She felt him before she saw him. The amulet resting against the base of her neck gave the tiniest flicker of warmth, like someone had blown on her skin.

Her breath caught in her throat as she peered out at the night. The storm had calmed somewhat, but the shifting twilight at the edge of the fire’s reach was still impenetrable after nine or ten paces; she could see nothing but the nebulous, churning snowfall. The flakes were hard, like chips of ice, and they stung the exposed skin of her face, forcing her to squint and blink so that even when he first appeared it took her a moment to realize what she was seeing.

On the outer edge of the fire’s light, something flashed. She blinked again and shook her head, straining forward, her right shoulder aching badly, her left one numb. There it was again, like two hot coals floating in mid air: eye-shine. No doubt the scent of blood had attracted some horrible creature, a giant wolf or some other beast she couldn’t conceive of, that was now stalking the outskirts of the camp, looking for the chance to pick off one of their weak and injur-

Her panicked train of thought abruptly collided with the image of something materializing from the storm’s ragged edges...