spoke from there. "I need to hear what you know, Vul. If there really are guards looking for me, Caer might be in danger, too. I'm not familiar with Dark World, but in my world the police never stop searching until they find their suspect."
"They...," Vul said in a nervous tone. She hadn't moved this time.
"And I don't know if it's the same here," he said, maneuvering around the chair and stepping close enough to feel the slight chill that came from her cool body. She didn't back away this time. "But in my world, the police are always looking for as many people to blame as possible. They love to make examples of bad people."
He fumbled around and finally found her fuzzy hands. He took them in his. She tensed but let him touch her. Her hands were a little stronger than Caer's, but still cool and delicate, with the same smooth hair on them. He took a moment and tried to imagine how this creature must look. "Where I come from, bad people get either the End or the Eighteener Entrance."
Her fingers twitched.
"What happens here, Vul?"
She trembled more, but Eref held her steady. He hoped his grip felt reassuring and not constricting. He loosened just a little, but she left her hands in his.
"Our people," Vul began in a tiny voice, "get the Pyre or the Eighteener Entrance."
"Am I in danger, Vul?"
Her whole body moved as she nodded. "Yes."
"Does that put Caer in danger, too?"
Vul sniffed. "Yes."
Eref let go of Vul's hands and reached out for her face. He found it at his chest level. He wiped little tears from her fuzzy cheeks, and she sniffled.
"Please help," he said. "Caer saved me, and now she's at risk. Tell us what you know about the guards. How can we escape them? Where can I go to be safe without bringing you any more trouble?"
"I...I don't know much," she said.
"Vul," Caer said from behind them. Eref hadn't forgotten she was there. He had given Vul his full attention but had felt Caer's eyes on him the whole time.
"Caer," Vul said. "I'm sorry. I was so scared when I saw him here. I didn't know what to think."
Caer stepped in front of Eref. He heard soft rustling sounds, and had a sense the two girls were embracing. He felt their chilly bodies in front of him, and the tension in the room lessened.
"I'm sorry, too, Vul," Caer said. "I should have told you. Please help us if you can?"
"The guards are everywhere. All over Dark World. I heard they're setting up mostly at the Shade and the Pyre."
Eref stood next to Caer and tried to face Vul. He felt deeply self-conscious every time he spoke because he knew he wasn't meeting her eyes. At a time like this, he needed to be confident and in control. Instead, he was helpless.
"What's the Shade?"
Caer answered. "It's the heart of our world. A huge tree with great roots."
"What is there?"
"Everything," Vul said.
Caer added, "Our Governors live there. We go there to worship. It has a hospital for the sick. We get our lessons in the Shade, too, up until we turn eighteen. Then we go there for the Eighteener Entrance."
"In Light World," Eref said, "we have a place like that. It's called the Center. Our Governors live there, and our Eighteener Entrance is held there, too. But it has roads that lead to everything else, like our hospital and our school."
"Then you can see why they've put so many guards at The Shade," Vul said. "It's the most important place in our world. They feel they need to protect it from...."
"From me."
"Yes."
"And there are guards at the Pyre?"
"Yes, but not as many. They're armed, though."
"That's where I found Eref," Caer said.
"The opening to my world is above the Pyre," he said. "That means your execution area is right below ours."
Vul's voice grew tense again. "What were you doing at the execution area of your world?"
Caer touched Eref's side, and he knew to let her talk.
"He could see past their lies, Vul."
"They were putting him to death?"
"Well - "
"You're a criminal?"
"Vul," Caer said, still touching Eref's side to keep him quiet. "When I found him, he had been beaten. His ribs were crushed. His skin was bleeding. He was going to die."
"Do you know what he did?" Vul's voice had gone back to its earlier level of distress. "Maybe he should have died! Maybe he killed someone. Maybe he's going to kill us now!"
"I didn't