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“Out?”

“I’ve always wanted to come to Salem on Halloween. And what else are we going to do until morning? Besides, we should find somewhere to eat.”

He paused, as if giving it a thought. “Fine.”

“Great!” Ria clapped her hands together.

They dropped their bags off in their respective rooms, then headed out. The late afternoon sun was dropping behind the rooftops as the streets filled up even further. Ria led them along the main street, where shops advertised everything from tarot readings to overpriced candles. They walked past a haunted house attraction with a line around the block and then a man in a full Grim Reaper costume standing perfectly still until someone got close enough to startle. Asterion seemingly absorbed it all, his head turning to follow each new absurdity with curiosity and from the knitting of his eyebrows, a little bit of judgement.

After stopping by a cafe for a quick dinner of soup and sandwiches, they headed out once more. When they reached a more residential part of town, they stopped to watch a group of children move from house to house, carrying plastic bags and jack-o’-lantern-shaped buckets. A tiny girl in a dragon costume ran up to a door, yelled, “trick or treat!” and held out her bag with both hands.

“So, they just give them sweets?” Asterion asked.

“Yep.”

“With no payment.”

“Uh-huh.”

As the dragon girl sprinted back to her parents, already eating something from her haul, he said, “Korinnae would love this.”

“We’ll bring her next year,” Ria said, and the words came out before she thought about what they implied. That there would be a next year. That they would still somehow be connected then. Asterion glanced at her but didn’t say anything, and she didn’t correct herself.

Clearing her throat, she hustled them along. As the late afternoon sky turned to the dark of evening, the atmosphere around them changed. Now, teenagers roamed in packs, some in costumes and some just in black hoodies. Two boys sprinted past them, one chasing the other with a rubber severed hand while a girl filmed the whole thing on her phone, cackling.

“This is supposed to be fun?” Asterion asked.

“Lighten up,” she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder, to which he only replied with a shrug.

They continued walking until they found a bar on a side street. Without even asking, Ria pulled Asterion inside. It was packed with people in costumes. A group of nurses with fake blood on their scrubs occupied a corner booth while two men dressed as salt and pepper shakers argued about something at the bar. A woman in a cat costume sat on a stool and scrolled through her phone while her companion, a man in a red and black cape, kept his eyes on the TV above that played a football game. Ria went straight to the bar and ordered two beers and then they settled into a booth near the back.

“So,” he began. “These witches…are they like the ones in Vale Crossing?”

“Not quite.” She took a sip of her beer as she gathered her thoughts. “As you know, most of the magic left the Upperworld a long time ago, when people stopped believing in gods and goddesses and the creatures left.”

“Aye.”

“Well…these witches are different. My ancestors were Greek witches, and were the few people left behind who still believe in our ancient traditions. And these ones, well…history tells us these witches weren’t witches at all.”

He frowned. “They weren’t?”

“No. They were normal, everyday women. A lot of them were just accused of being witches. Or at least of evil doings, even without actual evidence.”

“Why, if they didn’t perform any magic?”

“Many reasons. Jealousy, misogyny, prejudice.” Ria couldn’t help but notice him wince just a little bit at that last one. “They had trials and everything…you should read about it.

“Perhaps,” he grunted.

For a while, they just sat there, the noise of the bar surrounding them. She stole glances at him as she took sips from her bottle, and allowed her mind to do what it had been doing more and more lately. She thought about the train, the cabin, every kiss they’d stolen since the first one until finally admitting what she’d been circling around for weeks: she was falling for him. She’d known it for a while, and that was the problem.

Because tomorrow, Dorian was going to teach her how to cure Korinnae. And if the blood magic worked, the poison would be gone. Korinnae wouldn’t need treatments anymore. She wouldn’t need Ria anymore. Once that was done, she’d be expected to return home, to the work waiting for her there. Her life was in Queens. Her purpose was in the Upperworld.

And Asterion’s life was in Vale Crossing. His home, his job, Korinnae’s…even the house they’d built a routine in. He couldn’t leave, and she wasn’t sure she could stay, and neither of them had said a word about it.

“You’ve gone quiet,” Asterion said.

She blinked. “Just thinking.”