The two familiars and the two witches ran well into the night. Mountain ranges faded into the distance as the trees and foliage became thicker, choking out the light of the stars. Every now and then, the visage of the full moon broke through the spattering of crooked, dead limbs and shone down on the dark horse and his weary passengers. Through these sparse moments of clarity, both familiars could see the odd way the grasses and leaves danced as if in defiance of the cold wind that blew past them. They all reached in desperation for the black horse, looking to either embrace or ensnare him.

"It's alright, Lilly," one of the witches, Gust, whispered to his sister. He and the familiar, Kat, were keeping Lilly steady on the black horse's slick back while Gust's wooden limb whipped out at the foliage that grew too close on their path. "We're okay," the young boy continued.

"Mother..." Lilly whispered, her voice almost lost amidst the biting wind and the steady pound of the horse's footfalls.

"Keep trying," Kat said to Gust, squeezing his slim shoulder before looking over him and to the great beast of burden that carried them on their way. "Stallion, we need that water soon."

"We're close," her friend's voice echoed back to her. Kat couldn't glean much more from it than just a sense of urgency, but she did note it was the first time he had spoken in hours, ever since they had formed a plan for their first shelter.

"She's burning up," Gust said, the break in his voice quickly pulling Kat out of her own head. The familiar reached over him so she could feel the young girl's forehead.

"She'll be okay," Kat assured while keeping her palm firmly pressed against Lilly's forehead. "She's tough."

Gust bit the inside of his cheek. Kat didn't have to be his familiar to guess that he probably had a few things he wanted to say to her. Or shout at her. That part she wasn't too clear on. Despite the distance they had traveled and how much time had passed since their escape, no one seemed to want to do the shouting first. And with Lilly's declining condition those confrontations might be awhile longer to come. Not that Kat minded. Despite the many frustrations she had for her current companions, she had the feeling she would be on the losing end once the arguing started.

"There," Stallion said, drawing Kat's eyes back up to the path ahead, and the glint of shimmering water starting to appear between the shifting trunks of trees.

And Kat could hear it this time. The break in her friend's voice. He was relieved, but more than that he was tired. Exhausted. Of course he was. He was running for hours while carrying three people. When was the last time he ate? When was the last time any of them had?

What they had found was not some isolated pond or lake. When they broke from the trees they found themselves struggling to stay on Stallion as he stumbled across a thick bank of sand. The water that lay before them stretched on for miles. Farther that Kat could see with her naked eye. If this were a lake, it was the largest Kat had ever seen in her life.

It didn't take long for them to realize the ugly truth. Gust brought one scoop to his mouth before spitting it back up.

"It's salt water!" he shouted in frustration. He kicked at the sand while his wooden limb swung dangerously all around him. He then turned to Kat and Stallion, glaring at them as if this were their fault. "Lilly can't drink this!"

"It's alright," Kat said, licking her own lips to try and stave off the dryness. With Lilly held delicately in her arms, she carefully laid the young girl on the sand before facing her brother. "We can still use it to cool her off. How cold is the water?"

Kat knew she could just feel it for herself, but Gust and his flailing arm were an obvious blockade. And she learned from Dr. Quincy long ago that keeping the children involved was the best way to keep them calm.

"Cold," Gust muttered as a wave lapped at his bare ankles.

"Good." Kat tore a strip of what remained of her shirt and handed it out to the boy. "Keep this damp and against her head. Make sure she lies on her back and monitor her breathing."

The familiar couldn't help but flinch when the sentient tree branch reached forward and snapped the make-shift rag out of her hands. Gust looked from it to her, the glare going nowhere.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To find us fresh water." Kat turned away to face Stallion who now lay with his legs curled up in the sand. She couldn't help but freeze for a moment when his dark eyes met hers. He was far more intimidating in this form, whether he meant to or not.

"Can I ask you to watch them?"

The horse blinked, then shook out its mane. He was still breathing heavy, but her friend's voice came into her head clear and controlled. "Yeah. Of course, Kat. Be careful."

Kat nodded, but did not leave right away. She found herself staring at Stallion, and then looking back at Gust and Lilly as they huddled into the dark sand. For all she knew, this was all that was left. All that she had left.

She tried not to think about what would be worse between Wildwood or Ninovan finding them. Would starving or dehydration be worse than whatever torture those people would put them through? Kat relented that at least they had a choice in this current path. Even as she wandered aimlessly through the dark woods, she knew it was the better path. Foxy had known that for years. It was shameful to her that it had taken this long for her to see as clearly.

Kat had been careful to keep thoughts of him as far away as possible. There was no point worrying, fretting, or getting angry. What happened, happened. He was gone. Her Foxy was gone. They took him. Wildwood took him. Ninovan abandoned him. She let it happen. She wanted him gone and now they have him.

The familiar let out a scream when she thought she was far enough away from Stallion and the children. She beat her fist into a tree several times until it hurt too much to keep doing it. By then, there was a sizeable dent in the bark and most of the skin ripped off her knuckles. Definitely something they would notice if she found water before the night ended.

But it felt good to let loose, if only for a moment. She probably wouldn't get the chance to take out her frustrations on Ninovan or Wildwood. More than likely, if they couldn't find any damn fresh water, they'd all die pathetically in the middle of the woods. Weren't she and Stallion supposed to be animals or something? Didn't they have the best chance to survive out here?

Kat sat down on the damp grass and closed her eyes. She tried breathing deep and slow, letting her mind sink into the darkness as the pain in her knuckles faded away. This situation wasn't that dissimilar to when Mr. Mallard had tasked her with finding Foxy after he had run off. Though her eyes could easily pierce through the dark, they weren't her only assets. Without them, she could hear the gentle bending of branches and the rustling of grass against the wind. The sloshing and churning of the beach she had left far behind. The crisp and damp smell of the earth rose up from the ground beneath her. Musk and blood told her that she was not the only creature sharing these woods. Food wouldn't be an issue for them, but that was not the most pressing concern.

Kat tried to sink in deeper. Tried to almost push out the physical idea of her own body. Fawn had started teaching them something like this near the end of their training, but it was never something that was focused on as it was never something their Master's wanted of their familiars. Nor was it something even Fawn herself truly understood.

"Despite the vast Knowledge that we are aware of and live with, no one really understands it," she had said on multiple occasions throughout the two years they had all lived together. "Though they try to, there is always an element that eludes the Knowers. Such as, why were they chosen out of the vast population of people on this earth? And why were these few chosen given such a limited domain of Knowledge? What are the full repercussions of such power? How far can they be taken? There are many questions that remain unanswered, and though we familiars are only an extension of one such Knowledge, it is because of this that we should find it all that more prudent to uphold or duties in protecting our charges. Because it is only through them that we can discover the truth to the answers that elude us all."

During one instance of such a lecture, Mouse decided to prod their teacher and ask what she believed Knowledge was. It wasn't the first time the smallest familiar tried to press Fawn's buttons, but it was the first and last time Fawn indulged her.

"I believe it is an extension of the world around us. A sort of spiritual connection humans often refer to, but made manifest. I believe it is many things that exist beside us, but that we do not often hear. Perhaps these things have found a few select people and are using them to attempt to communicate."

Kat remembered their teacher had a faraway look in her eyes when she answered Mouse. A look that made everyone who knew the old Fawn very still and afraid to talk. Unfortunately, Mouse was not one such person.

"What do you think they are trying to say?"

Fawn's smile had then made even Mouse lock up. Her sweet, soft chuckle had forced a chill up Kat's neck.

"Oh, I don't know. But, if I had to guess, it isn't anything too pleasant."

"Hello, Kat."

All smells, sounds, and feeling washed away as a cold presence sunk deep inside of Kat. It was not like a chill wind or splash of ice water, but more of a feeling of absolute submersion. Breathing was hard to come by. The young familiar was afraid to open her eyes. But open them she did.

The pale light of the moon still fought to break through the thick canopy of trees above her, but she did not need them to see. The world around her was clear and quiet with hardly a breeze left to disturb the natural wildlife. If it had not been for the unnaturally familiar voice whispering in her ear she could have easily missed the dark shadow that stood apart from the thick shadows of the trees and other foliage. But once she saw it she could not look away. It stood in stark contrast to its fellows. In fact, it was almost as if it hovered in the air like the shadow of something Kat could not see. A shadow of something that could not exist.

"I see you have managed to escape," the shadow continued. Its voice was so void of inflection or feeling it chilled Kat to the bone, as it always had done. Even after years of practice she could never hope to match the seemingly lack of meaning behind its words.

"For now," the familiar said slowly as she pressed her palms against the ground. She knew there was little that could be done in a fight with this creature. Her only option was to try and escape. "Are you here to stop that?"

"No."

That made Kat pause. A hesitation long enough for the shadow to overtake her, she had realized too late, but it did not make good on that attempt. It simply stood in its impossible position—an impenetrable darkness that floated in the air—and watched her.

"John is still with her."

Kat had to take another moment to remember who John even was. So much had happened in such a short time. She had to be honest with herself that she simply forgot the newcomer in favor of saving those closer to her.

As truthful was that was, it didn't mean John's shadow had to know.

"There wasn't time to take him with us."

The shadow hovered closer to her and Kat was not afraid to leap to her feet and take several steps back. "That is unfortunate."

The trees grew thick and close together—not ample room for trying to escape, especially when Kat was almost sure the shadow didn't need to worry about physical hindrances. But it hadn't yet tried to attack her. There was no way she could get a read on what its true intentions were, but keeping it talking was looking to the familiar like the best course of action while she tried to get Stallion over here using their unique form of communication.

Still, talking wasn't exactly a thing she was great at. It took a few precious seconds of tense silence before she could put together a thing to say to the shadow, and she had to rely mostly on the few words they had just shared.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Kat asked the shadow. "You chose to have Ninovan take him."

"I am not infallible. I had believed this Ninovan would keep the boy safe. I now believe, after witnessing today's events, that I was mistaken in my previous belief. He is but her vessel to use as she pleases. She cares not for the danger he is placed in."

Another question immediately wormed its way into Kat's brain as Stallion reassured her that he was heading her way. It was something she was desperately afraid to voice, but she did not wish to stall for words any longer.

"What is he to you?"

As Kat had feared, the shadow paused in answering. Something she had known it not often to do in the short time she had been in its presence. But, thankfully, it did not seem to more or make any threatening action. She only continued to feel its unseen eyes bore into her, as if digging through the many walls she had worked so hard on.

"He is a vessel," the shadow finally answered. "But one who's continued function I depend on for existence. Aside from the increased physical danger the boy has been in, whatever Ninovan placed inside him has weakened our bond. I fear, in time, I will cease to exist whether the boy functions or not."

"Why are you telling me all this? What do you expect me to do?"

Kat's mind was racing faster than it had since before the only things on her mind were her own and Foxy's survival. She believed she already knew the shadow's answers to her questions, but she had to continue playing dumb.

"How do I rid the boy of this affliction? How do I reverse what Ninovan has done?"

She wouldn't tell it she knew just as well as Ninovan knew that familiars had a natural resistance to Knowledge. That she believed this shadow was just as bad, if not worse, than the primal rage that filled Ninovan and her kin.

"I can't do it alone," Kat answered immediately as she stared directly into the faceless shadow. Despite the chill, despite the hollow words, she would not show it fear. "I need Foxy and Maple. I need to free them from Wildwood."

It did not budge or hesitate. "Why?"

One step at a time. One enemy at a time. Kat knew Foxy would be proud of her.

"Because if you want to save your vessel, we have to kill Ninovan."

...

I was strung up; the bindings on my wrists now tied to some sort of nail or pole that had been buried in the dirt wall. Fawn and Lady Louise had left the room with an unconscious Maple after the girl had apparently cried until she ran out of air. I couldn't get much of a read of any of their faces as they disappeared behind a door that soon after vanished from existence, leaving me alone with Mr. Copper, Dr. Garcia, and the woman with the stone face.

"We will be moving on to our next step," said stone faced woman announced as she and the doctor turned to face me. "Mr. Copper, if you would begin making the preparations."

The Stalwart looked like he wanted to say something but instead opted to start on a design against a portion on the far wall, simply using his finger to dig into the soft earth. After the door was formed, I watched him move on to another section before the two women stepped into my field of vision.

"Hello, Alex," the stone woman said. Much like her guarded expression, she kept her arms firmly clasped behind her back and stood with her legs slightly apart. The only thing more formal than her stance was the dark suit that she wore. "We met briefly just a few months ago. Do you remember?"

I did, but I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of a reply. She merely nodded as if she had assumed my lack of a response. "You may call me Ms. Abigail. I am Wildwood's resident therapist and caretaker. I believe you are better acquainted with my associate and our Gathering's healer, Dr. Garcia."

Abigail gestured to said doctor who returned my stare with a scowl. I could only guess she hadn't forgotten the last time we were 'acquainted' with each other. The burns from Maple were gone from her face and lips despite the assumption that most of said burns usually were permanent, even for familiars. She had to be good at her job and the one who had healed me after my near death experience in the Quincy cabin.

Not that I was about to shower her with thanks. In many ways, she only made things worse by endeavoring to keep me around. And, in many more ways, I was sure she felt the exact same way.

"Odd," Abigail mused, cutting into Dr. Garcia and I's glaring contest. "From what I've heard I expected you to be a lot more vocal. Is there nothing you would like to say?"

Oh, there's plenty. The sheer amount probably couldn't be said in the amount of time they had chosen to keep me alive. But I knew there was a reason I was alive. There was something they wanted from me. I couldn't be sure what that something was, but the less I said the less likely they'd get it.

"We are wasting time, Rhenoa," Dr. Garcia said with a scoff. "She's probably long gone by now."

I almost asked 'who', but I knew that was just what they wanted. Indeed, both women watched me expectantly before I stared in a random direction. This allowed me to see the sheer amount of doors Mr. Copper had produced in the few minutes since I had last seen him. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in them, all closed and awaiting to reveal the numerous worlds that lay beyond. I knew then that he was not producing that golden light any longer, but had next to no idea what that meant. Was their Stalwart getting stronger, or weaker?

"No, I believe Mouse is smarter than that," Rhenoa Abigail said, her dark eyes and soft smile waiting for me when I snapped back to her.

"She's alive?" I asked, my words croaking out of my sore and dry throat before I could stop them.

"Yes." There was a flicker in the witch's dark eyes. Like she was seeing something in me that I could not. "And we would like your help in finding her."

Mary escaped? She had been found out, but that burned man had been wrong. She was alive. She was alive and far, far away from this nightmare. She had to be. After everything that she said. After everything I had said and done. Even if Ninovan was still around, all she had to do was run. If she was smart, as Abigail had said, she would know there was no point in hanging on to the little vestiges of whatever had kept her around before.

But, even if all of that wasn't true.

"No," I said to the witch.

"What did I say?" Dr. Garcia shot, shifting her glare between me and her fellow witch. "Now let me do this my way!"

Abigail nodded in understanding again. When she opened her eyes again, the smile was gone but, for some reason, her gaze was far kinder now. "Your obedience is everything we could have hoped for. It is only a shame it was directed towards the wrong people."

She gave the doctor a short nod and the latter immediately made her way towards me. When it was her turn to smile, I couldn't help but try and struggle despite how futile it all was.

"I hope you can at least take solace in the fact that what happens next was out of your control," Abigail said as Dr. Garcia reached out and grasped one of my hands.

"Let's start here, shall we?" the doctor said. There was a familiar glint in her eyes as she said it. The same look of madness she gave to Maple all those months ago when the girl attacked her.

I didn't have long to reflect on it before the pain started. Sharp. Stabbing. Like the doctor's hands had suddenly grown long talons and were biting into me. The shock alone made me yell out, but just as I did I noticed every one of Copper's doors fly open. In that moment I knew exactly what was happening and forced the scream to become nothing but a low groan as I bit hard on the inside of my cheek.

"That was quite the nasty bite, wasn't it?" Dr. Garcia asked me, her nauseatingly minty breath washing over my face as my hand throbbed with pain. "One of your own did this to you if I'm not mistaken. Your loyalty to these savage beasts is laughable."

And she laughed as if to make a point. But I did not miss the high-pitched ring to it. She only laughed because she wanted to laugh. Because she enjoyed this.

"The only beast I see here is you and your kind, witch," I hissed back.

"I'll give you that," Dr. Garcia whispered in my ear as her hand trailed down from my hand to my arm. "Some of us can be a little savage."

Fire. My arm was on fire. The doctor had somehow plunged my flesh into the heart of a flame and the skin was burning away.

I tried to keep from screaming. I tried to remember what they wanted. That I would be playing right into their hands. That I would again be the reason for putting Mary in danger. But it was just too much.

I screamed and it was like being back in that hell. Watching Maple kill her mother. Watching Mutt kill Mr. Mallard. Watching it all as my arms burned and burned and burned. Smoke nestled in my lungs. Struggling to breath as tears strained to escape.

I begged for it all to stop. I screamed at the witches who surrounded me. They either laughed, watched, or looked away.

And there were so many doors. If I was just a little stronger. If everything just hurt a little less. There were so many places I could go. Beyond each door was something new. An empty hall. A serene lake. Dark, stoic lines of trees. Anywhere was better than here. It had to be.

...

Alex Foxy was cut free shortly after he passed out. Dr. Garcia was silent as she traced her hands over his burned arm and chewed hand, watching over the injuries carefully as they slowly shrank and withdrew.

"She did not come," Mr. Copper said, keeping his back firmly turned away from the women as he smoothed over the last of his symbols.

Ms. Abigail looked between the two, silently keeping track of their subtle motions and glances. Even if Alex had refused to speak, there was still much she would learn. Finding Mouse would not be the end of this. Eliminating the familiars would not be the end. But if she were to survive, Rhenoa Abigail would have to keep her former allies at arms length.

"Your familiar is cautious, Mr. Copper. And, as I have said, she is smart. She knows we would not kill Alex in our first attempt. She is willing to risk seeing how far we will go."

"And how far are we willing to go, Rhenoa?" the Stalwart demanded, he and the doctor now both turning to look at her.

Rhenoa offered the witches a rare smile. "Just make sure he is well fed and rested. If things continue to go to plan, Ashling will ensure he will be more cooperative for the next step."

The Stalwart and the Healer both looked down at the familiar who rested in the dirt, allowing Rhenoa to drop her smile. It always felt like a great effort to move her lips how they did not want to move, but it was tenfold with her Knowledge. More and more often she wanted to drop all pretenses, especially after seeing the growing danger arising not only from the familiars, but from her fellow Knowers. The ones she currently shared the room with were growing increasingly unhinged and the ones who still lurked the darkened halls were more mystery than she normally afforded the people she worked with.

But it would have to do. With Wing dead, there were no longer Knowers who could fight the familiars head on and Fawn was only an asset until Ninovan was close enough to steal her away.

No, Abigail asserted to herself as she watched the almost peaceful face of Alex Foxy, if Wildwood is to survive, they would need to fight this battle smarter. They would need the familiars to destroy themselves.