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Because it grieved hied to feel her touch upon hiathered his power around hiick!" Her voice was filled with joy when he laid his head in her lap "What are you doing here? How did you knohere I was?"

He growled low in his throat as he felt his energy flow out of him Out of him and into her as her hands fisted in the fur at his neck

"Sure and you are a ed color again!" They were green now, as green as new grass She ran her hands over his head and neck as she glanced at her surroundings They were in a s flowers that filled the air with a sweet perfuo velvet A s brightly in the darkness

"But where is he?" she wondered aloud "The wizard? Do you knohere he goes? I think he worked mischief upon Ronin this very day" She smiled wistfully " &039;Twas brave of Ronin to corowled low in his throat

She looked down at the wolf "You disagree?"

The wolf barked once

"Well, &039;tis no htened Ronin away I doubt he shall ever find the courage to face ain Nor can I blareatly, I shall never forget how he saved my mother&039;s life"

The wolf licked her hand, his tail thuo for a walk?" she asked

The wolf stood, his tail wagging Thrusting her hand into the thick ruff at his neck, she walked away frorass beneath her feet was a thick deep green

"I wonder where he is," she ain "Do you know him? I should very much like to knohat he looks like I can tell he is a tall man, for when he speaks to me, his voice is above h I sense a great sadness there Perhaps because he lives alone?" She walked a few moments in silence "I wonder why he lives alone He seeasped with pleasure when she ca, she put her hand in the water "A hot spring," she said "It feels heavenly" She glanced around "Do I dare ? Will you guard ht as she res, unbraided her hair, undressed quickly, and slid into the ater

"Magick? Are you there?"

The wolf e of the water, stretched out on his belly, and pushed his head against her shoulder Her fingers ihed with pleasure as she relaxed in the effervescent water Leaning her head back, she gazed up at the stars

"Aren&039;t they beautiful? They shine so Do you see?"

The hined softly

"I was to wed Ronin next year," she said with a sigh "And though I did not love hie Ah, well, perhaps someday another ant me I hope so, for I should dearly love to have a child of my own" Tears thickened her voice "Will you coick? Will you be my eyes so I can see my child&039;s face?"

The wolf licked her cheek

"I shall take that for a yes"

She lingered there a ave a gentle tug

"Right you are," she said "Sure and we&039;d best go back"

The atched her as she rose fro down her skin like dewdrops The hts in the thick golden mass that fell past her hips Her body was slender and perfect, her buttocks gently rounded, her legs long and coltish, her breasts small, the tips a dusky rose

She stood there athe warm breeze dry her skin, and then quickly pulled on her dress Sitting down, she put on her stockings and her shoes, then stood once ick?"

The wolf moved up beside her and she took hold of his fur Moments later, they returned to the site of their cah removed her shoes, then slid under the covers

"Coround beside her

The wolf stretched out beside her With a sigh, Channa Leigh draped her ar his soft fur, she stared up at the stars How beautiful they were, sparkling like dewdrops against the dark sky A butter-yellow sickle an to count the stars

A short ti told the wolf she was asleep

Easing out from under her arm, Darkfest took on his own shape "Sweet drea out his lonely bed, he stared up at the dark sky, but it was Channa Leigh&039;s i that followed hih a deep valley As they rode on, Darkfest was overwhelmed with a sense of evil The horses felt it, too It could be seen in the way their ears twitched, in the way they picked up their feet, the way they sidled close together

As they moved deeper into the valley, Darkfest reached inside his shirt and withdrew a small leather pouch Inside were bits of birch, hazel, rowan, ash, andAnd a large piece of alder He also wore a bracelet of carved alder on his left wrist

He saw Channa Leigh lift her head "Where are we?" she asked

"The valley of Madrigale"

"So is amiss"

"Aye I sense evil here"

She shivered and drew her cloak htly around her "What kind of evil?"

"I know not"

They rode onward, and the sense of evil grew stronger

Darkfest reined his azeand then, gradually, a dull shi, twisting, taking on solid forray skin and white hair stood before hi black robe decorated with skulls and exploding comets