothes made by Orion.

“We have guests,” Astoria said. She sniffed the ground and lifted her head. “Two of them. One’s human… and the other smells like… wet stone.”

A human? Orion’s hand crept cautiously toward the knife at his hip. His first thought was of Luther. But the others would never sit comfortably indoors with him—unless Basil hadn’t come back yet and Merlin had also gone into the woods to gather ingredients.

Was Luther holding the other two captive? Orion could picture him lounging on the couch, feet kicked up on the table, while Nezumi and Spekkie were bound together in a blanket.

“Is Basil home?” he asked Astoria, trying to stop his fears from spiraling.

“Everyone’s here.” She must have sensed his unease, because she brushed his leg with her tail. “And I hear friendly chatter. It’s not Luther.”

Orion exhaled in relief. At the same time, he felt a flash of irritation at himself—for letting that bastard still affect him so deeply. He felt nothing but shame when he looked back on the time they’d spent together—yet part of him clearly still expected Luther to come after him, to track him all the way out here. Ridiculous.

But then… who was it?

His feline friends weren’t quick to trust humans, which only piqued his curiosity further. He climbed up to the porch, already catching the mouthwatering scent of food. He suspected even the grasslanders were inside, since their usual high-pitched greetings were conspicuously absent.

He ascended the steps and opened the door. The room went quiet immediately. The table was crowded with the green little creatures he usually found among his plants. Spekkie was stretched out beside them, Nezumi sat on a chair back with her wings spread wide, and Basil was shooting her a glare that could kill.

Next to them stood an ogre, staring at Orion with a sheepish expression before letting out a strange squeak. Orion’s gaze then drifted to the kitchen. Merlin stood by the stove on the counter, and beside him stood a young man with wild golden curls.

Orion reached for the doorframe as his knees suddenly went weak.

The silence must’ve distracted the cook from his task, because he turned around—then immediately flushed a deep red.

“Orion!” His voice jumped an octave. “I hope you’re hungry?”

Orion stared at the guest. His fingers curled, nails digging into the old wood. His eyes had deceived him plenty of times before. This couldn’t possibly be Cody.

Was this another one of Locke’s games?

Cody lowered the spoon he was holding into the pot, folded his hands together, and took a few tentative steps toward him. “I know this must be overwhelming. I—your cats invited me here. Three days ago. And… if you want me to leave, I will. Of course.”

Orion still couldn’t speak. He scanned Cody’s face. Bright blue eyes. A golden glow to his hair. Freckles scattered across his skin—more than he remembered. No shadowy aura surrounding his body. Could this really… truly be him?

Basil jumped off the table and walked over. “I found him near the Valley. He was looking for you. Luther tried to convince him you were dead. But he’s real.”

Orion’s eyes flicked back to Cody. Those big blue eyes, soft and unguarded. Locke could never fake that. A chill raced down his spine.

He quickly shut the door behind him, though Locke would surely find out soon enough that Cody was here.

Cody is here. In my house.

Orion felt completely unlike himself. He stood there like a statue, his wits buried somewhere in the garden. He’d spent years easily flirting with the boy, and now he couldn’t get a single word out. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to break his trance.

“Cody… Sorry, I—wow, it’s been a long time.” He forced a grin. “Believe me: after so long in the wild, you start questioning if what you’re seeing is real. Especially when it’s someone you’ve been dreaming about for years.”

The words turned Cody’s cheeks crimson. Orion’s heart tumbled at the sight, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to pull the young man into his arms and never let go. But something held him back. Cody had always seemed a little awkward around him, and Orion had never figured out whether that was shyness—or something else entirely.

Someone else, however, clearly had no such doubts: a boisterous voice suddenly rang through the room.

“Well, give him a hug, Cody! Isn’t this the man you’ve been wanting to court?”

“He is not,” Cody hissed, mortified, at the ogre.

“Isn’t that Orion?”

“Yes, but—ugh, never mind.” He shot his stone friend a glare. “Not all of us are hopelessly in love.”

Orion chuckled, amused. “Shame. I’d be flattered if you were here to court me.” He winked at Cody.

Cody seemed at a loss for words. But despite the scarlet hue of his cheeks, he squared his shoulders. “I’m with Fleur.”

“Ah.” Fleur. Orion fought not to scoff. Sure, she had a pretty face—but in his opinion, that was about all she had going for her. “Well, if you’re not here because you missed me terribly, I’m curious to know what brought you out this far.”

His gaze dropped to Cody’s hands, which were trembling violently. He clenched them into fists and hid them behind his back. A sour twist knotted Orion’s gut. The sweat glistening on Cody’s brow probably wasn’t from embarrassment. If he even was embarrassed. Was it the heat from the pot? Or…

“Are you sick?”

“What? No.” Cody’s shoulders sagged, along with his gaze, now fixed on the floor. “I don’t know. I haven’t been feeling right, off and on. Must be the air around here.”

“That’s an old wives’ tale.” Orion stepped closer and lifted a hand to Cody’s forehead. It was burning hot. “You’ve got a fever.”

“It’s nothing. It’ll pass. Trust me, it’s been like this for days.”

Cody glanced at him for a moment before quickly looking away again. They were standing so close now that Orion could feel the heat radiating off him. And the fireplace was roaring. The room was sweltering.

“The fact that it’s lasted for days doesn’t make it harmless.” Orion pulled his hand back.

Cody winced, as if fending off a dizzy spell. He stumbled backward, bracing himself against the counter and nearly knocking over a pan with his elbow.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was unfocused. Panic hit, and his breath quickened.

“Come on, you should lie down.” Orion placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

The tremors worsened, growing into full-on shakes that made his arms shudder.

“What’s happening to me?” Cody’s voice cracked.

Orion had no idea. In this forest, it could be any number of things. He wrapped an arm around Cody’s waist and carefully guided him away from the counter. “We’ll figure it out.”

The warmth in the cottage had vanished; the room had gone silent. Everyone watched with concern.

Clearly, it hadn’t taken Cody long to win them over. A faint smile tugged at Orion’s lips. Not that that surprises me.

He helped his unexpected guest up the stairs and into bed. It was strange to think Cody had been sleeping there for a few nights already—while Orion had been haunted by Locke’s dark stare with every step he took.

He needed to tell Cody about Locke. They had a lot to talk about. But first, the man needed to get better.

Cody crawled backward onto the bed. He lay on his back for a moment, then rolled onto his side and looked up at Orion with fever-glazed eyes. Orion kicked off his boots and lay beside him, also on his side, but with space between them. His gaze lingered on the freckles and the curls framing Cody’s face.

“Your hair’s gotten duller,” Orion noted.

Their eyes met. A jolt of pain flickered through Cody’s expression, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“You… it's better if you leave. I think… you’re making it worse,” Cody muttered weakly.

“That would be strange.”

“Everything here is strange!”

Orion hated the thought of leaving now, of abandoning him, but he didn’t want to cause him pain. He sat up and moved to the doorway. “Is this better?”

It took a moment before Cody mumbled an affirming answer.

Orion raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“It started a day after I left Holtgaard. It’s been getting worse ever since.”

“Then it probably has nothing to do with me.”

Cody said nothing. He just turned away, offering Orion only his back.

There was a long silence. Orion was about to ease the door open, thinking Cody had fallen asleep, when the boy spoke.

“In Holtgaard, everyone lost their memories. Everyone but me.”

The words took a moment to land. “How is that possible?”

“If only I knew…” Cody sighed. “I tried to get into the memory vault, but the well’s just… a normal well now.”

“So someone sealed it with magic,” Orion mused. “Interesting.”

“Interesting? It’s horrible. Lovers see each other as strangers. Parents don’t recognize their own children.”

“Sounds like a relief to mine,” Orion muttered, then rubbed his face when he heard the sharpness of his own tone. “Sorry.” He thought of his sister, but the situation Cody described was so surreal, he couldn’t imagine what she must be going through. “It sounds… unbelievable.”

“Do you think the memories were stolen? Or released? If they were released, they’re probably lost for good.”

At least Cody’s voice sounded a little steadier now.

“I fear the latter,” Orion said. When he heard Cody suck in a breath, he realized he could’ve been gentler. He was used to talking to cats—and they didn’t appreciate sugarcoating. Still, softening the truth wouldn’t help much, so he explained his thinking. “You don’t have to stay near your memories. I don’t take mine with me when I travel far from home.”

“But if someone stole them with magic, couldn’t they be hundreds of kilometers away? Maybe they have a limited range?”

Cody sounded so hopeful that Orion didn’t contradict him. “That’s possible. Maybe someone wants the villagers to buy them back.”

“But who would do something like that?”

Orion’s thoughts turned to Locke. And to Luther.

Who wouldn’t?

“I can think of a few names.”

Cody sat up and looked at him, eyes gleaming with hope. “Really? I knew you’d be able to help.”

“Is that why you came looking for me?” Orion tried to ignore the pang twisting in his gut.

“Yes. I thought maybe an exile could help—since you all still have your memories.” Cody bit his lip and glanced at him. “And you’re the only exile who’s… well, kind. Kind enough to help me. I hoped.”

Orion leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms. “Maybe I don’t want you going back to Holtgaard at all.”

Cody dropped his head, picking at his nails. “If that’s what it takes for you to help, I can promise to stay here afterward.”

“You’d abandon Fleur?”

“Fleur?” He looked up, momentarily confused, as if the connection had slipped his mind. Then he clenched his hands again. Were the tremors starting up once more? “Oh, uh, no, of course not. I mean—I’d rather not. But she doesn’t remember me now either. And I don’t want Holtgaard to fall into chaos.”

She doesn’t remember him anymore. Despite his jealousy, Orion felt a pang of sympathy.

“I’m only kidding. Of course I’ll help. And afterward, you can go right back to your sweetheart.” He thought of the dying forest. Maybe there was a connection. If he could find the cause of one, perhaps he could uncover the other too.

Cody’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Really.” He gave him a wink. “But first, we need to figure out what’s going on with you. I’ll dig through the books with Merlin. Meanwhile, you can eat in peace, without me bothering you with my presence.”

“You’re not—” Cody’s shoulders sank again, and he clenched his hands once more. He didn’t finish the sentence.

A suspicion was beginning to take root in Orion’s mind.

Cody wouldn’t be pleased to hear it.

And Orion… might be a little too pleased.