"HYAAAAHH—!!"
But right at that time, the shriek tore through the garden's quiet like something physical — sharp, high and panicked, coming from somewhere inside the castle's upper levels with the force of a sound that had no interest in being contained by walls.
Both of them went still.
Nathan's head turned toward the castle in the same instant as Rena's.
The shriek tore through the garden's quiet and Nathan was already on his feet before the echo died.
"What's happening?" Rena asked, the words coming out with an unsteadiness she hadn't fully controlled — the shift from one kind of breathlessness to a completely different kind happening faster than her composure could manage.
Nathan was already looking up at the castle's face — reading the windows, the moving light in the upper level, the quality of the shout and where it had come from.
He reached down, grasped Rena's hand and pulled her upright in one motion.
"Stay here," he said.
