"That's reasonable, but-- I can't assume the child is a lie? And if she comes by in eight months or so--"

"No, that's true."

Or, Terrence is willing to assume that, but Jing Yi's the potential father here, Terrence gets how that might shift the balance. "

Well - hopefully we'll know more long before then. Have hope."

"And she might get her hooks into someone else. --Not that I can do much about that. Ugh."

"Do you think there's anything I can do otherwise? Other than keeping a general eye out, I suppose. Someone I could... ask? She's an active designer, perhaps she has clients who might know if she's still in town or keeping up business?"

"Knowing if she's left town would be useful. ...I guess I can also come back, if she's not here."

"Oh, that's true. ... Does she have a key? Well, we can get the locks changed."

"We should, just in case." He snorts. "Our landlord will just have to live with it."

When they ask around, Evie has in fact totally and utterly disappeared.

Well, that's alarming, but at least isn't an immediate problem???

They take the 2PM train on the fifth of December, giving them two days after they arrive but before the ritual. 

On the way up, they see a man absent-mindedly fingering a a byakhee whistle as he stares out the window. He wears a thoughtful expression.

Well, that's not great.

Terrence smiles friendlily (friendly? friendily? none of these are right) at the guy if the guy happens to glance his way, but otherwise, does not take any steps to get the guy's attention, for obvious reasons. 

Why are there so many of them. 

Noting down that man in particular. Very suspicious.

(Sal's notebook is conveniently in his hands, along with most of the few other mundane things he's taking, because his bags are full of explosives.)

Is a byakhee whistle better or worse than the number of fellow travellers next to him with concealed weapons. (Yes, he is an awful hypocrite with a hand gun hidden in his coat.)

Well, it can certainly do a hell of a lot more damage than tiny Inaaya with her tiny pocketknife.

..It is very reasonable for Inaaya to have that knife, but still.

Terrence brought a lighter. And a book. (And a nice suit and a warm coat.) He's ready to do crimes.

Oscar's going to try to look inconspicuous and try not to make too much of the friendly smile Terrence aimed at a whistle-bearer. Is this another mind control thing?

Sal glances out the window and--

Green and black light slants down through the canopy of leaves to the floor. You walk on soft moss that surrounds the trees. Old oaks make a city here, quiet but watchful. Every detail is in place. You imagine who you might meet here in this fairy tale forest, wild Cernunnos the hunter, the Faerie Queen with her donkeys, hobgoblins and sprites, the wolf at the banquet all tooth and cunning, and by thinking of them you bring them closer.

Someone falls into step beside you and it’s another you imagined, the rogue, the highwayman, Wat or Will or one of those. He strides along, capable and sure, rolling on the balls of his feet with an easy gait — longbow across his back, dirk in his belt. He’s grinning. No he isn’t, you can’t keep up this conceit.

The old forest is gone and, as it is, your companion becomes — who is it? If you’re Pilgrim then Faithful? Vain Confidence? But with this hesitation you’re alone and the welter of staging is replaced by bare boards, your plot by an empty page. Someone else directs your dream and you can’t escape this with the distractions of fairy tales and allegories.

You’re walking to Him.

She's had this vision before, in her sleep, she's sure of it. It disturbed her, then, but it didn't make her lose her nerve.

It still doesn't. But it comes closer this time.

"So, do we have any specific plans, or are we just following our hearts?"

"Should we - I don't know, gather information? Talk to who we can?"

"Find out where at the lake the house we're looking for is."

"...That's a good first step."

"Tomorrow we go to the house, if we're questioned we tell them that -- well, that Der Wanderer informed us we'd be here, that's straightforwardly true -- we'll have to do something with all of," head tilt at bag of explosives, "our things--"