Sleep found him again, somehow. Although when he did open his eyes, Elwin saw that he may have been the only one.

Prin and Valor sat at a small two man table in the corner of the room, their heads bent close together, talking with quiet intensity.

“What time is it?” Elwin asked groggily. “You could have woke me.” He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. Any sense of what time it properly was eluded him. Was it still the middle of the night then?

“No need.” Valor said. He had a robe on over his grey night shirt, white with blue flowers, and his own skin blended in to the white of the robe.

“You should be resting.” Elwin protested. No matter what time it might be.

“It’s morning now, but just barely.” Prin said. He stood up and went to the curtains filling most of the back wall of Valor’s bedroom. He peeked out before opening them fully and letting in the meager light of the very new day. “We wanted to let you sleep.” He said sweetly.

“We were just discussing strategies.” Valor said.

“What to do next.” Prin said. “I think we should get off this island just as soon as we possibly can. Don’t you think it’s getting a bit . . . stuffy?” His blue eyes transmitted to Elwin’s a sense of worry bordering on existential dread. He wanted to be agreed with.

“And I think that fleeing will only focus the suspicion.” Valor said. “A guilty man runs farthest.”

“But if they never find us then . . .” Prin trailed off.

“I haven’t been up long enough for this conversation.” Elwin said, after a long pause.

“We still have some time to kill before breakfast.” Prin said. He was looking intently out the window now, as though watching for spies.

“Don’t say kill.” Valor teased.

“Haha.” Prin rolled his eyes. But, the corner of his lip turned up, repressing a real laugh.

“I guess. . . if we go to breakfast it will be a good opportunity to see if Dru is sick.” Elwin said. He felt guilty for not stopping her, although, in all actuality the tea was probably fine.

“I don’t understand why you think the staff are trying to poison me.” Valor said.

“Not Mrs. Frances, just the other one.” Elwin said. “It may be because of how you’ve treated her.”

“We can’t leave until we find out for sure if she means him any harm.” Prin fretted. “We’ve got to confront her.”

“It’s more likely to be part of the curse.” Valor said. “I get really sick or injured sometimes but then I always recover. I think the curse doesn’t want me dead, because then it would die with me. It just wants me to suffer.” He propped his head up on his hand.

“You make it sound like a living thing that doesn’t want to be snuffed out of existence.” Prin said.

Valor shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“After breakfast we should go see Aster. I’d like to know how it’s going . . .” Elwin said.

“If the fairy has revealed itself!” Valor suddenly perked up.

“Yes.” Prin agreed. “No matter what else happens, we still have that hanging over our heads don’t we?”

“You act like it’s a bad thing.” Valor said.

“No, I don’t mean that.” Prin rubbed his eyes. “It’s just a lot right now. I can barely keep it all straight.”

“I want to come with you this time, can I?” Valor looked intensely over Prin’s shoulder. Eh, close enough.

Prin sighed. “Of course. Why not.”

Elwin could tell the hidden subtext was, it’s better to at least have him where we can keep an eye on him. “Aster won’t mind.” Elwin said.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Let’s get dressed for the day. My face still feels sticky, I need to wash up.” Valor stood up quickly, forgetting that he didn’t have his usual vigor.

Elwin watched his pale skin go grey and he staggered, reaching out and missing the chair as he went down.

Prin, who had been standing several feet away at the window, moved too fast for Elwin’s eyes to track but all of a sudden he was at Valor’s side stopping his fall to the ground.

Elwin blinked in surprised but didn’t say anything.

Prin sat on the floor and held Valor in his arms like a child, a gangly child who’s arms and legs didn’t fit but still.

“I’m fine.” Valor said. “I just got dizzy for a minute. Let go.”

“No.” Prin said. “You’re just going to try again to get up real fast, aren’t you.”

“So what if I am.” Valor said petulantly.

“Let me help.” Elwin got up and went to them. He bent down and put his arms around Valor’s chest and gradually lifted him into a standing position. “Better?”

“Stop fussing.” Valor flapped his hands at them. “I need some breathing room.”

Elwin dutifully backed up.

“You can’t go out today, Val, you need to regain your strength.” Prin said.

Valor glared. “Help me get dressed.”

Elwin and Prin exchanged looks.

“Please.” Valor added. As though that’s what they had been waiting for. As though they were proving a point.

Elwin went to pour water into the wash basin.

They helped Valor get dressed and wash his face.

Prin took his arm, although they both seemed a little unsteady on their feet as they walked to the kitchen for breakfast.

Elwin followed close behind, in case he needed to do any catching. Although he wasn’t as fast as Prin. Apparently.

They sat down in the kitchen. Valor did not look particularly enthused about eating.

“If you don’t at least eat something you definitely can’t go out with us today.” Prin said.

Before Valor had a chance to answer, Wrena and Dru bustled into the kitchen.

Dru plopped down on the bench seating across the table, looking right as rain. Chipper even.

Elwin felt like a fool, but he still believed in his own instincts. The girl was weird.

She appeared to be giving Prin a funny look, even as they sat here eating their pancakes. What did she want from him? Ah, to leave, Elwin remembered.

“What are you doing out of bed!” Wrena exclaimed. “And dressed even! I was going to bring you something in your room.” She turned to Elwin and Prin with a look that said, how did you let this happen? She put her hands on her hips.

She was already dressed herself. Looking nice in a cotton day dress printed all over with fruits and flowers, her blond hair done up in a ponytail with a spill of artful curls.

“I’m not a child. Leave me alone.” Valor said. Spoken like a true grumpy child that missed his nap time.

Wrena talked to Mrs. Frances and the two of them poured some hot water into a tea cup. “Drink this, I won’t take no for an answer.” She plopped the cup down pointedly in front of Valor.

“What is it?” Valor asked.

“It’s beef broth. Good for you.” Wrena said.

“I slept great.” Dru said, to no one in particular. She stretched her arms out luxuriantly. “Thanks for asking.”

“I don’t want it.” Valor said.

“Try it.” Prin urged. “Everyone is worried about you.”

Valor sighed.

Just then Captain Thompson burst in and looked surprised to see everyone up and sitting around the table. “My boy! Are you alright now?”

“Sure.” Valor said.

“Papa I’m getting irritated. He won’t listen to a word we say.” Wrena said crossly.

“You should just leave him alone.” Dru suggested.

“Son, what’s going on?” The captain put his arm around his son and picked up the cup of broth, giving it a delicate sniff. “Soup. Ah, is this the vegetarian thing again? You have to make an exception for your health.” He put the cup in Valor’s hand. “Drink up, but carefully. It’s hot.”

“We’re going to go out and fetch the doctor.” Wrena said.

“O-oh, I don’t know if . . .” Captain Thompson said. A far away look in his eyes. Perhaps remembering past doctors visits that had ended with shoes and tableware flung at their venerable heads.

“You didn’t see the nosebleed last night.” Wrena said ominously.

“That too?” Captain Thompson said. “Alright fetch him and tell him I’ll give him double, or if he seems reluctant, triple his going rate.”

Wrena nodded. “We’ll take the carriage.”

“Wait a minute, I won’t be home this morning.” Valor said. “We are going out for a while. But I promise to go along with whatever you say when I get back.”

And so, it was with this unprecedented offer of cooperation on his part, along with his willingness to eat some breakfast first, that Valor gained permission to accompany Prin and Elwin.

They took a carriage, so as not to tire Valor out, although they stopped before getting directly to Mama Kris’s establishment. Walking the short distance from the parking spot to the pink house.

“Once again we’re here when they’re not even open.” Prin said.

“Better this way.” Elwin said.

It was still fairly early in the morning when they traveled to the back yard and worked their way to Aster’s shed. Elwin was a bit dismayed at the lack of security. Even after everything that had happened they were just allowed to go where they pleased.

Elwin held onto Valor’s arm, hoping to add support to the shaky boy, while Prin knocked softly at the door. When no answer came immediately, Prin got out his own key and turned it in the lock.

Briefly, and a moment too late, it occurred to Elwin that Aster could be in bed with someone, in a non sleeping way. Leading to an embarrassing situation for all involved, where in regrets could occur

Prin led the way inside, where it was dark and quiet.

The light from the open doorway fell in a square across the bed, illuminating the sleeping Aster. She was curled up in a fetal position on top of the covers in the very center of the bed, red curls spread out on a pillow.

“Aster.” Prin called softly.

Aster made a sleepy little noise, not really words. But as they watched, one of her curls arose from the pillow into the air, and catching a beam of light just so, shone like a beacon, like a miniaturized star.

And it took Elwin a moment to realize it, but there was the “bug” in all it’s blood red glory.