Chapter 16: Chapter 16

“You have been a devoted servant,” said the god. “And your reward shall be safe passage for you and your friend.”

The face at once became clearer and could have been flesh but for its size and its green tinge. There appeared other things in the mist—animals, moving about as though dancing around him. Rabbits, deer, and wolves. Wheeling about his head flew birds, weaving in and out of the god’s magnificent antlers.

“Safe passage,” he repeated.

The mist thickened and swirled even more, intermittently obscuring the god. The animals became indistinct, seeming only fleeting shadows that slowly vanished along with the face, and finally, the mist.