16
A Subtle Magic
The return to the lake shore lifted Julian's spirits, but not the way it had just a few minutes earlier. His experience in the woods was too fresh, the adrenalin still pumping through him.
And he could swear he heard, as they exited the wood, that hissing sound. Softer, just barely audible. But constant, insistent.
The moon had risen fully above the mountains by the time they reached their bedrolls, and the temperature had dropped noticeably. A thin film of mist had begun to form out in the center of the lake, lending an eery slant to the pristine landscape.
And was that something moving, over on the far side of the lake?
No, he did not feel much better about their situation at all.
Melanie sent her light globe further aloft, so that it hovered a good dozen fee
