Lyra frowned at Arietta's room door. Maybe telling Arietta she couldn't play hadn't been the right thing to do. It was bad enough that she had to miss so much school, and she couldn't hang out with them as much as she used to. Playing at the ball was probably the only thing she had to look forward to.

I should apologise. She'd gone to her friend to comfort her, and she'd done everything but.

"Did I play it right?" Tallis asked, cutting into her thoughts. He took a handful of dried fruit and stuffed then in his mouth, his cheeks puffing out like a squirrel's.

"Just keep practicing. I'll be right back." Lyra left him to stuff his face with snacks and went back to Arietta's room. No sound came from beyond the door. "Arietta? I'm sorry about what I said. I think you should be able to play at the ball with us." Silence ensued and a pang of fear made her gut quiver. "Arietta?"

She opened to door and was met with a little resistance. Beyond the threshold was a pile of books, paper and pencils on the floor, but no Arietta. She stepped over the mess. "Arietta? Now is not the time for games. We need to practice."

Lyra went to the bed, looked under and only found dust and forgotten shoes. Then her eyes fell on the opened closet. The clothes had been pushed aside, and as she stepped closer, she noticed the hole in the floor.

The quiver in her gut evolved into a frantic flutter. She fell to her hands and knees and peered into the hole, the stale air making her cough. Crates and boxes stood in stacks like pillars. The crate beneath the opening had a pair of boot prints impressed in its dusty surface.

"Arietta?" she called again. The hole looked big enough for her to get through. She lowered herself feet first and landed on the stack. More boot prints were on the next stack down and even more on the floor.

And they led to the shop's back door.

Lyra hurried down and followed the trail to the outside. "Arietta?" A blast of cold air whipped her across the face, making her eyes water. She squinted at the glare of the setting sun on the snow, putting a hand over her eyes as she scanned the yard. A line of tracks stretched before her, from the door to the edge of the yard and into the trees.

Oh no. Oh no. This was her fault. Arietta was upset, and she only made it worse. Now her friend was gone. Into the forest with the netherborne. She looked back at the shop, debating whether she should get help. Arietta couldn't have gotten far. Lyra could find her and bring her back before anyone noticed.

She eased the door shut and followed the trail of boot prints through the snow. Which each step she took, the fluttering in her stomach worsened. The frozen trees stood like wooden monsters, their gnarled hands beckoning her into danger.

An icy draft curled around her as she left the safety of the barrier. Her boots crunched through snow tinged blue by twilight, the noise sounding like thunder in her ears. Images of monsters stomping through the trees filled her head. Grotesque distortions of animals with sharp claws and glowing eyes.

I have to hurry. Arietta's trail went as far as she could see into the trees. Lyra quickened her walk to a jog. Her mind conjured images of her friend, lost and scared and injured. "Arietta!" She twisted her head every which way, examining every tree and snowdrift. "Arietta!"

The cold air sank into her skin and made her lungs burn, and she cursed herself for not going back for her coat. She'd underestimated Arietta. It seemed her friend was determined to get away from the village.

Slowly the shadows melded into one another and the twilight grew darker and dimmer to welcome the night. Just as Lyra was about to lose all hope of finding her friend, a splash of colour entered her vision.

Arietta's bright red cloak was like a beacon and relief flooded Lyra. She was sitting on an old stump, her body lulling to one side as though she were dozing off.

"Arietta!"

"Lyra?" Arietta stood, her brows drawn tight and mouth tipped into a frown.

On one hand, she wanted to embrace the girl and tell her how happy she was that she was okay. On the other, she wanted to grab Arietta and shake her. "Why did you come out here! It's dangerous." Lyra grabbed her friend's arm. The most important thing was getting back inside the barrier before dark. "Come, we need to get back to the village."

"No." Arietta wrenched her hand from Lyra's grip and took several steps back, her face contorting into a mask of indignation. "I'm not going back. I'm staying here. Papa doesn't want me to play, mama doesn't want me to play. You don't even want me to play."

Lyra wanted to pull her dreads out. They didn't have time to argue. "I never said—"

"Yes, you did! You said I shouldn't play!" Her eyes glistened with tears, and they spilled over, streaking down her gaunt cheeks. "I thought you were my friend."

Each word struck Lyra like a slap. It was all her fault. They were out here, in danger, because she was a horrible friend. She would have to make it up to Arietta, later, when they were safe. "I am your friend. That's why I'm trying—"

"No you're not!" Arietta turned away, red cloak billowing as she ran. But she only made it a few feet before she trip over her own feet and fell face-first into the snow.

Her heart slammed against her ribs as she ran to help her friend. "Arietta." She pulled Arietta to her feet, and held her up. The girl swayed back and forth, her grey eyes hooded and unfocused. "Come on. Get on my back."

Arietta didn't budge, but her hands curled around Lyra's arms so tight, she hissed in pain. Her eyes bugged and lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Arietta, what—" A low growl came from behind her, and the scent of potpourri tickled her nose. She whirled around and stumbled back, before falling on her rear.

The beast loomed over them, it's body dark as a shadow. It stood on all fours and its feet made no sound as it prowled closer to them.

"M-m-m-monster." Arietta tripped over the hem of her cloak and hit the snow next to Lyra, her chest heaving with quick breaths.

Lyra's mind screamed for her to grab Arietta and run, but her body remained as still as the frozen trees. 

The beast's lips peeled back, revealing rows of teeth and a forked tongue dripping with saliva. Stilted guttural sounds that resembled laughter fell from its mouth.

She angled her body in front Arietta, maybe the beast would be satisfied with her and her friend could escape. Its breath washed over her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, clutching Arietta tight. "No, no, no."

The netherborne pressed a claw against her neck, hard enough to cause discomfort but not to break the skin.

"Get away!" 

The netherborne recoiled and rolled through the snow, screeching and pawing at its ears. It turned tail and loped through the trees, clouds of snow kicking up in its wake. The crunching of its footfalls echoed through the trees before tapering off.

Yet Lyra remained still, even as the cold dug into her legs. Her mind hadn't caught up to what had just happened. The netherborne ran... from her? Arietta's whimper snapper her out of her trance. They needed to move.

She stood, pulling her friend up with her. "Come, Arietta. get on my back." Luckily, the girl was light, so Lyra would have no trouble carrying her. "If we hurry, we can get back to the village before it gets—"

A screeching roar tore through the trees – a terrible sound that rattled Lyra's bones and made the snow jump and shiver beneath her feet. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no." Her voice shook just as much as her body.

It would be dark in a matter of minutes and they were out there exposed, with the netherborne. She couldn't outrun one of those beasts, and she didn't know if they'd be lucky enough to scare one off again. "We need to find somewhere to hide." She ran as fast as her legs would go, to an area where she trees grew in tight clumps.

A few were fallen over, hollowed out. Lyra set Arietta down at the mouth of one such tree. "Get in." As the hem of Arietta's cloak disappeared she knelt and crawled in. The inside of the log stank of musty rot, and she pulled her sweater over her nose to filter out the scent.

They huddled near the middle and watched the last light of day disappear. And with the day went the warmth, replaced by a cold that bit harder than a rabid animal. Lyra folded her arms and brought her knees up.

Another roar echoed through the trees, further away than the first, but still loud enough to make her ears ring.

As the sound tapered off, Arietta's soft sobs filled the space. Lyra took her friend's hand and gave it a small squeeze. They'd get through this. By now, someone should have noticed they were gone. The Priests would come and rescue them. Everything would be fine.

A third roar pierced the night air and shook their little hiding space.

Everything would be fine.

***

What's taking them so long? Tallis downed the rest of his juice and reached for the pitcher, only to find it empty.

He rose, stretching the stiffness from his limbs and his stomach clenched, the cramp hitting him like a punch. He'd eaten too much. Again. He left his flute on the ground and went to find his friends. To think they would be goofing off when they had to get ready for the ball. How were they supposed to learn the song in time if they didn't practice?

"Come on you two. We need to practice," he said walking through the opened door. His foot caught the edge of something, and he fell face-first into a pile of books. Pain lanced through his ribs and he curled into a ball. "Ow, ow, ow."

A glass broke somewhere in the house and Arietta dad appeared in the doorway a moment later, face glistening with sweat. "What's the matter? Where's Arietta and Lyra?"

"Uh..." Tallis looked around the room, noticing for the first time that it was empty. "I don't know. They came in here, and now they're gone."

Mr. Eli stepped past him into the room, checking under the bed before rushing to the opened closet. "Oh dear gods." He ran from the room, and a moment later, the front door slammed, the sound echoing through the house like a clap of thunder.

What's going on? An icy feeling settled over Tallis as he stood, raising gooseflesh on his skin. He went inside the closet and his foot caught on the edge of the hole. He stumbled latching on to a coat to stop himself from falling in.

The closet smelled like the dusty old room where they discarded unwanted things at the Cathedral. And the room below looked no different. Tallis poked his head in but saw no Arietta or Lyra.

"Come on guys, quit playing!" he shouted into the room. "Mr. Eli is worried." His lament was answered with silence and he frowned. Arietta liked to play silly games, but not Lyra. Something wasn't right.

Foot-first, he eased himself down onto the stack of crates, heart fluttering when they swayed a bit. He jumped from the high stack straight to the ground, and immediately regretted it when the shock rattled his ankles. A cloud of dust rose up around him and he waved his hands around to clear it before it suffocated him.

It was then he saw the other footprints on the ground, leading out the back door. He frowned. Maybe Lyra had taken Arietta outside to play before it got dark. To cheer her up. Lyra had always had a soft heart where Arietta was concerned.

Tallis opened the door, and more footprints greeted him. His eyes followed their trail from the door to beyond the barrier. No, they wouldn't. Lyra was the responsible one; she wouldn't run off into the forest, with the netherborne.

Would she? His heart fluttered I his chest, a butterfly caught in a spider's web of fear. He had to get help. The Priests, they would know what to do. He ran back into the shop bursting out of the dusty room to the storefront.

Mr. Eli was running the opposite way, dressed in heavy clothing with a bag over his shoulder. "Tallis, where are you—"

Tallis didn't hear the rest of it as he burst out the front door and hung a left. At breakfast that morning, Lord Sicero said they'd be working near the village's entrance today. Hopefully, they were still out there.

His lungs burned as he sprinted along the main road as fast as his small body would go. Up ahead, he spotted Miss Zhen with a group of priests near the two stone pillars that served as the village gate.

"Miss Zhen! Miss Zhen!" He half ran, half stumbled towards them, his huffing breaths clouding the air.

She frowned down at him, dark eyes stern as always. "Tallis, what are you—"

"Arietta and Lyra." He grabbed fistfuls of her coat. "They ran away into the forest and it's almost dark and they're in danger and the netherborne are out there and you have to go get them before—"

"Tallis!" Miss Zhen seized him by the shoulders. "Calm down and tell me which way they went."

His voice quivered as he spoke. "Behind the flower shop. There are footprints in the snow."

She turned away. "Errial, gather and advance team and head out. I'll return shortly with a secondary team. Anna, go by the Cathedral and inform the High Priest."

"Yes ma'am," the Priests chimed in unison.

"Tallis." Miss Zhen faced him again. "I need you to—"

A roar sounded from the south. The direction Lyra and Arietta had gone. It was an ugly sound, filled with ugly promises that made Tallis shake.

Miss Zhen said a bad word, one of those that would earn even the most intimidating priests a crack on the knuckles from Miss Marin. "Change of plans, we need all hands."

Commotion erupted around Tallis as the priests jumped into action. He suddenly felt small, like a lost puppy in a sea of moving people. Like he was drowning. The urge to run made his feet itch, but he didn't know where to go. Or what to do.

He was once again at the mercy of fate. Like he had been the night his parents died. There was nothing he could do. He was a useless baby. Always had been. Always would be.