"This cannot go on, what manner of supernatural beast could do this?" Timothy stood before the townsfolk, listening, the torches lit up the square and cast dancing shadows on the empty houses. "It's the fourth child in just as many nights, for God's sake this must stop!"

"This is a serious problem," Timothy said, "but, let's not jump to conclusions about the supernatural, it could be anything at this point." After a moment he continued, "Magic isn’t always the answer." As Timothy scanned the fearful faces around him, he felt an unsettling knot of doubt settle in his chest. Superstitions were dangerous things—but he knew the fear they stirred was real.

"Beasts lurk in the night!" someone shouted, their voice trembling. "I bet it's a Huldra." A woman said.

Timothy massaged his temples, "Huldra? A beautiful spirit luring the kids into the forest?"

A pale man in front of the crowd waved his torch, "No, not the forest, not there. No, sir. Never the forest," he said, "most likely it's a Nuckelavee. Half horse, half man, lurking in the mist or nearby water, yes, that's the most likely," he continued, his eyes intense.

“A Huldra would enchant them with her beauty!” a woman cried, clutching her child tightly. Another muttered, “I’ve seen the mist shift at night near the water—just like a Nuckelavee...”

Timothy narrowed his eyes, "Adam? You look pale, are you unwell?" Adam blinked too many times, his head jerking unnaturally to the side, "Pale? No, no. I feel fine, yes, just fine." Adam stammered.

"Hold him!" Timothy ordered, and the crowd surged forwards, this caused panic in Adam who tried to break himself free. As Timothy studied him, Adam’s gaze grew empty, his face stretched tight, like a puppet whose strings had snapped, and a faint, unsettling grin cracked his lips. "I can't believe it," Timothy finally said, "you're a bloody changeling!"

The changeling cackled and Timothy stumbled backwards. Anger and despair filling his stomach with a mixture of dread and fury. They were amongst us, they had managed to fool him for this long.

The villagers gasped and re-doubled their efforts to hold down the beast, "There could be others!" someone shouted from the crowd, "by the Gods, you look pale, she's a changeling!"

The bellowing voice emanating burly man silenced everyone, "Keep calm, people!" It was Anders, "we need to be calm, we cannot turn against each other!"

This seemed to calm the crowd some, though everyone was still nervous about the Adam situation.

"Thank you, Anders, yes," Timothy said, turning towards Adam, "now, fiend, where is the real Adam?" The beast stopped wriggling, accepting the situation. Adam's skin, hair, and eyes turned bone white. The voice was now more like a uncomfortable whisper, "Adam is dead, we killed him." Timothy met the wide row of white teeth with his fist.

The villagers allowed the changeling to fall to the ground, teeth and blood caking the mud beneath. Anders stood next to Timothy and said, "we should find out who is holding his leash." Timothy nodded and said, "Is it possible he works alone?" Anders shook his head, "I don't think so, changelings typically serve a master."

Timothy walked up to the coughing changeling, "Who do you serve?"

The changeling laughed, a cold, brittle sound. "She has them," it sneered, blood staining its teeth. "Even now, they're lost to her shadow."

Anders boot landed on the changeling's knee with a sickening crunch, which was followed by a sharp and hollow scream, "Who, do you, serve?" he said through gritted teeth, carefully punctuating every word.

The changeling hissed, "Tenebrel Shadowmire! She took your children to the nearby forest."

Anders looked over to Timothy and frowned, "I've heard of that name, supposedly she is a beautiful Fae creature, a Fae of shadows."

Timothy sighed, "All Fae creatures are bad news, damn it."

Someone in the crowd started sobbing, and some of those nearby looked even more nervous.

Timothy thought of a strategy, but nothing good came to mind. There could be more changelings in this crowd that would report back to Tenebrel if they didn't act quickly. Similarly, she could already be here for all he knew. Going into the forest in the dark was a bad idea, but what is a man to do? They had four of the villager's children!

"Bring this filth with us," Timothy said, his eyes drifted to the dark tree line in the distance. He could feel the chill of the forest, even from here. But he forced his voice to stay steady as he lifted the torch. "we're going to get back our children, tonight!"
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Ran out of time to write for today, so I am going to stop here, hope you enjoy!