In the morning, I made myself text Jasika and Dom about the dream. The confirmation from Morgan. Where Mab planned to strike. What we needed to do about it. The dangerous carvings in the woods. It was as close as I could come to keeping my promise to be honest with them. But for the rest of it, whatever curse Mab had laid on me, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them. It wouldn’t be forever. If we could just get through Samhain, then I’d have the whole winter to figure out how to reverse it with Gooding, maybe even Gwen if the water wives returned. In a few days, I’d be able to put all of this behind me.
And if I couldn’t? Well. At least the boys would be safe.
The replies popped up a few minutes later. Dom would look for any unusual carvings to scratch out after school. Jasika would check possible entry points in the gym if Dom and I could look over the rest of the school. We only had until tomorrow. No time to waste, at this point.
On my way out, I started making a mental checklist of all the places to double-check both in the school and the woods. It might not be a bad idea to put additional protections around the houses on Postoak, though Dom and Jasika could probably pull that off more covertly than I could.
Just as I pulled on my boots, someone knocked at the door. I checked my phone. We weren’t supposed to leave for another twenty minutes, and the boys were never keen to get going.
“Just a minute,” I called.
“Meet us in the kitchen. Quick family meeting before school,” Dad replied. By the time I opened the door, he was gone. I grabbed my backpack and hurried toward the church kitchen.
Ash and Jake sat at the table on either side of dad, the empty chair between them. Jake poked at the pliable edges of a granola bar. Ash scratched at one of the nicks in the table, looking like he might slump over any moment. And there sat Dad, looking tired and drawn between them. Nothing about this screamed “fun.” I had to force myself to take a seat.
Dad cleared his throat.
“Kids, I know things have been tough lately. And tensions are high. But I wanted to let you know we may be able to get into a new home soon.”
Ash glanced up at that. “How soon?”
“That’ll depend.” Dad took a deep breath. “You never really know with insurance companies. But we did have a decent policy. Maybe enough to get us into a home on Postoak.”
“The haunted street,” Jake scoffed.
“None of that.” Dad leveled a sharp look at him. “None of us are too good for a safe, dry place to live. Keep in mind, the Gosling house wasn’t exactly a mansion.”
“So, what’s the catch?” I cut in. “You wouldn’t have gathered all of us like this if there wasn’t something you needed us to do.”
“Yeah.” Dad grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. “I need the three of you to behave. I’m going out of town for a couple of days. Apparently, the insurance company saw some evidence that the fire wasn’t just an electrical failure. On the one hand, that means it wasn’t caused by neglect on my part. On the other…” He rubbed his brow. “They want a fresh psych eval for me.”
“That’s bullshit!” I smacked my hand on the table. “You were at work. We’re as likely to have caused the fire as you.”
“I know, Bryn.”
“She’s right.” Jake glowered at him. “This is just discrimination.”
“Use whatever word you like. But at the end of the day, they’ve got the money we need to buy a new house. And, unless we dip into your college funds, we need that money. I’m willing to play their game and see however many doctors they ask.”
“You didn’t do it, Dad,” Ash cut in. “We should be focused on stopping the people who did.”
Dad took a deep breath. “At this point, we have to accept that the police aren’t going to find any new leads. This isn’t a discussion. I didn’t ask you in here to talk about how fair it is or isn’t. I’ve called you three in here because the doctor they want me to see is in Harrisburg. After my shift tonight, I’m going to drive straight over. It’ll probably be a full day before I can finish up all their tests, so I’ll end up staying there another night. I won’t be back until the first at the earliest. So you three need to listen to Father Gooding while I’m gone. Is that understood?”
He was going to be gone for Samhain. It felt almost like a stroke of luck had finally fallen. Maybe it was unfair, but at least he would be hours away and safe.
“We don’t need a babysitter,” Ash objected.
“Then tell me the last time you did your homework without someone reminding you.” Dad folded his hands in front of him. “This is not open for discussion. I’m going to be gone the next couple of nights. Listen to Gooding. I’ll know if you don’t.”
I straightened and nodded at him. “Yes, sir.”
Dad arched a brow, but gave no other sign of surprise as he gestured to me. “See, boys? Maturity.”
“Spineless,” Ash muttered. “Can we go, now?”
Dad sighed and nodded. “Fine. Ash, no going outside. You’ll catch a chill. Again. Jake, I want to see the floor next time I see your room.” The boys shot up out of their chairs and darted through the doors like a couple of hormone-driven tornadoes. Dad managed to look even more exhausted now than he had before.
I rose and pressed a quick peck to his forehead.
“Let us know how it goes.”
“Don’t you worry.” He smiled and patted my shoulder. “I’m already planning out the garden in our new place.”
THE SCHOOL DAY blurred by in a haze of lectures, quiz reviews, and sneaking around between classes to count how many different ways the Fae could feasibly infiltrate the school. Lunch saw us meeting in the library to plan. And the whole time, Jasika kept giving me the side-eye and asking if I felt okay before, finally, declaring that I looked tired and that I should leave the bark-scraping to her and Dom.
I didn’t even bother to object. I could always double-check after dark in case Mab was right and they couldn’t see all of them. But they were right. At the moment, my mind simply wasn’t with them. It was with my dad, a city away. If things went well, he’d come home to a safer Easterton. If things didn’t, then I didn’t even know what I’d say to him.
When I returned to the convent, Dad was already gone. I couldn’t help checking his room just in case. And yeah. His work boots were gone, along with his keys and charger. It felt silly to want him here so badly. Late nights were nothing new with his job. I could just pretend that’s all this was. Just another late night, and I would definitely see him again in a couple of days.
I made my way into the church proper. I’d probably walked through these familiar rooms a thousand times, even if I hadn’t actually attended a service in the last year. There were the pews where the boys and I would organize the hymnals. If we did a good job, Father Gooding sometimes rewarded each of us with a crisp dollar. Absolute wealth if you were young enough. There was the door to the room where the knitting groups met, and next to it the choir room. The confession booths where the boys used to pretend they were jumping in and out of time machines until Gooding shooed them off. It had all seemed so grand when I was younger. Now I could see the discolored spots on the cushions in the pews and the chips in the wood.
I took a deep breath and turned down the hallway, knocking twice before I slipped into Gooding’s office.
The office was pretty much unchanged. Still cozy. Still packed with books on theology, philosophy, psychology, and mythology. And yet it felt different. This was where I’d received my first lessons from him. Years ago. There’d been fewer lines on his forehead. He’d caught me going through his books.
“The thing to remember, Bryn, is that the creatures you call the Fae aren’t native to these shores. They can be like an invasive species, the way a yellow jacket invades a beehive. We favor the ones who live in peace, but try to push back against the yellow jackets.”
Gooding glanced up from behind his desk, frowning at me.
“Is everything all right, Bryn? It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
I sank down into one of the chairs. “I need your help.”
“That takes me back.” Gooding laced his fingers together. “But, Bryn, your father forbade me to continue—”
“I know who took my mum.” I balled my hands into fists. And I told him everything I dared. “Dom, Jasika, and I have been working with one of the water wives to try and protect the town. And we know that the Unseelie are behind all of it. The fires, the fairies on Postoak, my mum.” I swallowed. “More than that. We know who their queen is, and we know she’s planning to attack the gym tomorrow.”
“That…” Gooding pinched the bridge of his nose. For a long moment, he looked as though he had a brain freeze before he straightened. “That is very forthcoming of you, Bryn. I take it you didn’t tell your father about this.”
I arched a brow.
Gooding’s jaw tightened. “And what, exactly, is your plan for tomorrow?”
“We’re going to ward up and protect the school. And be there with iron if any of them manage to get in. We have better odds than all the other people at the party.”
“So, you decide to tell me only when there are lives on the line and I can’t possibly say no.”
“It’s the best plan of attack.” I leaned forward onto his desk. “You’ll be here at the church social and you can keep an eye on anything coming out of the woods. Anything that gets past you and into the gym, we can stop.”
“And I expect you want me to keep the boys here, of all years, the first time they’re old enough to actually go to the Halloween Haunt.”
“It’s like you’re reading my mind.”
“Or I know the magical significance of twins. Tom and I never did think it was a coincidence that the Fae arrived after the boys were born.” He nodded to himself and crossed his arms.
My insides wriggled, but I schooled my face into a neutral expression. Better for him to think that. It wasn’t like the boys weren’t Mab’s backup plan, after all. And if he knew the whole truth, he’d never let me out of the convent.
“I expect you’ll need supplies for tomorrow,” Gooding said.
“Couldn’t hurt.”
“All right, then. You’ll have it. But when your father returns, you will tell him everything.”
Maybe everything would include a promise that we would never have to deal with the Fae again. Dad could ground me until graduation, and it would be worth it.
“I promise.”
“Then God bless you and keep you safe, Bryn.” Gooding leaned forward, resting a hand on mine. “After tomorrow, you’ll no longer be an apprentice.”
I glanced around his office. Every folklore book tucked cleverly out of easy view, every herb and tool hidden behind the cabinets, I’d already practiced with for years. I had killed a bendith and healed a man near death. Win or lose, I’d already fought the Unseelie queen. I hadn’t been an apprentice for a while now.
For some reason, the thought tugged like a fishing line at my heart. It felt like I was fighting against it as I rose and offered him a tight smile.
“Well. Wish me luck.”
Gooding smiled. “If you need it, you’ll have it.”