"What story do you have from the pce you e from?" Salvianna inquires, settling into a fortable position, prepared to listen.

  "He was an older man who loved me. The woman who raised me, Syberta, a great fighter, said of old Berntunn that he had no family, but her did he attrayone around him. He was a loner. I trained daily with my bow and knives. Berntunn assing by, always dressed the same, in shorts and a striped sweater, the way fishermeo dress. He came up to me and said,

  "Young man, stop being so strict with your life. I'll be back before nightfall, and if you're still here, we'll go to the women together."

  We often talked together. Syberta wondered.

  "All his life, he has not talked to anyone as much as he is talking to you in a while. After he couldn't fight anymore, you'd find him in the same p a rock. He looked at the sky, the forest, the water, and even the ground for hours."

  "Speak closer to my ear. I'm hree years old, and I 't hear well anymore," he said, looking around and telling me in a spiratorial air.

  I was amused when I realized I had been talking for nothing without him hearing me.

  The point is that after a while, he told me that he had lied to me.

  "I lied to you that I 't hear well. I asked you to speak in my ear to feel you closer. You have no idea what your breath told me without you knowing. Do you know who your birth parents are? There is a forest where a unity of humans live together with wolves. Not many people boast of havihem. Searg for your past is essential for you. You draw circles in the sand until a rock catches your eye. Watg the stoil it ges shape, you will see mu it, everails of snails that have passed over it."

  Salvianna is delighted to have entered a man like Kaer. He not only saved her life at a moment when she believed herself to be beyond rescue but also retly provided her with moments of supreme feelings that any woman would desire.

  Salvianna listeo him until the end, then scored dry.

  "Elder Berntunn was referring to the legend of the Lys Pack. It is said that a pack of werewolves lives away from the eyes of the world in the Bck Wildwood forest."

  "Werewolves?"

  "Yes, those who are half wolf and half man. They are creatures that ge form."

  "Are they real?"

  "Legend cims it to be true, yet the truth is still a mystery. It is said that a witch made a pact with the deities and gave birth to them. As for myself, I have never visited the Bck Wildwood. Few people are allowed in because there is a lot of danger around them. Only the stro and most determined adventurers veo that forest and e out alive."

  "Do you think they could know something about me?"

  "There is a ce, yes. It would be an arduous journey, but worth the risk."

  "If the Bck Wildwood is my destiny, then I will gardless of the dangers. Even if this trip kills me, at least I will die knowing I did everything to find my truth."

  Salvianna nodded with a smile.

  "Do you know how to get there?"

  "I don't know, but you ask. For example, here in Castlecrest, you look for Redowad. He is known to sell information for money."

  Kaer kissed Salvianna.

  "Thank you very much for your help. I'm preparing a reception for your sister. If she's still alive, I'll bria home."

  Dressed in lighter clothes, Kaer ordered a drink at a table, offered drinks ters, and asked about Redowad.

  Over the wo days, Kaer spent time in various taverns, meeting people and chatting with strangers, until a man approached his table and asked permission to sit down.

  "Redowad, that's my name. I heard you were looking for me."

  "So you hear well, but do you uand just as well?"

  "Oh, the gentleman is tough. What I help you with?"

  "With information," Kaer said.

  "What are you ied in?"

  I will pay for any useful information, but on one dition: Keep it fidential. What do you say, Mr. Redowad?

  "Agree. I will enjoy w together, even if you look dangerous," Redowad said.

  Kaer pced a leather bag oable.

  "You have here a thousand gold s. Who do I call to get me oer safely?"

  "Are you looking for something cheap or want to pay for the best?"

  "The sed option is acceptable."

  "Ask about the pirate Gartonk. It is the most famous here and in many other parts of the world. It take you where you want oer."

  "It's Good so far. If I reach the Bck Wildwood, who should I look for in e with those who live with the wolves?"

  Redowad's eyes widened, and he shook his head slightly.

  "What is said about these werewolves? How were they created?"

  "Many stories are told. Most are ied. They were not created from magic or any kind of alchemy. Their creation is unknown. They take any form. Their eyes ge color with the passing of time and their ears grow pointed. When they reach a certaihey bee immortal."

  "Do they exist?"

  "I do not know. I have never met one," says Redowad.

  "What do they look like?"

  "They look like humans. But they take on other forms. Some have pointed ears, some have round ones."

  "Do they eat meat?"

  "Yes. And they also eat flesh."

  "How old are they?"

  "They are always in their prime. They do not grow old."

  "What is their weakness?"

  "They are very susceptible to fire."

  "Where are they from?"

  "The earth. The trees."

  "What about the sea? The rivers? What about the air?"

  "The sea, the rivers, and the air are full of their st. They smell like death."

  "And the sun, does it rise and fall? Is the sky clear or cloudy?"

  "The sky is clouded over by the fog of their breath. The moon is hidden behind the veil of their skin. They walk among us, hiding in pin sight."

  "What are they called?"

  "The werewolf. The vampire. The ghost. The zombie. The ghoul."

  "And what about us? What do we call ourselves?"

  "The human."

  "Why is it different?"

  "It's not. We are all the same. Where will I find you tomorrow?" asked Redowad.

  "Ask the innkeeper at the Blue Dragon to show you my room. Put a ticket uhe door."

  Kaer pced an of ohousand gold s oable, saluted, a.