Blackfeather Woods helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers nearby

She really should have anticipated the question. Really. The three of them had been inseparable, almost, on the island, but now. . . Reed wouldn't know, would she? Maegi would have to give her the truth, the whole ugly truth of all of it. Well, perhaps not all of it. But most.

He's gone, she said succinctly, unable to meet her friend's eyes. He was here for a while, but then he left. I never saw him after that. Just as mysteriously as he had appeared within her life, he had vanished. Would he ever emerge again?

I'm much happier now that you're here, Maegi added, trying to lighten the mood. Her lips split in a smirk as she added, Don't ditch me, too. She flicked her tail down a nearby path, signaling for Reed to follow. Perhaps a little tour was in order. Have you met any of my children? she asked. Sobek, Sakhmet, Anansi. . .?

They wandered on, engrossed in conversation. Maegi was just happy to have a good friend by her side once more.