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One

“ Y ou can do this,” Ruby consoled herself as she looked up at the forest on the edge of town. “It’s a simple spell. Everything that comes next…”

She trailed off, gripping her ritual dagger tightly. She had been trying not to think about what happened after she opened that portal to the Bygone’s void. It was much easier to think about the town behind her.

“Everything that happens next is for Sweetsguard,” she reminded herself.

She took a step toward the forest.

A voice rang out behind her, loud and annoying.

“Don’t pretend you’re doing this for us,” called Glenda Rivershore, standing at her clothesline with a washing basket perched on her wide hip. “You want to get yourself killed for your own dumb glory, you go right ahead. But don’t pretend you’re being noble .”

Ruby pocketed her dagger and turned. “I’m just trying to renew the ward, Glenda. Somebody has to.”

“And our local witch is rushing to the rescue,” Glenda drawled, snapping a sheet with such force it hurt Ruby’s ears.

“You know what’s going to happen when you step into a Skullstalker’s void, let alone into You-Know-Who’s void?

That bony bastard is going to eat you. Or, at the very least, steal you away like he does to any traveler dumb enough to step off the path in those woods! ”

Ruby desperately wanted to tell her that if she got eaten, at least she wouldn’t have to put up with Glenda’s constant insults.

Or the townsfolk turning their noses up at her for living alone at the edge of town, studying magic, and praying to Paimon, the goat deity who protected the town.

Witches were revered, to be sure. But they weren’t smiled at on market day.

“Somebody has to risk it,” she reminded Glenda. “Paimon has stopped answering. We need someone to renew his ward.”

Glenda snorted, shuffling a sheet onto the line. “You mean your beloved magic is dying, and you’re terrified of being just like us regular folk. I know witches, little girl. They all think they’re so much better than us. So, if you want to go and give yourself to that thing, go right ahead.”

Her door slammed open. Three children spilled out, chasing each other and singing a song Ruby herself had sung when she was young: “Keep to the light and be wary, keep to the map and don’t stray.

Keep to the path and hurry along, or the Bygone will steal you away.

Into his void of darkness deep, to wander and cry and never sleep ? —”

“Children,” Glenda snapped. “Don’t say You-Know-Who’s name out loud! And wave goodbye to the witch. We’ll have to get a new one after this.”

“Bye, witch,” the children chorused.

Ruby sighed and waved at them as they ran toward the middle of town.

She had been born in Sweetsguard, and one day, she would like to be buried here.

But there were times when she wondered if there wasn’t somewhere that appreciated her talents as a witch instead of using her services and leaving with a suspicious huff.

Not that it mattered now. There was no place like that where she was headed—only darkness and danger and, hopefully, a solution. If the ward failed, demons would pour into their town and devour everything in their path.

Ruby wasn’t about to let that happen, even if nobody thanked her for fixing it.

“If I don’t come back,” she called to Glenda, “You will have to send for a new witch.”

“Yes, yes.” Glenda waved her peg basket at her. “Away with you.”

Ruby sighed and paused for one last look.

If she squinted, she could see the town square, washed with morning light: bakers placing bread in windows, milkmaids lugging milk pails, stall owners setting up their wares.

Everybody called good morning as they passed, full of cheer they never shared with her.

Even so, she was full of fondness for it.

The ramshackle stores had never looked so beautiful, and the children’s laughter had never sounded so sweet.

And in the middle of it all, Paimon’s ward. The great big slab had been set up so many generations ago that the origin was lost to time. But for all that time, it had been glossy and strong, the magic so vivid she could feel it thrumming when she placed her hand on it.

Not anymore. The goat horn rune was fading. The stone was drying and chipping. Soon, it would crack entirely—unless Ruby found someone to renew it. And if Paimon wasn’t answering, she would have to seek help elsewhere.

Even if it meant venturing into Skullstalker voids. Into the Bygone’s void, where wandering souls never found peace. And offering herself up to be eaten.

Skullstalkers were well known for eating humans, after all. It would be preferable to the fate the stories promised: endless wandering through the dark.

Ruby shuddered and took her first step into the woods.

“Hope You-Know-Who eats you fast,” Glenda called.

It was possibly the nicest thing Glenda had ever said to her.

“Thanks,” Ruby called back grudgingly.

She tightened her cloak. Then she stepped forward and let the woods swallow her up.

Forests were supposed to be full of birdsong and animals chittering. Silence meant you had stumbled somewhere the veil was thin. If you were unlucky, you would wander into a void—the dimensions bordering the mortal realm, filled with demons and spirits and, worst of all, Skullstalkers.

Skullstalkers like the Bygone.

Ruby slid her dagger out of her pocket. It was well-kept and shiny, just like it had been when the last witch of Sweetsguard had given it to her. Ruby polished it every morning before breakfast.

“Okay,” she murmured, pressing the dagger tip against her palm. “Let’s begin. Paimon, protect me.”

It was probably useless to evoke his name now. But she had been a devoted follower of the local goat deity her whole life. Despite his silence and her fading magic, she couldn’t stop hoping he still heard her.

She sliced a red thatch through her lifeline.

“ Open the way, ” she whispered, her voice vibrating through the trees in an otherworldly echo. “ Charter me to the Skullstalker void of lost souls, where all wander endlessly. Show me the Bygone .”

Her magic was weak. A small, thin circle appeared in the air, slow and struggling. It was already trying to close and hadn’t even opened properly.

“Come on,” she gritted. “ Please .”

She reached out. Her bloody palm touched the circle.

Blue light exploded through the forest. Ruby stumbled back with a gasp. Blue light glimmered in her hair before fading, leaving only the sparks thrown by the wheeling circle in front of her.

For a moment, it had almost been like when Paimon was around. No, that wasn’t right—for a moment, she’d felt more power than Paimon ever gave her. But that feeling was fading, and time was running out.

Ruby braced herself. She couldn’t see the horrors that waited, but she could see darkness: heavy and swarming. Black tendrils reached out of the portal to brush her cheek.

She shivered. Then she stepped into the dark.

The forest vanished, and the burning blue portal vanished with it. For a second, there was only darkness. It was light and airy, trailing over her skin and snaking around her neck.

Ruby let out a terrified noise. She was going to get eaten before she even got to talk to the Bygone!

Then, the darkness relented. Ruby opened her eyes.

She was standing in the middle of a shrouded forest. Skeletal trees protruded from the earth, shadows dripping off the leaves.

Ruby shuddered. It looked like an enchanted forest from a fairy tale—one you were never supposed to enter.

There were no doomed souls. Ruby had been expecting at least a few. All the stories involved damned souls who had been wandering so long they forgot who they were.

Something barked beside her. Ruby startled, swinging her knife toward the sound.

“Don’t eat me yet,” she yelled. Then she stopped.

A dog spirit sat contentedly among the shadowy leaves. It was large and shabby and mostly transparent, its big tail wagging as it cocked its head at her. If it was corporeal, its fur would probably be snow-white.

“Oh,” Ruby said, sagging with relief. She held out a hand cautiously, trying to remember any warnings about dog spirits. But the dog didn’t look like a secret demon. It trotted up to her and licked her hand.

Ruby laughed, amazed. Its tongue felt like the lightest feather against her palm.

“And hello to you too,” she said warmly. “Don’t tell me he stole you . My day’s already going terribly; I couldn’t stand adding another tragedy on top of it.”

The dog woofed quietly, its tail thumping harder.

Ruby watched its happy stature. The forest surrounding them seemed like a miserable place for a spirit to spend its time, but it seemed content enough.

“Well,” she said, scratching its ghostly scruff. “You seem okay. Even if you did get?—”

A low, dangerous voice spoke up behind her.

“I warned you what would happen if you woke me again,” it growled.

Cold fear trickled down Ruby’s spine. There was an otherworldly quality behind the words, not unlike when she had been reciting the portal spell. There was no one else it could belong to except…

She turned, clutching her dagger tightly to her chest as she came face to face with the Bygone.

The Skullstalker was so tall he blotted out the meager evening light.

He was dressed in nothing but a dark loincloth, and his skin was an unnatural shade of blue, except for his arms, which swarmed with darkness down to his fingertips.

His black hands were tipped with sharp claws, and a black panther tail lashed behind him.

A skull mask covered the top half of his face.

White ram horns curled out the top of it.

Shadows leaked out from behind the mask, betraying its monstrous nature.

The skull’s eye sockets were huge, exposing giant, gleaming black eyes with specks of blue shimmering in the middle, fixed on her with an intensity that made her think of a wolf eyeing his prey.

“You are not the dog spirit,” the Bygone continued, his voice full of scraping rocks.

Ruby shuddered. She always hoped she would die an old woman in bed. She didn’t think she would have to look her death in the face.

“Mortal,” he said, his fangs glinting. “Why do you disturb my slumber?”

Ruby wet her lips. Her throat was suddenly bone-dry.

“I,” she said. “I didn’t mean…”

Her gaze fell on something behind him. At first, she thought it was just a mass of sticks. Then she squinted and noticed the fur lining the sides, shadowy feathers tucked in between the twigs.

A nest, Ruby realized with a shudder. I woke a Skullstalker from its nest.

It was the first thing she had learned when the previous witch trained her on dealing with wild animals. Never approach their nest. And never— ever —wake them. Not that a Skullstalker was an animal. Ruby would take any wolf or lion or even a rabid basilisk over a Skullstalker.

“I’m sorry,” she said, stumbling over her words. “If you just… give me a second to explain…”

The Bygone cocked its head. Sizing up its prey, Ruby thought in a panic.

She checked behind her to make sure the dog spirit was safe and sagged with relief when she saw nothing but the forest. It was now or never.

She brought her dagger to her palm, slashing a second cut over her lifeline. The cuts formed a cross, one of the last things the previous witch of Sweetsguard had taught her before she passed.

Crosses are for binding, the witch had said. I pray you never need this spell. But if you do… cast with all your heart.

That was one thing Ruby was always good at. She was incapable of doing anything without putting her whole heart into it. She hoped it would work in her favor today.

“ Chain us until it is fulfilled, ” she rasped.

The cross on her hand glowed. Slick chains rushed from the wound, circling them both before vanishing in a shower of pink mist.

The Bygone raised a hand to examine her blood on his fingers No, not his fingers—his claws, Ruby realized with mounting fear. For all he stood on two legs and spoke the mortal tongue, he was still a beast.

“You bound me,” said the Bygone, surprised.

“I bound us ,” she corrected. She lifted her chin, hoping he didn’t notice how hard she was shaking.

She was a powerful witch, but she had never traveled far from her small town.

She felt nowhere near prepared to face a Skullstalker, especially the one that was evoked when you wanted your children to behave.

“You can do…” Ruby shivered. “Whatever you wish with me. But first, you must grant me a boon.”

He cocked his head at her again. Less prey this time, more curiosity. He looked almost bored, like he would rather be back in his nest.

“Alright, little witch,” he said, his voice dangerously soft. “What do you wish of me? Power? Riches?”

“The protection ward in my town is failing,” Ruby blurted. “Our local deity, Paimon… he isn’t answering, and time is running out. We need someone to renew the ward.”

The Bygone blinked. His black eyes were so much larger than a human’s. Every time Ruby looked at them, they seemed to get bigger.

“Paimon,” the Bygone repeated. “Hmm.”

He looked away, his hand curling at his side. For a moment, his claws retracted, and Ruby startled. She didn’t know he could do that.

Then the Bygone cracked its neck and looked at her again. “I will do this.”

“Thank you,” Ruby breathed. Relief and horror surged through her all at once. The deal was sealed, and she could feel the magic knitting the promise into existence. There was only one thing left to do.

“I’m ready,” she declared.

She closed her eyes and waited. Shadows drifted up from rotting leaves and curled sickeningly around her ankles. Strange, unfamiliar birdsong trilled in the distance. If she had to die in this awful place, she hoped it would be quick.

Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

The Bygone spoke up, faintly amused. “Tell me, mortal. What do you think I plan to do to you?”

Ruby opened her eyes and stifled a shriek.

He was looming over her. Shadows crept out from under his mask, brushing her cheek. They weren’t cold like she expected. But they weren’t warm either. They felt like… nothing. Little strips of nothing curling over her cheek.

The Bygone’s jaw dropped open. A devastatingly long, pink tongue dripped out of his mouth and trailed along her neck.

Ruby drew in a ragged breath. But before she could scream, his tongue slipped back into his mouth.

“Mortal,” he rumbled. “I asked you a question.”

Ruby flinched. “You’re… you’re going to eat me?”

The Bygone hummed again like he had been thinking about it. But before Ruby could brace herself, the shadows retreated behind his mask.

He turned away.

“Little witch,” he commanded, not bothering to glance back as he stalked through the shadowy trees. “Follow me.”