"What is it? WHAT IS IT, EKNIE?!"
Ted looked at the woman.
Eknie lowered the gun.
Suddenly, and with no visible explanation, the campfire went out, in a matter of seconds, dying silently without as much as a whisker of smoke rising from its grave.
"It is Dogormo," Eknie whispered.
The whisper sounded supernaturally loud, as if it had contained a shout inside it, with still hissing at the point of the letter S as all whispers tended to hiss.
The high cor threw his hands up in the air, instinctually dropping onto his knees in an act of spontaneous worship.
"YOU," Dogormo said. "Apparently the bear is not a sacrifice...but I will take it, anyway."
"And Your Highness is welcome to do so," Ted said, hurrying to make himself sound and look presentable. "Take it...the flesh, the blood, the bones, anything at all, anything You want."
