How would the tiny twins react to the other seven birds, as well as themselves, being in any danger? Or maybe they think that there is a threat or something when there is nothing wrong, how would they respond to that?

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Something’s wrong.

Something’s wrong and Taako doesn’t know what it is. Everyone is at the big house — Taako and Lup, of course, and Merle and Barry and Kravitz, but also Davenport and Lucretia and Angus. But Magnus isn’t there, and he hasn’t been for several days.

Everyone talks in whispers around them, including Angus, which makes Taako a little mad because Angus is as small as they are, why does he get to know what’s going on? But Angus doesn’t say anything when they ask him, only shakes his head distractedly and looks very worried.

One morning, everyone piles into one of the shiny new cars with an M on the front that Magnus likes to pretend stands for his name. Maybe a couple months ago Taako and Lup would be worried everyone was leaving them behind, but today they’re just angry. Everyone’s going off on important family business and not taking them!

So they sneak in, of course.

It’s easy to wriggle into the trunk before Barry starts driving. Taako transmutes the lock into a hole and Lup pops it open and they both climb in and stay very, very still. It’s easy for the two of them. They’ve had lots of practice. It’s nice to be sneaky when their lives don’t depend on it, though. It’s almost fun!

By the time the car stops, he and Lup are so engrossed making faces at each other and challenging each other not to laugh that they almost don’t register the halt. They county fifty breaths, in and out, in and out, before Lup kicks the trunk open.

They’re in front of a huge house. Not as big as the big house, but large nonetheless. It’s fancy, but old; towering white columns, gates with sharp spikes, elaborate gardens with sparkling fountains whose droplets tinkle like diamonds. Taako pulls a face. This is the kind of house he and Lup would take food from, because most of the time the people who lived in them were bad people.

They only see Merle up ahead of them, trekking down that winding path, but that’s okay, because Barry knows Invisibility and he’s strong enough to cast it on many people. Taako can’t just yet, but he holds Lup’s hand and keeps quiet and that’s good enough.

Merle rings the doorbell.

It takes a long time for anyone to respond. Then the door creaks open and there’s a pale-faced young halfling who asks Merle what his name is. It takes Merle four minutes to negotiate his way inside, which is weird because normally he gets his way a lot faster — Merle is good with words when he’s not being a dummy.

Just before the door slides shut, Lup and Taako slip inside.

The foyer brims with huge statues, marble busts of people that are probably dead. Still holding each other tight, they sneak around to the back, careful to keep out of view.

A man descends from a spiral staircase in the middle of the foyer, white-haired and icy blue eyes, and even though Taako only sees him for a second before Lup yanks him out of sight, Taako gets chills. He doesn’t like this man with the pale eyes and the scar on his cheek. He doesn’t like him at all.

The white-haired man strides down the hallway, Lup and Taako inching along the statue to keep out of sight, and greets Merle by name. There’s something weird about Merle’s voice, now. Something old and cold.

It takes him a second to realize: Merle’s angry.

Suddenly, sneaking around doesn’t seem like a game any more. Taako’s never seen Merle angry before. Not at anyone, and never at them.

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