So, yeah. Henry gets a lead and runs off without the rest of us. I couldn't believe it when I heard from Robin how Henry had been talking to the two Wills. However, unlike Henry, the rest of us didn't go dashing off to talk to Hermes. Instead, we gathered in the Charmings' dorm and awaited Henry's return.

Han was absent as well. Me and Belle sat together on Henry's bed, and the two younger Charmings sat beneath us. Robin leaned against the door, a pillar of calm despite our obvious tension. "What could be taking him so long?" I burst out, hoping someone would answer me.

"At ease, Snow," Robin said with a small smile. "I'm sure Henry will be here. Unless something has delayed him."

I scowled at him, those words not really reassuring me. "He's never been delayed before," I pointed out.

"Maybe he's just talking to Hermes still." Belle twisted one of her curls around her finger, the anxious movement belying her attempts to calm me. "He'll be here."

"But where's Han?" Hugo asked.

None of us spoke. Even Robin frowned a little, though he still seemed mostly unconcerned. I couldn't understand how he could seem so calm. Then again, I'm convinced the academy could be blowing up around us and Robin would still be calm. Deciding that wasn't a mental image I needed at the moment, I simply wrapped my arms around my knees and held them close to my chest.

A sudden knock on the door made all of us jump—except for Robin, of course. The professor's hand bunched into a fist. "Yes?"

"Uncle? It's me, Will. I need to talk to you."

Which Will? I wondered. When Robin opened the door, my question was answered—it was Will Scarlet, from his puppy-dog brown eyes. He flashed me and Belle a nervous smile before turning back to Robin. "Uncle, it's ... it's bad news."

"What bad news?"

Will swallowed. "Hermes, sir. He's dead."

"Dead?!" I swiftly rearranged my thought of Robin never looking alarmed. When he heard of Hermes's demise, he looked about as terrified as I felt. He took a deep breath before asking, "How?"

"Murdered." Although we'd all been expecting it, the words still made us flinch. "Someone snuck into the infirmary and stabbed him in the heart. Nobody knows how it happened."

"Good heavens," Robin breathed, shaking his head. "God rest his soul."

Although I felt horrible for the former business professor, there was a more pressing concern on my mind. "But what about Henry?"

Will looked at me blankly. "Henry?"

I swallowed past a lump in my throat. "He went to see Hermes after his conversation with you, Will."

Will shook his head. "Henry was never at the infirmary, Snow. The nurses said nobody'd been in or out of there at all."

"Professor Hood!" I wailed.

"Be calm, Snow," Robin urged me. "Don't panic. We'll find Henry."

I wasn't so sure. Choking back tears, I bowed my head and did the only thing I could think of:

I prayed that Henry Charming was safe.