There was a rustling as the lithe figure rose, arms outstretched. Her robe was so thin he could see the candle flames through it. The silhouettes of her fingers were tipped with talon-like nails, sharp and a couple of inches long.

"Come," she seemed to whisper, but Tlan heard her barely audible voice as if inside his ears, from all the way across the chamber. He was drawn to her. He walked to the nest of furs and hesitated, looking at her. She moved in sudden fits and starts like a skittish animal, coming in to sniff the air around his neck and face. She laid her nails on his...