Midway through his singing to the growing souls, a rustle in his head told Rowan someone was at his bridge, and it wasn't a member of the Order. Three visitors in a week, not counting Wren. Rowan really didn't like being this popular. Normally he felt someone's presence at the bridge as a slight tug, but today a intermittent whisper accompanied the tug, like words in a dream that he couldn't catch.
He thought about telling Wren where he was going, but he looked so happy there in the afternoon sun with his hammer and a mouthful of cake. Rowan would find out what the visitor wanted and be back before Wren even noticed he was gone.
He crossed the newly strengthened boundary between his garden and the outside, lowering the Veil with a wave of his hand when he saw a man kneeling on the ground at the foot of the bridge. His white-haired head was bowed, and he pressed his hands together in supplication, a hat crushed between them.
"Please get up. That is totally unnecessary."
The man startled as Rowan materialized in front of him. He stood and stepped back. His eyes flitted nervously across the freckles above the collar of Rowan's shirt. "Caretaker?"
"I believe so."
"I wasn't sure you'd come. I've been praying for a while."
"As I said, kneeling is totally unnecessary. You caught me in the middle of something, and it is a little bit of a walk from there to here." Rowan wasn't sure what to do next. It wasn't like he had people voluntarily speaking to him on a regular basis, let alone kneeling on the ground and willing him to appear. "What exactly are you praying about?"
The man bowed and twisted his hat in his hands. "Oh…I thought maybe you could hear it."
"No. I'm not a god. I simply have magic to alert me to visitors." The whisper he heard must have been a new manifestation of that magic. It wasn't possible for him to hear the man's prayer directly. Rowan clasped his hands lightly in front of him, trying to look patient. "Is there something you need? I do need to get back to my garden."
The man straightened. He seemed to want to look Rowan in the eye, but his gaze remained attached to the ground at Rowan's feet. "I'm from Minton. I have seen you there before."
Rowan nodded. He occasionally did shopping when absolutely necessary in the trading town, but his visits were brief and free from human interaction except for exchanging money with the shopkeepers. "I know the place."
"The mayor sent me. There's been an incident. My sister lives in Plum Glen, and she told me what you did. For my niece and with the creature. We thought…we were hoping you could help."
"What kind of incident?"
"There's a corpse in the middle of the main road toward the river. No one knows who he is. He has a pack of goods, so he must be a new trader coming for tomorrow's festival."
"You left him in the road?" Rowan held up his hand, cutting off the man's response. "Never mind. I understand."
The dead man was a stranger, so of course they wouldn't want to touch him. The corpse of someone you knew was bad enough. The fear of defilement by an unknown would certainly outweigh any sense of compassion.
"Minton is under the protection of Words, is it not? Why would you come to me before asking your Branch for help?"
"You helped at Plum Glen. We thought it would be faster to come straight to you, and that you would report to the Order. Wouldn't they just call for you anyway? They are too pure to allow their magic to be touched by…"
"Pollution." Rowan helpfully finished the man's sentence when he trailed off. No need to dance around the obvious.
The man nodded. "We have the road blocked on both sides, but the merchants will be arriving all evening…"
"Yes, I imagine a corpse in the road wouldn't exactly encourage a festive mood." Rowan sighed. "You head back now. I'll be on my way in a moment. I will most likely beat you there."
Rowan returned to the garden to tell Wren what had happened, only to find Wren on his way to meet him, his eyes hovering between shadow and reality. His mouth was set in an angry line, and he clenched his hands at his side as he strode through the grass toward the trail that led to the bridge.
When he spotted Rowan emerging from the woods, his face hardened, and he quickened his pace. Rowan almost took a step back when he sensed the blood-red magic pulsing just under the surface of Wren's faltering composure, but he merely slowed his steps, passing by Wren as if the other's behavior was nothing to worry about.
Wren faltered in his pursuit and turned to walk by Rowan's side. His magic retreated, but his anger remained.
"What's the matter?" Rowan said. His ward had been doing so well. It pained him to see this setback.
"You were gone. You made me eat, and I knew you were real…then you were gone."
"I'm here now. I just—"
Wren cut in front of Rowan, blocking his path. He reached toward Rowan's arm, but dropped his hand when Rowan backed away. "You didn't tell me you were leaving. I would have come with you. I thought you lied to me…that you were put in my head to trap me."
Rowan held up his hands. "Hush. I haven't lied to you. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you where I was going. I didn't mean to alarm you. There was a visitor. That's all."
"Who?" Wren's golden eyes narrowed under the dark slash of his brow.
"Someone from a nearby town. They need my help."
"No."
"What do you mean, no?" Rowan couldn't make sense of this behavior.
"I want you to stay here."
"I'm going to help. You can wait here. You're almost whole again. You'll be fine." Maybe if Rowan said that out loud, he could convince himself that Wren really would be fine here by himself. "I won't be long, and when I get back we can—"
"No. I will not wait here." The look in Wren's eyes dared Rowan to say otherwise.
Rowan liked dares. "You will wait here. Do you understand what will happen to me if anyone were to find out about you? I'm only supposed to harvest and grow souls for the Order. I broke my vows to bring you back to life. And I still don't know who you are."
"Don't you?"
Rowan felt the blood drain from his face. "You're right. I do. You are Wren. You feed my birds too roughly, my clothes don't fit you, and I enjoy your company even though I think I shouldn't. I've given you a new beginning. Right now, that's all I care about."
Wren blinked, and the fight vanished from his expression to reveal the sweet countenance Rowan had gotten to know over the past few days. "So you are worried that someone will see me?"
"Yes. That can't happen. It won't end well for either of us."
Wren's mouth curled into a dangerous smile. "Then there is nothing to worry about. I am coming with you."
"Didn't you hear me?"
"No one will see me except for you. You have my word. But I will not wait here."
Rowan sighed. "How exactly are you going to accomplish this?"
"You have your magic. I have mine. Would you like me to tell you about it?" Wren raised an eyebrow.
"Not now. There's a corpse waiting for me." Rowan headed back toward the bridge.
Wren walked silently at his side, but Rowan could feel the young man's self-satisfaction in the bounce of every step. Rowan had opened his doors to trouble, and he couldn't seem to bring himself to shut it out again.
"Why are you so intent on coming along? You really have been doing better." Rowan looked at Wren out of the corner of his eye. His curt tone must have pleased Wren immensely, because that unpredictable mouth of his unfurled into a sly grin.
"I'm coming because I'm coming. Don't act like you aren't happy." Wren's voice goaded Rowan with a whisper of velvet.
"I'm not happy at all. I'd rather go alone."
"You are a bad liar."
"And you are being impossible." Rowan picked up his pace, ignoring Wren's smug chuckle.
"Tell me, Caretaker…would they hurt you if they found out about me?"
A trace of danger slipped into Wren's tone, smooth and sharp as glass. The hairs on Rowan's arms stood on end. He didn't answer. Hurt would only be the beginning of what they'd do.
"Hmm." The velvet turned to ice, sending a delicious chill through Rowan's bones. "I think I would very much enjoy returning the favor."