Silence hung over Faith and Westby. It seemed to stretch on into eternity. Kindra didn’t move, staring into the shadows of the foyer ceiling. Pierce came down the stairs slowly, stopping next to Faith. He avoided looking at Kindra.

Westby stood. “Whoever was in the house before must have come back.”

Pierce nodded stiffly. “They must have killed her,” he said quickly.

“We should all go back to our rooms and keep the doors locked,” Westby said. “Hopefully the power will be back on in the morning and we can use the phone.”

The three of them went back upstairs together. Faith tried not to look back down at Kindra. Why had she left her and Pierce’s room? Who had she come across in the hall? Faith went back into the room she and Riley shared. He was pacing, but he stopped when she came in. They both sat on the bed and Faith told him what had happened.

Riley frowned. “Then there could still be someone else in the house?”

“I don’t know,” Faith said. “Something isn’t right. We haven’t caught even a glimpse of whoever it is, and we searched the entire house. And why did she leave her room?”

Riley nodded slowly. “Hopefully the phone will be working in the morning. And the boat captain will be back so we can leave.” He didn’t say anything more, but he was still looking at Faith as though he was waiting.

The blanket on the bed was still wet from the water Faith had coughed up after the nightmare.

“I’ve been having nightmares for a while,” Faith said. “About drowning, sinking toward something dark. That’s the first time I’ve actually coughed up water when I woke up.”

“Is there anything else in the dream?” Riley asked.

“Red feathers, floating down through the water.” Faith thought about the most recent dream. “This time there was high pitched screaming. It definitely wasn’t human.”

Riley’s brows furrowed. “Red Feathers…”

Faith didn’t want to say it, but there was no avoiding it. If she didn’t say it, he would. “Maybe it has to do with the wyvern blood.” So far, there had been no lasting effects since Aellis, the wyvern, had put it to sleep. The feathers and scales had gone, and they hadn’t returned.

“I don’t know where we could find Vallen to ask him about it,” Riley said. He glanced at the wet spot on the blanket. “Clearly they aren’t just dreams.”

The two of them stayed awake most of the night. There were no sounds out in the hall, though Faith wasn’t sure if they would have heard anything over the storm. In the morning, the storm hadn’t let up. Faith only knew it was morning because the sky was a little lighter. With the storm still raging, Riley’s hair was still white, and he still had scales. He stayed in the room. Faith could see he was reluctant, but his appearance would be hard to explain to Pierce and Westby.

When Faith left the room, Pierce was just stepping out into the hall. He was pale, sweaty, and had dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn’t slept much. Westby joined them in the hall, then the three of them went down to the study. Kindra wasn’t at the end of the stairs when they got there. The blood had mostly been cleaned off the floor, but there was still a bit of it dried on the marble.

“I moved her into the sitting room earlier,” Westby said.

They continued to the study. The phone still wasn’t working, and the power was still out.

“Faith and I will go to the dock and see if the boat shows up,” Westby said. He looked at Pierce.

“I’ll stay in my room,” Pierce said, his voice shaking. He went back upstairs.

Faith and Westby went out into the rain. At least it was warm, and the rain wasn’t blowing around too hard. They made their way along the trail in silence. The dock was empty when they got there, waves crashing against the wood. Faith and Westby stayed where the dock began and waited. Faith didn’t see any boats out in the stormy waters.

“Looks like he’s not coming,” Faith said. “He probably can’t get here with the storm.” She looked at Westby and found him staring at her.

“What was it like?” Westby asked. “What was it like getting close enough to Quivis to destroy him?”

A chill spread through Faith. Every muscle tensed. “Who?” Her voice sounded hollow.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Westby smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I know you and Riley defeated Quivis. I know you destroyed him.”

“How do you know about Quivis?” Faith asked. She didn’t want to stand so close to him anymore, but she didn’t quite dare move.

Westby looked back out at the water. “I have my ways.” He sighed. “Clearly the captain isn’t coming.” He turned and started back along the trail.

Faith stared after him for a moment. The rain had gotten harder again. She followed Westby back toward the house. He said nothing more about Quivis, and neither did he look at Faith. How did he know about Quivis? Now she was even more certain something was up, and she doubted even more that someone had broken into the house. Was Westby keeping them at the house for a reason?

Had he turned off the power to the house to keep it off even after the first night’s storm had let up? If she went out to the boathouse, would the boat be damaged? But why would he be keeping them there? No answers came on the way back to the house. Westby went into his study and closed the door. Faith went back up to the bedroom. Riley stood before the window, staring out at the sea. She joined him there, but he didn’t look away from the window. His eyes were distant.

“Riley?” Faith’s voice was quiet against the sound of the storm.

He continued to stare out the window, not moving a muscle.

“We have to get out of here,” Faith said. “Something is up with Westby. He knows about Quivis.”

Riley looked at her, his eyes still distant. He had no expression. “There’s nowhere you can go where Umbris won’t find you.”

Faith took a step back quickly.

Riley blinked, then he frowned. “Who’s Umbris?”

“I don’t know,” Faith said. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not sure.” Riley glanced at the window, but he looked away quickly. “You’re right, we need to get out of here.”

“I think Westby brought us here for a reason, and it wasn’t to discuss business with Pierce,” Faith said.

Riley nodded. He grabbed a dark gray jacket from his bag and put it on, pulling the hood up. “If he is behind all of this, and not some random burglar who broke in, then I doubt the boat is as broken as he said.”

“Unless he destroyed it so we can’t use it to escape,” Faith said. She had hoped they put all the weirdness behind them when they defeated Quivis. “It was like you were in a trance.”

“The sea was calling to me.” Riley shivered. “Let’s go.”

“We can’t leave Pierce behind, even if he is unpleasant,” Faith said.

Muffled yelling came from somewhere below them. It stopped abruptly. Faith and Riley looked at each other, then they ran from the room and down the stairs. Kindra was lying on the floor behind the couch in the sitting room, but there was no one else there. They checked the dining room next. The door into the kitchen was open a crack. Faith pushed the door open further.

Pierce lay on the tile floor in a puddle of red from a deep wound in his chest. Westby stood near the sink, holding a bloody knife loosely in one hand. He looked at Faith and Riley, his eyes wide. Westby looked genuinely terrified, but then it vanished, replaced by his usual calm. He smiled and Faith knew the terror of the moment before had just been an act.

“It was self defense,” Westby said. “I confronted him about what he did to Kindra and why. He attacked me.”

“He killed Kindra?” Faith asked. That was believable.

“She was getting close to his secrets,” Westby said. He laughed, setting the knife on the counter behind him. “Nothing happens in this house that I don’t see.” He looked at Faith and Riley. “Now it’s just the three of us. No need to continue the charade any longer.”

“You’re Umbris, aren’t you?” Faith asked. She stayed close to Riley in the doorway.

Westby grinned far. He looked at Riley. “Let me help you. You could be so much more than what you are.” He glanced at Faith. “But you’ll have to help me in return.” He took the knife from the counter and slid it across the center island.

Riley grabbed the knife, turning and coming at Faith. He hesitated, pulling back a little. Somehow Umbris was controlling him. Riley lunged. Faith moved back, the knife barely missing her middle. She turned and ran, hearing Riley running after her. Faith ran up the stairs, her heart pounding. What did Umbris do to him? How could she bring him back to his senses?

She reached the door to the room they’d been sharing and hurried inside. She closed the door and locked it. The door creaked loudly, pulling against its hinges as though someone had thrown themselves at it.

“Riley!” Faith doubted just hearing his name would help, but she had to try something and she didn’t know what to do.

He threw himself at the door again. This time the wood cracked a little. The blade of the knife came through the wood. The door wouldn’t much longer, she had to get out of the room. The only other way out was through the window. Faith opened the window. The wood of the roof was rough, but soaked. The storm still raged, an endless sheet of water pouring down from above. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

Faith climbed out onto the roof carefully and looked over the edge. The rain gutter was the only thing to hold on to, and it didn’t look sturdy. Faith glanced back at the room just as the door was flung open. There wasn’t much choice. She grabbed onto the gutter and started to climb down. It creaked, but stayed attached to the side of the house. The rain made the metal slippery. About halfway down, her hands slipped. The rest of the gutter rushed past.