I was on my back on Marion’s couch, a blanket covering me from my feet to my chest. The room was draped in shadow, with only the dim light of the flames flickering in the fireplace to ease the gloom. In the half-darkness it took me a few seconds to realise I wasn’t alone. Over by the shuttered window, someone stood peering through a gap, their back to me. There was something else in the room too. I’m not sure how, exactly, but I could sense it there – lurking down on the floor right next to where I was lying. If I listened carefully I could hear the faint wheezing of its breath. It sounded like the breathing of something big, and I guessed it was the animal that had come out of nowhere and attacked the Crowmaster. I probably owed it my life, but the memory of those teeth put me off reaching down and giving it a hug. Something hit the window with a hollow thud and the figure by the shutters took a sudden step backwards, muttering quietly. A sliver of light shone through a gap in the wooden slats, and I caught a glimpse of a face I instantly recognised.
