The cub pressed its head against the big Gromstel's muzzle. The larger beast gave a low breath, checked the little one once more, then lifted its gaze. Somewhere beyond the hedges, voices were rising.

Shouts and the sound of running feet heading towards them could be heard.

The big Gromstel turned. It nudged the cub, then slipped back into the hedge the way it had come, its bulk parting leaves and branches with a dry scrape. In a few seconds, both were gone. Only broken twigs and a rough gap in the green wall remained.

Aephelia stood very still.

Guards rushed in from behind her. An older cousin came with them. Behind them, more servants and a steward trailed with a canvas stretcher and a box of linen.

"Over here!" someone shouted.

They found the boy where he had fallen. A guard dropped to his knees and tied a belt above the stump while another pressed cloth into the wound. The boy didn't move. His skin had gone gray.

"Hold that," the guard said to a servant.

Aephelia stepped back.

"What happened?" the older cousin demanded, turning towards the other children, the ones who ran and shouted for help. "What did you see?"

"A monster," one of them said, shaking. "I-it was huge. Black. With… with tusks."

"It came out of the hedge," another added. "We hit it with fire. It didn't stop."

The older cousin looked at the torn greenery and scowled. "Is it still here?"

"We… we don't know."

The guard captain arrived, took a quick look at the ground, and pointed. "You, lanterns. You, mark the trail. And the three of you, get him to the infirmary now." He glanced once at Aephelia. "Lady Aephelia, please keep clear."

She nodded and moved away.

They lifted the boy. The cloth at his thigh was already dark with blood. Two men carried him away at a careful pace while another one guided the path with a lantern..

They searched the area first. Bits of coarse black fur clung to thorny branches. The grass was flattened where something large had obviously been.

They went in with poles and hooks, prodding at the undergrowth.

From time to time, a guard held up another strand of fur or pointed at an indent in the ground.

After a while, the captain called them back. "Regroup at the entrance. We'll sweep the outer perimeter next."

Aephelia watched from the path and said nothing. A maid came to her side and touched her elbow. "Milady, please. Let me take you inside."

"I'm fine," Aephelia said. Her voice sounded thin to her own ears.

Lanterns moved along the estate walls as the search shifted outward. When night fully came, more lanterns were brought out as more men were now involved in the search.

Near midnight, the captain returned. "There are signs of the beast everywhere," he told the steward. "But it isn't here now." He looked once more at the broken gap where the beast had burst through.

"Shall we keep the search through the night?" the steward asked.

"No, it's too risky; we do not know the extent of the beast's capabilities, seeing as it had even managed to hide itself so near the main house. It's better if we keep a few men on watch and patrol. Once we have more details from the Infernal Children, we can continue."

From Aephelia's window, she could still see the pricks of light moving slowly along the hedgelines. She stayed there until her eyes hurt.

By morning, the house was already busy. The boys and the girl who had run were pale and hoarse from a night of poor sleep. A messenger summoned them to the council hall to give their statements, including Aephelia.

Elders sat in a long row, black and red robes brushed smooth. The Patriarch sat at their center..

An elder addressed the children. "One at a time. Describe what you saw"

The tallest of the boys swallowed. "It suddenly came from the hedge. It was big and tall, it had black fur and its face was flat. The eyes looked weird… it was looking in different directions." He gestured left and right, flustered. "It also had tusks, and it made weird noise..."

"What did you do?"

"We threw fire at it, but it didn't react when it hit. Then it took—" He glanced down. "It took his leg."

The elders made notes. The scratching of pens was louder than the children's voices.

One elder looked up. "Did any of you see it use magic?"

They all shook their heads.

"Did it move like a common beast?"

"No, sir," the girl said. "It only hurt the one who harmed its cub and ignored us."

The elder nearest the Patriarch tapped the end of his pen on the table. "Describe its head again."

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"It was round and it had a flat snout, like someone pressed its face in."

"Describe its eyes."

"It was bulging, and it was as if it was looking in two directions at once," the boy said.

A moment of quiet passed over the seats. Someone said a single word, almost to himself. "A Gromstel."

A few heads turned. The elder who had spoken kept his gaze on the page. "The features match. Tusks. Eyes. Intelligence."

The Patriarch lifted his eyes then. "We had a Gromstel in our land?"

Aephelia kept her face still.

Another elder leaned forward, the first hint of interest in his tone. "We'll need to confirm. But the groundsmen found fur and prints."

"Where?" the Patriarch asked.

"The western abandoned garden," the elder replied.

The Patriarch stood. "Continue the search. Begin warding the perimeter and the outer groves. If it's on our land, we will find it."

"Yes, Patriarch."

He paused, then added, "Double our men and keep this matter a secret from the other houses. This conversation shall not leave this room. Is that understood?" He glared at the children.

"Y-yes…!" Scared as they already were, they immediately answered.

"Leave. Except Aephelia."

The chamber emptied of children. Only Aephelia, the elders, and the Patriarch remained.

An elder folded his hands. "Lady Aephelia, you were present at the scene. Describe what you saw."

Aephelia kept her eyes on the edge of the table. "There was shouting. And when I arrived, the guards were already tending to him. I did not see the attack."

Another elder spoke, voice even. "Before the guards arrived, did you encounter anything unusual near the western gardens?"

"No."

A short silence followed. The Patriarch's gaze did not leave her face.

"Did anything approach you?" a third elder asked. "Any beast, tame or wild."

Aephelia's fingers tightened against her skirt. "No."

"Understood."

They moved through the same questions in different shapes.

Had she visited the west grounds frequently? Had she wandered the maze alone? Was she aware of any beast living there? Each time, Aephelia answered with a lie.

"I walk there sometimes."

"For what purpose?"

"For air."

"Why did you bring a basket of food there?"

"To have a picnic by myself."

The Patriarch lifted a document, read it, and set it down again. "If you know anything that could assist the clan's search, now is the time to say it."

Aephelia stared at the wood grain on the table and said nothing.

One of the elders glanced toward the Patriarch. He cleared his throat. "We have separate statements from the other children," he said, tone casual. "In their panic, they may have misremembered, but they claimed the beast's cub protected you. That when they interacted with you, it rushed out, thinking that they were assailants."

Aephelia's throat went dry. She did not look up. "I do not know why it behaved as it did," she said.

"Did you know of its existence before yesterday?"

She let out a breath. "No."

"Do you know where it is now?"

"No."

Silence returned. It stretched for several breaths.

The Patriarch leaned back slightly. "One last chance," he said. "If you possess information that would benefit this clan, you will provide it."

Aephelia kept her head lowered. "I… I have none to give."

The elders looked to the center seat. The Patriarch did not sigh, and he did not raise his voice. He simply spoke, as if giving a lesson.

"An Infernal child's duty is simple," he said. "You seek the clan's benefit, and you do not endanger blood."

Aephelia held her breath.

The Patriarch's next words were understandable. "For withholding benefit and failing to report, you will be confined. One month in the underground prison. You will only be provided a single ration each day. I hope this teaches you a lesson."

Aephelia's lips parted as if she wanted to say something in retaliation, but she thought better of it. "I accept the punishment," she said.

"Escort her," the Patriarch said, and the two guards in the room escorted her out.

Aephelia bowed once before being led out.

She walked down the long corridor, past the alcoves where the air turned colder. They descended a narrow stair that bent twice and ended at a wooden door.

A guard lifted the bar and the damp air inside pushed out to meet them.

Inside, the corridor was wide but low. She could hear water trickling from somewhere in slow drops.

The lanterns burned in a low light, leaving most of the hall in a washed, gray light.

Eventually, they stopped at another wooden door and entered.

Inside was a small room with no light.

"Wrists," a guard said.

She lifted her arms. The shackles were rusty and the chain was short, it was also attached to a floor ring. Her anklets were also bound, but the chain still allowed a short distance.

"There's a bucket there to relieve yourself." the other guard said, pointing. "Ration comes at midday."

The door shut with a single, dull sound. Their steps retreated, then faded.

Aephelia stood and let her eyes adjust, but it was to no avail. The room allowed no light at all. Instead, her sense of touch was heightened. The floor was cool through the soles of her feet.

She sat. The chain gave a small, metallic clang before going silent.

It reminded her of the orphanage, but colder. Although it was a bit damper here and very quiet.

Even the way sound carried here felt familiar: the far-off scrape of a boot, the trickle of water.

She laid down and stared at the darkness.

Without her knowing, the first day had passed.

The first bowl came with the soft slide of a tray from a guard, who had opened the door and blinded her with the first light she had seen in hours. The food was gruel, gray and watered down, with a small blackened loaf that cracked when she pressed it. She ate slowly.

It had no taste.

The second day, the guard came again. Same bowl. Same loaf. Her stomach turned at the smell, but she finished both. She cleaned her dishes with the last of the bread and set the empty bowl to the side, minding her manners as if neatness mattered here.

In order to keep her sanity, she tried to measure the hours between meals by reciting lists to herself. The names of the Twelve Houses. Treaties. Bloodlines. Her lessons.

With her limited movement, she recalled the steps of formal greeting. When she forgot a line, she started over. When she finished a list, she moved to the next.

On the third day, the gruel was slightly thicker. She could not tell if it was real or if she was getting hungrier.

She slept whenever she felt tired, and practiced and moved whenever she could move.

On what she thought was the sixth day, though it could have been the fifth or seventh, the guard said that she was going to get a visitor soon.

When she could not sleep or practice, she thought about the garden. About the lazy tilt of the big Gromstel's head. About the cub tripping over its own feet and yipping noisily at her hands.

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