the movement of his hair through the water was hypnotic, and it was only by great force of will that Evemer looked away again. Perhaps there had been something to his mother’s warnings after all—the mountain spirits were said to be creatures of surpassing loveliness, all bright eyes and dark hair, who lured men to their deaths in the springs or, as Evemer’s mother had warned, snatched their hearts and replaced them with burning embers. He wondered if this was what that felt like.
