“So no map?” I asked longingly.
“Sorry, but no. The Forest is in a constant state of flow, and it has adapted to be like this for a reason. It protects and guides those with purpose, while discouraging those who wander aimlessly.”
“Sounds easy to get lost.”
“It is.”
“How can I not get lost?” I swallowed. “Trail of breadcrumbs?”
“I wish it were so easy,” he said. “And I wish there was a house made of candy at the end of the trail.”
I laughed. Liam’s presence, even during stressful times, was easy and pleasant to be around. “That would be ideal.”
“Are you going alone into The Forest?” After my laughter died down, his expression turned somber. “Even with directions, it is a place rife with creatures that go bump in the night.”
“I’ll hopefully go during the daylight,” I said with another laugh, this one sounding noticeably forced. Liam didn’t seem amused, so I moved on. “I’m going to swing by today. I can’t endanger anyone else.”
“This is for a friend, yes? The friend will not go with you?”
“I don’t plan on telling her that I’m going at all,” I said. “She’d go with me in a heartbeat, and that’s exactly what I’m worried about. I’m not risking either of my cousins’ lives in there.”
Liam nodded, his eyes not fooled. “And what about those who aren’t your cousins?”
We were both thinking of Ranger X. “He’s busy today. I won’t bother him.”
“I imagine he’d like to be bothered if he knew you were going alone into The Forest.”
“Well, there’s a lot going on right now.” I looked into my cappuccino, wishing it refilled itself. Almost as if he’d read my mind, Sylvester swept over, his dark, greasy hair swinging in front of his twitchy face as he swiped my empty cup and replaced it with a new one. “It shouldn’t take long to gather a bit of the ingredient, right? I only need a small dose to start.”
“Yes, but it’s your first time attempting the harvest.”
“Did the last Mixologist bring company into The Forest?”
Liam remained silent. “That was different. He—”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t you dare say it was because he was a man.”
“I was going to say because the last person to go inside The Forest wasn’t the real Mixologist,” Liam said, clearing his throat. “With only one Mixologist, we—the islanders, I mean—value your life highly.”
“Everyone’s life is valued the same,” I said evenly. “I am not special.”
Liam gave me a sad sort of smile. “My dear, you are young. I admire your optimism, but we must agree to disagree. Most islanders would give their life for yours. Myself included.”
The thought made me uncomfortable. “Have you seen Gus today?”
The change of subject was an obvious one, but luckily Liam was a gentleman and went with it. “I have not. Is he missing?”
I nodded. “How’d you know?”
“My dear, if you ask where someone is...typically you can’t find them.”
I flushed with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry if I came off a bit snappish. There’s a lot going on, not that it’s any excuse.”
Liam reached over and squeezed my hand. “I assume X is on the case?”
I nodded.
“Then don’t worry about Gus,” he said. “Gus will be found. Don’t forget, both he and Ranger X are impressive creatures. You need to focus on yourself. If you are truly going into The Forest today, you need to concentrate on getting in and getting out—alive.”
“You’re not going to try and stop me from going?” I asked curiously.
“What’s the point?” He sat back and took a dainty sip of his cappuccino. “If I fight you on it, you’ll just go anyway. I see the way you talk about your cousins. You’d do anything for your family, and a word of caution from me isn’t going to change that.”
“You talk about family like you understand it.”
He gave a tight smile. “More than you know.”
“I thought your parents died when you were young. Is there more to the story?” I asked. The more I spoke with Liam, the more I realized he was a complicated man built from many layers. I’d barely scratched the surface of getting to know him. I understood now why Ranger X was hesitant to arrest him, regardless of whether he walked the line between legal and illegal.
“In my line of work, I do the question asking, my dear.” The glint of sadness left Liam’s face. “You have a beautiful family, and I can see they love you as much as you love them. If you are going into The Forest then by all means, I’d rather have you be safe than stupid, and it’d be stupid of me to try and talk you out of it. Humans and wizards alike need to make their own mistakes and learn from them. I’d just rather have you be alive afterward in order to learn.”