As soon as I opened the kitchen door, I heard voices coming from the office above. Fenris followed me through the dining room and up the stairs. We lingered in the hallway, blatantly listening to the Council’s discussion in progress.
“We need to know where the other two are,” Mr. Quill said. “Is Grace in contact with Paxton?”
“Not yet. Irene is, but she’s as unlikely to speak with us as Megan,” Adira said.
I frowned, trying to understand why they were talking about the furies.
“It’s unlikely any of them are going to come here,” Mrs. Quill said. “Megan is staying away because Eliana asked her to, fearing her mother’s hunger.”
“But for how long? You know as well as I do that those songs could still be a herald for Megan’s return. We’re missing Ashlyn. We haven’t started on the silly library she insisted on. And we’re still requiring the humans to assist in training our young while we come up with an alternative way for them to learn how to hunt. When Megan returns, she will not be happy.”
Megan would be interested to know that while Adira had heard Megan’s demands, she wasn’t yet serious enough about them to take action.
“It might not be triggered by Megan at all. Or any fury,” Raiden said, speaking for the first time. “There are other creatures out there capable of causing widespread death. The druid, Zayn, was killing some of the most powerful creatures known to us. For what purpose? What if these songs are related to that?”
“The songs and those previous deaths could be any number of unrelated things,” Mr. Quill agreed. “We could try to evacuate to another Mantirum location, but that could be what ultimately causes the deaths the banshees have foretold.”
The room fell silent for a long moment.
“The only way to know for certain is to visit the Oracle,” Mrs. Quill said softly.
“You know how dangerous that is. She twists her answers. And even if she spoke plainly, her price will be high. Higher than we might be willing to pay to spare a few lives.”
I glanced at Fenris in shock.
“A few?” Raiden sounded angry. “It was every banshee here, Adira. It won’t be a few lives, and you know it.”
“I believe we should check with the other Councils before we make a rash decision to speak with the Oracle. She should be our last resort.”
I shivered lightly, thinking of how Megan had faced a creature that not even Adira wanted to face.
Fenris wrapped an arm around me and guided me away from the door.
“Whatever’s going on, they’re not going to figure it out tonight from the sound of things,” he said when we reached my room. “Get some rest.”
Sleep was the last thing I thought I’d find once I closed myself in my room. Yet, after a warm shower, my bed called to me. Shuffling forward, I checked my windows to make sure they were locked then crawled under my covers.
Tired of the hectic, long days I’d been having, I closed my eyes and thought of my peaceful forest. My stomach rumbled ravenously, hungry for cake. I drifted off with a smile.
I opened my eyes and languidly stretched, well-rested from the uninterrupted night filled with cake dream after cake dream. The dreams had been so vivid I could still taste the sweetened lemons and spices that lingered in my mouth.
Smiling, I sat up and almost screamed.
Piepen hovered in the air, inches from my face. His tiny, bloodshot eyes peered at me.
“Morning, princess.” His slurred words made him sound like a squeaky cowboy.
My first thought, to tell him to go away, flew from my mind when he hiccupped and lifted a light-green cup to his lips. I took in his fully-clothed state and sniffed the air, not detecting even a hint of skunk scent.
“Are you drunk?”
“Yep. That’s what expectant fathers do.”
I frowned at him, plucked him from the air, and sat him on my raised knees.
“I already told you. I’m not pregnant.”
He groaned. “Dewy’s going to kill me. I never mentioned the baby I made with you. How am I ever going to support two? She’s right. I’m going to need to sell my wings.”
“Whoa. Hold on just a minute. You are not selling your wings. There are no babies, Piepen.”
He snorted, wiped at his eyes, and took another drink.
“Shows what you know. Dewy took a test. The gnat died the minute she peed on it.”
I wrinkled my nose.
“What does peeing on a gnat have to do with anything?”
“It’s how a brownie knows she’s pregnant. Madeline is the one who told me about it after I told her and Marshal I was moving in with Dewy permanently.” He wiped at his eyes again and sniffled. “I’m going to have to marry her. She’s insisting on it with the baby on the way. I just came to look at you one more time.” He started sniffling in earnest. “Goodbye, my sweet love.”
He zipped toward the window, hit the pane above the opening with an audible smack, and fell to the sill.
“Gods, Piepen. Are you okay?”
He sat up and shook his head, then cupped himself between the legs.
“Yep. No damage.”
I rolled my eyes and got out of bed.
“What are you drinking?”
“Fermented poppy milk. The strongest I could find.” He sniffled and tipped his cup back. Only this time, there was no long gulp. He peered sadly at the empty container before throwing it out the window and sobbing uncontrollably.
“Don’t you want to marry Dewy?” I asked.
“After witnessing the nectar of your love petals, I thought having a woman would be more physical and less ‘stop-touching-me.’ I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being the only one to enjoy the pleasures of my flesh.”
I stared at him, trying not to make the grossed-out face I wanted to make and feeling a surge of pity for his Dewy. I could only imagine how much touching Piepen wanted to do after my short time with him.
“Brownies are very amorous creatures. Maybe Dewy isn’t the right one for you.”
“It’s too late for that now, Eliana. She’s pregnant. I’m not going to turn my back on her, no matter how much you beg me to stay.” He looked at me hopefully.
“I’m not suggesting you stay with me. I’m suggesting you find another girl. If Dewy is as uninterested in touching you as you say, she probably doesn’t want to marry you either.”
He perked up a little.
“Talk to her about it. Maybe I’m right. But no matter what you decide to do with your relationship, don’t sell your wings, Piepen. You’ll regret it every day of your life.”
He nodded and flitted into the air.
“You’re right. Without them, I’d never see you again.”
I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t need to see me at all, even with his wings, but he flew out before I could make a sound.
Shaking my head, I went to check my phone. My steps slowed on my way to the closet as I scrolled through my texts.
Council: The Council expresses its gratitude to the banshees for warning the residents of Uttira of a potentially disastrous situation. The Council is vigilantly working with other Mantirum towns to prepare for whatever may lie ahead and asks all residents to resume their activities with caution and awareness of the banshee warning. Should any resident learn of any additional information they feel pertains to the warning, please notify the Council immediately. Thank you.