It was late winter. The snow whispered as it fell. Fand stared out over the fields. Her eyes followed the dark line of Zog's footprints in the fresh snow. He had been heading in that direction every evening for the past several weeks. Sometimes he came home, more often he didn't return until dawn. Fand wanted to know where he was going and why.

To her relief, he had stopped frequenting The Tavern. When he was home, he did his chores but seldom spoke to Fand or Uncle Wert. He was living in a silent, secret world of his own. At least he wasn’t coming home bruised and bloody anymore. At least he wasn’t getting piss drunk. Though Fand should be thankful for these things, she just felt more uneasy. Zog was up to something. He spent a lot of time reading a strange book in a language Fand had never seen before. She had asked him about what he was reading several times but all he ever said was, “Just some books I came across. They pass the time.” What was he passing time for? Was he waiting for something?

Fand adjusted her bow and quiver on her back. She might come across some game, some squirrels, a rabbit or maybe even a deer. If she did find a deer, her shot must be true or the poor creature could be left with a broken or shattered arrow in him that would fester and slowly poison him to death. Honestly, she hoped she did not see a deer, but she did not pray that she wouldn’t. She had become much more careful with her prayers.

The snow crunched beneath her boots as she followed Zog’s tracks across the fields and into the forest. She was so focused on Zog’s steps she did not see the rabbit on the ground, the squirrels in the tree or the deer near the brook. To her dismay Zog’s foot prints completely disappeared in a thicket of gorse. It was like he had just vanished. How odd. Had he broken his trail on purpose? Probably. Did he suspect he might follow his trail? Maybe. She glanced at the sky. The light was growing dim. Though shedid not want to, she was going to have to abandon Zog's trail and go home.

The evening air caught a sound, Fand had not heard in months. Zog’s laughter rang out and bounced off the surrounding trees. He was near. She would find him. The secret would be unraveled...but then what? It didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was that she found out what he was up to. He laughed again. On silent feet, she followed the laughter like she had followed his tracks. She skirted around the gorse thicket. In the distance was a clearing. In the clearing stood a peddler’s cart painted yellow and turquoise. Dried herbs and flowers hung upside down along its eaves. The back door of the cart was open. Zog stood completely naked on the step. His slung his head back as he laughed again.

What the hell was he doing? Fand stopped where she was. The peddler woman she had met on the day Zog had been denied a place in The Council looked out the door. She was wrapped in a dark blue blanket. She opened the blanket and Zog pulled her naked body to him. His mouth came down hard on hers. The blanket slipped off them both. Fand stopped breathing. She closed her eyes. This was something she was not supposed to see. What a stupid little twit she was. Served her right for snooping. The noise they made was strange and sucking. Was that what wives did with their husbands? What her mother and father had done? She was a farm girl after all and it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen mating before, it was just with animals it was all vigor and action. This was something more. This went deeper. Holy shit! Why was she here? She should not be here.

With eyes still closed she took a single, step back wards and slipped. She did her best not to cry out, but she did let out a small grunt. Her eyes shot open and she saw the two bodies enter twined in the snow. Where they crazy? Zog was on top of the woman and he seemed intent on devouring her. Aware that she would most likely not be noticed at all, Fan took another step. This time she stepped on a branch. It snapped. Zog stopped kissing the woman and turned. Through the trees he saw Fand. For one brief moment their eyes met. His eyes were drunk with passion, but they quickly snapped to anger. Fand turned and started to run. Her boot got tangled in a vine and she fell head first into a dirty drift of snow. She sat up sputtering.

Zog shouted, "Serves you right for snooping."

The woman said, “Zog, don’t talk to her like that.”

Fand glanced at the woman, recognition flickered in the woman’s eyes. Embarrassment, anger and hurt surged through Fand. She shouted, “He’s the one that hit me. Has he hit you, yet?”

The woman looked up at Zog. Distracted, Zog looked away from Fand. With two hard kicks, Fand got herself free of the vine and took off running. Trees caught and pulled at her hair. One branch snapped her face. Warm blood oozed down her cheek. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest. She wanted to forget what she had just seen, but she wouldn’t, no she never would. A question rattled around inside her heard. Why was Zog with a woman more than twice his age?

A icy wind blew up. The aroma of rotting flesh permeated the air. The trees danced around Fand. All at once she realized she didn’t know exactly where she was. Her eyes scanned for a familiar landmark. There weren’t any. Panicked she looked to the sky and saw last traces of days light. The sun had sunk below the horizon. She was headed west and needed to go east. She turned and ran headlong into a man, a muscular, tall man. He was dressed in the finest velvet and silk suit she had ever seen. Gold rings flashed on his thick fingers. The impact of her body against his had sent a strange feeling through her, a feeling she had never felt before. She looked up at him. He smiled. It was a closed-mouthed smile. He did not speak. He was very handsome. The most handsome creature she had ever seen. He had long dark hair shot through with silver. His eyes were the same pale blue as hers and held a peculiar, enticing light. She said, "Excuse me sir. I was not paying attention to where I was going."

He nodded and touched her cheek where the branch had scratched it. His touch created an extraordinary sensation of warmth and longing. His eyes met hers. She felt like she wanted to enter into him, to know him. She had never felt such a strong urge before. His lips brushed against her forehead. Desire leapt up inside of her, a desire so strong, she did not even notice the acrid smell that filtered into the air. He pulled her to him. She looked up at him, what she wanted most was to be kissed, to be devoured. He pulled away from her and grasped the dove pendant at her throat. He looked at it one long moment and then he let it drop. It burned hot against her skin. A single question slipped through her mind, “What is happening?”

The man took a step back and tossed a large hunk of mica into the air between them. Fand's eyes followed it. It glistened and then it disappeared. She looked back at the man, and he too was gone!

What? She spun around. There was no trace of the man. She scanned the ground. Nothing. Not even footprints. Zog said spirits walked the woods at night. The sky was almost dark, but it was not yet night. Would a spirit have solidity of body like this man had? Could a dead man make her feel the way this one had? And the smell of him, it was like...like a dead rotting cow. What ever he was, he was not human and he was not natural. He had seduced her with his very presence. How had he done that? It was not safe out here. She must get home and fast. Her eyes scanned the trees, she recognize a lightening struck tree. It was near the path that lead to home. On fast feet raced through the field, down the steep embankment of the brook and then crested the other side. On her favorite rock sat a familiar form. He turned toward her. How had he come to be here when she needed him most? It did not matter how. She slung off her bow and quiver and scrambled up the rock. He turned, he stood and she threw herself in his arms. Hard sobs shuddered through her. She could not speak, all she could do was hang on to the one person who made her feel safe.