"Great! Thank you so much!" Father exclaimed, relief washing over him. A guide was exactly what we needed.
Before we could take a single step, a figure appeared without warning or sound. Nobody noticed his arrival. One moment the space behind us was empty; the next, it was occupied by a tall, cloaked man.
Rose looked completely stunned. Everyone froze as the man spoke, his voice low and grating.
"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to have seen a girl pass by with some woods?"
His presence was chilling. Who was this man?
Clara responded cautiously, "Could you be very specific? A lot of girls pass here with wood to use at their fireplace."
"Well, I was just at the lumber yard, and she dropped this while I was there," he said.
As he raised his right hand, holding a locket, his hands were terrifyingly large and covered with cuts. They had a lot of minor wounds on them—some healed, others still in the process—and he had scabs on his knuckles too.
