Gemma clutched her raised sword with deft hands. The boy whose face was inches from it, raised his hands and backed away.

“If you wanna mess with my brother you gotta go through me.” She took one threatening step toward the newcomer.

He was shorter and younger than her, maybe Bobby’s age. His hair was dark and he had a rat’s tail at the back of his head, threaded with little wooden beads. Behind him stood a chubby brown haired pasty looking boy, and a girl whose blonde hair was tied high in a short ponytail. All three were somewhere between her and Salem’s age and all three looked at her in surprise.

“It’s alright Gemma,” Salem said, as he got to his feet. “He was just asking.”

Seeing that the boy and his friends weren’t giving any threatening looks, Gemma lowered her sword.

The boy at the front spoke. “I’m sorry, it’s just we don’t get many newcomers here and we’ve never seen anything like that before.” He pointed toward Salem.

Gemma glanced down at her brother and realised it wasn’t at Salem, he was pointing, but to the thing in his hand. “You brought your gameboy with you?” she asked incredulously.

Salem shrugged. “Of course.” He turned to the dark-haired boy. “I’m sorry, I’d let you have a play but I’m just really low on battery and I want to maximise the usage.”

The boy nodded but he still looked confused. “Is it like a computer?”

“Sort of,” Salem replied. “But only for games.”

“Is it a human thing?”

Gemma answered this time. “It’s based on them. They reverse engineered it.”

“Hmm, a gameboy?” the dark-haired boy mused. “Weird name.”

“It’s named the same as the human ones,” Salem explained.

“What games can you play?” the girl piped up from behind him.

“Just a couple. I only brought one with me though. It’s called The Silent Woods. Do you have computers here?”

The kids nodded. “Some,” the girl answered.

“But no internet,” the dark-haired boy added.

“There’s a technopath down by the beach who builds them and fixes them,” the girl explained.

The boy continued, “They’re kind rudimentary, but they can play human and witch cds, like movies and music and sometimes ships come by with electronic things to sell. One time we even had a worldjumper get their ship stuck on our beach. There used to be a lighthouse but no one really goes out there anymore cause of....”

“Wait! You guys watch movies and listen to music?” Gemma asked, confused, given what they had been told the night before.

The kids looked at one another as if trying to decide how much to tell.

“We’re not supposed to,” the girl admitted.

“But it’s not like what you’d think,” the more talkative boy added. “The technopath made us some headphones, wired them all up so we can listen without making any sound. If we bring her groceries from town then we get to use her computers. Plus, she’s got a couple of old silent films that are kind of cool.”

“Sometimes she runs them at the local theatre for everyone,” the girl added. “Like, once a month. Or sometimes if they have subs, we watch those.”

“So what do you guys do for fun around here the rest of the time?” Gemma asked.

“Well, there’s the hot spring. I’m Rexx, by the way.” The dark-haired boy held out his hand and Gemma shook it.

“Gemma,” she replied. With a nod at her brother she added, “This is Salem.”

“I’m Mara,” the girl said.

“That’s Diki,” Rexx nodded at the chubby boy who had yet to say a word.

“Hello,” Diki remarked with some hesitation and in a quiet voice.

He seemed a little afraid of Gemma and Gemma had to admit she felt a little bit guilty for that. Perhaps she had jumped in here a little too brashly. She wasn’t one for dwelling on things though. “The hot spring?”

“It’s out near the start of the canyons. I’ll show you guys, if you’re interested?” Rexx replied.

Salem and Gemma followed their new friends toward the north side of town and along a winding forest path. As they walked the kids shared information about where they were from. Rexx told them stories about the town and the people in it.

“And there’s this one guy who likes to kill animals and stuffs them. He’s got a shop just by the meadery that sells weird knick knacks but no one ever buys any so he never makes any money and the only way he can eat and last so long on so little is by consuming the flesh of a kid. They say he picks and eats one child from the village every year. There’s the odd kid that’s gone missing after going in his store but the adults always chalk it up to the creatures that live in the dunes.” Rexx walked backwards along the path so he could see the reaction from his audience.

“Why do they keep going in his store then?” Salem asked in a confused but captivated tone.

Rexx grinned. “Because it’s the ultimate test of bravery.”

“Ugh, stupid dares is what it is,” Mara rolled her eyes and jumped in. “And that’s just a silly story, but you know what’s real?”

“What?” Salem asked.

Gemma chuckled at his expression. Salem was always too eager for a ghost story. When things were safe that was, but he was never going to be the first one walking into a haunted house.

Both Rexx and Mara were grinning wickedly. Diki just walked along in front, not saying much, glancing back with a wary expression every now and again.

“The town sorcerer!” Mara exclaimed.

Rexx lost his grin and rolled his eyes. Straightening up and spinning around he proclaimed. “He’s not a sorcerer. He’s just a weird old dude. Sorcerers don’t live in towns like this.”

“He is! I’ve seen him take cats off the street, and every morning the butcher next door drops him off a bag of beast entrails. What do you think he’s doing with those?”

“Eating them probably,” Rexx replied.

“I saw him kill a goat once, as part of a spell,” Diki remarked quietly.

His tone was so soft and weirdly monotone. The entire group was silent for almost a full 10 seconds.

“See!” Mara eventually told Rexx, emphasizing with both her hands.

“What about the creatures in the dunes?” Gemma asked. She glanced at the woods that surrounded them. “Do they come into the forest?”

Rexx kicked a stone along the path. He didn’t smile. “Nah, not really, not in years.”

With an equally serious expression Mara whispered to him, “What about Addie?”

“Who’s Addie?” Gemma asked.

It was Diki that answered in a loud whisper, “All they found was her foot. She got taken cause she was too loud. She always talked too much, just like we are now.” He gave Mara and Rexx a grumpy look.

Rexx shook his head. “It’s the middle of the day Diki, we can talk during the middle of the day. Addie got taken closer to sunset. ”

“Not this much,” he whispered back. “We’re only supposed to talk if it’s essential.”

“It is essential. I’m telling them about the village.”

“You’re just telling them silly rumours. You’re talking too much about things that don’t matter.”

The group fell silent and didn’t talk again until they reached the hot spring.

Hot steam wafted up off a circular pool, surrounded by rocks and small ferns. It wasn’t large, only a few metres across in each direction. A well-tread path surrounded one side. It was obviously a local favorite.

“This is pretty cool!” Salem remarked as he tested out the water. The surrounding air was chilly but the water was warm. He stripped off his t-shirt and jeans and followed Diki and Mara into the spring. Gemma took off her brown horse-riding boots, rolled up her jeans, and sat on the side of the pool. She dipped her toes in. Rex climbed into the water and sat near her.

As Mara waded in deeper out to the middle of the pool she turned and stated, “You know, I don’t think the creatures did get Addie though. I reckon it was her mum. You know, that woman who lost three kids in five years, and her husband a few years before that. The one who just married the butcher. I reckon she killed them all and blamed it on the music eaters.”

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Gemma glanced at Rexx. “The music eaters?”

“It’s what Mara calls them. I call them the dune monsters. Everybody has their own name for them, on account of people don’t really talk about them much. The most common name people call them though, is well, ‘them.’”

Salem gave a whoop of laughter as he kicked off the bottom and splashed back into the pool.

Diki shot him a menacing look then shushed him loudly.

But in the daylight, warmed by the nice spring, Salem had lost all his fear from the night before. He didn’t notice the lack of birds in the trees that surrounded them. The missing song was covered up by the whispering of the wind through the trees, and the rustle of the leaves.

The rustling grew louder.

It had a direction.

Faces turned toward the section of trees where the sound was coming from.

Something approached.

All fell silent and watched with apprehension.

Salem froze. Suddenly the water didn’t feel quite so warm and comforting anymore.

Branches snapped. Something big. Something unafraid. Not a small forest creature.

Nobody moved.

Out of the forest stepped a person.

“Sasha?!” Gemma proclaimed.

Sasha blinked and her gaze swept the area. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked.

Salem sighed and slid down into the water until only his head remained above the surface.

Mara gave a relieved laugh.

Diki, looked if possible, even grumpier.

Beside her, Gemma heard Rexx exhale.

“We’re swimming,” Gemma replied. “What are you doing out here?”

“I found something! You have to come look!”

“Is it an animal?” Gemma asked lazily. She didn’t really feel like moving from her nice rock.

Sasha nodded. “They’re really cute.”

“Mmm, maybe later,” Gemma replied.

From the pool, Salem said, “There’s no way I’m going out there. Haven’t you heard? There’s monsters out there, Sasha.”

Sasha giggled. Thinking Salem was just toying with her she replied, “There’s no monsters. There’s some really cool caves though.”

“Are you talking about the canyons?” Rexx asked. His brow was furrowed. “You really shouldn’t go there. It’s dangerous.”

“Come get in the hot spring,” Gemma suggested.

Sasha shook her head. “Later, I need to go get something.” She walked off in the direction of town.

Gemma watched her go, then shrugged, and kicked her feet in the water. Then she raised her eyes and surveyed the other kids. Seeing a bunch of pale faces she remarked with surprise, “You really were all scared?!” She shook her head and held out her palms. “Whatever’s out there. I bet I could take it. It’s probably just wolves anyway.”

“Those weren’t wolves we heard last night,” Salem replied.

“Oooh, are you scared?” Gemma teased with a smile. She toyed with some fire in her hands. Then she began to recite,

“A fearsome beast with claws so tough.

A hide of scales that’s very rough.

They roam the dark. They come at night,

They’ll eat us all in one quick bite-”

Gemma stopped as suddenly a large wave rose up from the pool and soaked her whole. Everything but her flame. She glared over at Diki who had his hands raised, no doubt the reason for the sudden showering. A water elemental but weaker than her. She felt a twinge of pride that his water hadn’t put out her flame.

The rest of the group was silent, eyes wide.

“Oh, please don’t sing anymore,” Mara whispered. “Even the light won’t protect us if you sing.”

Gemma rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing out there.”

“You’re not from here,” Rexx told her, “You don’t know that.”

“I know there’s no monsters that would eat people just for singing, and if there is well you should form a hunting party and go cut them down to size.”

“Don’t you think they tried that!” Mara exclaimed.

Gemma hesitated.

Rexx nodded. “None of them came back.”

Gemma shifted uncomfortably and thought about it. “Well, what powers did they have?”

Rexx eyed her flame that sill burned brightly in her palms. “Mostly telekinetics like me. A couple of shapeshifters, like Mara. Strongarms. No firestarters I don’t think. Some others. It doesn’t matter. There were like 14 of them and none returned.”

“No, there was the old doctor, but all she could ever light were some candles,” Mara interjected.

“What about video? Or traps?” Gemma asked, trying to think of other options.

Rexx shook his head. “We don’t have any cameras here anymore. Not unless we get lucky with a shipment. The creatures ate our last lot.”

“So. Let me get this right. No one has ever seen them?” Gemma inquired.

The three locals all shook their heads.

Gemma put out her flames and rested her chin on the palm of her hands. She frowned.

“Gemma,” Salem spoke, interrupting her thoughts. “You have to finish the song.”

The three locals looked at him with bewildered expressions.

Seeing the look on their faces, Salem tried to explain. “You don’t understand, that song she picked, it has to be finished. It’s the rule.”

“It’s true.” Gemma smiled wryly. “That song is an urban legend. Story goes if you don’t recite all three verses then anyone who hears it won’t live to see the next morning.”

Rexx frowned and shook his head. “Sounds made up.”

“As made up as your musical monsters.” Gemma smiled. She didn’t sing it though. She was not afraid of stories. She wasn’t even afraid of real monsters. Let them come. She’d show them with flame and fury what it meant to challenge her. Seeing Salem still looked worried she softened, just a little and remarked, “Well you can sing it if you’re worried. Or even just say the words. There’s no rule that it has to be sung.”

Salem’s face relaxed at that last statement. But then he frowned again. “But do I start from the start, or where you left off?”

Rexx shook his head. “This is silly, but I suppose as long as you don’t sing it.”

“It’s just fuel on the fire.” Diki eyed the trees angrily but he seemed resigned to whatever the others decided.

“Words can still have rhyme and rhythm, even if they’re just spoken,” Mara added nervously.

“Just from where I left off should be fine,” Gemma replied with little interest. She glanced down at her wet clothes and wondered if she could dry them with her fire. It was probably a bad idea. She’d seen her mum do something similar before but it was obviously something that required a great deal of control and she didn’t want to risk burning them up. Still, practice was important. She wondered about just doing the hems of her jeans.

While the others watched Salem with interest Gemma focused on a small section of fabric near the bottom of her jeans. She’d rolled them up, so it wasn’t that far away. Second guessing herself she pulled one leg up, reached out and fingered a small section of material. Heat flowed into the fabric, Gemma could feel the flames. She tried to keep them just along the edge of the material, so it would suck out the moisture but not set them alight, just like when she’d been heating the rock. But fabric was much more flammable. She cut her powers off after only a little bit to be cautious and to check her progress. She was disappointed to find the edges were singed and still soaking wet. With a soft sigh she dropped her foot back in the pool and listened to Salem recite the poem.

His words were stiff and he enunciated each word with trepidation, as if crafting a dangerous spell.

“These fancy words that swirl and dance,

Take heed my friend, it’s all a farce.

Beneath the masquerade does lie,

A costume, and a good disguise.

There’s nothing out there in the dark,

No beast with bite, only bark.

There’s just one thing that is true.

Don’t be afraid, or they’ll come for you.”

Gemma smiled. Getting Salem to say those words had been some accomplishment. She hoped he’d paid attention to the meaning of the words as well. Perhaps this would prove to him that there was nothing to be afraid of.

A twig behind her snapped.

She spun. Who was out there now? Not Sasha surely. Who else? She readied her hands and imagined fire, just in case. The hair on her arms raised in anticipation.

She heard the collective sigh behind her as yet another person stepped out of the woods. This time it was a dark-haired girl she did not recognise.

“Tolly!” Rexx remarked.

“You nearly scared us half to death,” Mara added.

“Oh, sorry.” Tolly giggled. She looked a similar age to the other three. She was dressed in tan shorts and a light pink and white t-shirt that looked far too cool for the weather. Her skin was dark, almost like coal. “I was just looking for Seraphina. I thought she might be out here.”

“And you couldn’t take the path?” Diki remarked.

“I just cut through from the other path.”

“The one to the canyons?” Rexx asked. “Why were you out there?”

“I was getting some berries. Thought maybe Seraphina had gotten the day mixed up since I couldn’t find her anywhere else. We’re supposed to go berry picking tomorrow after lunch.”

“I saw her in town earlier with a boy,” Mara replied. “Probably one of this lot I think.”

“Bobby?” Gemma asked.

Mara shrugged. “He had brown hair and was about this tall.” She held up a flat palm to indicate his height.

Gemma nodded. “Sounds like Bobby. So what’s the deal with the canyons then? Why don’t you guys go near them?”

“That’s where they found Addie and the others,” Mara whispered.

Tolly nodded, then sat down on the ground near the edge of the pool.

“What was left of them,” Diki corrected.

Mara nodded. “But like I said, pretty sure it was Mrs McCarthy that did it.”

“Nooo,” Tolly shook her head. “Mrs McCarthy’s lovely but everyone judges her without knowing her, just cause she’s a mindwalker. You’d have trouble talking to people too if you could hear their thoughts and you lost your whole family to those things.” She spoke the last few words in a hushed whisper and gave an involuntary shudder.

“You’re just saying that cause she’s Seraphina’s new stepmum. But even Seraphina thinks she’s fake. That woman is...”

“Evil! She’s just evil!” Seraphina proclaimed to Bobby, as they picked their way along a winding forest path. “She acts all nice but I’m pretty sure she used her powers to make my dad fall in love with her. And I can tell, by the way they talk all lovey dovy to each other that they’d rather I wasn’t there at all. She’s probably trying to think of ways to get rid of me. She moved my stuff around without even asking and packed some of it away in boxes.”

“Did you ask her why?” Bobby inquired gently. “Maybe she had a good reason.”

Seraphina paused and drew some lines in the dirt with the toe of her shoe. “Well, I was kinda wishing I had more free space, and it wasn’t stuff I was using. But still that doesn’t give her the right to pack it up without asking.”

“Maybe you should tell her how you feel.”

“Maybe. I’m sure she knows though...” Bobby’s gentle tone had calmed Seraphina’s mood a little. She dropped her gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off ranting like that.”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I asked about your mum.”

‘No, don’t be sorry. It was awhile ago.”

They stood in silence for a little bit and then Seraphina grabbed his arm with renewed energy. “Oh hey, if we go this way we can get some berries our way to the hot springs. You keen?”

The light that had momentarily vanished was now back in her hazel eyes. It made Bobby smile. “Definitely, let’s go!”

Amanda made it back to The Ghost’s Retreat, sometime in the late afternoon. She returned to her room to tidy up some things first. Taking a moment to rest, she sat on the bed. Her eyes found the guitar she’d confiscated last night. Often, to relax she’d practice a song. It had always been a good way to get the kids quiet too. She’d told the crew and kids no music, but oh how she longed to pick up that guitar and strum her hand across its strings. With a sad smile she stood up and walked to the door. She gave a wistful glance back, and returned an answer to the instrument’s unspoken question. “Not tonight. In a few days, then I’ll play.”

She made her way into the tavern, which was also the dining room, and there she found Benny, who had just returned from a short walk.

“How goes it?” he asked.

“Not bad. How are things here?”

“Quiet,” he replied with a grin.

Before any more talk could be had, the innkeeper, Mary appeared with two jugs of sweet smelling beer and two small glasses of some other golden liquid. She set down a jug and a glass for each of them.

“A jug of honey beer and glass of mead!” She proclaimed. “On the house. We don’t get guests very often, and well truth be told, we make more than we can drink ourselves. It does last but, well, thing is, it’s our main export. That and the honey itself. We have a captain who comes through once a year but he can only ship so much, and we just had a very productive season. My point being, that your friend here,” She nodded at Benny, “Happened to mention that you’re in the business of shipping trade goods. Well, if you’re interested, and if you like what you taste, we could sell you a shipment of it for a good price. Give it a try and let me know. The brewer is happy for me to negotiate on his behalf.”

“Thank you.” Amanda nodded.

Mary returned her nod along with a smile, and left them be.

“Well, bottoms up,” Benny grinned as he eyed his glasses. He picked up the mead and gave it a curious sniff.

Amanda could already smell the honey from where she sat. And despite the chill weather outside, the condensation forming on the outside of the beer jug made her thirsty. Sirius had said no drinking. But that had been aimed mostly at the crew on the ship. Surely this warranted an exception. Besides, the drinks were free.