I woke the next morning to a pounding at my front door, and the vague feeling that this pounding had been going on for some time. The sky to the east was lightening, but it was still long before sunrise.
There was an irritated meow from behind my head. Mjolner, who had two beds of his own now, was in his customary spot: the very middle of my pillow, curled up against the back of my neck. He meowed again, as much as demanding that I go get the door and let him finish sleeping in peace.
For my part, I felt fully rested. My brain was sharper than it had been in days, and the aches and pains I hadn"t even been aware of before were suddenly gone.
I reached for my robe and slipped my feet into my fur-lined slippers before heading downstairs. The house was colder than my grandmother kept her c
