They entered the woods a little over an hour after leaving the castle. Eugene directed the soldiers to follow a specific path until they finally reached a rundown cabin in a clearing. Smoke rose from the cabin’s chimney and Eugene ordered the riders to halt. He dismounted his horse and called out.

“Keller!”

Silence reigned in the clearing around them. Then the cabin door opened and a small man stood silhouetted against the light from within. The man’s hair appeared silver in the light from the cabin and hung down the sides of his face. He had a hat that was too small and sat askew on his head. It...