Long story short, after a surprisingly long conversation, Chloe was actually invited to the rabbit fey’s house. And yes, she had made absolutely sure he said the words “I invite you”, just to be extra, safe.

  Because rules were rules, and Chloe wasn’t about to get cursed just for a little curiosity. Once she had that firmly locked in, she figured there was no harm in going along.

  The rabbit fey’s house was built right into a huge tree. The trunk was thick and bumpy, full of knots and ridges. A small wooden door was carved into the bark, with a tiny handle shaped like a curled-up leaf.

  Unfortunately, the door wasn’t tall enough for Mr. White to fit through. He huffed softly, blue flames flickering with impatience, and Chloe patted his neck. “Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.”

  After that, Chloe turned and saw that the rabbit fey had stepped forward, gently pushing the door open. “After you."

  Chloe nodded, but first gave Mr. White's bony neck a reassuring pat. “Stay here, best buddy. Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone, okay?”

  Mr White snorted. And Chloe thought that was a good enough answer.

  With that, she followed the rabbit fey through the door. Inside, the house felt cozy and warm. The wooden walls were polished to a shine, and tiny lanterns hung from branches jutting out from the walls. Shelves were carved right into the tree trunk, filled with curious trinkets, jars, and books that looked old enough to be important, or maybe dangerous.

  Chloe stepped carefully, her eyes darting around. Everything felt alive in a quiet, slightly weird way, but in a good way. The rabbit fey gestured to a small chair by a low wooden table. “Please, sit, and would you like some juice?”

  Chloe tilted her head, pretending to think seriously about it. “Uh… no thanks, I’m good."

  He shrugged and poured a glass from a large pitcher. The juice was golden and thick, like someone had melted gold and poured it into a cup. Chloe tried not to stare too hard though, since he seemed like the type of fey who noticed those things.

  Once he settled into his chair, the rabbit fey leaned back slightly. “So, what brings you here?”

  Chloe plopped into her seat, her mind racing. The last thing she wanted was to give this guy anything real. She had no idea what fey might do with that kind of information. “Oh, you know, I'm just wandering. Traveling. Collecting… stuff. Totally normal, boring stuff.”

  She added a little shrug for emphasis, trying to look relaxed, like a totally harmless, everyday zombie who was not going to eat your brains. Yeah, she was doing great.

  He nodded slowly, like he was listening but also judging. “And your background? Family? Skills?”

  Chloe blinked, then forced a casual shrug. “Skills? Oh, lots. Um, I’m really good at cleaning and stuff. Totally ordinary. Nothing exciting here.”

  The rabbit fey’s black eyes stayed locked on her. “You’re lying.”

  Chloe’s eyes went wide. She fumbled, hands gesturing wildly. “No! I mean—yes? I mean—uh… well, I’m not lying!"

  Surprisingly, the rabbit fey just laughed. “It’s alright, I can tell you’re protecting yourself. I don’t mind. You don’t have to tell me everything. Not yet, anyway.”

  Chloe blinked at him, a mix of relief, suspicion, and sheer awe swirling in her mind. Mostly awe, actually. It was kind of impressive that someone could see right through her so easily. “So, are we cool?”

  “That really depends on you. At the end of the day, I am neither your friend nor your foe. I am simply a fey, and we tend to do things differently.

  “Yeah, yeah, I already got that part. You’re a fey. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

  The rabbit fey shook his head slowly. “Ah, if nothing else, you are certainly… unique."

  Chloe puffed up, crossing her arms. “Anyway, can you really help me find my friends like you said before or not?"

  “Friends, hmm? I wonder… do you actually have friends, or are you just saying that for fun?”

  “Excuse me? Of course I have friends! And I want to find them. Like, right now.”

  Then Chloe remembered something. Ynett had been with Raenof and Sierra too. Chloe’s grin faltered for a second. “Wait, correction. I want to save two of them. The other one can just, you know… sorta go away.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I see. Selective loyalty, is it?”

  “Yeah! Totally selective. Don’t judge me. Some people are just less cool."

  “Very well. But before you go, know this, the fog that brought you here isn’t natural. It’s created by a fey beast called the Fog Spewer. If you don’t defeat it, the fog will rise again as you step outside, and you could end up trapped.”

  “Wait, do I have to fight it now? Or just sometime later? Because, you know, I’m all for fighting, but maybe a little heads-up would be nice.”

  “Soon. Very soon. The fog will not wait for you to plan. But you can beat it, if you are clever.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m clever, daring, and super punchy. The fog’s got nothing on me. Totally nothing. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Rabbit.”

  The fey’s ears twitched once, then he looked at her with a curious expression. “Before you go, what was your name again?"

  “Uh… Chloe,” she said. And it took Chloe a few seconds before she realized her mistake and clamped her mouth shut.

  The rabbit fey’s smile stretched wider, and for a second Chloe thought maybe he’d just nod and let her leave. But then his body started to morph and expand. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a monstrous creature. His black eyes gleamed with a strange, hungry light, and Chloe’s grin wavered for just a split second. Well, that settled it. It was now fighting time.

  The creature lunged at her with terrifying speed, and Chloe barely had time to duck. She swung her fist on instinct, letting her shadowy magic coil through it, and slammed into its side. The beast hissed in surprise, stumbling backward.

  “Heh! Take that!" Chloe said proudly.

  The monstrous fey tilted its head in confusion. “You are not weakened by revealing your name. How is that even possible?”

  “Uh, what do you mean? I just said Chloe. That’s my name.”

  “That is not your true name. What is your true name?”

  Chloe shrugged casually. “Honestly, I don’t really know what that’s supposed to mean. I’m just Chloe, you know?”

  The monstrous fey’s black eyes glimmered with frustration. “I see. Then perhaps we should try a different approach.”

  Before Chloe could even ask what that meant, a soft, glowing circle appeared beneath her feet, pulsing with light. The air hummed, and there was this funny feeling that tickled her senses.

  The fey's lips curled into a sharper, almost satisfied smile. “This is a zone of Truth. You will answer me honestly.”

  “Uh, okay? But just so you know, I already told you my name is Chloe."

  “No, answer me truthfully. What is your true name?”

  "I'm Chloe."

  The zone of truth shimmered, glowing a little brighter, but the fey’s frustrated sigh seemed to shake the branches of the room. “Incredible… impossible.”

  Chloe shrugged. “What? You’re the one being all weird, asking for my name like three times even though I already told you.”

  She half expected the fey to snap back with some magical trick, but nothing happened. Finally, the fey’s shoulders sagged, and its smile faded. “Hmph, there is nothing more for me to do here.”

  Before Chloe could ask what that even meant, the fey's body glowed really bright for a second, and then it simply vanished. For a moment, Chloe just stared at the empty space where the rabbit fey had been. She wasn't exactly sure what happened, but this seemed like a win for her. Which meant that in terms of coolness, zombies ranked even above fey, obviously.

  After she finished basking in her victory, Chloe decided to leave and stepped toward the little wooden door. Pushing it open as she went outside.

  “Alright,” Chloe muttered, stepping down from the doorframe and scanning the grass. Her eyes immediately landed on Mr. White, who was patiently standing.

  She came up to him and patted his bony neck. “Hey, Mr White. Did you see any big, foggy monster while I was gone?"

  Mr. White tilted his skull slightly, and a faint puff of cold air escaped him. It didn't seem like he knew the answer this time around.

  Chloe huffed, pacing a small circle. “Figures. But still, there’s gotta be some kind of rule with this fog. Fey are always sneaky like that. If it keeps coming back, it’s probably tied to something I’m supposed to do, or not do.”

  Rules. Yeah, there were always rules. Ynett had mentioned something about manners, names, and invitations. So maybe this fog monster was just waiting for her to slip up. Or maybe it was bored. Hard to tell. Fey were weird like that.

  Chloe didn’t have much to go on, which meant she had to figure out this whole fog situation mostly on her own. Well, okay, she had Mr. White too. And speaking of him, she had already figured out one important thing: if she was holding onto someone or something, like she had held onto Mr. White before, the fog would transport her together with whatever she grabbed.

  That was at least one thing figured out. Now all she had to do was figure out the rest.

  Chloe swung herself up onto Mr. White’s back, gripping his cold, bony neck. “Alright, buddy, we’re gonna keep walking until that fog decides to come back and try its funny tricks on us.”

  Mr. White huffed softly, blue flames flickering along his skull and chest, a clear “yes”, most likely. He started trotting, carrying Chloe with him.

  Chloe leaned forward a little, letting her fingers trail through the tips of the tall, shimmering grass as Mr. White trotted steadily beneath her. She kept one eye focused ahead and the other scanning the meadow for any sign of the sneaky fog.

  She rode along, weaving through the grass, humming to herself and talking quietly to Mr. White. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the fog began to creep in again. “Ah, there it is. Hello again, fog!"

  This time, she didn’t wait for it to swallow her whole. She reached down and grabbed onto Mr. White firmly, just like last time. “Okay, buddy. Don’t let go. We’re sticking together, got it?”

  Mr. White gave a low huff, blue flames flickering in agreement. Chloe leaned back slightly, tightening her hold as the fog thickened around them. The surrounding environment blurred as everything was replaced with swirling white fog. And just like that, they were swallowed up, moving forward together into whatever the fog had waiting next.