“You want to know what wicked diablerie lies beyond The Eating Woods?” The wood creaked as she slowly rocked in her chair, holding the bowl of the pipe in her palm. “A gateway to another world. I was no more than your age when I ventured into that dark forest.” Eyes wide, I lowered myself to one of the steps to her porch. “You breached the archway?” “Had no choice. Winter was cold, and food was scarce.” Another puff of her pipe, and she upped the pace of her rocking. “My brother and I had chased a rabbit deep into the trees before we came upon the beast. His skin like the bark of a tree. Eyes
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