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  “Alright, alright,” Rifter said, ushering the rest of them away. “Give the lady some privacy.”

  The others scuttled off but Wren met Rifter in the doorway where he lingered, smiling because he had managed to keep this secret from her.

  “Did you tell them to do this?” she asked.

  He shrugged as if it was nothing. “It seemed only right that you have your own room. I just had them set it up.”

  “I really appreciate it,” she said earnestly, and she was surprised when she saw that he averted his eyes a little. Had she embarrassed him? She felt more confident, as if she had trumped him. She put on a teasing smile.

  “You know, I think all the others gave me something, but you didn’t.”

  “I’m giving you your brothers. Isn’t that enough?”

  She nodded, agreeing that it was the best thing he could have given her. If she had to pluck a thousand birds and skin a million rabbits, she wasn’t sure she could ever pay him back for that. She wanted to thank him again, but couldn’t seem to get the words out. She could only hope that her gratitude was shining out through her eyes.

  “Goodnight, Wren,” he said as he backed out of the room, leaving her to herself.

  Wren was left with gladness in her heart and butterflies in her stomach. Putting the day aside, the night had been wonderful. She was still seeing the glowing lights of the wisps floating around before her eyes, imagining Rifter’s closeness…

  She lay down on the hanging bed and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. Things were finally starting to look up. Her time in Nevermor so far had been questionable, but it was getting better. She had been accepted and given a place among them. The time she’d spent with Rifter had been a thrill, leaving her with all sorts of good feelings, and on top of that, he had agreed to bring her brothers here.

  Perhaps for the first time in years, things were finally going well.

  Everything is going to work out now, she thought with contentment as she closed her eyes. Everything is going to be fine.

  2

  Rifter went back to the den, smiling to himself. He found that it was satisfying to make the girl happy. Her smile was a compliment that was nearly matched with the way he loved to be praised for his feats. This was a surprising – but not unwelcome – revelation.

  He was not quite sure about what he had promised concerning her brothers. When he had gone after her in the beginning, he had looked at every one of those children at the orphanage. They were all too young, so thin and weak-looking. She was the only one who had found Nevermor, therefore she was the only one who was worthy to be chosen. He couldn't take in every stray that crossed him, but he'd made an exception in her case.

  She had been so pretty laying there. She was even lovelier up close.

  When he reached the den, the Pack was already lounging about, but looked up when he came in.

  “Aren’t you impressed with us?” Finn asked. “We put that together pretty fast. Are we amazing or what?”

  “You’re an amazing pain in the ass,” Rifter said jokingly. “Don’t have such a big head.”

  He smiled in his own amusement and moved toward Whisper’s loft. She hadn’t come out to see him when he had gotten back, hiding in her bed and sulking over how he had sent her away before. He’d known she was weak, even if she wouldn't admit it. She needed to rest, whether she wanted to or not.

  "I'm back, you know," he told her. “You could at least acknowledge me.”

  She told him to piss off. He thought that was funny. Behind him, the boys were still going on about the room they'd assembled.

  “Well, Wren seemed impressed, even if you aren’t,” Finn taunted, leaning back in a hammock that he had strung up between two corners.

  “I think Wren was most pleased with me for it,” Mech said confidently, putting his feet up on the table.

  “She was not,” his brother protested, shoving him.

  “Of course she was! Did you see how she hugged me?”

  “She hugged all of us, you dolt,” Sly rebuked, rolling his eyes.

  “Yes, but she hugged me longest,” Mech continued to insist with a mischievous smile. “Don’t deny. You all saw it!”

  “She was very warm,” Finn commented suggestively.

  “And smelled very good,” Toss added. They were surprised that he had anything to say about it, and at that, they all kicked up a fuss to tease him for his crush on the girl, even though they were all doing the same.

  Rifter had heard them all going on about it, and he couldn’t say exactly why, but their comments annoyed him to the point that he wanted to jerk each one of them up and kick them across the room. He had seen the girl hug them, and she had hugged him earlier as well, but that had been different, hadn’t it? Her thanks toward him was more important. He insisted on believing that.

  “I don’t want to hear you talk about her like that again,” he told them. He didn’t have to raise his voice or get angry. He only had to say it once and he expected it to sink in.

  “We were just goofing off, Rifter,” Finn apologized as they all grew quiet, but Rifter was done. He didn’t have to harbor bad feelings toward it because he expected his word to be law. He changed the subject.

  “So, Nix didn’t help you. I guess he’s off sulking somewhere.”

  “He took the watch so he wouldn’t have to help with the room,” Sly said. “Typical.”

  Rifter took this as insubordination – a willing act of rebellion – but it wasn’t worth fighting over. Wren was here and she was going to stay. Nix didn’t have to like it, but he had to accept it.

  “I’m going to go see what he’s up to,” Rifter told them. They didn’t say anything to that, and once he had observed their silence, he turned to Whisper.

  “You sure are sick all of a sudden,” he said suspiciously. “I thought you were feeling fine earlier.”

  “Go away, you ass!” she hissed. “I don’t feel well!”

  He didn’t read anything into that. He was used to her cursing at him, most of which she’d learned from him in the first place, and he knew she needed rest. He left her alone.

  Rifter went out into the night, taking to the air for silent passage. He looked for Nix, first checking some of the perches where the boys often kept watch, and yet no one was there. Rifter did not give up, however. He picked up on the boy’s trail, and he had taken himself nearly to the far beach when he finally caught sight of his brother.

  Nix was hunkered down in the bushes, clearly stalking something. Rifter had meant to test him out – to see if he was still fuming over Wren, but he could tell just by looking at Nix that this would have to wait.

  Rifter slipped up beside him without a sound, but tapped the other twice on the shoulder, as they had practiced to identify themselves to each other. Nix jumped a bit at the first touch, but he quickly recognized the sign. Silently, he glanced at Rifter and then pointed off toward the beach. There, Rifter caught sight of what Nix was watching so intently.

  A few dark figures were moving about on the sand, oblivious to the fact they were being watched. Rifter was quickly able to recognize them for what they were, even though he couldn't tell much more about them beyond their gait.

  More pirates. Why? Were these looking for the men that Rifter had killed the night before? It wasn't too likely. Men like this were rarely sentimental. So what were they after?

  “They must have come around from Bleed Neck Bay,” Nix whispered. “I was waiting to see what they’d do.”

  Bleed Neck was a pirate harbor not too far around the bend. The Pack kept an eye on it as they did the beach, but not much had been stirring in the settlement lately. The grounded seamen spent most of their days in a drunken haze – not much of a threat to anyone except each other. A sailor without a ship was not worth much.

  The pirates were talking to each other, and while an occasional loud word would hit the air, the boys could not make out what they were saying. Perhaps it didn’t matter. Rifter and Nix alrea
dy knew what had to be done.

  “They’ve come too close,” Nix said. “We have to get rid of them.”

  Rifter agreed. He didn’t like anyone getting this close to his territory, whether or not they even knew it. He couldn’t risk letting any of them stumble upon their home. He’d worked too hard to keep it a secret.

  “You’re right,” Rifter said, though he wondered how best to go about it – until an idea struck him. “How about a little contest?”

  Nix looked at him firmly, but then an eager smile rose up at the corners of his mouth.

  “What do you propose?”

  “The one who slays the greater number wins, but we have to do it as quietly as possible.”

  “Perhaps you haven’t gone soft after all,” Nix commented approvingly. “Alright, you’re on – but one stipulation. No flying.”

  “No ranged weapons then,” Rifter returned.

  “Deal.”

  They didn’t have to shake on it, for their word was good enough when it came down to a bet. The two split up without even having to discuss it, moving in opposite directions to creep silently through the trees along the edge. Rifter could have been much faster and quieter if he’d been allowed to fly, but he kept true to his word and made his feet stay on the ground.

  As he moved closer, he could see that the men had noticed the blood on the sand from the night before, even though the waves had pulled the bodies into the surf. It was common for the boys to travel across the island and kill pirates wherever they found them, so these likely did not assume that they were so close to the Pack’s den, but Rifter wouldn’t take chances.

  By the time he was closing in on the nearest one, Nix had already snapped the first neck.

  Nix drew his sword after that – which he didn’t quite prefer to his bow or gun, but those were the rules they had made. Rifter, on the other hand, loved the closeness of the blade. It was more personal. He’d never seen much use for guns and arrows, but he was quick enough that he didn’t need to leave space between himself and his adversary. This time, however, he would have to stay on his feet.

  Still, it will be easy.

  The pirates were aware of them now. Even though the boys were merely dark shadows in the night, it was evident to the men that they were under attack.

  “Look out! They’re here!” They called out to warn each other, and Rifter found that amusing. These men, gangly and thin – and old – didn’t stand much of a chance against them.

  Rifter saw a flash as gunpowder ignited and a loud shot rang out. He tried to remember not to leap into the air, but ran toward the man once his shot was spent. His sword slid between the pirate’s ribs and pierced his heart. Rifter didn’t stop for him – he didn’t flinch at killing a man. He kicked the corpse off his sword and went for the next.

  These men… Rifter had never been able to figure out why there were so many of them on the island. Hadn’t he killed enough of them by now to have wiped them out? Yet there always seemed to be a few, drifting back in like the nightmares that washed up from the sea.

  Why? He’d vowed a long time ago to stop asking himself that. He would fight them as he had to and he would kill them when he saw them. That was all that needed to concern him.

  Together, he and Nix finished them off. Neither of them broke their agreement, but there had never been much doubt that either would be able to perform, even with a handicap. It didn’t take long before the beach was secure and quiet once again.

  Nix took stock of the outcome while searching the bodies for any weapons or articles he might like to take.

  “Well, I got four and I think you did too,” he said, drawing four lines of blood on his cheek. “Looks like it’s a tie.”

  Rifter heard Nix say this, but he didn’t respond. As he stared down at the last man he had killed, he found that he couldn’t get away from wondering why they had been here. Perhaps he should have taken the time to threaten one of them before he’d wiped them all out. He wasn’t used to dwelling on things, but this wouldn’t leave him now. Why was he being so mindful all of a sudden?

  “Might have been nice to know what they were doing,” Nix said, observing his silence, reading him well.

  “That’s the second group of pirates that have been snooping around in so many nights. I killed a few last night too.”

  Nix looked at him sharply. This was news to him.

  “You didn’t mention more,” he said pointedly.

  “I took care of it,” Rifter said, but that wasn’t quite good enough for Nix.

  “You should have said something.”

  “I didn’t think it was an issue,” he said firmly, “but now it seems a little bigger than that. They’re stirring for some reason.”

  Nix considered it. “You think he’s back?”

  “No,” Rifter said, and he was as sure of that as he was that his sword was sharp. “If he was back, I’d know.”

  Nix nodded, believing that. “Well maybe the island is changing again,” he suggested. “You know that makes everyone uneasy. Probably because you brought the girl here.”

  Rifter didn’t respond to that immediately, staring out over the water as Nix watched him. Nix was trying to get a rise out of him, but Rifter didn’t know what he was looking for. Rifter had already warned him, drawn his blood over it. What more was there? Maybe Nix was trying to push him, to see how far he was willing to go just to defend his laws.

  Rifter’s first instinct was to reach for his weapon again, but he managed to thwart himself with a deep breath.

  “Do you have more to say about it than what you already have?” Rifter asked him pointedly.

  At that, Nix laughed – a short chuckle. “I guess that’s up to you.”

  Rifter didn’t know what that was supposed to mean, but he did know that Nix wasn’t going to see his side, no matter what.

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he said. “She’s here, and she stays. It’s done.”

  Nix didn’t say anything to that, and Rifter was content to think he had relented. They stood there, side by side, both staring out over the water. It was peaceful like this. It didn’t last long.

  “Do you remember the last time you fought him?” Nix asked suddenly. He didn’t have to specify who he was speaking of. Rifter knew it well enough.

  “Yes,” Rifter said. It hadn’t been so long ago.

  “Do you?”

  Rifter looked over at him, wondering what Nix was hoping to prove. Did he have to insist that he remembered what had happened? He had successfully driven his enemy away from the island. The man was gone, so why was Nix bringing it up?

  “Of course I remember,” Rifter assured him.

  “Hm,” Nix hummed thoughtfully. “Then you should know what my problem is.”

  Nix stared at him boldly, and Rifter had to interpret that the only way he knew how.

  “Drop it,” he said solidly. “We don’t speak of the fallen.”

  He could tell just by the expression on his brother’s face that Nix was irritated by that. Something between them had been lost. Maybe it was because of Wren, or perhaps something else. He couldn’t say, but Nix had drifted, and it would take more than a few words and promises to get him back.

  “If you say so,” he said finally, but the words were empty. Rifter couldn’t do anything else with that, so he gave up.

  “Come on; let’s leave a warning,” he said instead. “I don’t want more pirates coming around here.”

  Nix agreed, and the two of them worked to put a few of the men’s heads on poles that they’d salvaged from some wreckage on the beach. Any others who came this way would know that the Pack had been here – they had done this. They didn’t bother to dispose of the fuller parts of the bodies. Something would come along and devour them eventually.

  The two didn’t say anything else to each other as they worked, or even after they had left the beach to head back to the den. In the underground, they went their separate ways at the fork and both retre
ated to their rooms, each supposing that the other would forget it by tomorrow.

  3

  Deep in the night, while all the rest were asleep, a small glowing orb drifted slowly through the hideaway. The fairy wisp kept her thoughts to herself as she floated through, observing. She hovered over the faces of the ones sleeping throughout, to be sure that they were truly oblivious, but if they flinched at her light, she would whisper a blessing over them so that they would not wake up.

  She did not do this to Rifter – never to him unless he asked.

  Feeling satisfied that she would not be disturbed, Whisper went into the last room, hovering over the one sleeping on the circular bed. Wren was resting peacefully, just like the rest of them, and she was unaware in this moment that the tiny wisp was plotting her demise.

  This golden-haired girl had been a clever one. She’d found her way here even though Whisper had tried very hard to shake her when they’d been flying over the sea. The pixie always tried to avoid drawing girls to the island, but this one had been persistent, and had found her way here on her own.

  It was true that Whisper’s emotions were based on what Rifter could experience, but she hadn’t known she could have so much pure hatred within herself until she had seen Rifter talking to this girl. Since he was not going to be strong enough to turn away, the wisp had decided to take matters into her own hands.

  She had sought out the girl where she lived at the orphanage. Rifter had instructed her to locate the dreamer in the other world so that he might observe her for himself before bringing her here. Wisp had pretended not to find her in the beginning, but Rifter had seen through that. The fairy had followed this Wren around for a whole day, waiting for an accident to present itself, and yet even that had been thwarted. If only the girl had fallen into that machine, Rifter would never have even thought about her again! The girl had some kind of dumb luck. Now the worst had happened, and Rifter had insisted on bringing her here.