The night was dark and cold in Banglador, but it was colder and darker in Malkouth. It was nearing dawn by the time that the wolves had finished their hunting expedition and returned to their dens. There was a time when the pack had all come to rest together after a night's activities, but Balthazar had put an end to that when the wolves had begun to turn against their own kind.
It was a pity what had happened with the informants. Those who acquiesced to the Hunters served them as the lowest members of town society. They would never be seen as men again, only as domesticated animals and
It was midmorning when Evan knocked on the door of the motley home on the far side of Banglador. The exterior of the house was a mixture of red brick and painted wood, but the door opened to the plain face of a friendly man, neither young nor old, his orangey-brown hair thinning."Hello, young man," the man said, staring at him with clear blue eyes and a welcoming smile. "What can I do you for?"
Ryan Hollis pulled a book off the shelf and blew the dust from the cover. The tiny particles swirled in the stale air of the study as Lunus and Evan watched, waiting for him to speak."It has been a long time since Elkshire," Ryan told them, "but some things never change."He opened the book, leafing through the
Days past for Lunus without hearing so much as a word from Evan Marshal. She had stopped by the library once to say hello and see if he had found anything promising to help them in their search for the cure for lycanthropy, but he was cold towards her when she met him there.
Eccord Reens was a handsome man of impressive stature. He wore a special uniform made for the Chief of the Hunters and as grey as Malkouth's mist. His hair and eyes were dark as wood from Katalox, and no one could offend his pride."Hi, dad," Lunus said, and she smiled, giving him a hug hello. "I hope I haven't interrupted you."
Lunus was starved for sleep that night. She stayed awake in her bed, tossing and turning to the sound of the rain and the faint glow of the white moonlight which pierced through the clouds and wandered through her bedroom window.The room was cold, damp, and dark when she opened her eyes to the sound of knocking. She tossed off the blankets to answer the door, throwing her hunter’s jacket clumsily on over her thin satin nightgown for coverage and warmth. She wrapped the forest green jacket around her shoulders, pulling the collar closer around her neck as she walked to the door.&n
Evan stayed by Lunus’s side as she slept. He had pulled a chair near to her bed and sat in it, gently running his fingers through her fine orange hair. It seemed that her trouble sleeping may have been less related to the weather than she thought and more related to his absence. He hadn’t been there long. It would be another hour before daylight, and yet... she had fallen so completely back into slumber.
They walked together through the barren woods with the sun shining bright upon them. The last of the season's leaves clung desperately to trees' quavering branches, and each gust of the cool autumn breeze carried with it the colors of afternoon and harvest.Their feet hit the cold earth with little give as they wandered toward the Devil's Cave, save a little wetness from the rains of yesterday's evening but even much of that had frozen over from the frost of the morning.
The cave was wide and deep and barren, its darkly shadowed mouth covered in moss and ivy. The grey rock of the stone which formed the cave was tinted a spectral blue which left an eerie chill inside Lunus as she walked on the circular slab at the entrance. It was completely smooth, oddly so."I don't understand. This should have markings," Evan said, walking around the area with flustered curiosity. "All of this..." he said, "there's markings all over it."