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Luc only smiled. Then he pulled out a tiny piece of human-world bread from his pocket and flicked it at Shayne. It hit Shayne’s stomach and fell to the ground.

Shayne grunted. “You’ll have to try harder than that to poison me,” he said. He turned to Mycra. “I’d like a word,” he repeated without missing a beat. “Now, dreamslipper.”

Mycra’s expression changed when he called her that. He was the best at nicknames, and that last one held implications he was sure she’d pick up on.

Sure enough, Mycra swallowed and nodded. She headed into the trees and broke into a jog. Shayne followed, keeping a few paces behind. Once they were far enough away that Dranian’s and Luc’s fairy ears wouldn’t pick up their whispers, Mycra slowed to a stop and turned to face him.

“What exactly did you tell my family?” Shayne asked immediately. “Actually, what did you tell my brothers, specifically? And does my father know about the humans, too?”

“I told them only what you dreamt about,” she said. “Dreamslipping is a complex art and originally, I wasn’t told to investigate. I was only told to send you nightmares that would drive you home. But you fought against me by pulling your happiest thoughts into your slumber. Most often you dreamt about…” She glanced back toward the way they came.

Shayne shook his head. “I know what I fought back with,” he said, stepping toward her and grabbing his hair. “You told them about that?”

“I just told them about the humans and your feelings toward them. And I told them about the other fairies I saw—the North Prince, and the Shadow Fairy. But I never told them about Dranian. As soon as I realized he was still with you after all these years, I stopped telling them anything.” Mycra bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry, Shayne. It was my job. I didn’t know we’d become allies. Honestly, I thought if you ever returned to the House, you’d try to kill me.”

Shayne paced in a circle. “You should have warned me the first day we met. I had no idea.” He pointed back toward the clearing. “How much do they know abouther?”

Mycra swallowed. “They know you need her,” she admitted. “They know that if they can get her, they’ll control you.”

Shayne’s exasperated groan echoed through the woods. “Don’t you understand the position you’ve put me in?! Simply killing off Jethwire and Massie isn’t an option anymore! If they’re gone, my father will only be more desperate to get me to return for the chair as his last living inheritor. So I can’t leave them alive or they’ll go after my humans, but I can’t kill them either!”

Mycra nodded and clasped her hands together. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Shayne squatted and grabbed his head. “I’m going to have to go back to the House,” he realized. His heart felt like it had turned to faestone, sinking deeper and deeper into the pit of him. “I’ll never return to the café, will I? I’ll become the next Lyro High Lord. I’ll be trapped in that seat forever.”

He’d saved Mycra Sentorious. He showed her mercy after she’d haunted him. And when he realized how Dranian felt about her, he was glad he did it. But she hadn’t told him the greatest danger of all. Shayne had to find out this way; from a paper crane.

When Shayne found it within himself to look up at Mycra again, he saw a large tear sailing down her cheek and something broke within him. He closed his eyes, grappling every loose thought and reeling them all back in. “I’m sorry, too. This isn’t your fault.” He stood. “This is my family. You were their prisoner, like me.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” she said. “I sold you out to them. I’ll help you fight them if I must. I’ll do whatever it takes to free you from their grasp.”

Shayne cast her a weak smile. “You’re afraid of them. Admit it.”

Mycra closed her mouth. It was answer enough.

He looked down at the mossy rocks beneath his feet. “You’ll go back to the human realm with Dranian and Lily. You’ll keepmyDranian safe. You’ll be there for him when I can’t,” he said. His throat grew thick. “And if I ever hear of you hurting him, with your dream powers or in any other way, I’ll…” He shook his head, feeling too uncreative to be clever.

Mycra’s face changed, her eyes turning sharp. “You’ll what?” She waited. “You’ll haunt me?” she guessed. “Will you torment me, Shayne Lyro? Will you make me go mad?” She took a threatening step toward him. “Because those are all things I could do to you. You might know Dranian now, but I’ve known him longer. I’m his fairy guard.”

Shayne folded his arms as he listened. He didn’t spot any lies in her tone, but she was an actress; he’d seen it. “I still know very little about you,” he pointed out. “And what sort of fairy guard abandons such a vulnerable fairy? Where were you when he suffered in my House? Where were you when he shook and trembled beneath the weight of his fears all these years? Where were you when his arm was taken?”

Mycra fell back a step like she’d been slapped. Her mouth hung open.

A cluster of blossom bugs floated by, spiralling in the breeze. Shayne watched one land on her cheek, but she didn’t seem to feel it.

After a moment, Mycra cleared her throat. Then she said, “I’ll be his lost arm. I’ll be his strength and his weapon. He doesn’t need his arm when he has me.”

Shayne squinted as he thought that over. He knew he’d taken it too far with his comments, but he needed to know for sure she was going to stand by his friend. Finally, he nodded.

“And I’ll find the fairy who took his arm,” she went on, “and I’ll destroy the culprit from the inside out.” She vowed it with all the ferocity of a scorned beast.

A slow smile spread across Shayne’s face. He couldn’t have orchestrated that better if he’d tried.

“Perfect. You pass,” he said. He held up a hand in the direction of the others as if to allow her to go first. “Let me know if you need any help finding the culprit. I’m happy to point you in the right direction.”

As he followed Mycra back to the others, Shayne went over the words of the note sitting heavy in his pocket. The terrible decision he had to make hung before him like a black cloud.

And he only had three days left to make it.