Bridget led Jake through the snow toward Old Mag. Rev. Jackdaw’s coat hung to her ankles and rubbed the top of her too-tight shoes. Animal tracks ran in all directions through the trees and across the path. Deer, fox, squirrel. She looked for anything green poking up through the snow, both for Jake to eat and to take back to the lodge. If Effie had something happy inside, she might feel better. Grandma Teegan always brought ivy and holly in during winter to keep the croft cheery.
“Effie’s never been in the trees,” she told Jake. That wasn’t the scariest thing she needed to tell him. Effie was quitting inside. Step one to something bad happening.
At Old Mag, she crawled over one arm and stared down at the snow-covered spot where she’d drawn her map. She had drawn it for safety and holding
