I was reading a book of spells, one of the few that Freda had allowed me to take from her library, when I heard a knock on my door.

I stopped, thinking I had imagined it. But the knock came again—soft, as if probing, as if unsure, as if wondering if I was awake.

A smile touched my lips, as I figured it was probably Raul, coming for a nightcap. We hadn't seen each other since the introductory session with a select few of the community.

Closing the book, but making sure to put a bookmark where I had last read, I stood up, removed the robe I wore around...