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“You told me it was dangerous to be like the Rogue”—he rubbed his eyes—“but I didn’t listen. I never listen.”

Grace’s heart ached for her brother. “Shh,” she whispered.

“But I won’t give up. I can’t, Grace. I have to help him.”

“I know I told you we couldn’t fight. And there are still times to be careful, but right now, I’m with you. Some things are worth the risk.”

Russell broke into tears again and rushed into Grace’s arms. “Thank you, Grace.”

Grace gasped in surprise, returning the embrace, only allowing herself to release a few tears because her face nestled in Russell’s shoulder where he couldn’t see.

She had spent so much time bitter against Russell for his childish nature, for not taking the dangers seriously. But in this moment, when he was coming to understand the seriousness of the situation they were in, she wished for all she was worth that he could return to not knowing the pain. Perhaps her parents hadn’t begun training him yet because they couldn’t bear to see his boyish antics wilt.

Grace sniffed and forced back more tears as she pulled away from Russell. She quickly wiped at her face before he could see them.

“Come on. We have work to do.”

Russell nodded and adopted a very determined expression Grace recognized as Father’s thinking face.

They carried on and made it to the Stantons’ in the next minute.

Before Grace knocked on the their door, she heard the sobbing. She made the knock loud, hoping it would be heard, but in the end, she simply opened the door and called in.

“Mr. and Mrs. Stanton? Lizzy? Can we come in?”

Lizzy scurried over and opened the door the rest of the way. “Grace!” She threw her arms around Grace. “I’m so glad you’re here. Mother’s inconsolable.” Grace squeezed her friend, then straightened.

“Right, then. Let’s change that.”

Mrs. Stanton was reclining on a couch, Mr. Stanton was in a chair at the edge of the room, and Jesse was nowhere to be seen.

Grace was ready to walk over to Mrs. Stanton and tell her it was time to get to work and leave the tears for later. But Russell had already made his way over to the woman.

“Mrs. Stanton,” he said. Then louder. “Mrs. Stanton.”

Lizzy’s mother looked up at Russell with watery eyes.

“What do you want? You convinced my sons to participate in that terrible challenge. And now Cyrus… he’s…” She hiccuped.

Grace nearly marched over to tell the woman off, but Russell said, “I can fix this.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “You’re just a child.” Mrs. Stanton was getting less teary. Though her attitude boiled Grace’s blood, the anger the woman felt toward Russell seemed to evaporate her waterworks.

Russell stood taller. “I’m the same age as Cyrus. If I got him into trouble, I can get him out.”

“And just how will you do that?”

Russell looked over his shoulder at Grace. She strode forward to stand beside him.

“It’s quite simple, actually. We need to know where Cyrus was when the Rogue appeared so we can show he couldn’t have been in two places at once.”

Lizzy joined them. “We don’t know when the Rogue showed up. No one saw him destroying Willa’s home. And I know he was at the fields a couple times, but we don’t work in the fields.”

“He came to the harvest celebration, broke into the Lerouxs’ at twilight, ” Grace said, “and he came again three days ago.”

“That means, during the break-in, my sons were with me. I met with Sawyer Dahl to discuss how much we expect wood will go for on the next market day. And the night of the harvest celebration, we were all here.” Mr. Stanton’s deep, gruff voice caught Grace by surprise. “But I have no clue what Cyrus was doing three days ago,” he said.

Mrs. Stanton burst into tears again.