Since the day Elias went missing, his office has remained uninhabited. Neither Cassia nor Eric wanted to use it, claiming the inability to shut the window made it too cold. But they stay away for the same reason that I avoid it like the plague—Elias is all over the room.

Which is why, when I burst into his office and see the mysterious outsider leaning against the window, I have to do a double-take. That's where Elias stood, how he stood. Seeing someone else in his place somehow feels wrong.

Eric and Cassia stand on the opposite side of the desk to him, both turning to look at me. "You waited," I say, relieved.

"I said we would," Eric responds.

After Bastian passed out, there wasn't enough time for introductions. Aliyah and I hauled Bastian back to the castle infirmary while Eric took the kids and the man with him. I turn to look at the newcomer, warily stepping closer to Cassia.

"Milena, this is Malik," Eric says.

The man—Malik—pushes off the windowsill and shifts to face me. He stands tall—several inches above both Cassia and Eric, broad shoulders blocking the light from the moon streaming in. His black hair contrasts against the pale skin and glacial eyes.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Milena," he says.

"You know who I am?" I ask.

"The girl who grew up in a hollowers village—how could I not know of you?"

I shift forward. There's something about his gaze that unsettles me, like he knows every single thought and emotion that has ever crossed my mind. "You're the reason the hollowers retreated?" I ask. He nods. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," he says, looking to Eric with a smile that goes unrequited. "Us mountain dwellers gotta have each other's back."

"Mountain dwellers?" I ask.

Eric grumbles something unintelligible, but Malik cuts him off. "That's what the kids from the village used to call those of us who grew up in the mountains. We were always outcasts when we visited." His eyes linger on Elias' desk, smile slipping away. "Some more than others."

"You were friends with Eric and Elias in the mountains?" Cassia asks.

He looks at Eric, as if waiting for him to respond. When he doesn't, Malik shrugs. "Something like that."

Eric notices me staring and straightens his posture. "Malik moved away when we were six—when the elders split up."

"But I'd never forget those two," Malik says. "They were joint at the hip."

Cassia peers at him curiously, head tilting sideways. I can't help but do the same. There's something fascinating about him—someone from Eric and Elias' past. And what is he doing here?

"Where have you been all this time, Malik?" Eric breaks the silence.

"We moved to the east village and then went to the coast to join the elders."

"How did you scare those hollowers away?" I ask. "They were so close to killing us."

He lifts his hand, the one holding the shell. Up close, I can see it better, the exterior a rough brown and the inside porcelain pink. "Picked this up from one of the hollower village on the coast in a raid once. They use it when they're hunting to call an immediate retreat." He throws it carelessly in the air and catches it with his other hand. "It's proved to be quite useful."

"Can I?" Cassia asks.

He hands it to her. "Sure."

Cassia sits on the desk and inspects the shell. "What brings you here?" she asks absentmindedly. "The coast is a long walk away."

"I came for Elias."

She drops the shell onto the desk. We all stare at him, the tension thickening in the air. "Elias? I whisper. "You've... seen him?"

"Not recently. We caught wind of what happened with the hollowers. The elders were shocked, of course." He looks at me. "They never expected the hollowers to find out the truth about Elias' identity."

My breath wavers—another reminder of what was meant to happen. I was sacrificed to protect him. They were all hoping I would die in order to keep his identity hidden.

"They have him," Eric says.

"We figured that. The hollowers popping up around the elder village have been harder to kill, eventually it became impossible. We knew that could only mean one thing. That's why I was sent here, actually." His eyes scan past each of us. "Have you ever heard of the shadow?"

I frown in confusion.

"You mean from the great war?" Eric asks. Malik nods. "What about it?"

"I'm searching for it."

Eric scoffs. "It doesn't exist. It was destroyed when the wipers were wiped out."

"That's what we were told."

"And for good reason," Cassia adds. "A weapon like that has no place in this world."

"What is the shadow?" I ask.

They all stare at me, but Malik's the one to answer. "A weapon that can be used to kill wipers. "

"And hollowers and shifters," Cassia says. "In the storybooks we read as kids, the shadow was always the villain. My parents used to blackmail me into eating my vegetables by saying the shadow would come after me if I didn't. But it was destroyed a long time ago." She pauses. "Some people say it's still out there; that a new one was created."

"It's a thing of story-books," Eric says with a frown. "No self-respecting adult would believe any of that junk."

"It is real," Malik urges. "The hollowers had it."

Eric scoffs. "Impossible."

He steps forward, eyes floating around the room till they land on me. "I'm not lying. It's out there and it contains more power than even the stories claimed. You get stabbed by the shadow and you're a goner."

Silence falls upon us. None of this makes any sense to me, but since Eric and Cassia have a hard time believing Malik, I do too. "Say it does exist," I say, "you're talking about it like it's a horrible thing. So why are you looking for it?"

He straightens his posture to gaze out the window. The moon is high in the sky, illuminating half of his face. "Wispers never should've gone extinct. They've always been the hardest species to kill, but the shadow strips their powers and without that, there's nothing left of them." He moves around the desk. "If it can kill wispers, it can kill wisper blood that runs through hollower veins."

"You think it will strip them of their immortality?" Cassia asks.

"If they're immortal, we'll be overrun before we know it. It won't be long before humans and shifters become extinct, just like the wispers. We have to put a stop to it before it's too late."

The silence grows between us as Malik stares at each of us. "Where is it then?" I ask.

"Where Elias is."

"And you know where that is?" Eric finally speaks, voice low and gravelly.

"I have a fair idea."

Hope stirs in my chest, the flame reigniting. I step closer to Malik and stare into his eyes. His skin is so pale it's almost translucent, a stark contrast to his pitched dark hair. There's something about him that seems too perfect.

"Where?" I ask. "We have to go save him and get the shadow and then we can—"

"Milena, wait." Eric puts his hand on my shoulder and gives me a stern look. "Think about this. We don't even know if it's real."

"What is there to think about? Even if it doesn't exist, Malik says he knows where Elias is."

"It's not that simple."

"It is that simple," I snap, moving to the door. "We have to go and save him. If Elias is there—"

"Sit down. You're not going anywhere."

I glare at him, but his gaze is unrelenting, never leaving mine. "What's wrong with you?"

"I promised Elias nothing would happen to you."

"I don't care what you promised him." Anger pulses through my like a light. "You promised me that if I trained I could help, if you had a genuine lead, I could come."

"It was the only thing to keep you from asking."

My words die on my tongue as I stare at him, a mixture of betrayal and anger warring in my mind. "So your word only means something when it concerns Elias?"

He says nothing, eyes steady on mine. I don't understand him. Malik has given us the first promising lead in months, and he's hesitating.

"I think Milena's right," Cassia says. "We should all go. Milena has been training for months. She wants Elias back just as much as we do; it isn't fair to make her wait here again. Besides, she knows the hollowers better than any of us could."

Eric frowns. "Cassia—"

"What do you have against this plan, Eric?" she continues. "Even if this shadow stuff isn't real—which, no offence, Malik, but it probably isn't—it's still worth it if we can get Elias back."

He folds his arms across his chest. "We have a village to think about. We can't just desert them in hopes we'll find Elias. What if this is a false lead? What if we don't find him or the shadow and leave our village unprotected?"

Malik clears his throat. When I look at him, he's smiling sheepishly. "I didn't mean to cause such a disagreement. How about you take the night to think about it and we'll discuss tomorrow when we're all feeling a bit more level-headed." He directs his gaze to Eric, who just huffs.

"Good idea," Cassia agrees.

"Do you have a library around here somewhere?" Malik asks. "I'd like to read up on a few things."

I push to my feet. "I'll show you."

"Perfect." He smiles and steps through the door. I go to follow him, but Eric grabs my arm.

"Milena, wait."

"What's your problem?" I demand. "This is an old friend of yours and you've been nothing but hostile."

He stares at me, red gaze unrelenting and jaw ticking. But eventually, he lets me go and looks away. I turn around to meet Malik in the hall, excited at the prospect of the first lead in months. Not even Eric's foul mood can ruin it.

~