Nightfall saw nearly half the village gathered in that little clearing before Pest's house, crying for blood. Salvation didn't come until the hunchback pushed his way through the crowd.

The werewolves flanked him.

Once he reached the front of the mob and turned to address the wrath of the people, the werewolves turned and growled.

All fell silent.

"He's a fairy! The only way to save our daughters is by killing him!" someone screamed.

The hunchback raised his hands. "That may well be true but nothing's going to happen tonight. This is not the proper way to conduct business. Make your complaints and then come back in the morning to see to it. That is how a civilized society works."

"Fuck civilized. He slept with my wife! What civilized bastard enchants a man's wife!"

Fanli kept her eyes on the ground. While people cursed and murmured, her mind was elsewhere—on why she wasn't falling into an ogre's lament.

"We'll take the complaints," the hunchback repeated. "And that's as far as we'll go tonight. Are we clear?" Hate wafted from the crowd and the werewolves at his side growled and he said, "Or you can take it up with the night patrol."

Reluctant grumbles followed from the men who lowered their swords. One werewolf transformed into a man. Though naked, he found some parchment from somewhere and went around taking names.

Fanli worried for Pest—her thoughts stayed squarely on him the whole time.

Name after name came, each one making Fanli feel worse. But it was the final name that made Fanli pick her head up.

A dragon. She scanned the crowd for the familiar clothing of black leather and spotted the woman in question. Solair. But instead of her being with the other two, she stood on her own.

Now everything made sense, and it was more than clear how Pest's mischief got out and spread so fast in the course of one day.

Fanli didn't need to look, she knew the dragon glared at her.

"The hunters," a werewolf said, nearing Wyrn. "That's how everyone knows. And the mob ain't letting up. Boss, they've sworn to come back until you offer that fairy up."

For a long while, not even the grumbles and occasional shouts of the townsfolk permeated the grimness.

"Where is he?" the werewolf asked.

Wyrn opened and closed his mouth before confessing. "Gone. There's no fairy to offer them. He's gone."

After a brief hesitation, the werewolf bowed his head and hurried back to his other comrades. Wyrn was too distraught to watch his path, but Fanli noticed when that same wolf scribbled yet another name on the paper—perhaps Pest had encountered that wolf's own sister, cousin...or wife.

Thirty minutes later, in front of the hunchback's home, his family gathered—all in varying degrees of distress.

They loaded a wagon pulled by two donkeys.

Fanli, though well aware of their departure, felt as equally abandoned as Pest by his own parents.

"We must see The Living Goddess," the hunchback's wife said. She took Fanli by the arms, rubbing them in a gruff manner. "Whatever's happened to him, we'll find out. People know of your friendship with him. Please stay in our house, you'll be safe there. The night patrol have their strict instructions."

But Fanli had her doubts. Still, the fact that Wen's father climbed into the wagon but didn't have the strength to lift the reigns shut her up. There was no need to add to their distress.

"Thank you, ma'am. I won't stay for more than a night. When will you be back?"

The princess opened and closed her mouth. In the end, she gave Fanli a gentle pat on the arm and climbed onto the wagon beside her husband. Wen and Ved sat in the back, equally miserable.

With the click of the princess's teeth, the mules began to move. They trod at a leisurely pace, heading toward the enchanted forest.

Once they were gone, Fanli set her sights on the house. It was pitch-black inside. She could use it, she knew—and probably should—but this was not a safe place.

When she was sure no one was around, she marched to the back of the house, down onto the shallow path, and scanned the trees. Nothing. Nothing and no one was here and yet...she felt her treasure.

She wasn't wrong and she wasn't crazy.

"They're gone," she called in a whisper. "You can come out."

Stillness greeted her beyond the noise of the insects making themselves known for the night.

So she'd been right—he had transformed into something. Something so terrible that he hid himself.

She couldn't imagine what, but she knew his discovery would end them both.

Home. She hadn't been there in days. Now, more than ever, she longed to be out of the human world and somewhere quiet.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she said, and set off for the rocky hills.

Halfway on her journey, she felt queasy and concluded that he'd stopped following. She glanced behind her in the direction of the hunchback's house but didn't have it in her to turn back. Yesterday she'd decided that she hated Pest. When he'd used her treasure in Wen's room and escaped through the open window, leaving everyone to clean up his mess, she decided she despised him.

So why, now, after all he'd done, was she still worried for him? He certainly didn't worry for her.

A warmth washed over her and she sighed. He was here with her. Then why wouldn't he simply let her see him?

No matter, he'd give up once she was back in her cave.

He didn't follow her home, a fact for which she was thankful with the cussing she had to endure.

"From you to your sister, how'd we manage the misfortune of two ungrateful children!" Mother bellowed.

"You needn't come back if it's so terrible here!" Father echoed.

But Fanli simply curled up at the mouth of the cave and stared down at the forest below. The view of the dock was what made her sit up again.

A strange shadow passed it by—a monster.

Fanli's breath caught. She was still taking her verbal beating that escalated to the eventual physical when panic took her. She yanked her arm free of her mother, not caring about the club raised, readying to strike her, and raced down that hillside.

But when she came to the dock, there was nothing and no one there. It was gone. Fanli twisted in all directions, fearful.

Her thoughts fell to Bati, but depending on who she entertained, Fanli didn't dare bother her.

With nowhere left to go, she looked back up at the cave to see two large ogres, once strong and proud but now bulging at the gut and weary, fuming as they watched her.

She felt sad for her parents. They'd worried for her. But their strange way of showing it was how one communicated with livestock, not offspring. Fanli searched herself for any smidgen of possible courage she could muster to get back up that mountain but came up wanting.

For once, her desire to be away from her parents didn't overtake her desire to be away from the humans.

Leaving would be easy—Bati'd done it. Pest's parents had done it—and not even with a goodbye. Hell, in a sense, Pest had done it, too.

Fanli was scared when she walked up to her home. Dread weighed her down with every step. She expected to take at least a club or two to the face but was shocked to find her father had taken it from her mother's hands and now held it at a distance.

The three of them stood there.

But as bad as they were, she knew she could always come home. She couldn't say the same for Pest, wherever he was.

Without a word, Fanli sat on the ground, crouched up, and closed her eyes. She no longer looked out at the docks.

That night, she rested well despite the ruckus of the following day. Mobs gathered into groups and split off in search of the evil fairies. Each night that ended in failure also ended with injury to other creatures of magic who had nothing to do with Pest.

By day three, Fanli watched from her cave, her mother's hand on her shoulder. Fanli didn't look up as she patted it in assurance. She wouldn't be leaving that cave, not in the day. Nighttime gave her an advantage because humans could not see as well.

To her surprise, her parents stood with her when she set her mind to going down to check on whoever needed help. In the last two days, she'd gone alone.

But today, on day three of this madness—day three of not seeing Pest, she scanned her surroundings to find other ogres standing at the mouth of their caves.

One jumped down and made his way to her. Heat filled her cheeks when Lowgli came into view. In his hands, he carried something Fanli hated seeing—a dress.

When he arrived, she pretended not to notice him, a difficult task because he was massive and he stood before her.

"You weren't going down, were you? Most stay home and only go out to gather fruit. A proper hunt of an animal is too risky with jittery humans mucking about."

As Fanli stood there trying to act deaf, she felt even more foolish. In this regard, Lowgli was similar to Pest—he didn't need an immediate answer and was more than willing to wait for one.

Finally, Lowgli held the dress up, though he hesitated. "Would you—"

"No." Fanli answered. For a long while, silence drifted between them. What was she doing? Why was she doing this? Pest was gone and even if he wasn't, he was transformed.

"Would be nice if you'd at least let me finish my question," Lowgli muttered. He glanced past her then their eyes met again. "The last dey saw you, was with me. And when dey came asking 'bout you, I didn't give you up for fled. And I tracked you all de way to the tavern. Had to even send some of my hunters to rob a faun to try and buy you from that fairy using you."

Each word past his full lips and perfect teeth had Fanli dying inside.

"All dat. What was the point'a all dat?"

She watched him now, and he matched her action. In truth, all his words were tender, said with no malice or judgement, and yet, she was too ashamed to admit to them.

"I don't want you," she said. The words left her mouth feeling stale. This felt wrong. So why couldn't she stop herself? "So take your dress and go."

Lowgli glanced down at the blue fabric then to her again. After a long pause, he laughed.

"Wait. Did you think dis is for you?" The rumble in the back of his throat died down when he noticed her actual hurt. He was gentler when he explained, "I found a nice ogress—a real one. One who doesn't hate her own."

The words left his mouth but she felt breathless instead. Each attempt she made to say something in her defense, nothing came out.

"I'd come," he began, "to ask if you know how to adjust it. Even if it turns to treasure, I want her wearing it. I'm plenty strong enough to keep her safe with it on."

This bout of silence had Fanli shriveling up inside.

"But I think," he said, "I won't bother you no more." True to his word, he turned and walked away, his dress in hand. Fanli told herself not to look—she resolved not to. But her eyes slid on their own to follow Lowgli's path. Sure enough, he circled their ridge and jumped down into the mouth of a smaller cave.

A tall ogress, catching a stray butterfly that awoke and escaped her hair, stood at attention and tried to act innocent. She wore the garb of hunters. Upon seeing Lowgli's gift, her eyes widened. She was confused at first but played it off well as she bowed her head, accepting his proposal.

And then they sat down together, side by side.

Fanli needed a lot of effort to tear her eyes away and look down into the valley.

Someone who didn't hate her own kind. The words passed through her mind again and again, stinging harder each time.

She didn't hate ogres—of course she didn't.

Someone approached from behind her. "Thinking of going to look for Bati?" Mother asked.

Not only Bati but now Fanli was too ashamed to admit to that.

Fanli feared enough for her parents to consider abandoning her search for the night.

"We'll go if you're dead set on it," Mother said.

"But only if," Father muttered as he joined them.

One ogre descended the hillside, then another. Fanli watched no less than ten make their way into the forest below. They weren't likely to catch much. But when Fanli thought of following, she saw herself bludgeoned on the ground bleeding from the temple.

Fanli lost her nerve. She sat. The males could find the food. She could wait. A thought came to her. The tree. Pest's favorite tree. Perhaps he was taking refuge there. But how would it look, her searching for this troublesome fairy? Other ogres would follow after her if she were injured and had to cry out.

Against a nagging feeling of dread, Fanli sought sleep. In the morning, bright and early, she scanned the forest and what she could see of the village from here for any posses looking to form.

Nothing.

An hour later after entering that forest and climbing that tree to find it empty, Fanli sighed.

From here, she spied the nymph, the faun sleeping with his head in her lap. At least something was at peace. This enchanted forest kept the humans out.

When the faun awoke with a start, frightened and confused, the nymph grabbed at him until he calmed.

Even this far in, everyone was on edge. Fanli decided against approaching them—they must have known by now this was Pest's fault. She also told herself to stop looking for Pest. Maybe, like his parents, he was long gone with no goodbyes.

She was close to the river when she heard the first moan of an ogre's distress cry. It sounded young, perhaps a girl.

Fanli's heart panged. She prayed no one followed her and suffered for it. And then something else came to her. Bati.

But Bati's camp was in the opposite direction. And so far, though Fanli had expected her to come home during all this nonsense, she never had.

The closer Fanli was to the cries, the more she was convinced she was wrong. This wasn't Bati, but someone else.

A naked body closed in. It was bigger than she expected but it was definitely an ogre. He lay listless, face first in the river.

Fanli rushed to him, gathered some mud in her hand to plaster on any injury, and reached the large body in record time.

The cries were weaker but spoke of distress.

Forced to use one hand, Fanli scanned the olive-green skin. There was no blood on the mane of his back or neck. She used all her strength to turn him over, fearing the worst—a gash through the chest, or throat.

But rather than his body, she was taken aback by what she saw...of his face.

His face....

Fanli's free hand flew to her mouth.

"Pest?"