Page 34 of The Witch & the Hound

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"How recent?"

"Minutes."

Relief flooded through me. Minutes meant she was close. Minutes meant we were gaining on her.

"Lily!" I called, my voice carrying across the water. "Lily, my name's Maggie! Your brother Ethan is here! We're here to help you!"

Nothing.

Just waves, wind, and the creak of boats.

Ethan tried: "Lily! It's me! Please come out!"

Still nothing.

But Bram had gone very still, head tilted like a dog hearing something beyond human range.

"She's here," he said quietly. "On the pier. I can hear her breathing."

"Where?"

He moved forward slowly, deliberately, scanning the shadows between boats, the gaps in the decking, the dark space beneath the pier itself where pylons disappeared into cold water.

Then he stopped.

Crouched down.

Pointed under a fishing boat covered with a blue tarp.

"There."

I knelt beside him, careful of my dress, and peered into the darkness. At first, I saw nothing, just shadow and the gleam of water below. Then my eyes adjusted.

A small shape, curled into a ball between the boat's hull and the dock's edge. Purple shirt. Blonde hair. Knees pulled to chest.

Lily.

She was shaking. Either from cold, fear, or both.

Relief hit me so hard I had to close my eyes for a second. Found. Alive. Unharmed.

Thank God.

"Lily?" I kept my voice soft, non-threatening. Cop training: approach scared children like you're approaching wild animals.Slow. Calm. Predictable. "My name's Maggie. Your mom sent us to find you."

No response. But she hadn't run, which was something.

"Your brother Ethan's here too. He was really worried about you."

Still nothing.

Ethan pushed forward, trying to see. "Lily, it's okay! I'm sorry I lost you! Please come out!"

The small shape shifted. A face turned toward us, pale in the shadows.

"Ethan?" Her voice was tiny. Scared.

"Yeah! It's me! Come on, we can go home!"

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