Tri-genre Scene 2

Branwen knelt at Pa's bedside and grasped his withered hands. "Don't die," she pleaded. The tears streaking her face dripped onto the coverlet.

"Dear child," he whispered. "Evil must not prevail. Promise me."

"Oh Pa."

He freed one hand to point at a box on the mantel. "Take it to Shadow Mountain." He closed his eyes and was still.

Branwen wiped her tears. The lid of the box bore a griffon spreading its wings. Inside, her mother's ring lay atop pages covered in spidery writing. She slipped the ring o