Remember when I wanted to finish this story before Blackveil came out? Yeah. I do too.

…

The Spinter home looked even drearier this day. Dark clouds drooped low in the sky, weighing against the wilted boughs of the surrounding trees. Karigan shivered in her coat. The scent of rain hinted at a storm hovering just beyond breaking. Dismounting, she led Condor into the fenced-off yard and hurried up the steps to the front door. She gave it a brisk knock, then shoved her hands into her pockets. The clouds had come unexpectedly, ruining what she hoped would be a beautiful day. She needed the sun.

The door opened. Karigan had forgotten how tall Marli stood. The woman first gazed down at her with steady green eyes, then her classic features pulled into a belated smile. "Karigan, yes?"

"Yes. I hope I haven't come at a bad time…?"

"Not at all. What can I help you with?"

Light rain dribbled down Karigan's shirt. She peeked into the house, hoping to be invited inside, but Marli showed no inclination to move. "I have some questions," Karigan began, trying to keep her shivering concealed, "about Green Riders that came to this village some time ago." Marli stiffened and a slight flush colored her cheeks. Karigan hurried on, "The last thing I want to do is pry into business that isn't my own, but it is my duty to find out as much information as I can about them."

"Thank you," Marli said coolly, "for not prying." She stepped back and swung the door shut. Karigan blinked at the wood, gritted her teeth, and knocked again. She waited, and in no mood to be trifled with, lifted her fist and pounded. It opened, but before Marli could speak Karigan growled, "By order of King Zachary himself I demand to be let in."

Marli's eyes narrowed, but a voice called from behind, "Marli, let the Rider in."

Marli's chin rose imperceptibly as she moved from the doorframe. Karigan stepped inside, scattering raindrops as she passed into the main room. Fedir lounged on an old, threadbare chair, a pipe stuck between his teeth. He nodded to a second chair and Karigan took it. "Come to ask me about corpses?" he said, half-joking. Karigan draped her coat over her legs.

"Yes."

He sighed and stretched. "Say what you have to say."

Marli perched herself on the arm of her husband's chair, entrapping Karigan in her cool gaze. Karigan ignored her. "Mickey Morriseen says that a Green Rider delivered the news of your father's death and was never seen returning from your home. The vision of the corpse I saw in your hayloft was a Green Rider. I don't – " She exhaled sharply and jerked a hand through her damp hair. "I don't think you're capable of murder. I just don't. And I don't know why I saw that vision in your stable, but I did. Please, can you just tell me what happened? Anything at all?"

"I'll get you something hot to drink," Marli said, surprising Karigan with her abrupt warmth. Karigan stared after her as she left the room.

"My wife thought you were here to arrest me," Fedir explained, taking a long draw on his pipe. He looked thoughtfully at the smoke, then said, "Rider Shenden Trembal. That was his name. Shenden Trembal. Nice young man. Too young, I think, for the king to be shipping him out to the wilds of Sacoridia. He was nervous to deliver the message." He chuckled. "Shaking so bad I thought he'd fall over right in front of me." Another draw of the pipe. "He told me about my father's fate and handed me his few possessions. Marli served him dinner. Jolly fellow, once he calmed down. Stayed late into the night, said his goodbyes, and left. We assumed he went back to Sacor City." He sighed and seemed to settle into himself.

"What happened then?" Karigan accepted the tea Marli handed her. Marli glanced at her husband, then took up the story.

"A few weeks later, a second Rider showed up on the island looking for Shenden. She didn't explain to anyone why she felt he had gone missing. Maybe they were going to meet somewhere and he never appeared. She was sent to our home. She was a very gentle young woman, very sweet. From the way she talked about him, I think she loved him. Fedir disagrees, but what do men know, really?" Marli winked at Karigan, who giggled at Fedir's long-suffering expression. "Anyway, she left when we didn't have any information to give." Marli's face fell into a frown. "Then she went into the stable to fetch her horse."

"Smelled him, same as you did. Hunted around until she found his body." Fedir sighed. "Started screaming something awful."

Karigan lowered her teacup. "You hadn't seen his body before that?"

"It wasn't there!" Fedir cried. "I think I'd notice a body rotting in my hayloft. And she didn't even notice it either when she first arrived. Someone had to have planted it there, to frame us." He shook his head, clearly agitated. "She came down at us, told us she would report us to the king for murder, and rode off without a backward glance."

"We waited for weeks, then months, then years. Nothing ever happened."

"Not until you came by and stirred things up again." Fedir winked at Karigan.

"What did you do with his body?"

"Gave him a proper burial, out in the woods. We sent his gear back with a merchant 'van."

Karigan sipped her tea, staring at Fedir's crossed ankles. "And that's it?"

"That's it."

She took another sip. After a moment she smiled up at Marli. "So you didn't attack him with your magic."

Fedir barked with laughter and Marli's eyes rolled. "I don't know any magic," she said. "You'll find that very few of Second Empire actually do."

"But what about Zachary's back? It was completely healed less than a day after he saw you."

Marli smiled indulgently. "Healing balms aren't magical. One just has to know the proper ingredients."

Karigan peered into her tea, wondering what sort of ingredients were in it. "Did your mother teach you?"

Marli moved to her own chair. "Yes. Dear Mother. She was an angel—an angel sent into a family of devils." She shook her head. "As you probably already know, they're obsessed with their ancestors. They feel the need to reestablish what Mornhavon thrust onto this country. My mother's family had a device, something left over from the Long War. I'm not sure how it worked, but they wanted to use it against the monarchy." Her eyes darkened. "I can still remember the night my mother snuck me out of our house. She was extremely brave. She stole the device and we ran far, far away, but they chased us. Mother sent me ahead with the machine. I never saw her again." She paused, then continued, "I hid the device in some caves I found deeper into the island, then stumbled upon this village. That is when Fedir's family found me." She smiled down at her husband.

"You left the device there?"

"Yes. Everyone here knows the caves—they were used in the Long War to hide when Mornhavon's troops came. The older children love to play in them, but they know not to go too far in, for fear of getting lost. The device is far in the back, out of reach." Her brow furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't remember exactly where it is, however. Rest assured, it's hidden well. That part of it, anyway."

"That part?"

"There was a second: a small key on a chain. It was supposed to control the device."

"What did you do with it?"

"I gave it to Rider Larten, the young woman. She was supposed to take it back to the king."

Karigan nodded slowly, then set her teacup down and stood. "Thank you," she said, "for telling me. I've taken up too much of your time."

"Wait, wait. You know our lives. We know nothing about you." Fedir leaned toward her, smiling. "What's your story?"

Karigan sunk back into her chair. "Um—well. My name is Karigan G'ladheon. I hail from Corsa, in L'Petrie Province."

"G'ladheon?" Marli echoed, her expression one of wonder. "You mean—"

"Mama?" Dagon's voice accompanied the opening and slamming of the front door. "Mama, are you—oh." Seeing Karigan, Dagon stopped in the doorway. "Never mind."

"No, what is it Dagon?"

"Nothing. I was just—"

"Dagon, what happened to your hand?" Marli stood and in two long strides was at her son's side. She grasped his wrist and peered down at his palm.

With a frightened glance at Karigan, Dagon said, "Nothing, mum. It's nothing."

"This is a horrible burn. When did it happen? Why didn't you come to me?"

Fedir had stood and Karigan followed suit. What she and Zachary had thought to be a tattoo was now a festering, angry burn and not in the least bit black.

"It's nothing, mum." Dagon tried to pull his hand away, but Marli refused to release it. She looked at Karigan.

"You thought this was a tattoo?"

Karigan stammered. "It-it was black when I saw it, but I only caught a glance."

"What happened, son?" Fedir inquired gently. Dagon looked from one person to another in desperation.

"It wasn't—"

"Dagon."

He sighed. "It was the day you and Zachary helped me with the fight. I went into town like you asked me to, to get the supplies you wanted, mama. I burned myself." He shrugged. "That's all."

"How did you burn yourself, Dagon?"

He tossed his head impatiently, shooting vehement glances at Karigan as though this was all her fault. "It was—Mickey."

"Mickey Morriseen? The blacksmith?"

Dagon nodded sullenly. "Yeah. He wanted to ask me a question, so I went into his smithy. We got in an argument and I – tripped and grabbed some hot metal. That's all."

"An argument about what? I want a clear answer, Dagon."

"I don't know. He kept wanting to know how something worked."

"Did you really trip?" Karigan asked softly. "Or did he attack you?"

Dagon glared at her. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I knew he had been drinking, so I tried to leave. He was holding some tool or something and he swung it. The soot got all over my hand when I grabbed it. That's it."

"Stay here. I'm going to get my supplies." Marli swept out of the room, leaving fury in her wake. When Dagon wasn't scowling at Karigan, he scowled at the floor. Fedir laid a hand on Karigan's shoulder.

"Perhaps you'd best go," he murmured. She nodded.

"Thank you again." With a nod to Dagon, she left the house, pulling her collar up again the wind. The rain had ceased, thank the gods, but the clouds above threatened to dump more. She mounted Condor and headed toward Rena's home, feeling quite pleased with herself. She knew Marli and Fedir were incapable of murder, and had just been proven right. She didn't doubt they were telling the truth.

But if they hadn't killed the Rider, then who had? Who put his body up in their stable? And how strange about Mickey attacking Dagon. Karigan frowned thoughtfully. Maybe Mickey…he had been something of a lout, but what motive would he have for killing a Green Rider?

She needed to speak with Zachary. His brain would be able to put things together. He disappeared early this morning, perhaps he went to find out more—

Her hands tightened around the reins. No. She couldn't speak with him. She huddled down into her coat. She should go to the blacksmith and ask him some questions. Unless Zachary was there. No, she should just stick to her original plan and return to Rena's and ask her about the inn. But then again, Zachary might be there. Then she should go…somewhere else, where he wasn't.

The sun broke through the clouds for a short instant. Maybe she would just go for a ride around the island. She had reached a fork in the road a bit earlier and she reared Condor around to find it again. From this vantage point, she noticed for the first time a billowing of thick, black smoke. It almost disappeared against the darkness of the clouds, but she could see it shifting and moving independently of the stormy sky. A fire? A big fire. She clicked Condor into a trot, then a lope.

…

His emotions battling between exultation and terror, Zachary stepped into the house. Ainsley and his sons were out working, he knew, and Rena was somewhere working just as hard. He passed quickly by the door to the kitchen and crept up the staircase. His heart banged against his ribcage as he mounted the last step and turned down the hall. He peeked into Karigan's room. Empty. A small frown puckering his brow, he glanced at the bathing room. The door was wide open. Perhaps she was with Rena.

He hurried down the stairs and forced himself to look inside the kitchen. Empty. He went back outside and rounded the house. Rena stood amongst her drying laundry, shaking her head and muttering in her native language. When she saw him, she threw out her arm. "Look at clothes! Ruined by dirty rain. Always happens to me. Of course when I clean clothes, the gods send rain to make themselves laugh."

Zachary grinned and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Have you seen Karigan?"

"I see her in this morning. She runs from bedroom to bath like something chases her. After longest bath, creeps downstairs, takes some food, and say she going to Spinters."

Spinters? Zachary mused. Interesting.

"I no see you this morning. Something chase you, too?"

"Something stole my sleep away. Thank you." He turned toward the stable, but remembered Karigan's vision from the previous night. "Rena," he said, turning back to the woman. "Was your home once an inn?"

Rena chuckled. "Yes. Long time ago. But no one comes to island for fun. We shut down, husband rebuild house, we have family."

"Mmm." Zachary dug the toe of his boot in the grass. "Did a Green Rider ever come through? A young woman?"

"We had some Riders come. But young woman…" Her face creased as she thought. "I remember one young lady. She come looking for another Rider. Pretty and small, delicate. She didn't look strong enough to be out traveling. She spent one night here and next night she get room, leaves stuff, goes outside and…" Rena shook her head and shrugged. "I no see her again. Her horse gone, too. I think she leave urgent-like."

Zachary stared past Rena. "What did you do with her things?"

"I sent them to castle with travelers." She finally began taking down her ruined laundry. "I clean these again," she explained. "Take so long."

"Of course. Thank you, Rena."

"Wait, Zachy." Rena took his hand and looked intently into his eyes. "You love my little Kari so."

His heart palpitated, but the warmth in Rena's gaze quieted his frayed nerves. "Yes," he replied simply. "Yes I do."

"She is scared, my little Kari. But I know she love you back." Her grip tightened around his fingers. "You need all happiness. I see so much sadness in others. Mickey, who loves dear Ann. AnnElyse, who loves dear Fedir. But no love back." She rested her hand on his flushed cheek. "She is scared, but you must not lose her, Zachy. You must keep trying. No giving up."

He held her ardent gaze and pressed a kiss into her callused palm. "Thank you, Rena," he murmured huskily. More affected than he cared to admit, he turned and half ran to the stable.

Night Hawk seemed to have forgiven him, as he accepted his tack without complaint. Zachary rubbed his fuzzy nose and mounted. Alternating between a lope and a trot, he followed the old road back to the Spinter home. As he left the confines of the village, however, a new smell drifted along the breeze. Smoke. He looked about. He could see nothing from here and he shrugged it off as trivial. The more he rode, however, the stronger the smell became. He stood in his stirrups and scanned his surroundings, then looked up at the sky. A plume of black smoke curled into the clouds. It seemed to originate from the trees in which the Spinters lived, or maybe even further, at AnnElyse's house.

"Just once more, Night Hawk," he whispered as he kicked the horse's flanks. Night Hawk lunged forward and they were flying down the road. He neared the Spinters' house, but the smoke indeed came from further away. Bypassing the path to their home, he rode around a large bend and pulled Night Hawk to an abrupt halt.

AnnElyse's house spouted flames. Fire belched from shattered windows and licked the surrounding gardens. Some dedicated neighbors had already created a bucket brigade, men and women toiling frantically, running back and forth from a well the small circle of houses shared. Night Hawk flew down the slope, veering away crazily as Zachary flung himself from the saddle and bolted to the panicked, busy villagers.

"It's spreading too fast," someone was shouting.

"Jem's gone for help. Where's that water?" another person hollered.

The smoke blocked out what little sun shone through the clouds. Zachary squinted at the house. He was just here, less than an hour ago. What happened? The red tongues of flame gutting the inside of the house turned his stomach upside down. He grabbed the nearest person.

"Where's AnnElyse?" he demanded. "Is the family out?" The man looked at him in confusion, then exchanged blank looks with some of the others.

"I – I don't know. It started so fast."

Zachary looked up as pounding hoofbeats approached. Karigan leapt from the saddle and rushed toward him. "What happened?" she asked, wide eyes on the flaming house. Wide blue eyes. Zachary's hand closed around the necklace in his pocket.

"We don't know. We just looked out our windows and saw the flames," someone answered.

"Are there people inside?"

"There!"

Zachary spun. AnnElyse stumbled out of her front door, coughing and covered in soot. Zachary hurried to help her away from the blazing building, lowering her carefully onto the grass.

"M-M-M – " she choked, clutching his shirt with trembling hands. Zachary grasped them tightly.

"Your children, AnnElyse. Are they inside?"

Nodding roughly, she gasped, barely audible, "M-M-Mat's s-sick. He was – " Hacking coughs. " – He was asleep. Emmi – " More coughs.

"Her children are inside," Zachary said for all to hear, passing AnnElyse's weight to another villager. In silent accord, he and Karigan sprinted madly for the door.

"You should stay outside," Karigan said as an afterthought. He looked at her sideways, then plunged inside.

Flames roared around them. At once, they felt the astonishing heat. Zachary raised his arm to cover his stinging eyes. "The stairs are over there," he shouted above the crackling of the fire.

"You look for Mat," she responded. "I'll find Emmi."

A gust of wind sent sparks whipping. They stumbled in the general direction of the staircase, avoiding spitting flames and collapsing furniture. Such a beautiful home, ruined, the king thought as they pulled themselves up to the second floor. Fire had eaten holes in the floorboards and angry red hands snatched at their ankles as they ran. Karigan moved away, but Zachary snatched her arm, pulling the necklace from his pocket.

"This is for you," he shouted. She stared at him, then at the necklace. "It's a necklace. For you. Take it, with my apologies." Thrusting it into her unwilling hands, Zachary turned and raced down the hall. He threw open door after door, at once surprised and furious at how much bigger the house was than it looked. Smoke forced him on his hands and knees and he gagged as he crawled into the last room. Mat lay on a narrow bed, by all appearances unconscious. Zachary stood and pulled the young man off the mattress, dragging him along as he stumbled back into the hallway.

Blinded by smoke and barely able to get breath in, Zachary made it to the stairs. Mat's feet thumped down each step as the king hauled him down to the bottom floor and out the front door. Helping hands pulled the boy's weight away and assisted him down onto the grass.

"Is-is Karigan – out?" he gasped, gulping in lungfuls of cool, wet air.

"No, sir. We haven't seen her since you two went in."

"Zachary!"

The king looked up. Fedir rushed toward him. The man dropped to his knees beside him. "You're all smoke!" he cried, clasping his arm. "Drink this." He held a flask of water and Zachary gulped it gratefully, spitting when the water became black sludge in his mouth.

"Karigan's in there," he mumbled, standing. "I have to find her."

"I'll go in. You need to stay here."

"No. I know where she is." He pushed Fedir away and staggered back into the house, ignoring the panic that made his limbs freeze up. No time for fear, he thought, even as some part of the house cracked and collapsed. His entire body began shaking and begged for him to turn away, but he gritted his teeth against it. Emmi. Karigan.

The smoke now was like a solid wall. All about him was heat and sound—the hideous grinding roar that told of the voracious appetite of the flames. He was coughing rackingly, and he dropped to his knees and crawled to the stairs. That panic from before made him gag almost as much as the smoke and he hesitated at the foot of the stairs, trembling. Somewhere, something exploded and he threw himself down onto the floorboards. His fingers dug into the wood and he closed his eyes, breathing as evenly as possible. Up, Zachary, he thought. Up. Something smacked into him and he turned to face a long, furry snout. "Terrier," he gasped. The dog nipped at his sleeve, pulling him. Zachary looped one arm around the mutt's neck and dragged himself up the stairs.

Terrier growled, his teeth clamped around the king's sleeve, and heaved him down the hall. The floors creaked ominously beneath him. Flames ate up the walls and pried through floorboards, threatening to collapse the entire floor. As he crawled, he stared down through the cracks. Any second. Any second they could fall away beneath him. His head knocked into something and he looked up at a ladder. What in Aeryc's name was a ladder doing in the middle of a hallway?

He craned his neck higher. The ladder led to a hole in the ceiling—an attic. He grasped it and climbed with shaking limbs, leaving Terrier barking at the base. He lifted his head into the opening. "Karigan?" he croaked, his breath rushing through his cracked, dry throat.

"Take her." Karigan dropped to her knees, holding the little girl out. She had wrapped Emmi up in her coat and two terrified eyes peeped at him. Balancing on one rung, he tucked the girl under his chin and, whispering for her to hold on, descended the ladder.

Terrier barked gleefully when Zachary's feet reached the ground. The wood cracked beneath his weight, however, and he let out an alarmed cry as his left leg shot through. Fire curled up through the hole, chewing on his clothing and blistering his skin. Emmi was whimpering. No…no, that was him. Terrier took a mouthful of his shirt and pulled. Still clutching Emmi's tiny body, Zachary pulled himself up and scooted toward the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder, but the ladder and attic were concealed behind the smoke. He wanted to call back to Karigan, but he couldn't speak—there wasn't enough breath. His lungs were smothering in his chest.

A deafening crash and the hallway ahead of him collapsed into a pit of angry scarlet flames. He lurched toward the disintegrating staircase and found himself tumbling helplessly down. The wood shattered beneath him. Karigan, he thought despairingly. Karigan, Karigan, Karigan.

A tongue on his face and Terrier was pulling at his shirt again. He was blind, suffocated, and burned, but Emmi whispered incoherently to him and he wrapped his fingers around Terrier's scruffy neck. He dragged his useless body along the smoldering floor. Karigan…Karigan…. He had tried, he thought. He had tried. And it really didn't matter anymore. From a great distance, he could hear a woman screaming. He prayed, as he faded, that it was not Karigan….

…

Rain. He heard rain, but he was dry. His throat was clear of smoke. The taste of something sweet lingered in his mouth. A hand suddenly pressed something wet against his nose and lips.

"Inhale…" a woman whispered. He rolled his stinging eyes up. Marli. Marli Spinter. "Inhale," she repeated. "It'll clear the smoke from your lungs."

He did as she bade. Sweetness rushed through his mouth and down into his lungs. Immediately he began to cough, hacking up repugnant black mud. She handed him a flask. He swished the water around in his mouth, spat it out, swallowed more, spat it out.

"Karigan…?" he wheezed. Marli's fine features creased into a frown. She turned her head to look the opposite way. She looked back at him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "She didn't make it out."

Zachary stared at her. Didn't make it out? He was lying on a bed. He got off. Marli hurried to help him stand.

"Zachary, please. You need to lie down."

"I will not lie down," he growled, staggering away.

"Zachary, stop. She's gone, Zachary."

He jerked his arm out of her grip. He stumbled out of the room and down an unfamiliar hallway. Voices murmured in a lit room up ahead and he headed there. In the burning house, he took Emmi, climbed down the ladder. Karigan had been right behind him. She had been right behind him.

Fedir stood when Zachary entered the room. "What are you doing up, Zachary?" he chided gently. "You need rest."

"Karigan?" Zachary asked. Fedir's face froze in place. The sorrow that crept into the man's eyes—the sorrow that…there was sorrow….

Zachary pushed him away and groped for the door. In the corner of his eye, there was AnnElyse. Her eyes were wide and red-rimmed. There were tears in her eyes.

The rain was louder out here. He prepared to leap off the porch. He prepared to run, barefoot, all the way back to AnnElyse's house. But then he looked down. Then he looked down and saw Emmi.

Her watery blue eyes swam with tears. Her pouty lower lip pouted further. Her hand was petting her dog. Terrier. Her hand ran over his matted, singed, bloody fur, again and again. Zachary dropped to his knees beside her. Her overflowing eyes searched his, pouty lip quivered, and a tiny hand clenched at the burnt fur.

"He saved us," she whimpered. Zachary's face twisted with pity. "He saved us, just like a Hilland Terrier would." Her voice tripped up in her throat. "He saved us and now he's dead." Her little body shook with sobs. "And now he's dead." She fell against the king's stomach, sobbing.

Zachary gathered her up in his arms. Terrier grinned up at him, his skin pulled away from his black gums. Great patches of fur were missing. His skin was melted.

"Now…he's dead…." Emmi wept. "He's dead."

Zachary rested his chin on her head. His thready breaths caught up in his throat. Tears boiled by the fire flamed in his eyes. He turned and looked back into the house. Marli and Fedir watched him sympathetically. He must have looked a question, because Marli began nodding. Yes, she seemed to tell him. True.

He looked away and clutched Emmi even tighter. He pressed his face into her tousled curls. She was still crying and he found his smothered lungs echoing her gulps and hiccups. Now she's dead, he thought. She saved me, and now she's dead. The tears poured over his skin. Sobs shook his body.

She saved me. She saved me.

And now she's dead.

She saved me.